Many times

Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.
“But after they had rest,
They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies, - Nehemiah 9.27-28

This reminds me of the time of the Judges where there wee many cycles of sin. The Jews were delivered into the hands of their enemies. They were oppressed. They called out to God. God delivered them. And then, after a time, the same thing happened over and over again.

Through all of this we see the wonderful truth that ‘many times God delivered them according to His mercies.’

How many, many time have you and I failed God? How often have we slipped here or there? How often have we neglected God? How many times have we gone through the same cycles Israel went through? How many times have we neglected Him?

And yet, just like Israel, God has delivered us many times according to His mercy.

Where would we be without God’s mercy? If God had cast me off the 1st, or 2nd, or 3rd, or 15th, or 32nd, or 193rd time I would be without hope.

But God’s mercy extends to the 1st and 2nd and 3rd and 15th and 32nd and 193rd times and beyond.

Thank God for His ‘many times’ mercy!