I've been posting for quite some time on Nehemiah, with my last posts focused on Nehemiah 9 and 10. My last post was an exhortation for us to praise God for the unilateral covenant He makes with us through Jesus Christ because any and all covenants we make with God will fail. Prior to that, I reminded us that we ought to be examining ourselves and confessing our sins, yet as we do so, we can be tempted to despair and resort to our own power, to earthly means to be holy, rather than relying wholly on God's Holy Spirit to do so.
As I reread portions of Nehemiah 9 once again, verses 36 and 37 really hit me, particular the phrase: we are in great distress.
36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
We see the people of God were living so far below the life God had for them, and they had seen that. They got to the point where they cried out to Him that they were in great distress.
However, instead of casting themselves on God's covenant love, mercy, grace and power (as they had just recounted prior to that confession: see all the references in the previous verses in Nehemiah 9 to God's continuing love for them in spite of their sin and rebellion), Israel went ahead and made a series of resolutions to do better. They made promises they could never keep in their own power, and we read of their total inability to keep those promises (see Nehemiah 13).
We may shake our heads at Israel, but don't we so often do the very same thing? We see God's holiness, and we see our sins and failures in contrast. Then we begin to despair. We resolve and promise to do better. We forget our absolute powerlessness to walk in God's ways and our utter dependence on God's strength to do anything good. And we will fail. Time and again . . . and again . . . We will fail like Israel. We foolishly forget the unilateral covenant God has made with us in Jesus Christ.
As I reflected on this section in Nehemiah, I began to consider it was somewhat similar to where Paul was in Romans 7:
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Hadn't Paul gotten to where, like Israel, he was saying, "I am in great distress"?
But unlike Paul, Israel did not really see they were totally dependent on the Lord God for their salvation from beginning to ending. That's why they began making all those promises and resolutions (Neh. 10) – even though they'd just professed God as
the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love,
Israel really didn't understand the extent of the covenant God had made with them. They didn't understand God's greatness, God's might and God's awesomeness. They did not really understand God was a God who keeps covenant. They did not understand the steadfastness of God's love for them. So they went back and began to resort on their own feeble abilities, rather than resting in His covenant and relying on His mighty power.
How often do we do the same? How often do we try to live the Christian life in our own power and our own abilities? Do we really understand God's greatness, God's might and God's awesomeness? Do we really understand the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the God who keeps covenant with us for Jesus' sake? Do we really understand the breadth and length and height and depth of God's love for us in Jesus Christ? How often do we forget that God's covenant mercies in Christ are wholly sufficient to save us from both the penalty of sin as well as the power of sin!
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
O, Lord God,
How often do we fall into the same trap Israel did? We see our sin keenly. We see our failures. We see our great distress. And we are grieved. As well we should be. But then, instead of turning to Christ, we turn to ourselves and our own abilities. We resolve to do better. We make a zillion promises. We mean well. We try to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. But our best and noblest and cleverest efforts in the flesh will never be pleasing to You. Like Israel, we have a zeal for You, but not according to knowledge. Forgive us, O Lord.
We are in great distress. May this great distress turn us to Christ!
If we have found grace in Your sight, show us Your way, that we might know You that we might find grace in Your sight.
You, O God are great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love.
O LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, may we receive of Your fullness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your greatness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your might.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your awesomeness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your covenant mercies in Christ.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know the breadth, length, height and depth of Your steadfast love for us in Christ.
We have received Christ's righteousness as Your free gift to us by faith, but then we confess we so often begin to lapse back into works-righteousness and put ourselves into bondage. We forget the mighty and awesome power and freedom You have made available to us through the gift of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. We forget that Jesus Christ is all-sufficient for our sanctification as well as our justification. We often profess we have Christ's blood covering our sins and we have Christ's righteousness credited to us by faith. But how often do we forget we have Christ's very Spirit, imparted to us, so we might walk in Your will and in Your way for us, to be holy as You are holy? Holy Father, You have given us all we need to walk in Your ways and Your will for us. All! We are partakers of the divine nature! We have Your very resurrection power dwelling in us through Your Spirit! That is why You tell us Your commandments are not burdensome for we have been given the very power we need to obey them. Christ's yoke is easy and His burden is light. But Your commandments will continue to be burdensome and wearisome to us when we resort to working in our own flesh. Not only that, but whenever we attempt to live a holy life apart from Your power, we are robbing You of Your glory.
We are in great distress. May this great distress turn us to Christ!
If we have found grace in Your sight, show us Your way, that we might know You that we might find grace in Your sight.
You, O God are great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love.
O LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, may we receive of Your fullness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your greatness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your might.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your awesomeness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your covenant mercies in Christ.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know the breadth, length, height and depth of Your steadfast love for us in Christ.
Merciful Father, Hear our cries. We are in distress. We are Your children by grace through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Look upon us for His sake. We are in great distress today. We confess this freely to You today. We confess we are so like Israel. We confess we want to walk out a holy and righteous life all by ourselves, all in our own power. We confess we want to take pride in our own ability and strength. Forgive us, Lord God. You will not share Your glory with any other. You alone are God. Humble us and show us our total inability to do anything good, so we might rely wholly on You as we ought and bring You the glory You alone deserve.
We are in great distress. May this great distress turn us to Christ!
If we have found grace in Your sight, show us Your way, that we might know You that we might find grace in Your sight.
You, O God are great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love.
O LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, may we receive of Your fullness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your greatness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your might.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your awesomeness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your covenant mercies in Christ.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know the breadth, length, height and depth of Your steadfast love for us in Christ.
Author and perfecter of our faith, in our distress today, we are here and casting ourselves wholly on Your glorious grace just as we did at the beginning of our life in You. We had nothing then and today we still have nothing apart from that which You give us. All we have is all a gift from You, coming from Your covenant mercies and grace showered on us through Jesus Christ. In and of ourselves we confess we are unworthy. But through You we are made worthy. In and of ourselves we confess we are wretched. But through You we are blessed. In and of ourselves we confess we are impotent. But through You we can do all things. Help us to continue to walk in Your Spirit so we might not fulfill the lust of the flesh but walk in Your holy ways, in thought, word and deed. Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Vine; we are the branches. We confess that without You, we can do nothing. Help us to abide in You and You in us so we might walk in Your Father's commandments as You did and bear the fruit to His glory and have fullness of joy.
We are in great distress. May this great distress turn us to Christ!
If we have found grace in Your sight, show us Your way, that we might know You that we might find grace in Your sight.
You, O God are great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love.
O LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, may we receive of Your fullness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your greatness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your might.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your awesomeness.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know Your covenant mercies in Christ.
Grant us grace upon grace, that we might know the breadth, length, height and depth of Your steadfast love for us in Christ.
Please add your PRAYERS as the Holy Spirit leads you.
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