“But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.”
Nehemiah 9:26
The Bible does not mince words when it comes to our sin. Sin includes acting presumptuously, stubbornly resisting, refusing to obey, committing great evils—and these are just descriptions from verses 16-18. Most of these phrases are repeated over and over. When we sin, we cast His law behind us, and we end up hating messengers of truth who seek to call us back.
In other words, sin is not merely missing the mark. It is not simple imperfection, brought about because “we’re all human, after all.” It’s a blazing hatred of His holiness and a mockery of His mercy. This is evidenced no more clearly than when we hated the holy Son of God and mocked His mercy as He bore a cross for sinners. We not only deserve earthly judgment through affliction and enemies, but eternal judgment in death (see Romans 6:23).
Our Nehemiah passage reminds us that God’s mercy stalks us in our sin. “In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully” (v. 33). We often respond to mercy with sin, but Jesus responds to sin with mercy.
In other words, sin is not merely missing the mark. It is not simple imperfection, brought about because “we’re all human, after all.” It’s a blazing hatred of His holiness and a mockery of His mercy. This is evidenced no more clearly than when we hated the holy Son of God and mocked His mercy as He bore a cross for sinners. We not only deserve earthly judgment through affliction and enemies, but eternal judgment in death (see Romans 6:23).
Our Nehemiah passage reminds us that God’s mercy stalks us in our sin. “In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully” (v. 33). We often respond to mercy with sin, but Jesus responds to sin with mercy.
Scripture Focus
Nehemiah 9:32-37
Insight
When we confess our sin, we confess our rebellion and kneel in awe at His love for His rebel people.
Bible In A Year
- 2 Samuel 17-18
- Psalm 144
- 1 Thessalonians 5
