Lesson from the life of Nehemiah (Expository Preaching- 6th Session)

Date: 28th August, 2021

Topic : Lesson from the life of Nehemiah (Expository Preaching- 6th Session)

As we studied in our last session Nehemiah chapter 8 is all about 'Rebuilding People: Spiritual Renewal'. Now we are in chapter 9 and it also contain about rebuilding people and whole nation by 'confessing own sin and forefather's sin.

Chapter 9 is the longest prayer of Bible where Nehemiah record Israelites journey from Egypt to promised Land and their forefather's sin against God. We need to learn from history. Bible is all about we learning from history and rebuilding our relationship with God but sadly mainly fails to do so.

Five lessons from History:

God wants us to learn from the history of Israel. The apostle Paul gives short lesson in 1 cointhians 10:6-11.

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come" - 1 corinthians 10:11

Paul tells us that what happened to Israel is a lesson for us today. Then what are "These things" that paul have mentioned? Paul makes this clear in 1 corinthians 10:6-10.

The first warning is against desire.

The second warning is against idolatry. (Exodus 32)

The third warning is against immorality. (Numbers 25)

The fourth warning is against disbelief. (Numbers 21)

The fifth warning is against those who complain.

As a Christian, church and nation we must learn from our history. Israel couldn't learn from its history and past fault. Solomon couldn't learn from history i.e Israel journey from egypt to promised land and couldn't learn those five lesson.

When we look at 1 kings 10 and 11, we find thus things:-

Desire/ Taxes & Expenses : He collected 2 crore (20 million dollar) annually from Gold and silver in revenue. (10:14-17)

Idolatry/ Religious fall : He followed other gods. (11:5-8)

Immorality/ Romance : He spent the last moments of his life in luxury and lust.

Disbelief/ Armies & Armor : He relied on chariots and horsemen (10:26-29)

Complain/ Family : He was not satisfied with what God gave him abundantly. He loved foreign women.(11:1)

And again Israel couldn't learn from their historical king and this led them to captivity and slavery of other nations in their own promised land.

Church, Are you learning from your history & your past?

True Atonement rebuilds our relation with God:

The main theme or topic of Nehemiah's 9th chapter is 'Atonement'. We can clearly see the passion of every Israelites to reconcile with God and for that they are confessing and repenting for their sin. Amazing thing about chapter 9 is, they didn't confess or repent as they were instructed to do in the 'day of Atonement' by sacrificing blood but from root of their heart they were repenting. On the tenth day of same month was 'Day of Atonement' (Levi 23:26-42).

Atonement :

Hebrew word 'Kippur/Kip-poor'

meaning : “the reparation for an offense or injury.” or “the act of showing you are sorry for doing something wrong in the past.” It has the same meaning as more familiar words such as reparation, payment, restitution, or amends. Atonement also means bringing two things together. When we break it down, atonement is a combination of “at-one” and “ment.” And it was often used in the 1500’s English to mean being at one with others.

Greek word 'katallage /kat-al-lag-ay’

It occurs only once in Romans 5:11 KJV, “And not only, so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” It is translated as reconciliation in the NKJV and ESV. Kattallage means reconciliation, restoration, or favor. It’s when two parties come together to the same position. It also appears in Romans 11:15, and 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.

Does our prayer includes Atonement for our own and our forefather's sin?