“Corporate Confession of Sins”

Nehemiah 9:2, 6-7, 9-10, 30-36 August 11, 2013

Introduction

1 John 1:9 is a widely known verse in Scripture. It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to five us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The word “confess” simply means to acknowledge. Acknowledging that one is a sinner and has sinned is the key in receiving God’s forgiveness. For, as 1 John 1 continues to read, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us,” (1 john 1:10).

It is God’s word that has been having a marvelous effect on the people. After the reading of the law in last week’s lesson (the word), the people were prompted to go all out in their celebration of “The Festival of Booths/The Feast of Tabernacles,” (click here for on that lesson). That feast went on from “the eve of the 15th day of Tishrei until the 22nd day of Tishrei (inside Israel), outside Israel it lasts for one extra day,” (click here to find out more from Sukkot Explained for Kids).

Today’s lesson occurs in the 24th day of this month, Nehemiah 9:1. With the spirit of celebration still so fresh that same verse tells us, “The children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloths, and earth upon them.”

Last week’s lesson showed how their hearts were moved with how far they have drifted from God. Nehemiah 8:9 says, “They wept.” Now, with their hearts still tender at the thought of their sins in comparison with God’s graciousness (Neh. 9:31), as a people united as one, they are moved into a deeper spirit of confession before the Lord.

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.”

“And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers.” When one is seeking a closer relationship with God “separating themselves” from those that oppose God’s view is crucial. This is why the Apostle Paul admonished those in Corinth to, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,” (2 Cor. 6:17). He questioned, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Cor. 6:16).

The “strangers” that were in the land were not God’s covenant people. They were probably people who had moved into the area during the captivity of the Jews (Ezra 3:3, see also “Joyful Worship Restored” lesson). “Strangers” would not understand the need for the people to worship the one true God the way Israel did for they were idol worshippers and believed in serving many gods. This would have been a hindrance for God’s people to come nearer to Him. Therefore, they “separated themselves.”

“And stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.” Whew! Talk about getting started out on the right foot. That’s exactly what they were doing. This was their chance to start over, to have a fresh start. In order for the fresh (or new, as we call it in the N.T., 2 Cor. 5:17), the old stuff has to be dealt with. In their “confession” they are not only dealing with their individual sins, but they are also confessing “the iniquity of their fathers.” With the same respect for reading the law in last week’s lesson, the people “stand” before God and let it all out.

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.”

Verses 3-5 (not in today’s lesson) further picture the people standing, reading from the law and confessing at several “parts” of the day. At that time, the Levites play a key role in praying and giving the command to “Bless the LORD your God for ever and ever . . .,” (vs. 5).

In their blessing they declare in verse 6, “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone.” Isaiah once wrote, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, . . . that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior,” (Is. 43:10-11, see also Is. 44:6; Mk. 12:29).

All throughout the Bible it testifies that there is only one God and no other. Everything else that tries to compare itself with Him is fraudulent. It’s not the real thing. It was imperative for these returnees to acknowledge and celebrate that truth up front because it was looking at the fast gods and the ways of the other peoples that got them in trouble in the first place.

“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 preservedst them all.” In their praises and recognizing God as being God alone, they take their minds all the way back to the time of creation. He not only is God alone, but He is Creator of all “therein.”

All one has to do is simply take a travel back to the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis to see the story play out of how everything came to be. Everything came to be because of God! That’s why Isaiah further explained, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God

himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else,” (Is. 45:18). “I am the Lord; and there is none else,” reminds me of someone signing off on a contract. I created it, I signed off on it. Me and me alone!

“And the host of heaven worshippeth thee.” In our very first lesson of the summer quarter we started off with a lesson titled “Holy, Holy, Holy” where Isaiah was whisked away in a vision to the throne room of God of God. There he viewed Seraphims crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts,” (Is. 6:3).

The people in confession before the Lord in this lesson are not in God’s throne room, but they are still standing in His presence with reverent adoration. Here, they understand that not only the things created on earth will praise God, but “the host of heaven worshippeth thee.” This is reminiscent of what is shown in Philippians where it says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth , and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Phil. 2:10-11). In that verse is the picture of things in heaven worshipping God and “confessing.”

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.”

Israel’s relationship with God as a people started through one man, “Abraham.” In Genesis 12:1 God spoke to “Abram” saying, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” “So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken unto him,” (Gen. 12:4). In Genesis 15 God reminded Abram that He is the one that called him out of Ur, (Gen. 15:7), and that day “the LORD made a covenant with Abram,” (Gen. 15:18).

The people are now recalling the fact that everything they have and everything they are is because God is the one who made this covenant with their forefather, “Abraham,” (Neh. 9:8, not in today’s lesson). In their confession it is especially helpful to remember where God brought them from as a people. They didn’t acquire the land or even the privilege to be called God’s chosen people on their own. They have that status because of the covenant God preciously made through “Abraham.”

Nehemiah 9:9-10 “And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.”

God is the one that saw when they cried out in Egypt. God is the one that looked down from heaven and saw “taskmasters afflict them with their burdens,” (Ex. 1:11). God is the one who sent Moses to the people in Egypt with a message, “I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt,” (Ex. 3:17). After leaving Egypt and fleeing from before Pharaoh, blocked by the “Red sea,” God is the one who said, “Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward,” (Ex. 14:15). With that the rod was lifted over the sea and the people went through on dry ground, (Ex. 14:16). God is the one! God is the one responsible for saving them! Confessing is more than just reciting one’s sins; it is acknowledging who God is through it all!

In all the plagues, and in all the “signs and wonders,” God dealt with Pharaoh and His “name” and fame spread throughout all the land. Over 40 years later, Rahab testified, “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Res Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt,” (Joshua 2:10). They heard what was done to the Amorites. She said, “As soon as we heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath,” (Joshua 2:11).

Standing there confessing, the people are reminded of this, too.

Nehemiah 9:30 “Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst 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.”

In verses 11-29, the people continued to bring back to mind their history and their relationship with God. They recalled how He led them, fed them and took care of them. They also recalled how they forsook Him and served false idols, were disobedient and rebellious. Standing there, they also though on His love which, “In thy manifold mercies forsook them not” (vs. 19) and how He heard them from heaven and “delivered them according to thy mercies” (vs. 28).

Continuing in the recitation of their past they said, “Yet many years didst thou forbear them.” For “many years” God was patient with His people. God could’ve at any time dealt with the severity of their sins. Yet, He withheld Himself. In an attempt to win them over with His love and warnings He, “testifiedest against them by the spirit of thy prophets.”

God used men such as Isaiah and Jeremiah to call the people back to Him. These men told them their ways were not pleasing to the Lord (Is. 1:2-4) and that they would end up in captivity (Jer. 25:11-14). But, as our lesson states, “Yet would they not give ear.” They refused to listen.

“Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.” There comes a time for talking to stop because the hearer refuses to listen any longer. At that time, one must let

them suffer the consequences of their choices. This is what God did. Jeremiah 44:22a says, “SO that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings.” Enough was enough when it came to trying to talk to them. He said, “Because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day,” (Jer. 44:22b).

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.”

At a point when they could have been totally erased from the books of history, God in His “mercies,” did not “utterly consume them.” There is a song by the Mississippi Mass Choir that says, “Your grace and mercy, brought me through. I’m living this moment because of You. I want to thank You, and praise You too. Your grace and mercy brought me through.”

This is what the people were acknowledging. This is a song they could’ve readily sung. They knew they were not delivered in and of themselves. They knew they were undeserving of yet another chance. But, “Thou art a gracious and merciful God.”

Nehemiah 9:32 “Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble 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, on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.”

“Our God . . . who keepest covenant and mercies, let not all the trouble seem little before thee.” In spite of all they did, God has never reneged on His original covenant. What a revelation! God did everything to avoid them to go into captivity but they didn’t listen. Before their captivity Isaiah prophesied by name that there would be a man by the name of Cyrus that would release the people from their captivity (Is. 44:28), and all through the fulfilling thereof God kept His “covenant.” Now, they are back home worshipping once again with restored buildings, restored walls and restored hearts because of “God!”

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

God is perfect (Ps. 18:30; 2 Sam. 22:31; Deut. 32:4). He is without fault in any of His decisions and choices. Here, the people know that they are the ones that have done wrong. They have acted “wickedly” in their continual straying from God and His commands. In other words, they were confessing that it was their own fault.

What a humbling experience. They were sorrowful over all, they as individuals and as a nation had done. They laid no charge to God, for He has “done right.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For

godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.” Reading this, one can get a sense of their hearts breaking over their sins and the sins of their ancestors.

Nehemiah 9:34 “Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.”

“Nor . . . kept thy law.” As the Levites continued to lead the people in their confession they admitted before the Lord that no one did as they were supposed to. Blame for their shortcomings laid on the shoulders of all. “Kings, princes, priests and our fathers.” Everyone from the throne to the tents strayed from keeping “the law.”

Isaiah called them out years before hand. He said, “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the Law of the LORD,” (Is. 30:9). They could not keep what they refused to listen to. When Isaiah first came on the scene God spoke through him and said, “Come now, and let us reason together . . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; thou they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient,” (Is. 1:18-19a). All reasoning fell through and the people rebelled against God, “nor . . . kept the law.”

Nehemiah 9:35-36 “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. 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.”

“They have not served thee.” Deuteronomy 28 is loaded with blessings. At the other end of the spectrum, it is loaded with curses also. God gave the people a strict warning about walking in disobedience. He warned that curses would overtake them, (Deut. 28:15). One of the consequences would be “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies . . .,” (Deut. 28:47-48). Their confession matches up with what God spoke. They said, “We are servants this day.”

Conclusion

A few weeks back the lesson showed the people fasting and praying, which is always a good discipline. But, fasting and praying mean little without a sincere and contrite heart. Through their confession they were taking care of matters of the heart. This is why through his personal confession of sin David said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within

me,” (Ps. 51:10). Confession and seeking forgiveness from God is a part of one’s personal, and as shown in the lesson, corporate worship.

God bless you!