Sabbath School Lesson for November 9-15, 2019
Overview
The returning exiles experienced the power of a forgiving God in this way…
- They began with fasting and worshipful praise (Sunday)
- The beginning of their prayer focused on the goodness of God (Monday)
- They reviewed their experience in the wilderness with Moses (Tuesday)
- They focused on the law of God and their rejection of it in Canaan (Wednesday)
- They requested God’s intervention in their current situation. (Thursday)
Introduction
After the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people of God continued their work of confession and repentance for their rebellious thoughts and actions. There was still a great amount of soul searching and conversion needed to restore them fully in their covenant relationship with their Father God.
Although celebration preceded the repentance phase in this particular circumstance, it is also appropriate for the order to be reversed. Sometimes we accomplish our confession and repentance before taking time to celebrate our forgiveness.
They once again began with a reading from the Book of the Law. The prayer that followed in Nehemiah 9 is considered one of the best recorded prayers in the Bible. It begins and ends with praise to their Creator and Sustainer and led to a powerful renewal of their covenant with Him.
Memory Text: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 NKJV
The confession prayer of Nehemiah, chapter 9, is definitely an effort to expose their contentious past and rejection of God and forsake their sins, resulting in forgiveness and even more joy. Seeing God in all His glory during the events that had taken place that month encouraged a complete transformation of their previous, faulty performance.
How important it is for us to complete the work of reformation in our own lives, both as individuals and as a church body. The work of sanctification is indeed the work of a lifetime. We must persevere in seeking it and always rejoice in an everlasting, merciful God who makes it possible.
Reading the Law, which today means studying our Bible, is a sure way to make this happen. Through our study and continued prayers, we too can enjoy the full power of God’s Holy Spirit.
[See this article about Bible study, if you missed it last week… https://outlookmag.org/ways-to-study-the-bible/]
Sunday: Fasting and Worship
For the third time, the Israelites convened for a reading of the Torah, or the books of Moses containing the Law. For several hours on the morning of the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month, they heard the word of God preached. This time they did it with fasting in sackcloth and dust on their heads.
The Holy Spirit was convicting them, prompting them to complete their work of repentance. Hearing once again the history of their wayward, backsliding people was not easy, but necessary for them if they were to see the reforms they knew they needed.
Discussion Questions:
Read Nehemiah 9:1, Daniel 9:3, and Genesis 37:29, 34. What emotion did the sackcloth represent? Why were the people in Nehemiah’s time grieving?
Read Nehemiah 9:2, 1:6, and 13:3, 30. Why were the foreigners not included in this corporate prayer of confession, but in the reading of the Law? What makes you think the foreigners still had the opportunity of forgiveness?
Read Nehemiah 9:3. Why was it necessary for this third reading of the Law? How might they have heard it differently with only those of Jewish heritage in the congregation?
Monday: Beginning of the Prayer
The story of God’s loving care of our world, and especially the painstaking patience He showed His followers, led to the beginning of this praise-filled prayer. God was lifted up as our Creator, Preserver, and Promise Keeper.
His name was the first item that was pronounced blessed. Names were very important in that culture. They embodied the character of the person they identified. The name of God was held in sacred reverence and awe and led to even more praise in this beautiful prayer of confession (Nehemiah 9:5).
Abram was also mentioned as a faithful follower, chosen by God and given the new name Abraham, meaning the father of a multitude. God’s covenant to Abraham included giving him the land of the Canaanites, which consisted of many wicked, pagan tribes. See Nehemiah 9:7, 8.
Discussion Questions:
Read Nehemiah 9:5 and Matthew 6:9. Why is it important to recognize and bless God’s name? What is special about His name?
Read Nehemiah 9:6. Who worships God and for what reasons?
Read Nehemiah 9:7, 8 and Genesis 15:5-7. What kind of covenant (promise) did God make to Abraham? How did Abraham attain his righteousness?
Tuesday: Lessons From the Past
After Abraham, his descendants experienced a lengthy time of wayward behavior during and after their years of enslavement in Egypt. Moses tried desperately to point them in the right direction as they wandered through the wilderness, before their settlement in Canaan.
They repeatedly turned their backs on God during those painful years. But God showed abundant mercy and forgiveness whenever they made any attempt to repent and reform their lives for the better.
Looking to the past with its many indications that God takes care of us, we are reminded of what God can do for us now, and how He is also able to ensure our happy future. In other words, the present and the future are much easier to bear when we see the presence of God in our past.
Discussion Questions:
Read Nehemiah 9:9-11, 16 and Exodus 18:10, 11. How does pride lead to our not following God as we should?
Read Nehemiah 9:12 and Psalm 119:105. How does God’s word enlighten our path as we travel through life?
Read Nehemiah 9:18-21 and Psalm 103:13, 14. Why does God continue to forgive us when we do wrong?
Wednesday: The Law and the Prophets
The Law was given to the Israelites for a purpose. Time and time again they failed to see that purpose and drifted away from keeping the Law that was meant for their good. The prayer of Nehemiah 9 continues to describe their backsliding through the days of their settlement in Canaan.
Although God had arranged for them to have everything they needed–lands that had been conquered, cities that had been built, vineyards and fields that provided their food–they found their happiness in these things, rather than the God who gave them.
True happiness is supposed to come through keeping His commandments and serving God. This, in and of itself, should lead us to an abundant life. Instead, we use the abundant, tangible gifts of God as a stumblingblock to our salvation and don’t receive the full gift of life that only a true appreciation of the law can give.
Discussion Questions:
Read Nehemiah 9:24, 25 and Psalm 44:2, 3. Why is it important to let the Lord fight our battles?
Read Hosea 3:5 and Galatians 3:28, 29. Who are the children of Israel in the latter days?
Read Nehemiah 9:30, 31 and Psalm 103:8-10. When will God stop “striving with us”? When will His forgiveness no longer be needed?
Thursday: Praise and Petition
Before they made their renewed covenant (given in detail in chapter 10), the prayer concluded with more praise to God and a request for Him to intervene, even though they knew they didn’t deserve it.
They were in danger of being overwhelmed by the oppression that surrounded them for so many years. Their condition was ironic. God had given them so much when they first came to Canaan; but after all that time, they realized that they were no more than servants of their oppressors (Nehemiah 9:36).
Confession which comes from the heart must result in a true understanding of who we are and a vision of who we can become. Besides desiring forgiveness of our sins, we must desire a full restoration of our relationship with God. It is only when we search for Him with ALL our heart that He hears our prayers and saves us from our oppressors (Jeremiah 29:13).
Discussion Questions:
Read Nehemiah 9:32 and Exodus 34:6, 7. How are our children and grandchildren affected by our wrong choices?
Read Nehemiah 9:33-35. In what ways had the children of Israel failed to keep their covenant with God?
Read Nehemiah 9:36, 37 and Romans 5:6-8. What character trait made it possible for our Savior to die, even for sinners?
Final Thoughts
Matthew 13:22 contains the reason why the Jews failed to follow God so many times.
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” NKJV
Whether we are downtrodden with poverty (the cares of this world), or unfulfilled in our life of wealthy ease and sinful pleasure, the word of God becomes of no use to us after a time, if we allow ourselves to dwell on our earthly condition. The gospel can only be effective when we see our unfruitful behavior and desire something better to take its place.
Nehemiah 9 is an important prayer for the people of God. It shifts repeatedly from praise to God, to regrets for their mistakes in the past–from requests for God to intervene and save them, to their desire to serve Him better.
Confession and repentance can grow from a prayer like this, as we shall see in chapter 10. It was soon time for them to put a seal on their words and work actively on their hearts to achieve the kind of sanctification that makes it possible to enjoy God’s fellowship in the fullest way possible.
There was a distinct emphasis on God’s mercy and compassion throughout this prayer in Nehemiah 9, as shown in these verses:
- “ready to pardon”, “gracious and merciful“, “abundant in kindness”–v. 17
- “in your manifold mercies You did not forsake them”–v. 19
- “according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers”–v. 27
- “You delivered them according to Your mercies“–v. 28
- “in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them”, “God, gracious and merciful“–v. 31
- “God, Who keeps covenant and mercy”–v. 32
Let’s make sure we give equal time to seeing our shortcomings and seeing the way God can, out of love, save us anyway. His forgiveness never fails.
Next Week’s Lesson: God and the Covenant
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly or see more resources for its study, go to https://www.absg.adventist.org/
Other Outlook blogposts by Teresa Thompson, are at http://outlookmag.org/author/teresathompson/
