“I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.”
Nehemiah 1:6b-7
Last time we got a memoir-level view of Nehemiah’s new place to dwell: in prayer for his brothers and sisters. Today we get to dig more deeply into this prayer, starting with yadah – thankful confession. He is very aware of how the sins are hovering over the Israelites. But not just those back in Jerusalem – Nehemiah makes sure to include himself and his father’s house. Not only his generation but also the ones before responsible for being sent into exile.
We are all guilty. We all have borne the loss of His presence, sent out of Eden. None of us have perfectly bodyguarded His commands, the boundaries He lovingly places in our lives, or His beautiful mishpat – loving justice and judgments to which He charges us as His messengers in a world desperate to know them.
So perhaps the second thing Nehemiah’s actions teach us is how to include ourselves in thankful confession. The awareness of our own shortcomings and sins in any situation. It is almost never good side/bad side. Situations in life are often way more nuanced than that. Fortunately we have a Just Judge Who sees all.
And His perfect mishpat has made a way for all who believe to be righteous.