Nehemiah 9
"Mourning in the Morning "
Gospelcom Bible Gateway
INTRODUCTION:
A. Several chapters in the Bible have outstanding Chapter 9's.
1. Daniel 9
2. Ezra 9
3. Nehemiah 9
C. Very long and filled with cries of confession. It is a record or journal of repentance, fasting, and crying out to God as they recognize that they have offended and holy God.
C. They recognize that they are in the presence of a Holy God that has given His written Word. This revelation brings conviction and repentance.
D. Remember that the people of Israel did not realize until a few weeks earlier that they had been doing anything wrong.
E. Revival occurs. Revival is when something dormant comes back to life.
F. Evaluate your life back to the first day you committed your life to Christ. Is revival needed in certain areas of your life
G. We are witnessing a national revival this was evidenced in a change in the entire community. This is why Nehemiah came. Not so he could build walls or provide national political security of get the people together to build unity. It was for this Declaration of Independence on God
H. Corporate prayer began in verse 6-38 (longest recorded prayer
I. The Preparation of the People
A. It is the 7th month
1. Rosha Shannah
2. The feast of trumpet
3. The feast of tabernacles
4. Yom Kippur
B. All of the people gathered in Chapter 8 and all the leaders wanted to hear more
C. The joy of the Lord is your strength and told not to be sorrowful
D. 15th to the 22nd the children of Israel kept the feast of tabernacles which was not kept since the days of Joshua 1000 years like that
1. Lived in booths
2. Their hearts were not really touched.
3. They were mildly religious
4. Something happened. The reading of the Law and the Books of Moses
5. This caused them to realize that they had not kept the Law
6. Now it is the 24th Day after the Feast of Tabernacles.
7. A few weeks had passed and they are still sensitized in their hearts
8. Notice that it was not even a sermon preached. It was simply the reading of the Word of God. (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy)
E. What did they do?
1. Fasting - self mortification - putting the desires of the flesh into submission for several days
2. Sackcloth - coarse rough cloth meant o make a person feel uncomfortable
3. Dirt on their heads - abhor themselves in dust and ashes. Mourning over their sin and deep emotional heartfelt
4. Three hours they stood as the Scripture was being read
a. They wanted more
b. They wanted to know the mind, will and heart of God by the hearing and reading of the Word
5. They praised and worshipped for another 3 hours
6. The Word of God with pray. praise, petition, and supplication is what they were doing
7. We think that it was Ezra who prayed this prayer. LXX and in Ezra adds the words, "and Ezra said"
F. Verses 1-6
1. Prayer of Penitence - said every morning in Jewish Prayers
2. This prayer is broken up into four parts.
a. Adoration - look up - Verse 5- 6
1. Baruch ata adonai, elohenu melech ha'olam - Blessed are you Lord God, King of the Universe
2. Begin with recognition of God and forces us to look first to God and to go past our feelings and emotions and above to see things from God's perspective
b. Retrospection and petition - look back (7-
1. The history of the Jewish Nation
2. Notice how much Israel was faithless and how God was continuously faithful
3. These verses are in a logical order
7-8 Genesis
9-12 Exodus
13-18 Exodus/Leviticus
19-21 Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy
22 Joshua
27-29 Judges
30-31 Collectively summary of the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles
4. Reviewing your own history is insightful, healthy and refreshing. It is therapeutic to review how God has led you through life to this point.
5. "Remember from where you have fallen , repent and do your first works or else I will remove you lampstand..."
c. Present petition - look at (32-37)
1. The looked at the past
2. They now make a present petition
3. They don't want to walk into the future apart from God. We want to be with you as we go into the future. Have pity and mercy on us.
3. We need to stop and look while we stop and not keep walking without knowing what is ahead of us. (Much like a pigeon that is walking)
d. Direction - look to the future (38)
1. As their prayer is not letting any of the threads dangle.
2. They want to make sure that they sew up every loose end and that their prayer is not emotional but is real
3. They want to let this time be a time where they make a public covenant, contract and commitment to God.
APPLICATION:
1. Take quiet time and adore, worship, confess and repentance before God
2. Make a covenant with God to walk into the future with Him as your total focus.
MEMORY VERSE: Nehemiah 9:1-3
"1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. 2Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God."