And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
Nehemiah was a Jewish official who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls after the Babylonian empire had destroyed the city and carried God's people into exile. In Nehemiah 9, the restored community gathers for a long day of public worship and honest confession, recounting their history with God — including a devastating moment when their ancestors, freshly rescued from centuries of slavery in Egypt after witnessing extraordinary miracles, turned around and decided to appoint a new leader to take them back to Egypt. Back to slavery. The verse then pivots sharply on the word "but" — introducing one of the most remarkable portraits of God in the entire Old Testament: forgiving, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and overflowing with love. And he did not desert them.
God, I am more like your wandering people than I want to admit. I have seen your faithfulness, and I have still turned back toward old things that held me captive. Thank you that your answer is not to desert me. Lead me away from my Egypt, and let your patience slowly undo my fear of freedom. Amen.
There's something almost incomprehensible about choosing to return to slavery. These are people who watched the sea split open. Who followed a pillar of fire through the dark. Who woke up every morning to find bread on the ground that hadn't been there before. And when the road got hard, they said: let's go back. It sounds irrational until you recognize that freedom is terrifying, and familiar chains can feel deceptively like safety. The old misery, at least, was predictable. You knew its shape. The pivot in this verse — that small, enormous "but" — is the whole story of God's relationship with people who keep returning to what held them captive. Not "therefore God punished them into obedience." Not "therefore God finally gave up." But: you are forgiving, gracious, compassionate — therefore you did not desert them. If you've circled back to an old Egypt more times than you can count — a habit, a relationship, a way of thinking that you know diminishes you — this verse isn't a license to keep going back. But it might be the most important thing you hear today: God's response to people who return to bondage is not to abandon them to it. He stays. He keeps the door open. That's not a small thing.
Why do you think the Israelites, after witnessing such extraordinary miracles, would want to return to Egypt and slavery — what does that reveal about human nature?
Have you ever found yourself returning to a habit, mindset, or situation you knew wasn't good for you? What makes familiar bondage feel safer than uncertain freedom?
The verse describes God as "slow to anger and abounding in love," yet God also allowed serious, painful consequences for his people's repeated rebellion. How do you hold his patience and his justice together without collapsing one into the other?
How does knowing that God responds to repeated failure with forgiveness rather than abandonment change the way you extend — or withhold — that same patience toward people who have let you down again and again?
Is there an "Egypt" you keep returning to? What is one concrete step you could take this week — not a grand resolution, just one step — in a different direction?
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
James 1:19
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering , and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalms 86:15
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Psalms 103:8
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psalms 145:8
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Psalms 86:5
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exodus 34:6
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Joel 2:13
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3
"They refused to listen and obey, And did not remember Your wondrous acts which You had performed among them; So they stiffened their necks and [in their rebellion] appointed a leader in order to return them to slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and merciful and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not abandon them.
AMP
They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
ESV
'They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not forsake them.
NASB
They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,
NIV
They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.
NKJV
They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them,
NLT
They turned a deaf ear, they refused to remember the miracles you had done for them; They turned stubborn, got it into their heads to return to their Egyptian slavery. And you, a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, Incredibly patient, with tons of love— you didn't dump them.
MSG