Ready

The 365 Journey

Outline Week 37

Nehemiah 9:17

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

We live in a world where it is difficult to find forgiveness in our failures. Our faults and failings hang heavy on those we have hurt with our words and deeds. They are like shackles that we cannot remove. We often transfer this unforgiveness to our Lord. We assume that our failures are unforgivable before Him. But they are not. As our text affirms, ours is "a God ready to forgive"regardless!

We can recognize our refusal to obey the Lord, but we often miss His attributes that dictate His actions toward us. God does not act toward us outside His character.

To help us have hope of forgiveness in our failings we need to consider two truths from our text

The Rejection of God

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.

We are not perfect. Even after we become followers of Jesus, we still fall. Sin, although defeated on the cross, still lingers in our life. It seeks to derail our sanctification and defeat us every day. We, like the Israelites, refuse to obey the Lord. Just like them, we become stiff-necked and ready to surrender. We feel we have gone too far away from God to every come back to Him. We have lost all hope that He will every forgive us. So, we give up and seek to return to the slavery that Christ freed us from. We run to Egypt rather then return to Him.

The Response of God

But you are a God . . .

God's response toward us finds its source in

His Requisites

. . . gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,

We should expect God to act according to His attributes. To act differently would defy his very nature and deny His attributes. He is gracious and will express grace. He is merciful and will exhibit mercy. He is slow to anger, so He is willing to put up with us. He is loving and thus exemplifies abundant and unending love toward us. His love for us never changes, even though we continually rebel against Him.

His Readiness

. . . ready to forgive,

The world stands ready to reject us and retaliate against us when we fail them, but God is ready to forgive us every single time we fail. He is forgiving and will forgive. His forgiveness toward us never runs out.

His Relationship

. . . and did not forsake them.

The Lord could have rejected His people, Israel, for their constant refusal to obey Him, but he didn't. He had made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:7), the Israelites, that would never be broken. Their disobedience did not destroy God's covenant with them. To "forsake them" would make God unfaithful, his bond breakable, and His word false. He stood by them even when His people stood against Him.

We find that God made an eternal unbreakable covenant with us in Christ. This new covenant was procured through the sinless life, sacrificial life and supernatural resurrection of Jesus. This covenant is appropriated for all who put their faith in Christ for their eternal salvation. They like the Israelites, although they fail, they will not be forsaken.

For Further Study

https://drbuddyyoung.wixsite.com/well-watered/post/ready