“Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.”
Nehemiah 9:32
Last time we watched once again how Covenant Yahweh bore with His People, even as He told them the truth through His prophets. Today we see the Levites’ prayer move from historical review to current petition.
Speaking of our prayer turning from historical recollection, I feel that a review of where we are in the book of Nehemiah is in order. Mostly because I sort of forgot.
We know our exiles had returned to the city of Jerusalem and rebuilt the wall. Then back in chapter 8, Ezra was reading the Law to the people, which resulted in their weeping as they realized how far from this Law of Love they had strayed. So Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites commanded the people to stop weeping and start partying, because “the the joy of the Lord is our strength.”
As the people obeyed, grew in mirth, and celebrated, Ezra continued to read Torah, and the Levites continued to interpret it to them. From this, they understood, after being exiled for generations, the command from Moses was to dwell in tents during the Feast of Tabernacles. So they did.
After the week-long feast, in the same month of Tishri, the people gathered again, this time in fasting to confess their sins publicly. The Levites, elevated on their platforms to be heard, joined in with confession. Then the leaders of the Levites began leading the praising and prayer in which we still find ourselves studying 6 months later.
And after recounting all the ways the exiles’ ancestors had disobeyed, and all the ways Yahweh had bore with and rescued them, the Levites pray:
“Therefore, our Elohim, the great (gadol – great, bigger, deep, high, marvelous, mighty, heavy, exceedingly) God, mighty (gibbor – strong, champion, Mighty One, Mighty Warrior, giant, powerful) and awesome (yare – affright, to fear, dreadful, fearful reverence)…”
Our Elohim, the high and exceedingly marvelous God, Mighty One, Mighty Warrior, worthy of fearful reverence.
Such a good place to start. Therefore. In light of all this, God, please hear us. And not just any god – our God. The One to Whom we all call. Our Father Who art in heaven.
The great and mighty God. Deep like the ocean depths and higher than our universe. The exceedingly marvelous and heavy God.
“…Who keeps (shamar – to watch, keep watch, preserve, attend, be careful, bodyguard, defend, pay attention, secure, take care, wait) his covenant (berith – covenant, ally, treaty, from barah – to cut) and mercy (checed – goodness, loving-kindness, beauty, favor)…”
Who carefully bodyguards the covenant He cut with His people, full of beauty, favor, and loving-kindness.
There is something calming in these synonyms for keep. He pays attention. I need to know that. I want my theology to reassure me He hasn’t forgotten the children terrified in a foreign country, no parents to comfort them. To know He is able to keep watch as we destroy one another – with words and actions. With inactions.
That He carefully attends and bodyguards the covenant He made with His creation. The covenant that required His initiation and follow through. Then all that mercy to never let go.
“…do not let all this hardship (telaah – weariness, hardship, tiresome, travail, trouble, distress, travel; from laah – weary or impatient, exhausted, parched, try the patience) seem trifling (maat – small, diminished, few, little, reduce, seem insignificant) in your eyes (paneh – before Your face)…”
Do not let all this weariness, exhaustion, patience-testing hardship seem insignificant before Your face.
This turn of phrase is interesting to me. After recounting all the ways God had to be patient with His people, the Levites’ prayer then looks for sympathy for the consequences of their continued rebellion.
But the reason touches me: they are weary. Yes, all this hardship is reaping what they’ve sown. But it is also evidence of His covenant with them. If He didn’t care, He could leave them on their own. But because He loves them, they are experiencing the exhaustion of discipline.
But His people want to know He sees it and knows it is significant. To make sure He doesn’t consider it a little thing. Reduced to a mere annoyance. “Do You see us? Can You see the consequences we live with are a big deal? Do they register as a big deal before Your eyes, too?”
“…the hardship that has come on us (matsa – to find, befall, happen, hit, meet, overtake, possess, present, reach, spread, strike)…”
The wearying distress which has struck and overtaken us.
Not only are they weary and distressed, the people feel they have been struck and overtaken. And not only the regular folk:
“…on our kings and leaders (sar – princes, rulers, official, captain, commander, governor, leader, officer, official, overseer, general, lord, principal, head person, master)”
Also on our kings, rulers, governors, leaders, officers, generals, masters.
Basically anyone given a platform of leadership had been stricken with wearying distress. They felt hit and overtaken by trouble, feeling parched in a dry and weary land.
Since we know God is not mean-spirited, not a critical and angry Father, we can know whatever trouble and tiresome testing befell these leaders was for their ultimate good.
Same in our day, leaders. Shall we look around with clear eyes at the state of His Body in our day, acknowledge it, and repent? We can continue to try with business as usual, but it seems the Spirit is not going to let us corporately off the hook on this one.
And just in case it seems as if someone’s role hasn’t been called out, the Levites’ prayer makes sure everyone feels included:
“…on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people (am – folk)”
On those whose job is to intercede for the people and hear from You, on all Your people from the past to the present.
Indeed, spiritual leaders, we do not get to let only those in a public office, business role, or non-profit take the heat. Those whose responsibilities included the care of the state of souls were just as overtaken by hardship.
And it is often a good thing, yes? Trials testing our faith, uprooting our idols, reminding on Whom we depend, becoming living sacrifices.
“…from the days of the kings of Assyria until (ad – while, up until) this (zeh – this, here) day…”
From the days of the kings of Assyria (who took the Northern Kingdom captive) up until this here day, now today.
In other words, a long time in Israel’s history.
The hardship and trials don’t end for us as God’s people in our day, either. However, in repentance and rest is our salvation as well.
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
May it make us shudder. May those of us with influence (read: all of us) bow in reverence before the God to Whom we will give an account. May He never say of us, “But you would have none of it.”
This is our time, friends. Only what we do for His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven will last.