Nehemiah 9: Group Study Handout

Overview

On the twenty-fourth day of the month, the children of Israel assemble with fasting, sackcloth, and dirt on them. They separate themselves from foreigners and confess their sins and the iniquities of their fathers (vv. 1-2).

Key verse

“and refused to obey. They weren’t mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them.”

Nehemiah 9:17 (WEB)

Outline

1. Nehemiah 9:1–2 The Gathering and Confession
2. Nehemiah 9:3–5 Reading the Law and Worship
3. Nehemiah 9:6–15 God's Creation and Covenant
4. Nehemiah 9:16–25 Israel's Disobedience and God's Mercy
5. Nehemiah 9:26–31 Rebellion and Divine Patience
6. Nehemiah 9:32–37 Acknowledgment of Suffering
7. Nehemiah 9:38 Renewal of the Covenant

Discussion questions

1. In v2, who do the children of Israel separate themselves from?
2. What do the Levites say in v5 when they call the people to worship?
3. In v16, what does the phrase 'hardened their neck' indicate about the people's attitude toward God?
4. Why does the prayer in v31 emphasize God's 'manifold mercies' despite the people's repeated disobedience?
5. When have you experienced a time of communal confession similar to the gathering described in v1?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Nehemiah 9: Genesis 1, Exodus 34, Daniel 9.

Before next time: read Nehemiah 10.