Sunday Morning Meditation: Nehemiah 9:16-17
They Refused to Remember
“But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them…”
Our memories can be short…and selective. Yesterday may have been full of the goodness of God, but what of today? Where are my blessings for today and why, O Lord, haven’t you given me what I’ve asked for? The history of the Israelites is replete with God’s intervening power – delivering them from enemies (Exodus 13-14), providing them with food and water in the desert (Exodus 16-17), and serving as their ever present leader and King (Exodus 40).
But the people of God prior to Nehemiah’s time had neglected to remember the Lord’s faithfulness. Caught up in the sensual desires all around them they abandoned their covenant with God and turned to whatever seemed to provide pleasure and wealth. Despite God’s efforts to remind them through the prophets, the people still refused to remember and hardened their hearts. The results were devastating. An enemy swept into their midst, destroying their temple and breaking down the walls of their city, and carrying them away from the riches of the Lord.
We too forget. In the midst of today’s trials our memories grow cloudy and fail to conjure the witness of yesterday’s trials, through which God carried us on wings of mercy. We forget the wounds we inflicted upon others, and ourselves, and upon the covenant, and we forget how his deep well of grace reconciled us anyway. Together forgetfulness and ingratitude birth the temptation to find security and pleasure in something other than the simple goodness of God himself. As James says, this is not God’s fault:
“…but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1: 14-15)
James goes on to say that part of the problem is that we have forgotten something:
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:16)
Are your walls broken down? Are your cities plundered? Is the enemy encamped all around? Don’t be deceived. Nothing but God’s goodness and mercy enables us to persevere – and forgetting so leads to sin and death. Like Nehemiah and ancient Jews – striving to repair their walls and repel the attacks of the enemy – we too can deliberately choose to gratefully remember the mercies of God, thereby strengthening our weak legs and enlarging our feeble hearts as we cry out for fresh mercy to meet our current trials and temptations.
We can be sure that today, as with yesterday, God will come.
Good reminder on this day. Thanks, Jason!