Nehemiah 9:31
Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
The verse belongs to a public gathering in Jerusalem at the Feast of Trumpets after the wall and gates had been restored while much of the city still lay in ruins, when Ezra and the Levites stood before the assembled people and the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord. In Nehemiah 9 it stands in a review that rehearses the Lord's works on behalf of His people together with the people's sins in turning from God.
The verse teaches that Israel's repeated rebellion, unfaithfulness and sins separated them from God, so He handed them over and permitted them to be brought under the control of their enemies, the heathen nations. Even so, God refused to join Himself to their sins, and He did not utterly consume or destroy them nor forsake or abandon them, but spared and preserved them for His great mercies' sake because He is gracious and merciful.
The verse shows the people acknowledged the justice of God's dealings with them and pledged to obey His law. The history in the verse parallels the experience of Seventh-day Adventists, to whom God has given great truths and favor though they have often failed to appreciate His gifts or give Him the glory due His name, yet He has not forsaken them altogether but has provided heaven's help for their work.