June 20, 2023

Nehemiah 9:1-5 (HCSB)
National Confession of Sin 
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month  the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.  2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,  and they stood  and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers.  3 While they stood in their places,  they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day  in confession  and worship of the Lord their God. 4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites  and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah —said, “Stand up. Praise Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting.”

Patrick Raley
Typically after a team wins their championship game, their home city shuts down for a day, plans a huge parade, and celebrates the achievement of their team. Everyone is overjoyed, happy, and in a wonderful mood. The Israelites are back in their promised land after decades of captivity, and the walls have been rebuilt. They’ve just heard an incredible reading of God’s Word. You would think this would be a joyful time, but the Spirit is moving in the people and they know they need to repent. They fast and cover themselves with dirt in order to humble themselves before God and their neighbors. They publicly confess their sins, and worship the Lord of all creation. Isn’t it interesting how the closer we get to God, the dirtier we feel when we sin? This story is a great example of how the Holy Spirit can humble us, and remind us we are all sinners and need repentance.