(The God Who Shows Grace and Mercy to His People)
(Nehemiah 9:16-18)

Text:
Nehemiah 9:16-18 "But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,  17 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.  18 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;" 

Thoughts from Past Studies

1)  In week #1 we looked at Jehovah as the God of creation. 
2)  In week #2 we saw that Jehovah is a God Who Chooses His people. 
3)  In week #3 we saw that Jehovah is a God Who Sees and Hears His People. 
4)  In week #4 we saw that Jehovah is the God Who Leads His people.
5)  In week #5 we saw that Jehovah is the God who Teaches His people. 
6)  Last week we saw that our God is the God who Feeds His people.
This week we again return to Nehemiah chapter 9, the theme for our study ~ "Jehovah, the God Who shows Grace and Mercy to His People".

The Names of our Great God:
The God Who Shows Grace and Mercy to His People
"...but thou [art] a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not."
 

Some Initial Remarks

Of all that we have seen of God, we will find no greater attribute than God's mercy.  As we come to understand our sinfulness, we will surely stand in amazement at the grace and mercy of our God.  But as surely as this is the loftiest study it is equally the saddest, for it is here we stand in amazement at our own love for the world and the things of the world.  It is here we see the nation of Israel, all that they had seen, all that they had heard, and they want to go back to Egypt. 

1)  Our study this week begins not with the manifold mercies of God, but the manifold sin and ignorance of Israel.  Look at verse 16-17.  After all that God had done, after how he had provided for the people, we find that they "dealt proudly", that they "hardened their necks", that the nation of Israel "hearkened not to God's commandments".  What a staggering thought of all that God had done to them and for them.  They turn their backs on God, they harden themselves in their sin, they refuse to obey the God who had delivered them out of Egypt.  As surely as this is a tragedy, it is even more so when you and I sin.  As God's children knowing all that Christ has done for us, and we harden our necks in sin, we refuse to do things God's way, but choose rather our own way, we prove to be more like the nation of Israel than we would like to admit.

2)  If what the nation of Israel had done was not bad enough we find in 17 that they appointed a captain while Moses was gone, and desired to return to Egypt.  Can you imagine, after all the things God had done they desired to go back into slavery.  If that is not staggering enough, consider how they would be received in Egypt.  I doubt a warm welcome and open arms would await them.  What foolishness, ohh the blindness of sin.  Yet it is exactly the same for you and I.  Every time we sin we are saying, in affect, I want to go back, I no longer desire the life in the spirit, but instead life in the flesh.  I no longer desire the freedom in Jesus, but instead the servitude under Satan.  Do you see our own foolishness, it is identical to the nation of Israel's.  All that is good we now possess, their is nothing for us in the world.

3)  We see further the nation of Israel made an idol, they forsook and forgot the God who had delivered them, and chose rather to believe that a god of their own making had brought them out of Egypt.  Oh the sinfulness of sin.  I see more clearly every day why the Bible tells us not to give place to the devil.  For that little place will grow and grow and grow.  As a pastor friend of mine once said: "sin will take you further than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay."  This is what had happened to Israel, and it can happen to you and I, surely we must lay aside every weight!

4)  Now to the wonder in our study, look over all that Israel had done.  How deeply they had sinned in the face of a Holy God.  Now we see God's reaction.  In verse 17 we see first that God is ready to pardon.  They had built an idol, hey had fell down and worshipped it, they had ascribed the glory of God and His work to it.  God is ready to pardon!  This picture of God is a picture we find in the New Testament as He is portrayed as the father ready to receive the prodigal.  Our God is a God who is "ready to pardon".  Wow!  Is He angry because of sin?  Yes.  Is He angry at the wicked everyday?  Yes.  But equally our God is ready to forgive.  What an awesome thought.  Jehovah, ready to forgive all that will come to Him in the name of Jesus.

5)  Secondly we see in verse 17 that God is gracious.  Grace is no doubt one of the most talked about attributes of God, and rightly so.  God who gives us what we do not deserve when we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, for surely there is no other name under heaven, given among men whereby we may be saved.  Our God, the God of grace.

6)  Thirdly we see that God is merciful.  It has been said that grace is receiving what you do not deserve, and mercy not receiving what you do deserve.  You and I deserved  an eternity in the lake of fire, but praise God, Jehovah is a God of mercy, and He shows that great mercy daily to His people.

7)  Next we see that God is slow to anger.  Think of all that Israel had done, and God's commentary on Himself is that He is slow to anger.  Do we see God this way?  We should, our God is great in grace, great in mercy, and slow to anger.  What an amazing attribute, the creator of all things is slow to anger.  It is in this attribute that I see so clearly why God endures so much from even His children.  Here we find that the blood of Christ not only cleanses God's children, but it makes our God and enduring God, one who is not quick to wrath, but patiently endures, working in us what is well pleasing in His sight.

8)  Fifthly we see that God is a God of great kindness.  This word might be translated goodness or even faithfulness, and again what an amazing attribute we find.  In spite of our unfaithfulness our God is of great faithfulness!

9)  Lastly the sum of God's mercy is stated this way, in spite of all their sin, in spite of how entrenched they were in their rebellion against God, He "forsookest them not."   I can think of no greater attribute than this.  Here Israel wanted to go back to Egypt, here Israel built and idol and worshipped it as the god who had delivered them, and our Holy God does not forsake them.  Praise the Lord, if you are His, He will never forsake you, He will never as He did to Christ turn His back on you.  Jehovah, the God who will never forsake His people.

Application

I have said all of what I wanted to say within each point, I would like to only bring one point to mind.  The name of the study was "The God Who Shows Grace and Mercy to His People".  This name was chosen carefully, I did not say, the God who shows grace and mercy, for the Bible is clear, all that we have said of our God only applies if you are indeed His.  If you have not come to Christ you know nothing of His love, or His mercy or His grace.  To be completely honest, unless you repent and turn to Christ you will never experience God's mercy.  Something else awaits you and that is God's wrath.  As deep and as wide as His mercy is, so deep and so wide is His wrath, ask Jesus, He can testify of the Father's hatred for sin.  Turn to Christ and experience love, grace, mercy, kindness, faithfulness, and a God who never, no never, forsakes His people.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  1