Nehemiah 9:32 – “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love…”
Throughout this prayer in Nehemiah 9, considered to be the longest prayer in the Old Testament, God’s character remains in constant sharp focus, quoting God’s self-explanation in Exodus 34:5-7. These verses are referenced more than any other section of Scripture throughout Scripture and were likely stated from memory, which is a good idea for us as well.
In this prayer, we see a long list of attributes of God, including the following:
- Eternal: “…the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.” (9:5)
- The only God: “You alone are the Lord, you alone.” (9:6)
- Creator: “You have made heaven…the heavens…all their host, [and] the earth…” (9:6)
- Sustainer: “…you preserve all…” (9:6)
- Worshipped by angels: “…the host of heaven worships you.” (9:6)
- Covenant maker: “You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram…you…made [a] covenant.” (9:7-8)
- Divine Deliverer: “You…brought him [Abraham] out of Ur of the Chaldeans…” (9:7)
- Faithful: “…you have kept your promise…” (9:8)
- Righteous “…you are righteous.” (9:8)
- Miraculous Way Maker: “…you…performed signs and wonders…” (9:10)
- Glorious: “…you made a name for yourself…” (9:10)
- Powerful: “…you divided the sea…” (9:11)
- Judge: “…you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.” (9:11)
- Leader: “By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.” (9:12)
- Law Giver: “You…gave…rules…laws…statutes and commandments…” (9:13)
- Sabbath Granter: “…you made known…your holy Sabbath…” (9:14)
- Generous Giver: “You gave…bread from heaven…and…water…out of the rock… and land that you had sworn to give them.” (9:15)
- Good: “…you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger & abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” (9:17)
- Merciful: “…in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness.” (9:19)
- Spirit: “You gave your good Spirit…” (9:20)
- Family Sustainer: “Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing.” (9:21)
- Child Maker: “You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven…” (9:23)
- Enemy Crusher: “…went in and possessed the land, and you subdued…the inhabitants of the land…they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good…” (9:24-25)
- Disciplining Father: “…they did evil again…you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies…Yet when they turned & cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies.” (9:28)
- Constant Savior: “…in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” (9:31)
- Sin Forgiver: “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us…you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.” (9:32-33)
Ultimately, recognizing this incredible Father God who loves us should invoke us to “stand up and bless the Lord” as it says in Nehemiah 9:5. Our God is worthy of all praise and honor and it’s encouraging and important to remind ourselves of these attributes.
Nehemiah 9 quotes Exodus 34:5-7, which is the verse quoted more often than any other verse in the Bible. Look it up to hear how God explains Himself to His people.