Nehemiah 1 Study Notes: Nehemiah Prays for Jerusalem
In Susa, Nehemiah learns from his brother Hanani that Jerusalem’s wall and gates lie in ruins and its people are in distress. He mourns, fasts and prays, confessing the sins of Israel and his own family, recalling God’s promise through Moses to regather His people, and asking favor with the king he serves.
General
True or False: Nehemiah confessed the sins of the Israelites but made clear that he and his own family were not guilty.
Answer: False
This is false. Nehemiah confessed the sins the Israelites had committed and said plainly that both he and his father’s house had sinned (1:6). He admitted that they had acted corruptly and had not kept the commands God gave through Moses (1:7). He did not stand above the people as an innocent man praying for the guilty; he counted himself among them. Daniel prayed the same way (Daniel 9:4-5), and so did Ezra (Ezra 9:6). God promises to forgive those who honestly confess their sins (1 John 1:9).
- Nehemiah 1:6-7 (BSB)“let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.”Nehemiah confesses Israel’s sins, naming himself and his own family among the guilty.
- Daniel 9:4-5 (BSB)“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.”Daniel likewise confessed with the words we have sinned, counting himself among the guilty people.
- Ezra 9:6 (BSB)“and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.”Ezra’s prayer of confession also speaks of our iniquities and our guilt.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”God is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins.
Theological
True or False: In his prayer Nehemiah confessed Israel’s sins while setting himself and his father’s house apart as innocent.
Answer: False
This is false. Nehemiah confesses the sins the Israelites have committed and includes himself and his father’s house among the guilty (1:6), owning that they have acted corruptly and failed to keep the commands, statutes and rules given through Moses (1:7). His confession is corporate and personal at once, like Daniel’s (Daniel 9:4-5) and Ezra’s (Ezra 9:6). Forgiveness rests on the faithfulness of God to those who confess (1 John 1:9), not on any claim to personal innocence.
- Nehemiah 1:6-7 (BSB)“let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.”Nehemiah confesses Israel’s sins, naming himself and his own family among the guilty.
- Daniel 9:4-5 (BSB)“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.”Daniel likewise confessed with the words we have sinned, counting himself among the guilty people.
- Ezra 9:6 (BSB)“and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.”Ezra’s prayer of confession also speaks of our iniquities and our guilt.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”God is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins.
General
How does Nehemiah address God at the start of his prayer (Nehemiah 1:5)?
Answer: As the mighty, fearsome God who is faithful to His covenant
Nehemiah begins by calling on the LORD, the God of heaven, as great and awesome, the God who stays faithful to His covenant and His loving devotion toward all who love and obey Him (1:5). A covenant is a binding promise God makes with His people. Nehemiah’s hope rests on who God is and on what He has promised. He is echoing Moses, who taught that the LORD is faithful to His covenant to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9), and Daniel, who began his prayer for the exiles the same way (Daniel 9:4-5). Nehemiah would later rally the builders with this same truth about God’s greatness (4:14).
- Nehemiah 1:5 (BSB)“Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,”Nehemiah opens his prayer by addressing the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 7:9 (BSB)“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.”Moses had taught Israel that the LORD is the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion.
- Daniel 9:4-5 (BSB)“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.”Daniel opened his own prayer of confession for the exiles with almost the same description of God.
- Nehemiah 4:14 (BSB)“After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.””Later, facing threats, Nehemiah calls the people to remember that the Lord is great and awesome.
Theological
With what description of God does Nehemiah open his prayer (Nehemiah 1:5)?
Answer: As the mighty, fearsome God who is faithful to His covenant
Nehemiah invokes the LORD as the God of heaven, great and awesome, faithful to covenant and loving devotion toward all who love and obey Him (1:5). The prayer is anchored in God’s character and covenant fidelity, not in the petitioner’s standing. The language is drawn from Deuteronomy 7:9 and closely matches Daniel’s confession on behalf of the exiles (Daniel 9:4-5). The same confession of God’s greatness later steadies the builders under threat (4:14).
- Nehemiah 1:5 (BSB)“Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,”Nehemiah opens his prayer by addressing the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 7:9 (BSB)“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.”Moses had taught Israel that the LORD is the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion.
- Daniel 9:4-5 (BSB)“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.”Daniel opened his own prayer of confession for the exiles with almost the same description of God.
- Nehemiah 4:14 (BSB)“After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.””Later, facing threats, Nehemiah calls the people to remember that the Lord is great and awesome.
General
What news did Hanani and the men from Judah bring Nehemiah about the people and about Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:2-3)?
Answer: The survivors were in deep distress, and the city lay unwalled
Nehemiah was in Susa, a royal city of the Persian empire, when his brother Hanani came to him with a group from Judah. Nehemiah asked how the remaining Jews were faring and how Jerusalem stood (1:2). The answer was grim: the survivors back in the province were in serious trouble and shame, Jerusalem’s wall lay in ruins, and fire had destroyed its gates (1:3). The walls had first been torn down when the Babylonians destroyed the city (2 Kings 25:9-10), a loss mourned in Lamentations (2:9), and those who returned had met constant efforts to discourage them (Ezra 4:4). A city without walls in that world was open to attack and a public humiliation.
- Nehemiah 1:2-3 (BSB)“Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.””Nehemiah questions Hanani and the men from Judah, who describe the condition of the survivors and of Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 25:9-10 (BSB)“He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.”The Babylonian army had burned Jerusalem and torn down its walls.
- Lamentations 2:9 (BSB)“Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.”The lament over Jerusalem’s fall mourns gates sunk into the ground and their bars shattered.
- Ezra 4:4 (BSB)“Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.”The returned community had faced steady opposition meant to discourage and frighten the builders.
Theological
What report about the returned remnant and the city did Hanani bring to Nehemiah in Susa (Nehemiah 1:2-3)?
Answer: The survivors were in deep distress, and the city lay unwalled
Hanani and the men from Judah report that the returned remnant lives in serious trouble and reproach, with Jerusalem’s wall in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire (1:2-3). The walls had first been broken down in the Babylonian destruction of the city (2 Kings 25:9-10), the catastrophe lamented in Lamentations 2:9, and the returned community had endured persistent opposition aimed at weakening their resolve (Ezra 4:4). An unwalled city was defenseless and a standing disgrace to the people who bore the LORD’s name.
- Nehemiah 1:2-3 (BSB)“Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.””Nehemiah questions Hanani and the men from Judah, who describe the condition of the survivors and of Jerusalem.
- 2 Kings 25:9-10 (BSB)“He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.”The Babylonian army had burned Jerusalem and torn down its walls.
- Lamentations 2:9 (BSB)“Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.”The lament over Jerusalem’s fall mourns gates sunk into the ground and their bars shattered.
- Ezra 4:4 (BSB)“Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.”The returned community had faced steady opposition meant to discourage and frighten the builders.
General
How did Nehemiah respond when he heard the news about Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4)?
Answer: He wept, then spent days mourning, fasting and praying
Nehemiah did not shrug off the report about a city far away. He sat and wept, and for days he mourned, went without food (fasting), and prayed to the God of heaven (1:4). His grief went first to God rather than to plans or people. The LORD invites His people to turn back to Him with tears and fasting, because He is kind and full of compassion (Joel 2:12-13), and He is close to those whose hearts are broken (Psalm 34:18). Ezra had also fasted and prayed before his own journey to Jerusalem, and God answered (Ezra 8:21-23).
- Nehemiah 1:4 (BSB)“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”Nehemiah’s first response to the news from Jerusalem.
- Joel 2:12-13 (BSB)““Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”The LORD calls His people to return to Him with fasting, weeping and mourning, because He is gracious and compassionate.
- Psalm 34:18 (BSB)“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.”The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, the kind of grief Nehemiah brings before Him.
- Ezra 8:21-23 (BSB)“And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.” So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.”Ezra likewise fasted and petitioned God before a great task, and God granted the request.
Theological
What was Nehemiah’s immediate response to Hanani’s report (Nehemiah 1:4)?
Answer: He wept, then spent days mourning, fasting and praying
Nehemiah’s response is grief turned toward God: he sat and wept, then mourned for days with fasting and prayer to the God of heaven (1:4). Before any appeal to the king, the burden is carried to the LORD. Such mourning and fasting is the response the LORD Himself calls for, grounded in His gracious and compassionate character (Joel 2:12-13); He draws close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Ezra’s fast before his journey offers a close parallel in the same restoration era, and God granted that request (Ezra 8:21-23).
- Nehemiah 1:4 (BSB)“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”Nehemiah’s first response to the news from Jerusalem.
- Joel 2:12-13 (BSB)““Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”The LORD calls His people to return to Him with fasting, weeping and mourning, because He is gracious and compassionate.
- Psalm 34:18 (BSB)“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.”The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, the kind of grief Nehemiah brings before Him.
- Ezra 8:21-23 (BSB)“And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.” So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.”Ezra likewise fasted and petitioned God before a great task, and God granted the request.
General
What earlier word of God through Moses does Nehemiah ask God to remember (Nehemiah 1:8-9)?
Answer: That God would scatter the unfaithful but regather the repentant
Nehemiah reminds God of what He had said through Moses: if Israel was unfaithful, He would scatter them to other lands, but if they returned to Him and obeyed, He would gather them back, even from the ends of the earth, to the place He had chosen for His Name (1:8-9). The law had warned of that scattering (Leviticus 26:33) and had promised the regathering of those who turned back (Deuteronomy 30:1-4). Moses had spoken of a place the LORD would choose where His Name would dwell (Deuteronomy 12:5); for Nehemiah that place was Jerusalem, the city whose ruin he was mourning. The first half of the promise had already come true in the exile, so Nehemiah prays with confidence that God will keep the second half as well.
- Nehemiah 1:8-9 (BSB)“Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’”Nehemiah asks God to remember what He commanded through Moses about exile and return.
- Leviticus 26:33 (BSB)“But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.”The law warned that unfaithfulness would lead the LORD to scatter Israel among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 30:1-4 (BSB)““When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there.”Moses promised that if the scattered people returned to the LORD, He would gather them even from the farthest horizon.
- Deuteronomy 12:5 (BSB)“Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.”The LORD would choose a place to establish as a dwelling for His Name, the place Nehemiah longs to see restored.
Theological
Which promise given through Moses does Nehemiah plead before God (Nehemiah 1:8-9)?
Answer: That God would scatter the unfaithful but regather the repentant
Nehemiah pleads the covenant word given through Moses: unfaithfulness would bring scattering to foreign lands, but return and obedience would bring regathering even from the farthest horizon to the place God chose for His Name (1:8-9). He is summarizing the covenant curses (Leviticus 26:33) and the promise of restoration in Deuteronomy 30:1-4, together with the chosen place of worship (Deuteronomy 12:5). Because the threatened scattering had been fulfilled exactly, Nehemiah prays in confidence that God will be just as faithful to the promised restoration.
- Nehemiah 1:8-9 (BSB)“Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’”Nehemiah asks God to remember what He commanded through Moses about exile and return.
- Leviticus 26:33 (BSB)“But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.”The law warned that unfaithfulness would lead the LORD to scatter Israel among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 30:1-4 (BSB)““When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there.”Moses promised that if the scattered people returned to the LORD, He would gather them even from the farthest horizon.
- Deuteronomy 12:5 (BSB)“Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.”The LORD would choose a place to establish as a dwelling for His Name, the place Nehemiah longs to see restored.
General
What specific request ends Nehemiah’s prayer (Nehemiah 1:11)?
Answer: To give him success and mercy before the king he served
Nehemiah asks God to hear him and all who delight to honor His name, and then to give him success that very day and to let him find mercy before a certain man (1:11). The next words explain who that man was: Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer, a trusted servant who served the king his wine. In the next chapter he brings the matter before King Artaxerxes (2:1-5), and the outcome lay in God’s hands, for the LORD directs a king’s heart wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1). Abraham’s servant once prayed for success on the day of his errand in a similar way (Genesis 24:12), and believers are still invited to bring every request to God (Philippians 4:6).
- Nehemiah 1:11 (BSB)“O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)”Nehemiah closes his prayer with a specific request and explains his position at court.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The king’s heart is in the LORD’s hand, and He turns it as He pleases.
- Genesis 24:12 (BSB)““O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”Abraham’s servant likewise asked the LORD to grant him success on the very day of his task.
- Philippians 4:6 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Believers are told to bring every request to God in prayer.
Theological
With what closing petition does Nehemiah end his prayer (Nehemiah 1:11)?
Answer: To give him success and mercy before the king he served
Nehemiah asks that God attend to his prayer and to all His servants who love to honor His name, and that He grant His servant success that day and mercy before this man (1:11). The closing note identifies the man: Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer, an official who served wine in the king’s presence (2:1). When he approaches Artaxerxes in the next chapter (2:1-5), the result rests with God, since the LORD directs a king’s heart as a channel in His hand (Proverbs 21:1). The request echoes the prayer of Abraham’s servant for success that day (Genesis 24:12) and models the petition to which believers are invited (Philippians 4:6).
- Nehemiah 1:11 (BSB)“O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)”Nehemiah closes his prayer with a specific request and explains his position at court.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The king’s heart is in the LORD’s hand, and He turns it as He pleases.
- Genesis 24:12 (BSB)““O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”Abraham’s servant likewise asked the LORD to grant him success on the very day of his task.
- Philippians 4:6 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Believers are told to bring every request to God in prayer.
General
Having confessed Israel’s sins, on what basis does Nehemiah ask God to act for His people (Nehemiah 1:10)?
Answer: They belonged to God, who had redeemed them by His power
Nehemiah has just admitted that Israel, including himself, had sinned (1:6-7), so he cannot appeal to their goodness. Instead he reminds God that they are His servants and His people, whom He redeemed (rescued and set free) by His mighty strength (1:10), recalling the rescue from Egypt. This is an appeal to grace, meaning God’s undeserved kindness. Moses prayed for rebellious Israel the same way (Deuteronomy 9:29). Daniel said outright that he asked not because of the people’s righteousness but because of God’s great compassion (Daniel 9:18-19), and the psalmist asked forgiveness on account of God’s own name (Psalm 25:11).
- Nehemiah 1:10 (BSB)“They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand.”Nehemiah grounds his request in Israel’s belonging to God and in God’s past act of redemption.
- Deuteronomy 9:29 (BSB)“But they are Your people, Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and outstretched arm.””Moses interceded for rebellious Israel on the same ground: they were God’s people, brought out by His great power.
- Daniel 9:18-19 (BSB)“Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.””Daniel prayed not on the basis of the people’s righteous acts but because of God’s great compassion.
- Psalm 25:11 (BSB)“For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.”The psalmist asks forgiveness for the sake of God’s name, not his own worth.
Theological
After confessing Israel’s sin, what ground does Nehemiah give for his petition (Nehemiah 1:10)?
Answer: They belonged to God, who had redeemed them by His power
Having confessed corporate and personal guilt (1:6-7), Nehemiah pleads nothing of Israel’s merit. His ground is God’s ownership and God’s prior act: they are His servants and His people, redeemed by His great power and strong hand (1:10), language that recalls the exodus. The appeal rests entirely on grace and covenant. It mirrors Moses’ intercession for rebellious Israel (Deuteronomy 9:29), Daniel’s explicit refusal to plead the people’s righteous acts in favor of God’s great compassion (Daniel 9:18-19), and the psalmist’s plea for pardon on account of God’s own name (Psalm 25:11).
- Nehemiah 1:10 (BSB)“They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand.”Nehemiah grounds his request in Israel’s belonging to God and in God’s past act of redemption.
- Deuteronomy 9:29 (BSB)“But they are Your people, Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and outstretched arm.””Moses interceded for rebellious Israel on the same ground: they were God’s people, brought out by His great power.
- Daniel 9:18-19 (BSB)“Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.””Daniel prayed not on the basis of the people’s righteous acts but because of God’s great compassion.
- Psalm 25:11 (BSB)“For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.”The psalmist asks forgiveness for the sake of God’s name, not his own worth.