1 Now in the 24th day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshiped the Lord their God.
Since it was twelve hours from the morning sacrifice to the evening sacrifice, this would have been three hours spent in hearing God’s word read, three hours worshiping Him.
4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God.
These are the leaders of the worship service.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be Thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.”
This is how they praised Him. We can learn about praise and worship from following their example.
6 “Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships Thee.”
First they acknowledge God as the Creator and sustainer of the Universe.
7 “Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham;”
It was God who directed the path of Abraham, their Founding Father.
8 “And found his heart faithful before Thee, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and have performed Thy words; for Thou art righteous:”
God made promises of provision and conquest and has fulfilled them.
9 “And did see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red sea;”
God rescued those in bondage and gave them a new life.
10 “And showed signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for Thou knew that they dealt proudly against them. So did Thou get Thee a name, as it is this day.”
God punished the wicked.
11 “And Thou did divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors Thou threw into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.”
God opens up the way for us to follow His lead.
12 “Moreover Thou led them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.”
God always directs His people.
13 “Thou came down also upon mount Sinai, and spake with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:”
He is always with us, leading and teaching us.
14 “And made known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses Thy servant:
15 “And gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promised them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou had sworn to give them.”
He provides all our needs.
16 “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and listened not to Thy commandments,”
We all have sinned.
17 “And refused to obey, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou did among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.”
God is patient.
18 “Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, ‘This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt,’ and had wrought great provocations;
19 “Yet Thou in thy manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.”
Even when we deserve to be abandoned, God is there.
20 “Thou gave also Thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheld not Thy manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.
21 “Yea, forty years did Thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22 “Moreover Thou gave them kingdoms and nations, and did divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.”
God fulfilled His promises.
23 “Their children also multiplied Thou as the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land, concerning which Thou had promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
24 “So the children went in and possessed the land, and Thou subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25 “And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells dug, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in Thy great goodness.”
God blesses abundantly.
26 “Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their backs, and slew Thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to Thee, and they wrought great provocations.”
We are evil.
27 “Therefore Thou delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heard them from heaven; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gave them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.”
No matter how many times we mess up, God is there.
28 “But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee: therefore left Thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto Thee, Thou heard them from heaven; and many times did Thou deliver them according to Thy mercies;
29 “And testified against them, that Thou might bring them again unto Thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto Thy commandments, but sinned against Thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30 “Yet many years did Thou forbear them, and testified against them by Thy Spirit in Thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gave Thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
31 “Nevertheless for Thy great mercies' sake Thou did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for Thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32 “Now therefore, our God, the Great, the Mighty, and the Terrible God, who keeps covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.”
God, please continue to care for us.
33 “Howbeit Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for Thou have done right, but we have done wickedly:”
Even though we don’t deserve it.
34 “Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Thy law, nor hearkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, wherewith Thou did testify against them.”
35 “For they have not served Thee in their kingdom, and in Thy great goodness that Thou gave them, and in the large and fat land which Thou gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 “Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that Thou gave unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:”
We deserve every bit of punishment we have received.
37 “And it yields much increase unto the kings whom Thou have set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 “And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.”
We will do better.