God's Faithful Provision For His People Throughout The Wilderness Period And His Successful Bringing Of Them Into The Land And Establishing Of Them In Prosperity (Nehemiah 9:18-25).
Here we have what is to some extent a reiteration of what was described in Nehemiah 9:12-17, but now seen in the light of His people having provoked Him, and with greater emphasis on the Wilderness period, and on entry into the land which was now seen as satisfactorily accomplished (in Nehemiah 9:12-17 they had stopped short of the land). The parallel sequence is, protection through the pillars of cloud and fire, instruction by His Spirit, provision of food, water and clothing, success over their enemies, and successful entry into and conquest of the land. And all this despite their having provoked God by making the molten calf. It was a reminder to God of how He had shown mercy in the face of great provocation.
“Yes, when they had made for themselves a molten calf, and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had wrought great provocations,”
The description of their making the molten calf is found in Exodus 32. It may well be that it was intended originally to have been seen as bearing the invisible YHWH on its back (as elsewhere Hadad was seen as riding on the back of a bull). But it was a forbidden graven image, and had soon itself taken the form of a god in peoples' minds. The citation is an abbreviation of that in Exodus 32:4 (omitting ‘O Israel' and ‘the land of' and using a singular verb). The Levites were therefore citing the example of Israel's greatest provocation to God, the worshipping of an image before the very mountain of God. But the ‘great provocations ‘ would also include those which followed after (unless it is an intensive plural). And they are pointing out to God that even in the face of these provocations He had continued to deliver them, in exactly the same way as He had before, even accomplishing what had previously failed to be accomplished (entry into the land).
“Yet you in your manifold mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud did not depart from over them by day, to lead them in the way; nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.”
They gratefully acknowledged to God how, in the widespread nature of His mercies, He had not forsaken them in the wilderness. He had continued with them in the pillars of cloud and fire. He had led them in the way, protected them, given them light in the darkness, and shown them the way in which they were to go.
“You gave also your good Spirit to instruct them, and withheld not your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.”
He had also given His good Spirit to instruct them. This probably in the first instance has reference to His giving of the Spirit to the seventy elders (Numbers 11:17; Numbers 11:25-26), making them ‘prophets' (Numbers 11:29). The thought is that they would have illuminated God's Instruction to the people. And He had not withheld His gift of manna, and He had given them water to satisfy their thirst in the hot wilderness.
“Yes, forty years did you sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes did not grow old, and their feet did not swell.”
Indeed they acknowledged that He had given them even more, for during a period of forty years He had ensured that they lacked nothing. Their clothes had not grown old (probably indicating that He had ensured regular provision for renewing their clothing) and their feet had not swollen in such a way as to hinder their progress. He had kept them clothed, fit and well. The first part of the verse is an almost direct citation of Deuteronomy 2:7. The second part comes from Deuteronomy 8:4.
“Moreover you gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you allotted after their portions. So they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.”
In accordance with the parallel earlier, God's protection through the pillars of cloud and fire, His instruction of His people, and His provision for their physical needs, was followed by ‘possession of the land' in accordance with the promise given to Abraham. And it was fulfilled beyond what was expected. For they received control over kingdoms and peoples which were not of the land. The lands of Sihon and Og were east of the Jordan and outside the scope of the promises. But God gave them to them nevertheless. His graciousness and compassion were such that, in spite of their rebellions, He gave them abundantly over all that they could ask or think.
“You multiplied their children also as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land concerning which you said to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.”
And they gratefully acknowledged that He had not only given them extra lands, but had also fulfilled His promise to Abraham in making his children as the stars of heaven for multitude (Genesis 15:5; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 26:4). Most of these were, of course, his children by adoption, being descended from family servants, from his ‘household' (from which he could draw 318 fighting men - Genesis 14:14). And these children He had brought into the land which He had promised to make a possession for Abraham's ‘seed'. This mention of the children of Israel as being ‘as the stars of heaven' emphasises the fact that it is God's covenant with Abraham that is being seen as fulfilled (compare Genesis 13:15-17; Genesis 5:18-21; Genesis 17:8; Deuteronomy 1:10).
“So the children went in and possessed the land,”
And so in accordance with God's covenant with Abraham and with his seed, the children had gone in and possessed the land. In Nehemiah 9:15 God had commanded it. Now it had come to fruition because in His mercy and compassion He had spared those who had rebelled against Him who had said ‘no', in order that their children might inherit.
“And you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would, and they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance. So did they eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.”
They reminded God that He had not only given them the land, He had done it in style. He it was Who had ensured that the inhabitants of the land, its kings and peoples, were given into their hands, so that they could do with them as they would, a process that took from the time of Joshua to the time of David. And indeed that is precisely what Solomon had done as he made the peoples of the land slaves for his building operations.
And as a consequence they had not only inherited the land, but they had taken possession of fortified cities, of productive land, of houses full of good things, of cisterns already hewn out, and of vineyards, oliveyards and fruit trees in abundance. The result was that they had eaten and been filled, and had become well-nourished, enjoying life as they had rejoiced in God's great goodness.
Note the gradual growth portrayed of God's munificence. First the bread from heaven and water (Nehemiah 9:15). then bread from heaven, water and clothing (Nehemiah 9:20-21), and now an abundance of good things. God had been more than liberal.