May the mumbling commence!
Yesterday, we talked about a marathon worship service
that lasted all morning… and the tears of repentance it brought because the
people understood what the Word of the Lord meant to them. Today, we will look at another marathon worship
service that took place soon after.
This worship service contained three hours of Scripture
reading that was followed by three hours of confession. Three hours of confession! That would make most of us squirm. This is the Lenten Season, where confession
happens more frequently in many church bodies.
But three hours in a row seems a little over the top. That’s just what the people of Nehemiah’s day
did. Read from Nehemiah chapter nine:
On October 31 the people returned for another observance.
This time they fasted and dressed in sackcloth and
sprinkled dust on their heads. Those of
Israelite descent separated themselves
from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their
ancestors. The Book of the
Law of the Lord their God was read
aloud to them for about three hours. Then for three more hours they took turns confessing their sins and worshiping
the Lord their God. Some of the Levites were standing on the
stairs, crying out to the Lord
their God. Their names were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah,
Bani, and Kenani. (Verses 1-4)
In this passage we see the position of humility. They fasted and dressed in sackcloth. They sprinkled dust on their heads and
separated themselves from foreigners.
They confessed the sins of their ancestors and themselves.
The people of Judah examined themselves and saw
themselves very well. They saw themselves
in the light of the read Word of God – three hours worth. And it led to confession – also for three
hours.
That must have been a bitter pill to swallow... confessing all those sins. Yes, confession is about confessing our sins
before God and our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is some confession of sins in Nehemiah
chapter nine. Look for yourself.
But there is another side to confession. The sins that these people confessed were
interwoven in a much larger part of confession of the wonderful deeds of the Lord. That is the other side of confession –
confessing the Lord and His power in our lives.
Using both sides of confession, we can make three
consecutive hours of confession easier to bear.
This two-sided confession gives us strength to stand true with our Lord
and Savior Jesus. Read from First Corinthians
chapter sixteen:
Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be
courageous. Be strong. And everything
you do must be done with love.
(Verses 13-14)
Confession leads to self-awareness and
God-awareness. It helps us to stay on
guard against the deceptions of this world.
It helps us to see true.
And clear vision will help us to be courageous and
strong.
And all of these things are powered by the love of
God. So, plug in! Worship and confess.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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