Nehemiah 9:30-34
Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest 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. Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

Several times in Scripture the story of Israel’s history is recounted—how God called out Abraham to father a nation, how He delivered them from bondage, gave them the law and the land, how He helped and delivered over and over, what great things He had done for them. And along with that is the story of the people’s rebellion and disobedience, how they forsook God and His law, how they worshiped other gods, how they got themselves into trouble and then finally cried out to God only to forsake Him again. All along, God’s patience is on display, His great mercy, His willingness to be gracious, His faithfulness to His promises.

And here now Nehemiah and the people look at this history with a unique perspective. They are the remnant of a generation that went into captivity. They are the ones who saw the fulfillment of God’s promised judgment for their sin. They are the ones who lived through the destruction of their land and the great oppression of their people. But then God’s grace is again on display as they are able to return and rebuild what had been destroyed. They are able to renew their commitment to God and His ways. They are able to see so clearly that though they may have deserved it, God did not forsake them.

God’s mercy is the thread woven into their history—and ours, as well. How many times we fail Him, and how many times He forgives. How many times we refuse to listen, and how many times He calls out to us. We give Him every reason to abandon us, but He will never forsake. We turn aside and disobey, and how much He loves us still. This thread of mercy would continue through Israel to a point where, although they found themselves again in bondage, this time to Rome, God sent His Son to bring full and complete redemption for a world of unworthy sinners. Those who would hate and revile Him did not deter His love and His willingness to die for them. How little we deserve God’s grace and mercy. How much we have proven our sinfulness. But how great, how overwhelming, how undefeatable is His love for us, and how much He continues to pour His grace and mercy into our world and into our lives.