Nehemiah's Cry Goes Up To God (Nehemiah 1:4-11).
So Nehemiah now did what God's true people always do when they face adversity. He prayed to YHWH. The prayer is very much an individualistic one, although parts of it can, as we would expect, be paralleled elsewhere, for he prayed with a full knowledge of his people's liturgical past. He was not praying out of a vacuum, but with a good knowledge of Judah's prayers of old.
His prayer can be summarised as follows:
A An elaborate approach to God (Nehemiah 1:5). Compare Daniel 9:4; Deuteronomy 7:9; Deuteronomy 7:21; Deuteronomy 10:17.
B A plea to be heard (Nehemiah 1:6 a). Compare 1 Kings 8:28-29; 2 Chronicles 6:40; 2 Chronicles 7:15; Psalms 130:2; Isaiah 37:17.
C A deep confession of the sin of his people, including his father's house (Nehemiah 1:6-7). Compare Ezr 9:6; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Leviticus 16:21; Leviticus 5:5.
D An appeal to God on the basis of His covenant promises (Nehemiah 1:8-9). Compare Leviticus 26:42; Psalms 105:8; Psalms 106:45;
C A description of the people for whom he is praying (Nehemiah 1:10).
B A request that God be responsive to both his and their prayers (Nehemiah 1:11 a).
A An appeal that God will help him as he takes the dangerous path of approaching the king on their behalf (Nehemiah 1:11 b).
Note how in ‘A' he approaches God, and in the parallel he approaches the king. In ‘B' he makes a plea to be heard, and in the parallel he asks God to be responsive to his prayers. In ‘C' he confesses the sin of his people, and in the parallel he describes the people for whom he is praying. Centrally in ‘D' he makes his appeal on the basis of the covenant.
‘And it came about, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,'
He did not rush into his prayer. He pondered deeply over the news that he had received, something which caused him to sit down and weep as he thought of the sufferings of his people. He mourned over the news for a good number of days, fasting and praying ‘before the God of Heaven'. This last was the name by which YHWH was known in Persia and Babylon (compare Daniel 2:18-19; Daniel 2:37; Daniel 2:44; Ezra 5:12; Ezra 6:9-10; Ezra 7:12; Ezra 7:23) and to foreigners (Jonah 1:9). The purpose of fasting was in order to express grief, and in order to prevent anything interfering with his praying.
His Elaborate Approach To God (Nehemiah 1:5).
In his approach Nehemiah expresses three things which should be a constant in all our praying; the greatness of God, the wonder of His love, and the necessity for obedience to His covenant in accordance with His requirements.
‘And said, “I beseech you, O YHWH, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, who keeps covenant and covenant love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”
He speaks with YHWH as the One Who is:
· ‘The God of Heaven' - contrast ‘Our Father Who is in Heaven' (Matthew 6:9). There is the same sense of awe, although without that deeper dimension of God as Father that Jesus introduced.
· ‘The great and terrible God.' He acknowledges the greatness of God while at the same time acknowledging that He is not to be approached lightly. He is fearsome. Someone of Whom to be in awe. Compare Daniel 9:4; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 7:21; Deuteronomy 10:17. (Compare ‘Hallowed be your Name').
· ‘The One Who keeps covenant.' He comes to God aware that though great and fearsome, He has made His covenant with His people and always observes His side of the covenant. He is ever true to His word. He can therefore be approached by one who desires to observe His covenant (Deuteronomy 7:9).
· But He is also ‘The One Who observes covenant love with those Who love Him and keep His commandments.' His faithfulness is a faithfulness of love, which has been expressed through His covenant, towards those who love Him and keep His commandments (Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 5:10; Deuteronomy 7:9). To love God was one of His most important commandments (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). And His commandments were to be laid upon their hearts (Deuteronomy 6:6). But this was because He had first loved them (‘when Israel was a child I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt' ‘ Hosea 11:1).
His Plea To Be Heard (Nehemiah 1:6 a).
He calls on God to be attentive to his constant and persevering prayer for God's people.
“Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants,'
He prays that God will hear what he has to say, and will see the situation. And that as a result He will listen to his prayer, a prayer from one who is his servant, a prayer which he is bringing before him day and night. He was thus coming in humility, but also in consistent, persevering prayer, in the way in which Jesus would later teach us to pray (Luke 11:5-13). For the idea of attentive ears and open eyes compare 1 Kings 8:28-29; 2 Chronicles 6:40; Psalms 130:2; Isaiah 37:17, and God's response and required conditions in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15.
And he underlines that he is coming on behalf of ‘the children of Israel' who are God's servants. For ‘children of Israel' see Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 7:73; Nehemiah 8:14; Nehemiah 8:17; Nehemiah 9:1; Nehemiah 10:39; Nehemiah 13:2. It is a Nehemaic expression. This is, of course, a regular name used for Israel/Judah emphasising their tribal relationship, although literally speaking it is a misnomer. The majority were not strictly directly descended from Jacob by blood, but were ‘sons' by adoption, being descended:
1) From members of the family tribe (Abraham had 318 young men born in his house).
2) From the mixed multitude who had become part of Israel at Sinai (Exodus 12:38).
3) From the many other peoples like the Kenites who had joined up with Israel and submitted to YHWH.
He Confesses Deeply The Sin Of His People, Including That Of His Own Father's house (Nehemiah 1:6-7).
Confession of our sins must always be central to our prayers. ‘Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us'. As God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, ‘if My people who are called by My Name, will humble themselves, and will pray, and will seek my face, and will turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land'. This was what Nehemiah now did.
-7 ‘While I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which you commanded your servant Moses.”
Confession of sin had long been a requirement of the covenant. The confession of the sins of the children of Israel was one purpose of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:21), and confession of sin was a requirement for forgiveness of specific sins (Leviticus 5:5). Furthermore confession of sin was one of the requirements if God was to restore His people from captivity (Leviticus 26:40). Thus while he had no sacrifice to offer, and no goat substitute, what Nehemiah could do was confess the sins of his people (see also Nehemiah 9:2; Psalms 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; Daniel 9:20). It was an acknowledgement that Israel had deserved all that had happened to them.
He did not exclude himself from this confession of sins, confessing his own sin and the sins of his father's house. And he spells out what he means by sin in terms of dealing corruptly with God, and not observing the commandments, statutes and ordinances (judgments) laid down by Moses (compare Deuteronomy 5:31; Deuteronomy 7:11). He makes no excuses.
It is clear from this that Nehemiah was well acquainted with Levitical teaching and Deuteronomic teaching.
He Appeals To God On The Basis Of His Covenant Promises (Nehemiah 1:8-9).
He now calls on God to be mindful of His word and of His promises.
“Remember, I beseech you, the word that you command your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples, but if you return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from there, and will bring them to the place which I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.' ”
Thus he reminds God of His promises. Promises made to Moses as to what would happen if when His people had trespassed and were scattered abroad, they returned to Him and kept His commandments and did them. His promise had been that no matter how far they had been scattered, even to the uttermost part of Heaven, he would gather them from there and bring them to the place which He had chosen to cause His Name to dwell there.
This is not a direct quotation from Moses, but a summary of what God had promised that He would do, based on Scriptural terminology. Especially in mind is Deuteronomy 30:1-4. ‘(If, having trespassed and) been scattered abroad among all the nations --- you shall return to YHWH your God, and shall obey His voice according to all that I command you this day (keep His commandments and do them), --- if any of your outcasts be in the uttermost parts of the heavens,,i.from there will YHWH your God gather you --- and will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you will possess it.'
This is supplemented by, ‘and YHWH will scatter you among the peoples' (Deuteronomy 4:27; compare Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64); ‘ you shall keep My commandments and do them' (Leviticus 22:31; Leviticus 26:3; compare Deuteronomy 19:9); and ‘the place which I have chosen to cause My Name to dwell there' (Deuteronomy 12:11). ‘If you trespass --' is a brief summary of what is stated in, for example, Leviticus 26:14; Deuteronomy 4:25; Deuteronomy 28:15; Deuteronomy 28:58, and is mentioned in respect of deserving captivity in Leviticus 26:40.
From the point of view of Nehemiah's prayer the important point was that YHWH had now done this thing and had brought His people to the place in which He had caused His Name to dwell there. God had gloriously delivered them and he was therefore puzzled why God, having done so, had left His people in such deep anguish and distress. It did not seem consistent with the promise.
A Description Of The People For Whom He Is Praying (Nehemiah 1:10).
He now points out that they are not just any people. They are the people whom YHWH had in the past redeemed by His great power and His mighty hand from among the Egyptians (Exodus 32:11). Surely, he was saying, You did not show your compassion towards them for nothing?
“Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand.”
Here then were the people whom God had delivered in accordance with His promises, His servants whom He had redeemed by His great power and His strong hand (Exodus 32:11). Now he was about to ask that YHWH would intervene on their behalf. We note that there is no criticism of YHWH, no question as to why He had done what He had, only a plea that, having already done what He had, He would now act further on behalf of His people through Nehemiah. His confession of sin was a recognition that God's people were still receiving their due punishment for sin. Redemption by great power and a strong hand echoes the Exodus deliverance (Exodus 32:11; Exodus 6:1; Exodus 13:9). The return from Exile could be seen as another Exodus, and that deliverance also had been followed by times of anguish and misery as the Book of Judges makes clear.
A Request That God Be Responsive To Both His And Their Prayers, The Prayers Of Those Who Fear Him (Nehemiah 1:11 a).
He makes clear that he is not praying for an unresponsive people. he is praying for those who fear YHWH's Name.
“O Lord, I beseech you, let now your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who delight to fear your name,”
Nehemiah recognises that much God-fearing prayer is going up from the returned exiles, to which he now adds his own prayers. And he calls on God to be attentive to their combined prayers. Note his continual emphasis on the fact that he and they are God's servants. Moses is God's servant, he is God's servant, the returnees are God's servants (Nehemiah 1:6-8; Nehemiah 1:10-11). And the reason that he is confident that God will hear is because they ‘delight to fear His Name'. To ‘fear His Name' means not only that they worship Him with due reverence and awe, but also that they ‘fear God and keep His commandments' (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We are reminded in this regard of the words of the Psalmist, ‘if I regard iniquity in my heart, YHWH will not hear me' (Psalms 66:18). We should note that this fear is not a craven fear. It is something which is a delight to them. They enjoy being God's servants.