“And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.”
They made confession of their sins, and used prayers.
“Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;”
Gen. 17:5 Cross references: : Gen. 11:31
“And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. which: Heb. which thou hadst lift up thine hand to give them”
Deut. 1:8 Exod. 17:6 Exod. 16:18
“Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest 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 shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.”
Exod. 13:22 ; Num. 14:14 ; 1 Cor. 10:1
“Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.”
Though the way was tedious and long. Deut. 8:4
“Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.”
Meaning, the heathen whom he drove out. Num. 21:26
“Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.”
Taking heaven and earth to witness, that God would destroy them, except they returned, as 2 Chron. 24:19 .
“But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies; they did: Heb. they returned to do evil”
He declareth how God’s mercies ever contended with the wickedness of the people, who ever in their prosperity forgat God.
“And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. withdrew: Heb. they gave a withdrawing shoulder”
When thou didst admonish them by thy Prophets. Which is a similitude taken of oxen that shrink at the yoke or burden, as Zech. 7:11 . Lev. 18:5 ; Ezek. 20:11 ; Rom. 10:5 ; Gal. 3:12
“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. forbear: Heb. protract over them in thy: Heb. in the hand of thy prophets”
Hebrew, thou didst prolong upon them many years .
“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. trouble: Heb. weariness that: Heb. that hath found us”
Ps. 143:1 , 2 By whom we were led away into captivity, and have been appointed to be slain, as Esther 3:13 . Exod. 34:6 , 7
“Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:”
He confesseth that all these things came to them justly for their sins, but he appealeth from God’s justice to his mercies.
“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.”
That thou wouldest destroy them, except they would return to thee, as verse 26 .
“Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:”
That is, to be the Lord’s therof.
“And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it. seal: Heb. are at the sealing, or, sealed”
Thus by affliction they promise to keep God’s commandments, whereunto they could not be brought by God’s great benefits.