Scripture Passage
But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are! (Nehemiah 9:31 NLT)
Observation
What a powerful recital of Israel’s history with God—and what a wonderful testimony to God’s abounding grace!
Continuing in the renewal of their covenant agreement with God, the Israelites have gathered for the reading of Scripture and responded to that Word in corporate confession of sin and the worship of God. As part of their time together, the Levites lead the people in a public declaration of Israel’s common history as the people of God.
And a complete and telling history it is. Every wart and pimple in Israel’s history is declared—the many ways they ignored God’s gracious redemptive acts again and again. Their failures were manifold, and their continued neglect of both gracious invitations to repent and strong warnings of judgment to come cannot be understood as anything less than absolute rebellion. The Levites summarize God's response to all this:
But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are! (Nehemiah 9:31 NLT)
I echo that declaration today. I’m quite aware of many, many times I have ignored God’s voice, chosen my own path, lived neglecting His invitations and warnings—and I’m quite sure I deserve patience from God no more than did the Israelites. But, like Israel, I find that God has not destroyed me completely or abandoned me forever. And so I say with Israel…
What a gracious and merciful God you are! (Nehemiah 9:31)
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Amen, brother!
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