They threw God's word behind their backs

“Nevertheless they were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations. – Nehemiah 9.26

This whole section amazes me. Over and over God’s people blow it. They were disobedient. The rebelled. The cast the law behind their backs. They killed the prophets. They provoked God.

And yet God was still there.

We might wonder how God could be there even when they ‘threw God’s word behind their backs.’ We can look at them in a very judgemental day and just condemn them for their rebellion and rejection of the word of God.

But how often do you and I ‘throw God’s word behind our backs’ as we doubt His word and His promises? How often to we ignore His word when it gets in the way of our plans and ideas? How often do we fret and fear about the future because God has promised provision but we just ‘throw His word behind our backs?’

It is easy to condemn them – but what about you and me? Is God’s word any more important to us than it was to them?