March 3

Nehemiah 9:2‑3
“The seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 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”— Neh. 9:2, 32And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And 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. (Nehemiah 9:2‑3).
CONVICTED of the evils resulting from unequal yokes (2 Cor. 6:1414Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)) with the wicked inhabitants of the land, the people of the Lord separated themselves, not from their fellow-Israelites but from these idolatrous strangers, and in contrition of heart judged their past compromising behavior and confessed their own disobedience and departure from God and the ways of their fathers, as a result of which God had dealt with them in judgment. The Word of God is profitable for reproof and correction (2 Tim. 3:1616All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)), so they spent the first part of the day over the Scriptures in order that they might learn the mind of the Lord and see wherein they had failed. Then the next part of the day they acknowledged these failures, judging all in the light of the Word, and when their consciences were freed by confession, they worshiped the Lord for His loving-kindness in bearing with them and revealing His Word to them.
“The counsels of redeeming grace
The sacred leaves unfold;
And here the Saviour’s lovely face
Our raptured eyes behold.
Here light descending from above
Directs our doubtful feet;
Here promises of heavenly love
Our ardent wishes meet.
Our numerous griefs are here redress’d,
And all our wants supplied:
Naught we can ask to make us blessed,
Is in this book denied.
For these inestimable gains.
That so enrich the mind,
Oh, may we search with eager pains,
Assured that we shall find.”
―S. Stennett.