SESSION 11

Return to the Restoring GodThe vision of God evokes confession, repentance, and restoration.

SESSION 11: RETURN TO THE RESTORING GOD

Se S Sion 11: R e t u R n t o t h e R e S t oR i nG G od 111 dAt e oF M Y Bi BL e S t u dY: 111

FORGIVE AND FORGET. REALLY? IT’S HARD ENOUGH TO FORGIVE SOMEONE WHO HURTS YOU DEEPLY. BUT TO FORGET JUST SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE.

even before their wedding day, Kyle and Mary pledged to always be honest and open with each other. Kyle never imagined he would get involved in what he had been doing. When he did, he convinced himself he had to lie to Mary for the good of their marriage. he thought Mary would never know his secret.

But truth came out, and Mary was angry and devastated. She wondered if she could ever trust her husband again. Kyle confessed his wrongdoing begged Mary to forgive him. With lots of prayer and help, Mary found the grace to forgive her husband. They knew that they couldn’t go back in time as if nothing had happened. But they could go forward and build a new future together.

The Bible sometimes compares God’s covenant with his people to marriage (see hosea 2:16-20; ephesians 5:22-32). God established his covenant with the people of israel (see exodus 194-6). But when the israelites broke the covenant, God judged them and sent them into exile. his purpose was to bring the people to their senses with the hope of restoring them. God used ezra and nehemiah to lead the Jewish exiles to return to the land, but even more to return in their hearts to their forgiving, restoring Lord.

“FORGIVENESS IS

NOT PRETENDING

LIKE IT DIDN’T

HAPPEN OR

LIKE IT DIDN’T

HURT. THAT’S

CALLED LYING.

FORGIVENESS IS

A DECISION TO

RELEASE A DEBT

REGARDLESS OF

HOW YOU FEEL.”

—Tony Evans

112 e X PL oR e t h e Bi BL e | You nG A du Lt S

NEHEMIAH 9:32-37

32 So now, our God—the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant—do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us, our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the Assyrian kings until today. 33 You are righteous concerning all that has come on us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey Your law or listen to Your commands and warnings You gave them. 35 When they were in their kingdom, with Your abundant goodness that You gave them, and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways. 36 Here we are today, slaves in the land You gave our ancestors so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness. Here we are—slaves in it! 37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us, because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.

Think About It

Circle all words and

phrases that describe

God’s character.

Underline words that

describe something God

did for His people. Record

below any connections

you see between God’s

character and His actions?

List ways the people

expressed their desire

for and hope of

restoration with God.

Se S Sion 11: R e t u R n t o t h e R e S t oR i nG G od 113

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

nehemiah 9 picks up with the continuation of the great spiritual awakening described in chapter 8. on the first day of the seventh month, the Jewish “new Year’s day,” the people of Jerusalem heard and understood God’s Word as never before (see 8:1-12). tears of grief and repentance turned into a celebration of joy as they realized their great, holy God is also the God of mercy, grace, and new life.

The second day of the month brought a newfound commitment to keep the feast times that God prescribed in the law (see 8:13-18). The Feast of Booths was approaching. it was scheduled to begin on the fifteenth day of the month and to continue for eight days. The people of Jerusalem, under ezra and nehemiah’s leadership, celebrated the feast as it hadn’t been celebrated since the time of Joshua (see 8:17). ezra read to the people from the law each day (see 8:18).

These feasts were established to remind people of God’s mighty work on their behalf. The Feast of Booths called attention to the israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness as a result of their refusal to obey God (see numbers 14:31-35). it was appropriate, then, for the Jews of ezra and nehemiah’s day to follow up the Feast of Booths with a day-long, community-wide assembly for the purpose of confessing their sins before the Lord (see 9:1-37).

nehemiah 9: 1-5a describes the people’s solemn preparation for the assembly (v. 1), their separation from foreigners (v. 2a), their confession of sin (v. 2b), the reading of the law followed by more confession (vv. 3-4a), and finally a call to praise God (v. 5a). Verses 5b-37 feature a wonderful psalm of praise to the Lord as the faithful, forgiving, redeeming God of the covenant. Verses 32-37 are the culmination of this great prayer of confession.

114 e X PL oR e t h e Bi BL e| You nG A du Lt S

EXPLORE THE TEXT

THE GREAT GOD (Nehemiah 9:32)

With the word now, the biblical writer turned from israel’s past history with God to the Jews’ current situation as restored exiles. Three adjectives are used to describe God’s power. The word great is a reminder that God doesn’t share humanity’s narrow vision or weakened status. Mighty is a term that describes the warrior-like features of soldiers who are strong in battle. The term awe-inspiring is related to a sense of deep reverence and realization that God is God, and we are not.

The people recognized God’s supremacy, but they also affirmed God’s graciousness. Grace can be described as when God gives his people good things they don’t deserve. Mercy can be described as when God refrains from giving people the punishment they deserve. God acts with grace and mercy toward his people because of the covenant relationship he has with them. in the case of God’s covenant with his people, the parties are vastly unequal. The Creator showed grace in extending his covenant to the people of israel. That grace was revealed and offered to all people through the atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus (see Romans 3:21-26).

What adjectives would you use to describe God’s provision of salvation in Jesus Christ?

The Jews of ezra and nehemiah’s day longed for God to continue to show his grace to them. They pleaded with God to consider all the hardships that had afflcted them. The term hardships refers to weariness; it was used to describe a long period of distress. For the Jews, the word summarized all the defeats, humiliations, and persecutions they had suffered at the hands of foreign kings.

Se S Sion 11: R e t u R n t o t h e R e S t oR i nG G od 115

The plural pronoun us indicated a sense of collective guilt and distress. it referred to israelites from the time of the fall of the nation until the writer’s own day. The disloyalty of the past and the distress of the present had affected every strata of society: kings, leaders, priests, prophets, ancestors, and indeed all Your people.

Both the civic and religious leaders had been impacted by sin. Sin’s agonizing aspect is that all people are infected by its power—every generation and every occupation. All is an encompassing word. no one is exempt. All people are under sin’s curse unless and until they are delivered from it by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.

Verse 32 refers to the time frame from the days of the Assyrian kings until today. The kings of Assyria were the first in a string of world powers whom God used to defeat and punish the israelites. The king of Babylon had destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Then the king of Persia defeated Babylon, and it was the Persian kings who continued to dominate the world stage in ezra and nehemiah’s day.

one of the important insights in this prayer of confession is that the people were demonstrating a fresh, new vision of God’s majesty and mercy. They acknowledged their guilt before him yet saw his power and grace. They expressed reverence toward him and honesty to him in hopes that God would forgive the sins of the past and restore his people to a glorious future.

In what ways does Christ give hope that God will forgive and restore sinners?

THE CONFESSION (Nehemiah 9:33-35)

As the people prayed this prayer, they acknowledged that God’s had been just. The prayer specifies again that israel’s former kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors (see 9:32) had not obeyed God’s law, listened to his

KEY DOCTRINE: Salvation

The new birth is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.

SIN’S AGONIZING

ASPECT IS THAT

ALL PEOPLE ARE

INFECTED BY ITS

POWER—EVERY

GENERATION

AND EVERY

OCCUPATION.

116 e X PL oR e t h e Bi BL e | You nG A du Lt S

commands, or heeded his warnings. The law, commands, and warnings all refer to the written revelation of God’s Word contained in Genesis through deuteronomy. interestingly, the prophets—also mentioned in 9:32— do not appear in this list, probably because the majority of them served boldly and obediently as God’s messengers during the times of hardship and distress (see 9:26,30).

Verse 35 continues to reflect back on the time before israel’s defeat and exile. The phrase their kingdom refers to the rule and leadership of israel’s divinely-ordained authorities. during that time, God’s people and their leaders enjoyed countless expressions of the Lord’s abundant goodness. Such blessings included the spacious and fertile land where they lived.

ironically, since the people would not serve God, they would be destined to serve foreign kings who ruled over them. Because they would not repent, they continued sinning, reaping the consequences and pain that accompany a disobedient lifestyle. in spite of God’s repeated attempts to draw his people back to him, they had turned their backs on him.

What motivates people to reject God’s warnings and continue in sin? How does God’s faithfulness serve as a motivator to respond to God’s warnings?

THE REQUEST (Nehemiah 9:36-37)

The current generation of God’s people in ezra and nehemiah’s day could not go back and change the past. But they could take responsibility for their situation and for their response to their great and holy God.

The people had returned to the promised land, but they were still living in servitude to a foreign king. They were reaping the benefits of the land’s goodness and fertility, yet they were still subject to the king’s taxes. While the Persians were not cruel overlords, the Jews were required to pay taxes to the king that sometimes resulted in their poverty (see nehemiah 5:4).

Se S Sion 11: R e t u R n t o t h e R e S t oR i nG G od 117

The people realized that they were slaves in the land of the free.

In what sense could it be said that unbelievers in the gospel age (when Christ has provided salvation) are “slaves in the land of the free”?

Just as the Jews admitted their reality, they also acknowledged their need. They refused to blame their present situation on the sins of their ancestors. The prophets Jeremiah and ezekiel both had warned God’s people not to fall into the trap of blaming previous generations for their sins (see Jeremiah 31:29-30; ezekiel 18:1-4).

The phrase rule over our bodies refers to forced labor, either at mundane tasks or for military service. in addition, the Persian king demanded quotas of the people’s livestock, both for use as riding animals for the military and as food for royal officials and workers.

The people poured out their hearts to God in confession. Their confession was in fact an appeal to the merciful God of the covenant. he had faithfully acted to deliver his repentant people in times past. The Jews’ great hope was that their unchanging God would see their condition, hear their confession, and rescue them.

How does Romans 10:9-13 speak to this prayer of confession found in Nehemiah 9:32-37?

Bible Skill: Read, reflect on, and react emotionally to a Bible passage.

Read Nehemiah 9:36-37 aloud several times, emphasizing different words or phrases each time. Read it again, this time emphasizing the action words. Then read it yet a third time, emphasizing the nouns and pronouns. Take note of your thoughts.

How does this passage speak to the consequences of sin?

How do the emotions expressed by Nehemiah compare to how you view your sin?

118 e X PL oR e t h e Bi BL e | You nG A du Lt S

OBEY THE TEXT

Believers should approach God with reverence and awe. The confession of our sin is the first step toward restoration with God. Sinful humanity’s only hope is found in the grace of God.

How would you describe your typical attitude when you pray? What adjustments need to be made in your attitude when approaching God?

Spend some time in prayer, asking God to reveal to you areas of your life that need His forgiveness. Record the insights you gained after your time in prayer.

Nehemiah recorded a corporate response to what God was teaching the Israelites. What actions does your group need to take in response to what God is teaching the group?

You are righteous concerning all that has come on us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly. — Nehemiah 9:33

MEMORIZE

Se S Sion 11: R e t u R n t o t h e R e S t oR i nG G od 119

Use the space provided to make observations and record prayer requests during the group experience for this session.

MY THOUGHTSRecord insights gained and questions to discuss during the group experience.

MY PRAYERSList specific prayer needs and answers to remember this week.

MY MISSIONAcknowledge ways you will obey God’s Word this week.

120 e X PL oR e t h e Bi BL e | You nG A du Lt S