They learned that disregarding God’s Word leads to national ruin, but renewed obedience brings restoration.
In this passage, the people of Israel openly confess their past sins during a public reading of God’s Word, acknowledging their ancestors’ repeated failures to follow His commands. Here we read, “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies.” (v.26) This repentance took place after a remnant returned from exile under Persian rule, largely through the leadership of men like Ezra and Nehemiah, who served in official capacities under the Persian king and helped rebuild Jerusalem. Though God faithfully restored His people to their homeland, they remembered how they had rejected His ways and harmed the very messengers sent to guide them back to righteous living.
The phrase “became disobedient and rebelled against You” shows Israel’s active choice to turn away from God. Their rebellion included the tragic act of killing the prophets, faithful servants who tried to warn them of the consequences of their sin. By saying they “cast Your law behind their backs,” the passage paints a picture of a people who dismissed God’s instructions as though they were worthless. Such an attitude resulted in deep spiritual decline, social injustice, and, ultimately, the captivity from which they were just now returning. Yet their prayer in this chapter reveals a generation willing to confront ancestral guilt, seeking God’s mercy to rebuild not only their city’s walls, but also their relationship with Him.
The final declaration that “they committed great blasphemies” underscores the gravity of their violations against the holiness of God. It was precisely these entrenched patterns of sin that placed them under the covenant curses, leading to foreign domination and exile (Nehemiah 9:37). Nevertheless, the people’s humble confession signals hope that they might remain faithful moving forward. The remembrance of their forefathers’ faithlessness was meant to stir renewed loyalty to God’s covenant as they rebuilt their lives in Jerusalem.
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Nehemiah 9:26 meaning
In this passage, the people of Israel openly confess their past sins during a public reading of God’s Word, acknowledging their ancestors’ repeated failures to follow His commands. Here we read, “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies.” (v.26) This repentance took place after a remnant returned from exile under Persian rule, largely through the leadership of men like Ezra and Nehemiah, who served in official capacities under the Persian king and helped rebuild Jerusalem. Though God faithfully restored His people to their homeland, they remembered how they had rejected His ways and harmed the very messengers sent to guide them back to righteous living.
The phrase “became disobedient and rebelled against You” shows Israel’s active choice to turn away from God. Their rebellion included the tragic act of killing the prophets, faithful servants who tried to warn them of the consequences of their sin. By saying they “cast Your law behind their backs,” the passage paints a picture of a people who dismissed God’s instructions as though they were worthless. Such an attitude resulted in deep spiritual decline, social injustice, and, ultimately, the captivity from which they were just now returning. Yet their prayer in this chapter reveals a generation willing to confront ancestral guilt, seeking God’s mercy to rebuild not only their city’s walls, but also their relationship with Him.
The final declaration that “they committed great blasphemies” underscores the gravity of their violations against the holiness of God. It was precisely these entrenched patterns of sin that placed them under the covenant curses, leading to foreign domination and exile (Nehemiah 9:37). Nevertheless, the people’s humble confession signals hope that they might remain faithful moving forward. The remembrance of their forefathers’ faithlessness was meant to stir renewed loyalty to God’s covenant as they rebuilt their lives in Jerusalem.