Nehemiah 9:16-18

These few verses reveal the graciousness of God to Israel, and shows forth his grace which he shows to failing and sinning human beings. It is the nature of this grace that is the source of praise here at this time in Israel. They have been led to praise him for his glory and power, for his guiding and delivering, and for redemption. Here they praise him because he showed grace to them when they sinned greatly against him.

In the history of Israel recorded in this chapter in order to call Israel to the praise of God, we have seen the tremendous things God did for Israel. He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, which is a picture of our redemption in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. God had provided for them both spiritually and temporally. He gave them the commandments to live by and a day of rest when they could care for the needs of their souls. He had provided food and water for them and protected them in their journey. He had done this in spite of so much grumbling and lack of faith and thankfulness.

Then God called Moses up the mountain to speak to Moses, and give him the written tablets of stone, on which God had personally written the ten commandments, which embodied the whole way of God. Then because Moses was a long time away, the people became restive and turned to Aaron and asked him to provide Gods for them to worship and gods to lead and defend them. This was an awful apostasy and turning from God. Instead of encouraging the people to trust in the Lord, Aaron made a golden calf from the gold and jewellery which the people brought to him, and then Aaron called the people to a feast and encouraged them to worship the calf as their God, and to attribute to the golden calf all the wonders and blessings God had done and given to them.

All infringements of the last six commands of the ten commandments are serious sins, but sins against these commands are nothing to offences against the first four commands of the ten commandments. Breaking the first four commands are most serious as they indicate a turning away from God and rejecting God as God. This was the essence of the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. They chose to serve Satan rather than God, and by this choice made Satan the God of the world which was in their care and charge.

Here Israel was doing the same again. They rejected God for an idol. They insulted God by attributing to the idol all the works and blessings of God which God had lavished upon them. We are able to read the history of this terrible act of apostasy by the Israelites in Exodus 32, and as we read it we must not allow Satan to cause us to miss the real facts as we see the terrible consequence that fell on many in Israel because they had worshipped the golden calf. When the Levites went through the camp with their swords, please don't miss the implied fact that repentance was called for and no repentance was forthcoming. We need to appreciate the awfulness of the sin of calling the calf the 'Lord', and attributing all the blessings Jehovah had given from the time of the deliverance from slavery in Egypt to the calf.

Nehemiah outlines the attitude of the Israelites at this time. They refused to listen (v.17). This is a so prevalent evil amongst God's people even today. We have the Word of God, but we refuse to hear God speaking to us, and refuse to pay attention to and understand the Bible, whereas we listen, often, very easily to the words of the world being poured out in the media in one form or another. Then the Israelites failed to remember. They failed to remember all that God had done for them, and so they failed in faith at this time of trial. God seemed to have forsaken them when Moses had been away for such a long time, but they failed to remember that God had never failed them in the past, and so he would not fail him in the present or the future. If they had remembered then they would have strengthened their faith, and remained faithful to God.

It is so easy to lose faith because we do not remember the faithfulness of God, and when we do lose faith, the power of the world, the flesh and the devil will overcome us. When we lose faith we return to slavery (v.17end). We do not realise this at the time, but this is the fact of loss of faith. Because the Israelites lost faith, they were overcome by the world and committed awful blasphemies. If faith is lost then we have no defence against the fiery darts of the evil one.

Nehemiah does here, and leads Israel to do here, what the Israelites at the time of Moses failed to do. Nehemiah remembered and called the people to remember. Nehemiah remembered what this past history of Israel showed concerning God, that God was a forgiving God. God forgave the people at that time freely. It is interesting to note that not until Exodus 33:4 is there any sign of real repentance amongst the Israelites at the time of the incident of the golden calf. But the moment there was this mourning for sin, the forgiveness of God was given freely.

This is the wonder of the nature of God towards sinners which cannot fail to draw praise from deep in the heart. God is always ready to forgive, and he has demonstrated this all through the Bible. What is clear that forgiveness is a costly business, and the cost must be paid by someone. In the Old Testament animals paid the redemption price, but this was always pointing us to the wonder of God's grace that he had determined to pay the price of sin himself, and so God gave his only begotten Son to perish in our place.

Forgiveness is free to us, but when the cost is paid by God himself in order that it may be free to us, repentance and turning away from sin is called for, and this is why the grace of forgiveness waits for the mourning spirit. But God's forgiveness is a wonderful thing, because it has no limit. It extends to every one of the millions of sins we commit and go on committing. Let us thank him for his grace and goodness.

Where does this forgiveness come from. It comes from the very heart and character of God, for God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. There is nothing like this in human relationships. Human forgiveness is severely limited, and anger is quick to rise, and love is always conditional. With God things are different. God abounds in love so that there is no end to his loving, and there is no depth which his love has not plumbed in order to bring about our eternal salvation.

How wonderful are the words at the end of verse 17 - Therefore you did not desert them. Israel was not deserted by God, even though they worshipped the golden calf, because God is gracious and loving.

How precious I find these words. God will never desert me however much I deserve to be forsaken. Dear believer here is the wonder of salvation that in Jesus Christ, our Saviour, God's love is infinite, and his power to save reaching to the very depth of hell. Jesus, by the will of God, has done everything that is needed not only to pay the price of our sin throughout our earthly life, but also keep us in his love for eternity. God has made it impossible for him to desert those who believe in Jesus. Old things have passed away, and everything is new. We are citizens of God's heavenly realm forever and forever.

When I feel the burden of my sinfulness and failure I can pray "do not desert me, O my God" and I know that my prayer will be answered, and in a very real way God comforts my soul with the assurance that he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. For His dear Son's sake, God will never desert those who in true repentance rely on Jesus as their Sin-bearer and Saviour.

As we contemplate these things thankfulness must fill our hearts, and cause us to bow before the throne of God in wonder, love and praise. In the light of this revelation given here in Nehemiah the picture given in Revelation 4, and 5, can't be seen as extravagant, but calls forth a similar expression in our hearts.

With the 24 elders, who represent the believing church in the Old and New Testament, we fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and lay our crowns before the throne and say "You are worthy, our Lord, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:10,11).

But our praise does not end here as it did not in this revelation. We sing a new song because the Lamb, our Saviour Jesus, on the grounds of his being slain for the sin of the world, has ascended the throne and opened the scrolls which contain God's redemptive purposes of love and sing a new song -

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men and women for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9,10).