They Remind God Of The Position That They Are In, Governed By A Foreign Power, Acknowledging That It Was Through Their Own Fault Because Of Their Own Sins And The Sins Of Their Fathers, And Assure Him That They Are About To Renew Covenant With Him (Nehemiah 9:32-38).
The covenant that they were about to enter into was not being entered into lightly. The need for it had been brought home by the reading of the Law in chapter 8. Their sense of unworthiness in entering into it has just been brought out in their confession and intercession. And yet the reminder of His continual mercies has convinced them that He will graciously accept what they are about to do. And they remind Him that they do it very conscious of the fact that they are still not fully delivered, they were still controlled by and paying tribute to foreign lords, and all due to their own fault. No doubt in their hearts they hoped that He would take note of the fact and at some stage complete their deliverance, making them once more a free, independent people, but they humbly leave that in His hands.
“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,”
They opened their final plea by describing the greatness and majesty of their God. He was the great God, great beyond all. He was the mighty God, of overwhelming power. He was the God Who was terrible in His holiness and uniqueness. And yet He was also the God Who is always faithful to His covenant. He was the God of chesed, ‘covenant love', acting in lovingkindness through His covenant
For God as ‘the great -- the mighty, the terrible' compare Deuteronomy 10:17, and see Nehemiah 1:5.
‘Let not all the travail seem little before you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.”
Up to this point all has been confession and acknowledgement of God's goodness. They have entered deeply into the sins of their fathers, and they have acknowledged the past goodness of God. But now they make a request to God. They ask Him not to overlook what they have suffered, even though it has been deserved. This is the closest they get to asking YHWH to act on their behalf. They are sure that if He considers their problems He will act.
They ask Him not to overlook the greatness of their afflictions. Let it not seem little before Him. From the time when the first shadow of the Assyrian empire had loomed over their land, to the present time, they had suffered under the hands of mighty foreign overlords who had ruled over great empires. And in consequence all had suffered, including their kings. For this suffering had come upon all. None had been excepted. It had come on their kings and princes (their ruling authorities), it had come on their priests and prophets (their religious authorities), and it had come on all God's people. All had suffered together. None had been exempted.
“However, you are just in all that is come upon us, for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;”
Yet they assured Him that they were not blaming Him for what had happened. They acknowledged that they had been receiving the just reward for their sins. God was ‘in the right'. In bringing this on them He had acted justly, for they had behaved wickedly. They had reaped what they had sown. Thus their request was made humbly, acknowledging their own guilt. They were relying on His compassion and mercy, and on His covenant love and faithfulness, so often revealed in the past.
“Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept your Law, nor listened to your commandments and your testimonies with which you did testify against them.”
They admitted to Him that from the highest to the lowest they had not kept His Law in their hearts, they had not listened to His commandments, they had not responded when He had borne witness against them. They had continued on impervious to their sin. The omission of ‘prophets' in contrast with Nehemiah 9:32 may be in acknowledgement of the fact that the true prophets were God's mouthpieces who did heed the word of God.
“For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you gave before them, nor did they turn from their wicked works.”
They agreed that when they had had their independence they had not served Him in their kingdom that He had given them. They had not responded to the great goodness that He had shown toward them in giving them so much. They had not had the proper gratitude for the prosperous land that He had bestowed on them. They had refused to turn from their wicked works. Thus they recognised that they had brought on themselves their subsequent subservience to great foreign kings. Their whole history testified against them.
“Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit, and its good, behold, we are servants in it.”
And they called on God to recognise that because of their failures they were servants in what should have been their own land. They who should have been servants of YHWH, were servants of mere men. And as a result their produce largely went into the storehouses of the Persian kings, whilst they worked as servants. God had intended that they be independent and enjoy the fruits of the land (Nehemiah 9:25). Instead they were servants and had to pay their produce to others. They were not enjoying the full benefits of the covenant.
“And it yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins, also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.”
It was not that their God-given land was unfruitful. It was just that the fruitfulness was enjoyed by others, who had been set over them because of their sins. And those kings who had been set over them not only enjoyed the fruits of their land, but they also had personal authority over them as much as they desired. They could use them as they would (as Solomon had once used the Canaanites). And they had authority over even their cattle. All were subject to the pleasure of the king of Persia. And in consequence they were in great distress for the tribute was heavy, and their treatment by their neighbours hard (compare Nehemiah 1:3). Their lot was not an easy one.
This was on the one hand an acknowledgement before God that they were deservedly suffering for their sins. But on the other it may be seen as a plea to YHWH to consider their invidious position. They probably considered that what they were about to do was, as it were, a first step on the way back to God acting on their behalf.
It should be noted that these were not words of rebellion, nor would they have been seen as such by the kings of Persia. They too believed that they were successful because the gods were on their side. They would not have cavilled at the idea that Judah were suffering for their sins, and that that was why Persia were triumphant. They thought it themselves.
“And yet for all this we make (cut) a sure agreement, and write it, and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, set their seal to it.”
And in consequence of their situation they now affirmed that they would enter into a sure and certain agreement with God, and write it down and set their seals on it. It was a wholehearted recommitment to God. Furthermore all would be involved, they themselves, and their princes, their Levites, and their priests. The whole new nation were making a commitment to God. The priests are mentioned last because they have as yet not been brought into the action which has been by people and Levites. But as Israel's representatives before God they would necessarily be involved.
The use of the word ‘sure agreement' rather than covenant probably recognises that this was their own agreement with God, rather than His official covenant. But the fact that it was ‘cut' (a regular covenant term) makes clear that it was from their point of view a covenant. It will be noted that there is no suggestion that God was directly involved in its making.
The Names Of Those Who Sealed The Sure Agreement.
The agreement having been put down in writing it was sealed by the leading men of the priests, the Levites and the people who are named below. Many signed in their family name. Others in their own name. (Although some may have taken their family name as their own on becoming head of the family). It was a most solemn document. Something of what it contained is described in Nehemiah 9:29 onwards, but the main principle behind it was that they swore to walk in God's Law and obey all the commandments of YHWH. The reading of the Law was coming to its fruition.
The gathering of chief men for the sealing ceremony must have been an impressive occasion as each chief man stepped forward and put his seal on the scroll.