But His People's Response To His Goodness Had Been To Openly Disobey His Commandments And To Turn To Other Gods. However Even So He Did Not Forsake Them Because Of What He Is (Nehemiah 9:16-17).
Here the first acknowledgement of how sinful their fathers had been is now given. It refers to their arrogant intention to appoint a captain and return to their bondage in Egypt. This occurred when they believed the reports of the unbelieving spies and were fearful of what would be the consequences of entering the God-given land (Numbers 14:4), and thus refused to possess the land. A second, which opens the next passage, will refer to the time when they fashioned and worshipped the molten calf in the wilderness because they thought that Moses was not coming back to them from the mountain. By doing so they rejected the concept that their Deliverer had revealed about Himself (‘you shall not make any graven image'). Both were examples of patent disobedience and unbelief. By them they demonstrated their arrogance, and the hardness of their dispositions. This pattern of God's goodness and care followed by man's disobedience will continually be repeated (Nehemiah 9:26; Nehemiah 9:28; Nehemiah 9:30; Nehemiah 9:32; Nehemiah 9:34-35).
“But they, even our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their neck, and did not listen to your commandments,”
They acknowledged that those who had behaved in this way were ‘our fathers'. They were admitting their share in the guilt of their fathers. And they admitted that their fathers had been arrogant and stiff-necked, an idea which is emphasised by repeated. They had thought that they knew better than God, and had behaved accordingly. They had been arrogant towards Him, had refused to bow to His requirements, and had not listened to His commandments. By this they were admitting that they had deserved all that they had received, and far worse.
“And refused to obey, nor were mindful of your wonders which you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage.”
This first example of their disobedience and hardened state refers to what happened after the twelve scouts, who had been sent into Canaan in order to survey the position, had reported back (Numbers 13-14). They had ignored all the wonders that God had performed on their behalf, and had panicked. And they had ‘hardened their neck (become stiffnecked and unyielding, a concept obtained from Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3; Exodus 34:9) and had determined to appoint a Captain and return to Egypt, to their previous bondage (Numbers 14:4). As a consequence they were disobeying His command to go in and possess the land. Thus they had not deserved the land.
“But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in covenant love, and you did not forsake them.”.
But even such behaviour had not resulted in God giving up on them. Why? Because He is a God Who is ready to pardon. He is a God Who is gracious and merciful. He is a God Who is slow to anger and abundant in covenant love. The consequence was that He did not forsake them.
For these descriptions compare Exodus 34:6-7; Jonah 4:2; Psalms 103:8; Psalms 145:8, which suggest that the central part of the quotation was probably a stereotyped description regularly used, with variations, in the cult, and originally based on Exodus 34:6-7.
This description of God merits some attention. It brings out that:
· He is ready to pardon, compare Daniel 9:9, ‘to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness'; Psalms 130:4, ‘there is forgiveness with Him that He might be feared'. He pardons in order to bring those pardoned back into a relationship with Himself. He puts their sin behind His back (Isaiah 38:17). ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us' (Psalms 103:12).
· He is gracious and merciful. The idea behind these words is that God is compassionate, and merciful, constantly showing His undeserved love towards men and women in their weakness, in the face of their undeserving.
· He is slow to anger. The point here is that He is longsuffering, and does not easily give up. He gives men time to repent and turn back to Him. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
· He is abundant in covenant love. Behind this thought is that He is totally faithful to all with whom He has entered into covenant, having chosen them for Himself. Through His covenant he reaches out to us in abundant love. No one who genuinely responds to His covenant will find that love lacking.
· He did not forsake them. They were at no stage ‘God-forsaken'. This was an important fact which is being emphasised in the passage. Compare how the same words appear in a similar way in Nehemiah 9:31.