Community of Confession

August 11, 2013 Background Scripture: Nehemiah 9:1 – 37 Lesson Passage: Nehemiah 9:2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 30 – 36 It has been said many times that confession is good for the soul. I believe that there is some truth to that statement if the confession is according to the word of God. As Christians, we should confess our faults to one another according to James’ epistle. John, in his epistle, states that we should confess our sins to God. It is important that we don’t confuse faults with sins. After making the proper distinction and confession, I believe that we will have a stronger bond within the Christian community and a healthy fellowship with God. On the other hand, Israel was often treated as a single entity or as an individual. This is in keeping with the covenant between God and Abraham that was passed down through the patriarchs from generation to generation. Throughout the generations, God continued to deal with Israel as with an individual. When the nation sinned, God patiently warned them for years of impending judgment because of it. When their leaders would not hearken to God’s word that was delivered by the prophets, judgment ensued. In our lesson today, Israel responds to the judgment God brought upon them by first confessing the righteousness of God. They referred back to the time when God delivered their ancestors from Egyptian bondage and His continuous mercy down through the years after that. They also cited the many occasions when their ancestors rebelled against God in spite of His goodness to them in keeping His promises. They acknowledged that all that they were blessed with was because of God’s fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. There was no doubt as to how they came to possess a land that was previously inhabited by others. Also, there was no doubt that the land was very fertile and yielded increase as a result of their labor. The fruitfulness of the land attested to God’s description that it flowed with milk and honey. In spite of the blessings and in spite of the warnings, Israel still chose to disobey God. Now a remnant of Israel was allowed to return to the land after the nation was exiled into Babylon for seventy years according to the prophecy of Jeremiah. After the punishment they had endured in exile, many of them again became selfish and unconcerned about God’s righteousness although He had allowed them to return to the land of promise. However, seeking God’s face and righteousness became a priority for them once again after the word of chastisement by God’s prophets—including Haggai and Zechariah. They were again focused as a community by Ezra so that the word of God returned to prominence in their lives. This led to their gathering to hear the word read and explained to them. The conviction brought on by the word of God had caused them to become repentant. With a contrite heart and broken spirit, the community turned to God in prayer. They confessed the sins of their ancestors as well as their own and acknowledged the righteousness of God in all of His dealings with them. No doubt, their confessions were indeed good for the soul of the community. Robert C. Hudson July 30, 2013