Nehemiah 9:13 says, Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: The priests, still reading from the book of law that they found, I believe, next spoke about God giving His law to Moses on Mount Sinai. They said the Law was spoken from heaven and gave the people of Israel true laws and good judgments. We need to look to God’s word today, the Bible, to make sure that we are following His commandments, which will always be true and just.
Verse fourteen adds, And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: They continued to speak about the commandments and laws that God had given them through Moses, including the law to keep the sabbath holy. Though we are forgiven by grace and not by keeping God’s laws, we are still to obey His laws and commandments. We don’t do this in order to find salvation, but in order to show that we acknowledge that God’s laws are still the best ones to live by and that as Christians, we are obedient to Him.
Verse fifteen continues, And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. This verse refers to God’s supplying their needs in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. He gave them bread from heaven and water from a rock. He also promised them that he had already given them the promised land and all they had to do was go in and possess it. Faith in Jesus Christ is our spiritual bread and water today. Though we don’t yet possess it, we already have a heavenly home, and we need to live showing the world that we believe this. The riches of this world nor the problems of this world should ever be what determines our faith in God. Everything here will one day pass away, but our relationship with Jesus Christ, or even our lack of one, will last forever.
Verse sixteen states, But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, Continuing with what the book told them, the Levites said that the people of Israel walked in pride and hardened their necks and would not obey God’s commandments. As followers of Christ, we have been set free from the bondage of sin, but too often we still stiffen our necks against doing what God has called us to do. We are still a part of God’s people if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, because He seals us to Himself, but we can be disobedient to His law. Many times, this is done out of self-pride.
Verse seventeen adds, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Even though God had set them free from bondage in Egypt, they still rebelled against Him and were ready to return to that bondage. They even appointed captains to lead them back. We have forever been set free from the bondage of sin, but God will allow us to place ourselves back under it if we choose to do so. I don’t mean that we are no longer saved, but that we lose the joy of our salvation if we turn away from doing God’s will for our life as Christians.
Verse eighteen continues, Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; While Moses was up on the mountain receiving God’s Law, the people were busy making themselves a false god, a golden calf, and declaring that it had delivered them from Egypt. They could not see Moses who represented God to them, so they built an idol that they could see. We don’t need an idol or even a statue of Jesus to worship God and follow His will. As a matter of fact, I believe these physical things that people look to in following Jesus can keep us from truly living by faith.
Verse nineteen concludes, Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Even when the people of Israel were rebelling against Him, God still showed His mercy to them as they wandered in the wilderness because of their disobedience. God will still allow us to wander around in the wilderness of sin if we refuse to obey His will, but if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are still saved by His mercy.
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