otnehemiah9

Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it? Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "studies". These studies contain knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

Nehemiah 9:1 "Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloths, and earth upon them."

This is a time when all those of the House of Judah that returned from captivity, finally took the time to put aside all the problems of the day, and conflicts around them, and the went back to their roots. The times when their forefathers were captive in Egypt, and cried out to the Lord to free them from their bondage; and then follow them as they came out of that bondage, wondered through the wilderness, and moved into the promised land.

So in this chapter we will see the history of God taking care of His people, and seeing them through in the times when things are getting tough. So there is no need to comment on this ninth chapter, for it is to be read as a refresher to the love and mercy that God showed to His children. It is a summary of the book of the law, by Moses, and continues to the time of the Babylonian captivity.

Nehemiah 9:2 "And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers."

Nehemiah 9:3 "And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth they part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God."

Nehemiah 9:4 "Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God."

Nehemiah 9:5 "Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, "Stand and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be Thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise."

Nehemiah 9:6 "Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone;Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee."

Nehemiah 9:7 "Thou art the Lord the God, Who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;"

Nehemiah 9:8"And foundest his heart faithful before Thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hettites, and Amoriites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed Thy word; for Thou art righteous:"

Nehemiah 9:9 "And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;"

Nehemiah 9:10 "And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest the they dealt proudly against them. So didst Thou get Thee a name, as it is this day."

Nehemiah 9:11 "And Thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters."

Nehemiah 9:12 "Moreover Thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go."

Nehemiah 9:13"Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:"

Nehemiah 9:14 "And madest know unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and Laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:"

Nehemiah 9:15 "And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst sworn to give them."

Nehemiah 9:16 "But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to Thy commandments,"

Nehemiah 9:17 "And refused to obey, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not."

Nehemiah 9:18 "Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God That brought the up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocation;

Nehemiah 9:19 "Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go."

Nehemiah 9:20 "Thou gavest also Thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst."

Nehemiah 9:21 "Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their cloths waxed not old, and their feet swelled not."

Nehemiah 9:22 "Moreover Thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the kintg of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan."

Nehemiah 9:23 "Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land, concerning which Thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it."

Nehemiah 9:24 "So the children went in and possessed the land, and Thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would."

Nehemiah 9:25 "And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and olive yards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in Thy goodness."

Nehemiah 9:26 "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their backs, and slew Thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to Thee, and they wrought great provocations."

Nehemiah 9:27 "Therefore Thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of the trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from heaven; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies."

Nehemiah 9:28 "But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee: therefore leftest Thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst Thou deliver them according to Thy mercies;"

Nehemiah 9:29 "And testifiedst against them, that Thou mightest bring them again unto Thy law: yet thy dealt proudly, and harkened not unto Thy commandments, but sinned against Thy judgments (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear."

Nehemiah 9:30 "Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifedst against them by Thy spirit in Thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest Thou them into the hand of the people of the lands."

Nehemiah 9:31 "Nevertheless for Thy great mercies' sake Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for Thou art a gracious and merciful God."

Nehemiah 9:32 "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy People, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day."

Nehemiah 9:33 "Howbeit Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for Thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly;"

Nehemiah 9:34 "Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Thy law, nor harkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them."

Nehemiah 9:35 "For they have not served Thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that Thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which Thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works."

Nehemiah 9:36 "Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:"

Nehemiah 9:37 "And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress."

Nehemiah 9:38 "And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites and priests, seal unto it."

After the seven days of living in the booths and thinking back on the past, the people come together and make a covenant between themselves. When this agreement is made all the princes, Levites and priests came forth to sign the agreement, and bind themselves and their families to the agreement [covenant]. However there is one priest that refuses to sign his name to the covenant. The reason that he refused to sign the covenant is the the topic of the thirteenth chapter.

In chapter ten we see the covenant that was made here, and the attitude of the people towards that covenant. While chapter eleven discusses the civil and sacred law, and when Christ came, and died on the cross, He became these things. These laws and ordinances were done away with, and thus they don't concern us today. However we will see in the twenty first verse that the Nethinims were still there. and it is important that you note this, for they are becoming deeper involved in the activities of the Temple, and blending in with the Levites.

The twelfth chapter is also history, and is basically the dedication of the wall after it was completed, going from gate to gate. So from this point on, the comments will be mostly dealing with history.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals. We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.