History of Grace and Betrayal

Nehemiah 9: 23-38. 은혜와 배반의 역사



23 You have multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of good times, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit threes in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. 26 "Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the people of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make en end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 32 "Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our Kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments
 and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid you great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 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 king 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. 38 "Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.
(ESV)




Thinking and Understanding
The Israelites continued to confess their sins. Although God kept the covenant he had made with Israelites and continued to show mercy, and the Israelites continued to disobey God (26-28). God was patient with the obstinate people and gave them many warnings, but they didn't listen and were taken captive by the Babylonians, who invaded the city(29-30). However, God did not destroy them completely(31). Now, although the Israelites had returned from captivity, they continued to live as slaves(36-37). The Israelites poured out their grievances (32) as they confessed their sins once more, and made a firm covenant with God, who always keeps his covenant (38).



Who is God?
God keeps his covenant promises, He gave the land of Canaan to the Israelites, just as he promised. He made the giants of Canaan submit to the Israelites, and he made the land submit to him, so that the Israelites could enjoy the blessing of eating its abundant produce to their hearts content. On whose words and whose promises do we depend? The word that has been entrusted to us, the word we read and believe in, forms who we are(23-25).



What lesson is God teaching us?
The Levites acknowledged the event of God handing the Israelites over to Babylon as righteous judgement. But even so, they plead for God to remember his covenant with them once more and deal with them mercifully, as he had done in the past. Isn't prayer needed in various place on this earth?
(Daily Bible)