Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.
Nehemiah 13:22 (ESV)
Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.
Nehemiah 5:19 (ESV)
Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
Nehemiah 13:31 (ESV)
and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits.
Remember me, O my God, for good.
Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls. But, along the way he also rebuilt the city spiritual life. Along with Ezra, they restored build up physical walls to separate them from foreign threats and tore down spiritual walls that that separated them from God. As he walked through this long process he stopped to ask God to remember the works that he did. And he did, multiple times. In November of 2020 I wrote a journal entry about these same passages. Jeremiah gives us a reminder that we can come to God for needs, but also we can come to God to invite Him to celebrate our good for Him. We don’t think of that much. We are, rightfully so, told to bring praise to God for who God is, for He is good. It seems odd to bring to God what we have done, our good. We know we are desperately wicked. So, the good that we do is done in the power of God. Remember, Nehemiah started out this project with the following request to God:
Nehemiah 1:8-11 (ESV)
Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was cupbearer to the king.
There, too, Nehemiah asks God to “remember.” So, when we read these other passages where Nehemiah is asking God to “remember” what we have are praises to God for what God did “THROUGH” Nehemiah. Nehemiah asked God for blessings so he could “do good.” He did good. How? Through the power of God doing the work for him and in him. Each of these “remember me for good” passages are praises back to God that He blessed Nehemiah based upon his original prayer to God. God does not forget. So, this is not a prayer of petition making sure God does not have a mental lapse. This is a prayer of praise and appreciation to remind God of His answered prayer from Nehemiah’s original prayer. God granted him to do good. So, he prays back to God and expresses more praise for the good he was able to do. We would do well, today, to praise God for the good we do, because it is not us, but the Spirit of God within us:
1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV) 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
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