Nehemiah 9

Nehemiah 9:1-38 the longest recorded prayer in the Bible

We are going to break it down and look at some of the parts.

9:1-4 Getting Ready

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What did the sons of Israel do to get ready for this prayer?

o   Separated themselves

o   Fasted

o   Wore sackcloth and dirt

o   Stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers

o   Read from the book of the law

o   MORE confessed and worshipped the Lord

How do you get ready to pray?

How much of your preparation involves confession of sin? Do you avoid the issue?

Praising God       9:5-8

Look for phrases that describe God’s character and/or actions that demonstrate who He is.

Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise! ⁶ “You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You. ⁷ “You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. ⁸ “You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite, Of the Hittite and the Amorite, Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite— To give it to his descendants. And You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous.

What are some of the ways that God was praised in this prayer?

How does praising God in prayer impact you?

The outcome – Commitment

V9-37 is a narrative that recounts the history of what happened from the time Israel was liberated from slavery in Egypt to the time of Nehemiah. The prayer acknowledges that the exile and slavery was a result of their own sin. Then in V38 they decide to commit in writing to change their ways.

9:38 Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”

Chapter 10:1-27 lists the leaders who signed the contract.

10:28-39 lists all the stuff that Israel is committing to do.

            Keep the law

            Observe the Sabbath

            Supply the money to support the temple

            Make the offerings for sin, peace, etc.

            Not neglect the house of God

This prayer is remarkable in several ways.

            It is long        

            It has a description of God’s actions

            It resulted in a written contract

            It impacted all of Israel

Have you ever heard the saying “Prayer changes things”?

Do your prayers result in any discernable change in you?

Our prayers often include a long list of stuff we are asking God to do, but how often do they include a list of what we will commit to do?

Would your prayers be different if for everything you asked God to do, you committed to do something too?

All of Israel promised to do a long list of things – In writing.

I hesitate to commit to do things because I know that I am weak and may not be able to keep my promise. What is better, promising to do or not do something, and failing, or not promising to do (or not do) something in the first place?