Nehemiah 9 -- Closest During Chastening

The people had just gone through the Day of Atonement where was to remove their sin.  They should have then been celebrating, but as Ezra continued to read God’s Word, it hit them just how gracious and merciful God had been with them.  They began to confess the sins of their ancestors and their own sins.  They realized how much they didn’t deserve to be back in the Promised Land.

My commentary said, “How could these people turn their backs on God after all He had done for them?  They did not truly LOVE Him.  Their obedience was only an outward form; it didn’t come from their hearts.  In their hearts, they were still living in Egypt and wanting to return there.  They did not have a living faith in God but were willing to receive His help and enjoy His gifts.”

They saw all of this during these 6-hour preaching-and-prayer meetings they were having each day.  They saw that 70 years in Babylon had been for their own good, and that God’s chastening showed His love.  My commentary added, “God’s chastening is as much an evidence of His love as is His bountiful supply of our needs.  We should be grateful that God loves us too much to allow us to become spoiled children.  The Father is never as close to us as when He is chastening us.”

Father, thank You for Your love – a love so great that You refuse to leave me as I am in my sin.  Instead, You work to help me see my sin, admit it, and turn my heart back to You.  Thank You for never stopping loving me, even when I’m at my most unlovable.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford