Keep it Simple: Nehemiah 9

Keep it Simple: Nehemiah 9 (Repentance of a Nation)

 

Our weekly Keep it Simple episode, this week we are in Nehemiah chapter 9 and we see great mourning for the remnant that has returned from the Babylonian captivity.  The nation is in deep mourning as they read the scripture and realize that all of this that has happened to them was because they didn’t keep covenant with God.  

 

The theme of this chapter is repentance and sorrow due to understanding the sins of their forefathers had caused what had plagued them and enslaved them.  We see that once history was understood that the people understood enough not to repeat it and to live with zeal for God.  They were so distraught from reading the word they were in sackcloth and ashes a sign of mourning and hey knew they’re ancestors had done wrong.  Isn’t it amazing the life lessons we learn through reading the Bible? Seriously, here we have a lesson about learning not to repeat history and to keep promises we’ve made and our ancestors have made.  This ties into current world events more then we could ever know, these little nuggets of truth are amazing and we should learn from them.

 

The remnant decides that they must stay fervent in the Word of God and make it a daily occurrence to make it happen.  They become strong willed in the Lord of Heaven and Earth make sure to remember the past.  This paints a great portrait for us, how often do we get in the Bible and make it our bedrock, I know for a fact I struggle with this at times and get cracks in my spiritual foundation.  We see here that it’s necessary to keep that strong spiritual foundation and to keep God at the center of our lives.  

 

In all reality this is a very simple passage and one we can all relate to with our walk with God and one the United States and the world can relate to as well from when we quit putting God at the center of our lives.  It’s time for the United States to stand up and repent like the nation of Judah did in Nehemiah 9.