Or, When Fasting Follows Feasting
Scripture: Nehemiah 9:6-37
Date: June 15, 2025
Speaker: Sean Higgins
Christians confess sin. We don’t properly call the men in Nehemiah 9 Christians, because there weren’t “Christians” until Christ’s disciples got hit with that derogatory feedback in Antioch. But the point is, when men read and understand the Book, they understand their need to confess.
Nehemiah 9:1-37 is a corporate confession. The people acknowledge their unfaithfulness as a people not just as individual persons. For generations God kept being faithful to His Word to them, and for generations God’s people cycled through disregard and disobedience until He humbled them. They had reason to confess.
Starting in the last part of verse 5, we’re reading a public prayer that is a little preachy. It is a prayer to God, and it has some reminders and exhortations meant for all present. There is a lot of history, some good theology, and it leads into a covenant renewal in chapter 10.
We’re on the 24th day of the seventh month; a lot has happened. They’ve assembled for reading of the Word and worship, they’ve dispersed for feasting and fellowship. They’ve assembled again for the Feast of Booths, dispersed for a short period of time. There’s been a lot of Bible, and the understanding has included an understanding of their sin. So the voices up front lead in praise and prayer.
After blessing God’s “glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise” (verse 5), the prayer follows six movements of God. God moves in creation, in the call and covenant with Abram, in the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, in leading them in the wilderness, in bringing them into the Promised Land, and moving in their confession.
Want to rebuild a culture? Get right with God.
There really isn’t any other God like God. He made the earth and everything on earth, the waters and everything in the waters, and the sky and everything in the sky, even beyond what we call sky. The heavens and heavenly bodies, planets and suns and moons and stars.
He is God and LORD. While His rule is comprehensive, and so not a limited/local deity, He is also the particular God who has revealed Himself as Yahweh, the “I am.”
And unlike what we refer to as deists, who claim that God made the cosmos but who leaves it alone to run for itself, God preserves all the life and laws of nature.
The God who has a particular name— LORD, called a particular man by name—Abram, and then even changed his name. The LORD chose and called Abram and then made a covenant with Abram. Not mentioned, but we know that the Abrahamic Covenant was unconditional, even as illustrated by God’s form alone passing between the halves of the sacrifices (Genesis 15:10, 17-20). This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous.
Not only did God call Abram out of one land, God promised Abram another land. It was occupied by some -ites, but the covenant included generations/seed (see verse 2) and geography/land. This is part of the reason for the prayer: the offspring were back in Israel because you have kept your promise. The Lord kept showing His faithfulness to His Word even as they waited for Him to bring about the rest of the promises (namely in the coming and ruling of the Messiah in Jerusalem).
We know that the original covenant included blessings for all nations (Genesis 12:3), but there was a particular nation that God determined to show His faithfulness to.
Isn’t this the defining corporate event of the Old Testament? Even in the Ezra-Nehemiah narrative, the return of the Jews from Babylon is compared as a second exodus.
Their return from Babylon started when God moved the Persian king’s heart, which maybe wasn’t quite as miraculous as the 12 plagues or the parting of the Red Sea, or leading them by a cloud-pillar and fire-pillar. But God made a name for [Him]self, as it is to this day.
The Lord gave them special revelation, including the Sabbath Day and His statues. He provided, both direction and food, but they complained. This is the cycle. Even when Moses was on Mt. Sinai getting the two Tablets, the people were making an idol. They wandered for forty years, while God took care of them (verse 21), and the older generation passed rather than being taken captive or killed.
Presumptuous and stiff-necked. Willfully forgetful and unyielding. This may be the dominant tune of the prayer: amazing grace followed by amazing ingratitude. They…acted presumptuously (verse 16), as in, without consideration, they were not mindful (verse 17). They stiffened their neck. It wasn’t a one time deal, it was their pattern.
And this is the key note, middle C, so to speak. Everything comes back to this: But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them (verse 17).
There are steps forward, and then crashing. What obvious success God gave in verses 22-25, and then how almost unbelievable it is that the people treat God as irrelevant. They got fat on God’s goodness. Nevertheless (verse 26), they turned their backs to the law. It had to get so bad that they called for help, until they stiffened their necks again. The only thing that abounds more than their sin is God’s great mercies (verse 31).
They only make one request: that God remember their hardships. Of course, they also deserved every hardship, because even with all the good given by God they did not serve Him or turn from their wicked works. They referenced the recent past, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day, 722 to 445 (277 years).
Yet you have been righteous (verse 33).
But this is part of the new turning. This is acknowledgement of God’s greatness, power, and steadfast love. He is the God who keeps covenant. They know they need Him, and more of this commitment in chapter 10.
Corporate confession belongs with worship. It also belongs with rebuilding culture.
The Word is light. Exposure to the Word, and understanding of the Word, will shines on God’s glory, might, promises, faithfulness, mercies, and provisions. And, the clearer we see God the less great we see ourselves to be in reflection.
This is a reason why some prefer theologically poor/weak messages. It’s hard to feel good about yourself when you really reckon with God. His faithfulness is convicting, let alone His holiness.
He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”
(Psalm 105:7–11 ESV)
If you would leave a great example for your grandchildren, learn from the examples in the Book (1 Corinthians 10:6-13, 31, 11:1). Don’t desire evil. Don’t just play. Don’t indulge in sexual immorality. Don’t grumble. Give thanks. Trust God when tempted. Do all to the glory of God. Imitate Christ.
The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. (1 Kings 8:57–58 ESV)