Nehemiah 9:18-31

God’s Continual Activity On Behalf Of His People (Nehemiah 9:18-31 ).

In this second main section they now outlined to God how regularly the people had rebelled against Him, and yet how nevertheless He had constantly abundantly provided for them. The first sub-section (Nehemiah 9:18-25) repeats the pattern of Nehemiah 9:9-15 in describing God’s continued protection through the pillars of cloud and fire (Nehemiah 9:19, compare Nehemiah 9:12); His continued instruction of them (Nehemiah 9:20 a, compare Nehemiah 9:13-14); His provision of food and water and all needed sustenance (Nehemiah 9:20-21, compare Nehemiah 9:15 a), and His finally giving them possession of the land and more (Nehemiah 9:22-25; compare Nehemiah 9:15 b). It will be noted that it summaries the period in the wilderness and the successful campaign of Joshua.

The second sub-section (Nehemiah 9:26-31) takes up their story in terms similar to the Book of Judges. They were constantly disobedient and rebelled, and God constantly delivered them up into the hands of their enemies, but when they cried to Him, He raised up saviours who delivered them out of their hands (Nehemiah 9:26-27, compare Judges 2:12-16). However, once they ‘had rest’ (a typical Judges description - Judges 3:30 and often) they again did evil, and were again delivered into the hands of their enemies, and again cried to YHWH, and were again delivered according to His mercies (Nehemiah 9:28), at which point He continually faced them up to His Instruction (torah). But they constantly rebelled against it, even though it was the way of life, and ‘hardened their necks’ as they had continually done (see Nehemiah 9:16-17). And this had gone on for ‘many years’ (we would say centuries). He had borne with them, and had spoken to them by His Spirit though the prophets, but they had constantly refused to hear, and that is why He had given them into the hands of the peoples of the lands (the great nations, as is apparent from Nehemiah 9:32). Here we have the history of the books of Kings. Nevertheless in His mercy God did not make a full end of them (Nehemiah 9:31), as the fact that they were there back in the land bore witness.

There is a clear inference from all this that their hope was that once again, after the period of disobedience of their fathers, God, having brought home to them His Instruction (chapter 8), would at some stage deliver them if they were true to His covenant.