“But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” Nehemiah 9:16-17
Time for God’s Love – Nehemiah 9:16-17
In this chapter the people of Israel are in sackcloth and fasting. They came together in sackcloth (mourning clothes) and with “earth on their heads” – sound like anything? It reminds me of Ash Wednesday. They came together to fast, set themselves apart as God’s holy people, and repent for their sins, as well as the sins of their predecessors. They read from God’s Word and worshipped the Lord together.
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. Nehemiah 9:1-3
Repeated Rescue
It tells of the repeated rescues of God and the repeated disobedience of the people. Over and over again, the people turn from God and worship false gods or do whatever pleases them. Time and time again, God is patient, compassionate and forgiving – demonstrating His steadfast love while His chosen people betray Him. Verse seventeen highlights the mercy and love of the LORD in spite of the Israelites turning from Him again and again.
But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” Nehemiah 9:17b
Stiff necks
It is interesting to me that in recapping the sinful behavior of the Israelites throughout their generations, verse sixteen says that they “acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your [God’s] commandments.”
The imagery of stiff necks appear in Proverbs 29:1 too:
He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing. Proverbs 29:1
When we are corrected by God and refuse His correction, intent on doing what we want, stiffening our necks, then we are susceptible to being “broken beyond healing.”
Chance after chance
However, God gives chance after chance after chance, trying to give us the opportunity to be healed and not broken. Allowing us time to submit to His Lordship and choose to obey.
Time passes on and we often make the decision to ignore God’s instructions and commands. As long as we are alive, we can still bend our knees like the children of Israel in Nehemiah 9 and repent before the Lord.
Time for God’s Love
His love extends through time, stretching out toward us over and over again. This season of Lent, we are invited to enter into God’s love, remembering all that He has done for us through Jesus.
It can be easy to feel critical toward the Israelites, but don’t we often make the same mistakes? We ignore God’s directives, engaged in the busy-ness of our own lives. We do what we want rather than seeking His wisdom. We long for temporal pleasure and the approval of those around us rather than the invisible, eternal approval of our Holy God.
Lent for God’s Love Week 1 Action Step:
Let’s take these seven weeks of Lent to align our lives and attitudes with God’s thoughts. Let’s take this time to embrace the love of God that is reaching out to us. His love that extended to sending Jesus to earth to die in our places and conquer death on our behalf. Start today by thinking about God’s love for you.
Today, join the Facebook group @DevoInAction (https://www.facebook.com/devoinaction) and introduce yourself to us! Share your thoughts about today’s devotional or post a pic of your journaling under Lent for God’s Love Week 1 or post on Instagram and tag me @devoinaction!
THEN, comment on someone else’s post to encourage and build them up in the Lord! Let’s not just share our art but also the heart of what God is speaking to us with one another.
Lent for God’s Love Week 1 Prayer:
Dear God, Thank You so much for Your incredible love that You have lavished on us through Your Son Jesus. Help us to turn our lives and minds toward you during this season of Lent. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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