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Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters
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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Neemiah chapter nine,
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. On
Speaker 1: the twenty fourth day of the seventh month, the people
Speaker 1: of Israel went without eating, and they dressed in sackcloth
Speaker 1: and threw dirt on their heads to show their sorrow.
Speaker 1: They refused to let foreigners join them as they met
Speaker 1: to confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors.
Speaker 1: For three hours they stood and listened to the law
Speaker 1: of the Lord their God. And then for the next
Speaker 1: three hours they confess their sins and worship the Lord. Joshua, Bonnie, Cadmel, Sheebiniyah, Boonie, Shaabiah, Banni,
Speaker 1: and Chennani stood on their special platform for the Levites
Speaker 1: and prayed aloud to the Lord their God. Then the
Speaker 1: Levites Jeshua, Cadmel, Bonni, Hashibneah, Sheabiah, Hodiah, Shehebiniah, and Pethahiah said,
Speaker 1: stand and shout praises to your Lord, the Eternal God
Speaker 1: praise his wonderful name. Though he is greater than words
Speaker 1: can express. You alone are the Lord, creator of the
Speaker 1: heavens and all the stars, creator of the earth and
Speaker 1: those who live on it, Creator of the ocean and
Speaker 1: all its creatures. You are the source of life, praised
Speaker 1: by the stars that fill the heavens. You are the Lord,
Speaker 1: our God, the one who chose Abram. You brought him
Speaker 1: from Er in Babylonia and named him Abraham. Because he
Speaker 1: was faithful. You made an agreement to give his descent Indians,
Speaker 1: the land of the Canaanites and Hiddites, and of the
Speaker 1: Amorites and Parizites, and of the Jebusites and Gegeshites. Now
Speaker 1: you have kept your promise, just as you always do.
Speaker 1: When our ancestors were in Egypt, you saw their suffering,
Speaker 1: when they were at the Red Sea, you heard their
Speaker 1: cry for help. You knew that the king of Egypt
Speaker 1: and his officials and his nation had mistreated your people.
Speaker 1: So you worked fearsome miracles against the Egyptians and earned
Speaker 1: a reputation that still remains. You divided the deep sea,
Speaker 1: and your people walked through on dry land, but you
Speaker 1: tossed their enemies in and they sank down like a
Speaker 1: heavy stone. Each day you led your people with a
Speaker 1: thick cloud, and at night you showed the way with
Speaker 1: a flaming fire. At Sinai, you came down from heaven,
Speaker 1: and you gave your people good laws and teachings that
Speaker 1: are fair and honest. You commanded them to respect your
Speaker 1: holy Sabbath, and you instructed your servant Moses to teach
Speaker 1: them your laws. When they were hungry, you sent bread
Speaker 1: from heaven, and when they were thirsty, you let water
Speaker 1: flow from a rock. Then you commanded them to capture
Speaker 1: the land that you had solemnly promised. Our stubborn ancestors
Speaker 1: refused to obey. They forgot about the miracles you had
Speaker 1: worked for them, and they were determined to return to
Speaker 1: Egypt and become slaves again. But our God, you are
Speaker 1: merciful and quick to forgive. You are loving, kind and
Speaker 1: very patient. So you never turned away from them, not
Speaker 1: even when they made an idol shaped like a calf
Speaker 1: and insulted you by claiming this is the god who
Speaker 1: rescued us from Egypt. Because of your great mercy, you
Speaker 1: never abandoned them in the desert, and you always guided
Speaker 1: them with a cloud by day and a fire at night.
Speaker 1: Your gentles spirit instructed them, and you gave them manna
Speaker 1: to eat and water to drink. You took good care
Speaker 1: of them, and for forty years they never lacked a thing.
Speaker 1: Their shoes didn't wear out, and their feet were never swollen.
Speaker 1: You let them conquer kings and take their land, including
Speaker 1: King Sihan of Heshban and King Og of Bashan. You
Speaker 1: brought them into the land that you had promised their ancestors,
Speaker 1: and you blessed their nation with people that outnumbered the
Speaker 1: stars in the sky. Then their descendants conquered the land.
Speaker 1: You helped them defeat the kings and nations and treat
Speaker 1: their enemies however they wished. They captured strong cities and
Speaker 1: rich farmland. They took furnished houses, as well as cisterns, vineyards,
Speaker 1: olive orchards, and numerous fruit trees. They ate till they
Speaker 1: were satisfied, and they celebrated your abundant blessings. In spite
Speaker 1: of this, they rebelled and disobeyed your laws. They killed
Speaker 1: your prophets who warned them to turn back to you,
Speaker 1: and they cursed your name. So you handed them over
Speaker 1: to their enemies who treated them terribly. But in their sufferings,
Speaker 1: they begged you to help from heaven. You listened to
Speaker 1: their prayers, and because of your great mercy, you sent
Speaker 1: leaders to rescue them. But when they were at peace,
Speaker 1: they would turn against you and you would hand them
Speaker 1: over to their enemies. Then they would beg for help,
Speaker 1: and because you are merciful, you rescued them over and
Speaker 1: over again. You warn them to turn back and discover
Speaker 1: true life by obeying your laws, but they stubbornly refused
Speaker 1: and continued to sin for years. You were patient, and
Speaker 1: your spirit warned them with messages spoken by your prophets.
Speaker 1: Still they refused to listen, and you handed them over
Speaker 1: to their enemies. But you are merciful and kind, and
Speaker 1: so you never forgot them or let them be destroyed.
Speaker 1: Our God, you are powerful, fearsome, and faithful, always true
Speaker 1: to your word. So please keep in mind the terrible
Speaker 1: sufferings of our people, kings, leaders, priests, and prophets. From
Speaker 1: the time Assyria ruled until this very day, You have
Speaker 1: always been fair when you punished us for our sins.
Speaker 1: Our kings, leaders and priests have never obeyed your commands
Speaker 1: or heeded your warnings. You bless them with a kingdom
Speaker 1: and with an abundance of rich, fertile land, but they
Speaker 1: refuse to worship you or turn from their evil. Now
Speaker 1: we are slaves in this fruitful land you gave to
Speaker 1: our ancestors. Its plentiful harvest is taken by kings you
Speaker 1: placed over us because of our sins. Our suffering is
Speaker 1: unbearable because they do as they wish to us and
Speaker 1: our livestock. And so a firm agreement was made that
Speaker 1: had the official approval of the leaders, the life evites
Speaker 1: and priests. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word,
Speaker 1: and we thank you for the privilege of being able
Speaker 1: to look at it today. And Lord, this is such
Speaker 1: a beautiful portion of scripture that we've had the privilege
Speaker 1: to read together as the people confess and repent before you,
Speaker 1: as they acknowledge their sin and seek your forgiveness and
Speaker 1: your restoration and your help. And Lord, we know that
Speaker 1: this is a pattern that you want us to emulate
Speaker 1: as well. You invite us to confess our sin before
Speaker 1: you and to seek your forgiveness and to recognize our
Speaker 1: need for your rescue, and ultimately you provide that rescue
Speaker 1: through your son Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon
Speaker 1: himself and then defeated sin, satan, and death when he
Speaker 1: rose from the grave. And now through faith in Jesus,
Speaker 1: we are cleansed of our sin and our relationship with
Speaker 1: you is completely restored. But Lord, we know that in
Speaker 1: the midst of our journey on this earth, there are
Speaker 1: times that we dabble our feet or our hands in sin,
Speaker 1: and we still need to come before you and confess
Speaker 1: and repent of those things, seeking your cleansing. But knowing
Speaker 1: Lord that we're completely forgiven through Jesus Christ. So we
Speaker 1: thank you for these things, and we thank you that
Speaker 1: you are kind and merciful, and that you welcome us
Speaker 1: into your presence, even though we know that by nature
Speaker 1: we don't deserve that kind of blessing. But Lord, we're
Speaker 1: grateful as well that you're present with us today, and
Speaker 1: we commit this day to your care, and thank you
Speaker 1: for all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.