“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 they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey.”
Nehemiah 9:29
Last time we watched our Faithful God snatch away the rebellious Israelites from their enemies an exceeding number of times. Today we see how they treated this deliverance.
“And You warned them/testified against them (uwd – to return, go about, repeat, do again, earnestly, charge, protest, reiterate testify, intensively, duplicate, relieve, solemnly, stand upright, give warning)…”
You earnestly charged them, stood up and gave warning to them to return to their First Love.
Our Covenant Yahweh is still giving His people warnings in our verse. Apparently because they still need them.
I want so much to judge the Israelites in our story today. I’m annoyed at them and want to make them pay. But I would be judging myself and owing a payment I can’t make on my own either.
We all do this and we know it. Take mercy for granted, throw each other under the bus, pick back up our hostility, and refuse to live like Jesus said to. And yet, as He draws them, He uses such wooing:
“…that you might bring them back (shub – return, turn back) to your law (torah – direction, instruction, ruling, teaching)…”
That You might bring them back to Your Law.
His good teaching and delightful instruction were the destination where He earnestly charged them to return. Not because He is grumpy but because He is gracious.
“…and yet they (hem – only used when emphatic; plural form of halak – to go, to walk) acted proudly (zud – to boil up, seethe, act presumptuously, rebelliously, act arrogantly, to be insolent, to presume) and did not heed (shama – listen with intent to obey)…”
And yet they (emphatically all of them) went proud/seethed rebelliously and did not listen with an intent to obey.
I found it interesting the Hebrew used in translating they is only used to when emphasizing the word. As in, they all. And in relation to its root word halak (to go, walk), it seems to be saying, “Here they all go again.” Perhaps God is pointing something out about our human condition.
So let’s go there with Him. When was the last time you acted proudly? When you seethed against someone or presumed something about another? How about when you rebelled against what you knew to be right and arrogantly believed your way was better?
Now: how did it go for you? What kind of feelings did it stir inside? Was the result what you wanted? Did it put you on a path of peace and joy?
So why there do we all go again? What do we think we are hoping to gain this time? And has it ever worked for us before?
Sometimes I like to remind myself of these things when I’ve been choosing rebellion or seething. Because in the heat of the moment, I do not want to hear about the right thing to do. However, I may be slowed down by being reminded the right thing to do is what will genuinely be for my best. It may sting to drop my hostility, but it bites much worse to live out its consequences.
And so, when I am in the right frame of mind, I ask God to make it true in my experience. When I am picking back up things contrary to His Word and ways, to break my heart. To make me extremely uncomfortable. To take away even the initial satisfaction of rebellion and make me immediately miserable. Shall we pray such things together? His is the only path worth taking.
“…but against your judgments (mishpat – right ordinance, due justice, kind manner, proper regulation, rightful sentence, worthy verdict, proper decree) sinned (chata – to miss, to go wrong, bear the blame, bear the loss, to fault, fear loss, offend, harm done, forfeit, lack, trespass)…”
But instead they bore the loss/forfeited the beauty of your right ordinances and due justice.
And now we gratefully can move on from our own personal thoughts about rebellion to what we turn away from as a community: beautiful justice. As we collectively turn from His ways, we are also forfeiting things like a kind manner of law, worthy verdicts in our courts, proper regulations in our dealings with each other. Because as we each pick up rebellion or seething, hostility or arrogance, and cover up truth, it affects us all. Only in mishpat will we find communal peace.
“…which if a man (adam – man, mankind) does them (asah – to accomplish) then he will live by them (chayah – live, nourish up, make alive, revive, give/promise life, preserve, quicken, recover, repair, restore to live, save, be whole)…”
Which if people follow they will be nourished, revived, quickened, saved and made whole.
I like this part because it more fully describes what we are forfeiting from before: we bear the loss of things like emotional and spiritual nourishment because we value sameness over the Spirit. We forfeit revival and life because we refuse to confess our sins. Together we bear the blame of no restoration and salvation, for those in power lead for strength not service.
And the opposite is true as well. When living out His mishpat – His rules, ordinances, and due justice – we as a society are quickened, made whole, and saved from ourselves. The trampled upon are elevated, the victims vindicated, the powerful busy washing feet. To avoid just living, even if it is difficult, is to our own peril.
“…and they shrugged (nathan – to give, set) their shoulders (katheph – shoulder, shoulder blade, side, arm, corner, sidepiece, slope) stubbornly (sarar – stubbornly rebellious, backsliding, withdraw, turn away morally) and stiffened (qashah – to be hard, severe, fierce, cruel, be fierce, make grievous) their necksand would not hear (shama – listen with intent to obey)…”
And they set their shoulders and rebelliously made their necks stiff, fierce and cruel/grievous and would not shama.
Unfortunately, our verse for today ends on a negative. The Israelites set their shoulders and stiffened their necks. They chose fierceness, cruelty, and grevious withdrawal from Him, refusing to shama. Not listening with an intent to obey, but decidedly doing their own will.
Nothing is worth that, friends. Not being “right,” held in esteem by our tribes, or clinging to a track record. Nothing is worth presumptuous rebellion in our hearts and forfeiting the grace of mishpat.
And, conversely, the humility required for softening our necks and hearts, and turning to due justice, will gain us everything of value as His Body.