Confession

Series: Life is Good

Scripture: Nehemiah 9:20

The Israelites have now returned to their ancestral home after being exiled to another land. Those exiled were primarily from the southern kingdom.

They were gone for 67 years. If you count the timeline from 586 BCE until the Second Temple was dedicated and rebuilt in 516 BCE they were exiled in Babylon for 70 years.

The prophet Jeremiah foretold, the land of Judah would rest for 70 years.

While the landowners and exiled leaders were away the poor, old, and women remained in the southern kingdom to farm the land.

The beautiful temple and great structures had been demolished by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar II seventy years prior. Those who returned to the southern Kingdom were young when they left Judah. Now they were old men. Seeing the rubble of the beautiful buildings after 70 years would have been very disheartening.

But this was not the first time Israel, Judah had seen trouble.

In Nehemiah 9:20 the prophet reminded Israel of the grace God had given to the Israelites in the wilderness at the time of Moses, God “gave you a good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.”

Upon their return to Israel, they gathered to confess. They were fasting as they came to God. They came to repent of their sins.

The people who came wore sackcloth with dust on their heads. They separated themselves from nonbelievers.

They spent three hours reading the book of the law.

They spent another three hours, confessing their sin and worshiping God.

The Levites led them in a long prayer, recalling the covenant of Abraham, and acknowledging God’s Covenant with Abraham.

In the prayer they were reminded of the deliverance and the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness. They were reminded of the parting of the Red Sea, the mana, and the guidance of the pillar of cloud and fire.

In the prayer they were reminded of the repeating cycle of the people of God. They would ask and God would bless. They would forget God and rebel. God would discipline them by handing them over to their enemies. They would repent. God would be merciful And would deliver them.

The people knew it was true.

They realized even though they had repeatedly failed, God continued to love them, and to call them children of God.

We too are given grace and God’s steadfast love.

God continually forgave and offered love and forgiveness. In the same way God forgives us daily and offers love.

When We read this account of the Israelites, and how they continually failed we might be tempted to think we would not fail, but that is not the case.

The truth is, we fail.

When we confess God forgives.

God/Jesus continues to love.

Deborah

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