The Book of Nehemiah

Word Study

"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone," Hebrew attah-hu Yahweh levaddekha (אַתָּה־הוּא יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ), Thou, He, art the LORD, thou alone. The great prayer opens with a magnificent confession of the one true God: "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone." The doubled "thou, even thou," and the word "alone" (levaddekha) press the truth home: there is one God, and He alone is the LORD (Yahweh). This is the bedrock of biblical faith, "the LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4); "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me" (Isaiah 45:5). The one LORD is the Maker of everything, "heaven, the heaven of heavens... the earth... the seas, and all that is therein", the entire created order, seen and unseen, is His work. This one LORD is the God who, in the fulness of time, was "manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16) in Jesus Christ, "for by him were all things created" (Colossians 1:16). To confess "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone" is to confess the God who is revealed to us in Christ.

"preservest," mechayyeh (מְחַיֶּה), givest life to, keepest alive. And He not only made all things but "preservest them all", He gives and sustains the life of everything that lives, upholding "all things by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). Even "the host of heaven", the angelic multitudes, "worshippeth thee." There is one God, the LORD alone, Creator and Sustainer of all, worshipped by heaven itself. The one LORD who made and preserves all things is the same Lord Jesus, God with us.

Explanation

The great prayer begins by declaring the one true God: "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone." There is one God, and He alone is the LORD. He made everything, the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all they contain, and He sustains the life of all creation, worshipped even by the angelic host. This confession of the one LORD, Creator and Sustainer of all, is the foundation of true faith. And this same one God is the one revealed to us in Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of God dwelt, and by whom and for whom all things were made.

Gospel Focus

"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone" is the heartbeat of biblical faith: there is one God, the LORD, and no other. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4); "there is none other God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4). This one LORD made all things and preserves them all, "of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever" (Romans 11:36). And the glory of the Gospel is that this one LORD, the sole Creator and Sustainer, came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. The New Testament takes the very works ascribed here to the one LORD, creating and upholding all things, and ascribes them to Jesus: "All things were made by him" (John 1:3); "by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17); He "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is not a second God beside the LORD, but the one LORD "manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16), "Emmanuel... God with us" (Matthew 1:23). To worship Jesus is to worship the LORD who is alone God; "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). So this ancient confession leads us straight to Christ: the one LORD, Maker and Preserver of all, whom the host of heaven worships, is our Lord Jesus. Confess Him as "LORD alone," and worship Him as the one true God who has drawn near to save.

Word Study

"ready to pardon," Hebrew Eloah selichoth (אֱלוֹהַּ סְלִיחוֹת), a God of forgivenesses/pardons. The prayer honestly recounts Israel's sin: they "refused to obey," forgot God's "wonders," "hardened their necks," and in rebellion even wanted to "return to their bondage" in Egypt. It is an unsparing confession of a stubborn, rebellious people. But then comes the great "but": "but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not." This string of glorious descriptions echoes God's own self-revelation to Moses (Exodus 34:6). "Ready to pardon" (selichoth, a God of many pardons); "gracious and merciful"; "slow to anger" (patient, long-suffering); "of great kindness" (abundant covenant love); and, most tenderly, "forsookest them not." "Thou art a God ready to pardon" is the confession of a people who have experienced, again and again, that God's mercy outlasts their rebellion.

"slow to anger," erekh appayim (אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם), long of nostrils, patient. Against the dark backdrop of Israel's rebellion, the mercy of God shines the brighter. This is the heart of the whole prayer: not primarily the sin of the people (real as it was), but the astonishing patience and pardoning love of God, who kept forgiving a people who kept rebelling. He did not deal with them as their sins deserved; He pardoned, was patient, and did not forsake. The greatness of Israel's sin only magnifies the greater greatness of God's mercy.

Explanation

The prayer honestly confesses Israel's stubborn rebellion: they refused to obey, forgot God's wonders, and even longed to return to slavery in Egypt. But against that dark background shines the greater truth about God: "thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not." Echoing God's self-revelation to Moses, this describes a God whose mercy outlasts His people's sin. The greatness of their rebellion only magnifies the greater greatness of His pardoning, patient, faithful love.

Gospel Focus

"Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness" is one of the most comforting descriptions of God in Scripture, and it is the very heart of the Gospel. God is not reluctant to forgive but "ready to pardon"; His mercy is not grudging but abundant; His anger is slow and His kindness great. This is who God has always been, "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7). And this pardoning God has fully revealed His readiness to forgive in Jesus Christ, in whom "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 John 1:9). No matter how often we have rebelled, hardened our necks, or forgotten His wonders, He remains "a God ready to pardon" for all who turn to Him. The measure of our sin is not the measure of His mercy; His mercy is greater. If you have wandered far, hear this: God is not waiting to condemn but ready to pardon. Come to Him through Christ, and find the God who is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness," and who "forsaketh not" those who are His.

Word Study

"thy good spirit," Hebrew ruchakha ha-tovah (רוּחֲךָ הַטּוֹבָה), thy good Spirit. The prayer marvels at God's provision in the wilderness, spiritual and physical together. Spiritually: "Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them." Physically: He "withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst." Day by day, for forty years, God fed them with manna and gave them water, never withholding, despite their constant murmuring. The word "withheldest not" is tender: even when they complained and rebelled, God did not cut off their daily bread. And note His faithfulness: He gave these gifts to an undeserving, murmuring people, "withholding not." God's care does not depend on our worthiness but on His goodness.

"to instruct," le-haskilam (לְהַשְׂכִּילָם), to give them insight, make them wise. God did not leave His rebellious people without guidance; He gave His Spirit to teach and give them understanding. He sustained body and soul, giving His Spirit to instruct and His manna to feed. This is the constant care of God for His people in their pilgrimage: He teaches them by His Spirit and feeds them along the way. Note that both are gifts of God, understanding and bread, wisdom and provision, come from His hand. In the wilderness of this life, He still gives His good Spirit to instruct His people and daily bread to sustain them, out of pure grace.

Explanation

The prayer recalls how God provided for His people in the wilderness, both spiritually and physically. He gave His "good Spirit to instruct them," teaching and guiding them, and He faithfully supplied manna and water day after day, never withholding, for forty years, despite their constant grumbling. God cared for both their souls (by His Spirit) and their bodies (by daily bread), and He did so for an undeserving, rebellious people. His provision flowed not from their worthiness but from His own goodness and faithfulness.

Gospel Focus

"Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna" shows God's twofold care for His pilgrim people: His Spirit to teach and His bread to sustain. Both point forward to greater gifts in Christ. God still gives His "good Spirit" to instruct His people: the Lord Jesus promised "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost... he shall teach you all things" (John 14:26), and the Spirit "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). And the manna that fed Israel pointed to the true Bread: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven... your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead... he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever" (John 6:48-58). Jesus is the true manna, God's provision for the soul's deepest hunger. And He taught us to pray for daily provision, "give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11), trusting the God who "withheldest not" from His people. In the wilderness of this life, God has not left us to ourselves: He gives His Spirit to teach us and Christ the Bread of Life to feed us, and He supplies our daily needs. He cares for both soul and body. Trust the God who withholds no good thing from His pilgrim people, and feed daily on Christ, the true manna, by His good Spirit.

Word Study

"just," Hebrew tzaddiq (צַדִּיק), righteous. As the prayer surveys the judgments that had fallen on Israel, culminating in the exile, the people do not accuse God of injustice. They confess the opposite: "thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly." They acknowledge that every judgment God sent was just (tzaddiq). The prayer holds together both truths: God is perfectly just in His judgments, and God is abundantly merciful to the penitent. The humbled heart confesses both.

"done right," emeth asitha (אֱמֶת עָשִׂיתָ), Thou hast done truth/faithfulness. They acknowledge too that God had "done right" (literally "done truth," acted faithfully). This is the language of true repentance, vindicating God and condemning oneself. This is the posture of a genuinely humbled heart, and it is the same confession Ezra made (Ezra 9:15, "thou art righteous") and Daniel made (Daniel 9:7, "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces"). To justify God and accuse ourselves is the very essence of repentance.

"done wickedly," hirshanu (הִרְשַׁעְנוּ), we have acted wickedly. And the fault was entirely their own: "but we have done wickedly." There is no blame-shifting, no complaint that God was too harsh, no excuse. They put God in the right and themselves in the wrong. It is the confession that opens the door to mercy, for the God who is "ready to pardon" (v17) receives those who thus condemn themselves and vindicate Him.

Explanation

Surveying all the judgments that had come upon them, even the exile, the people did not accuse God of unfairness. They confessed the opposite: "thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly." They vindicated God's justice and took the blame entirely on themselves, with no excuses or blame-shifting. This is the heart of true repentance: to put God in the right and ourselves in the wrong. And it is exactly this self-condemning, God-justifying confession that opens the door to the mercy of the God who is "ready to pardon."

Gospel Focus

"Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly" is the language of true repentance and the doorway to grace. To justify God and condemn ourselves, to say "God is right, I am wrong," is the humbling confession that mercy meets. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us" (1 John 1:8-9); "that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged" (Romans 3:4). The publican who cried "God be merciful to me a sinner" went home justified, because he condemned himself and cast himself on mercy (Luke 18:13-14). And the Gospel holds together exactly what this prayer holds together: God is perfectly just, and God is abundantly merciful. The cross is where the two meet: there God shows Himself "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26), punishing sin in Christ so that He can pardon sinners without compromising His justice. So we come confessing, "thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly," and we find that the just God is also the God ready to pardon, who in Christ has borne the judgment our wickedness deserved. Justify God, condemn yourself, and flee to the cross, where perfect justice and abundant mercy embrace.