In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the Levites said Jehovah God cared for the people of Israel by delivering them from Egypt, but they “refused to obey, neither were mindful of your wonders that you did among them; but hardened their necks, 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 of great kindness, and forsook them not. Yes, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is your God that brought you up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations”, and in chapter nine and verse nineteen of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the Levites said of Jehovah God, “in your manifold mercies forsook them not” where we read,
Yet you in your 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.
The verse reads, “Yet you in your manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness:” Nehemiah began with the words, “yet you in your manifold mercies” which means “even so and still you, Jehovah God, within your, Jehovah God's, great, abounding and numerous compassion and pity” “forsook them not” or “did not leave or depart from them, the people of Israel” “in the wilderness” which means “within the uninhabited land, pasture and desert place”. Nehemiah shared how the Levites recalled the way Jehovah God with His abundant compassion did not leave nor depart from the people of Israel while they traveled in the uninhabited desert place.
The verse continues, “the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way;” Nehemiah added the words, “the pillar of the cloud” or “the column of the cloudy-mass or nimbus” “departed not from them by day”which means “did not leave, turn aside or remove from them, the people of Israel, throughout the sunrise to sunset”, “to lead them in the way” or “to guide and direct them, the people of Israel, within the path, journey or course”. Nehemiah shared how the Levites mentioned the column of a cloudy-mass that in no way left the people of Israel during the daytime hours as it guided them within their travels.
Finally the verse says, “neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.” Nehemiah concluded this verse with the words, “neither the pillar of fire” or “no and not in any way did the column of flames leave the people of Israel” “by night” which means “within the nighttime”, “to show them light” or “to give them, the people of Israel, illumination and elucidation”, “and the way wherein they should go” which means “and the journey, manner and path in which they, the people of Israel, were to travel and proceed”. Nehemiah ended this verse by referring to the way the Levites said Jehovah God did not cause the column of “flames” during the nighttime to depart from the people of Israel which gave them illumination and revealed the path in which they were to travel.
When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah how the Levites continued to recall how Jehovah God provided for the people of Israel while they traveled through the wilderness after being delivered from Egypt. Even though the people of Israel forsook God's ways and fashioned a golden calf to worship instead of Him, God did not remove the “cloudy-mass” column by day nor the column of flames during the nighttime. God could have easily forsook the people of Israel, but because He is gracious and compassionate, He did not. God loves us like this, and even though we have sinned against Him by violating His commandments, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead three days later so when we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide for us even when we have been in opposition to Him.
Next time Nehemiah shares how the Levites said of Jehovah God, “gave also your good spirit to instruct them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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