Lesson 26
background notes
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doctrinal / teaching points
- Confession of sin must precede worship.
- Worship is the acknowledgment to God Himself of who God is and what
God does.
practical applications
- Remember to include worship in your prayers.
- Don’t forget to thank God for the basics.
questions
- What is the focus of Nehemiah 8?
- What is the focus of Nehemiah 9?
- What are the two Hebrew calendars? What were the three feasts during
Tishri, the seventh month?
- What did the people do following these feasts?
- How long did they read? How long did they confess their sins?
- How did they present themselves before God? Why?
- Define worship. What must precede worship?
answers
- Revival and renewal, centered around the word of God
- Prayer, as an integral part of revival, renewal, and blessing
- The religious and the civil calendars The Feast of the Trumpets, the
Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
- They came together to confess their sins, not to the priests, but as
a group of the Lord’s people, speaking directly to their God.
- They read for three hours, then confessed their sins for three hours.
- With fasting, wearing sackcloth, and with ashes on their heads. In
their culture, this was a sign of repentance.
- Worship is the acknowledgement of who God is and what He does, addressed
to God Himself. Confession of sin must precede worship.
discuss/consider
- Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 11:28.
- Review Nehemiah 9:5-6, a prayer beginning with worship. Read the Lord’s
prayer to find a proper pattern for worship (Matthew 6:9-13). How often
do you begin your prayers with worship?
challenge
Do you have a time and place to meet with God daily? If you ever find worship
difficult or forced, start by reading hymns. Read Psalm 19, or other “praise” Psalms.
Read them as a prayer, and you’ll soon be using your own words to worship.
memorize
- “Praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting!” Nehemiah
9:5
