Neh 1:5   O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands

It is easy to miss the significance of words in the Bible if you take them out of context. For instance these words above are great enough on their own but put them in context and you see something even more wonderful. Nehemiah simply declares truths that are evident in many other places in the Old Testament – The “I AM” (LORD), the everlasting God dwells in heaven and is all mighty and all powerful – and therefore awesome! What is even more amazing is that He is a God who enters into agreements (covenants) with people on the earth. How amazing is it, that Almighty God should bind himself to conform to responses to tiny, powerless people! His only requirement is that they love Him. He desires to bless them and it only needs them to be open to Him to receive that blessing. That is what is in this verse standing on its own.

 

But now see the context. Nehemiah hears word from Jerusalem where years earlier the first of the exiles has returned when the Lord had prompted Cyrus to send them back to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. That has been done but the walls of Jerusalem itself are still broken down. Nehemiah knows that God honours His agreements. He has said the people would return and that has partly happened. Now he believes for the rest. Do you and I know the Lord as one who is utterly faithful to His word?