Introduction: God is the main subject of this chapter - who He is, what He does for His people, and what His people must do for Him. The Feast of Tabernacles had ended, but the people lingered to hear more of God's Word. Feasting had turned to fasting as the Word brought conviction and people started confessing their sins. It is also interesting that three of Israel's great "National prayers" are recorded in Ezra 9, Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9. Aldous Huxley wrote, "That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach." The church today can learn much from the experience of Israel, if we are willing to humble ourselves and receive the truth.

I. God's Greatness (vv.1-6).

1. God's greatness is seen in the fact that He receives our worship (vv.1-5).

A. True worship involves:

1) Hearing Scriptures
2) Any worship service that ignores the Scriptures will not receive the blessing of God.
- The better we know the Scriptures and respond to them the better we will know God and become like Him.
3) Separating ourselves from that which displeases (v.2)

A) The people separated themselves from the world as they drew near to the Lord.
B) Separation without devotion to the Lord becomes isolation, but devotion without separation is hypocrisy.
C) 2 Cor.6:14-7:1

4) Confessing sin: The people took time to confess their sins (vv.2-3)
5) Praising God: "Stand up and bless the Lord your God" (v.5)

A) This is a command every true believer wants to obey.
B) Phil 2:9-11
C) We should honor God's Name as we praise Him.

6) Praying

2. God's greatness is also seen in the fact that He alone is God (v.6a).

A. God's greatness is seen in the fact that He created the universe (v.6b).
B. God's greatness is seen in the fact of His providential care for His creation (v.6c)

1) He did not simply make everything and then abandon it to its own course.
2) He is involved in the affairs of His creation
3) He sees when the sparrow falls (Matt.10:29)
4) He hears when a raven cries out for food (Psa.147:9)
5) He has the stars all counted and named (v.4)
6) He has the hairs on our heads numbered (Luke12:7)

C. God's greatness is seen in the fact that The Hosts of Heaven worship Him (v.6d)

II. God's Goodness (vv.7-30).

1. This prayer rehearses the history of Israel, revealing God's goodness to His people and their repeated failure to appreciate His gifts and obey His will.

A. God Formed the Nation (vv.7-18).

1) He gave them the Land (vv.8, 15, 35)
2) He gave them the Law (v.13)
3) He gave them Food and Water (vv.15, 20)

B. God Led the Nation (vv.19-22).

1) He gave them the ministry of the Spirit (v.20)
2) He gave them victory over their enemies (vv.22, 24)

C. God Chastened the Nation (vv.23-30).

- God delivers (v.27)

III. God's Grace (vv.31-38).

1. They acknowledged God's Greatness (vv.31-32)

A. In His mercy, God didn't give them what they deserved.
B. In His grace, He gave them what they didn't deserve.

2. They acknowledged Their Sins (vv.33-35).

A. Note that the Levites used the pronoun "WE" and not "THEY"

- They identified with the nation and acknowledged their own guilt.

B. It's easy to be convicted about other people's sins, but God forgives only when we repent and confess our own sins.

3. They Renewed their commitment to God (vv.36-38)

A. On the basis of God's Grace they asked Him for a new beginning for the nation.
B. They couldn't change the servitude they were in, but they could surrender themselves to a greater Master and seek His help.

Background: Many people answer the "alter call" during revival meetings, but few live an obedient life after they said "Amen." But the people of Jerusalem were serious about their praying and were determined to make a new beginning and to live to please the Lord. How can we know if our dedication is real after the revival ends? There are at least three evidences given in this chapter that these people really meant what they prayed, and these same evidences should be seen in our lives if our promises to the Lord are sincere.

I. Submission To God's Word (vv.1-28a, 29).

1. Their dedication was public (vv.1-28a)

- All those who had heard the Word of God read and explained were now committing themselves to obey what they had heard.

2. They signed on the dotted line (v.29).

A. The 84 men put their seal to the covenant thus representing whole families.
B. The rest of people did not place their seals to the written agreement, but they did join in binding themselves to follow God's Law.

II. Separation From Worldly Ways (vv.28, 30-31).

1. Marriage (vv.28, 30)

A. The stipulations they spelled out in the agreement included an avoidance of intermarriages (Ex.34:16; Deut.7:3-4).
B. The danger in mixed marriages was the loss of faith on the part of the Jewish mate and there would often be a abandonment of their spiritual heritage.

1) There would be a conflict of dietary laws or celebrating the annual festivals which would mean they would be ceremonially unclean.
2) There would be constant conflict, then occasional compromise, and finally complete conformity (usually to the mate who doesn't worship the true God).

2. Sabbath (v.31)

A. They also agreed to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year (Ex.20:8-11; 23:11-12; 31:15-17; Lev.25:2-7; Deut.15:1-3).
B. The observance of the Sabbath was a distinctively Jewish practice

1) The Gentiles would treat the seventh day of the week like any other day when it came to doing business or socializing.
2) The Sabbath was to be a day devoted to rest and contemplation of things spiritual.
3) The Sabbath was a weekly reminder to the nation that they were Jews and had a special calling in the world.

III. Support Of God's Work (vv.32-39).

1. The Temple (vv.32-33)

A. They were to support the temple service by giving a third of a shekel (1/8 of an once) annually.

1) According to Exodus 30:11-16, the temple gift was to be one half a shekel annually
2) The times were hard so the leaders decided to adjust the tax to one third.

A) This temporary change didn't alter the meaning of the tradition or lessen the devotion of the people, but it shows that God's people must use common sense as they seek to obey the Lord.
B) We must not put on ourselves burdens that God never expected us to carry (Acts15:10), nor should we look for the easiest and least demanding way to serve the Lord.

B. These temple offerings gave the Priests and Levites money for several things:

1) For maintaining the bread on the table of the Presence (Ex.35:13; 39:36; Num.4:7).
2) For making various offerings.
3) For celebrating monthly and annual festivals.

2. Wood offering (v.34)

- This was to keep the fire for burnt offerings burning continually (Lev.6:12-13).

3. First fruits - giving the best to the Lord (vv.35-37a)

A. The first fruits of their crops (Ex.23:19; Deut.26:1-3)
B. The first fruits of their born and animals (Num.18:15-17; Deut.12:6)

4. Tithes (vv.37b-39)

A. The word "tithe" means "a tenth."

1) The Jews were to bring a tenth of their produce to the Lord each year for the support of the Levites (Lev.27:30-34).
2) The Jews were also to tithe the 90 percent that was left and take it to the temple for the annual feasts (Deut.26:1-11).
3) A third tithe was to be received every third year for the poor.

B. The Levites were to tithe the tithes they received to help provide for the priests' needs (Num.18:26).
C. While there is no express command in the New Testament for Christians to tithe, proportionate giving is certainly commended (1 Cor.16:1-3).