NEHEMIAH 10

NEHEMIAH 10 OPENS WITH....Israel's Covenant with God

Verses 1-8 tells us Nehemiah and the names of THE PRIESTS that signed the covenant.

"Now those who placed their seal on the document were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests."

REMEMBER AT THE END OF NEHEMIAH 9, the people had come to a PLACE OF DECISION, RIGHT? SO NOW, collectively, THE NATION was going TO DO something about i! AND THAT WAS BY ENTERING INTO A COVENANT WITH THEIR GOD.

AND REMEMBER TOO...Nehemiah 8:38 gives the sense of this: "And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; and our leaders and our Levites and our priests shall seal it."

In Nehemiah 8:38, MAKE a covenant is literally "cut a covenant".

AND DID YOU KNOW, IN THE ANCIENT WORLD OF THAT TIME, COVENANTS WERE NOT MADE...THEY WERE CUT.
WHY?
BECAUSE ALMOST ALWAYS AN ANIMAL WAS SACRIFICED AS A PART OF THE COVENANT.
AND THEN AND NOW...A covenant ALWAYS cost something, and our point of decision WILL COST US something TOO.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR US NOW AS CHRISTIANS?

THE COST IS ..... the self-life, comfort, ease, some of the passing pleasures of this world that can and will corrupt or detour or can derail our walk...our witness for Jesus, AMEN?

Those who placed THEIR SEAL on the document...IS IT NOT WONDERFUL FOR A NATION AS A WHOLE TO FEEL THAT SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE ABOUT THE SIN PROBLEM AMONG THEM!

But it was MEANINGLESS....JUST USELESS TALK TALK TALK....UNLESS the people came forth to say "we will do something about this."
SO HERE ARE THE LEADERS (84 in all) WILLING to put their name on the line for the covenant before God.

These people in Nehemiah's day KNEW WHAT COVENANTS WERE ALLLLLLLL ABOUT, and how IMPORTANT they were to God.
They REMEMBERED God made a covenant WITH Abraham, promising that both a nation and the Messiah would descend from him.
They REMEMBERED God made a covenant WITH Moses and the nation of Israel when He gave them the law at Mount Sinai.

WE KNOW God made a covenant WITH King David, promising the Messiah would come from his family.

But THE GREATEST COVENANT, THE NEW COVENANT INSTITUTED BY THE MESSIAH HIMSELF, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, WAS YET TO COME IN THE DAYS OF NEHEMIAH, AMEN?

VERSES 9-13 tells us the names of the Levites who signed the covenant.

"The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel. Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu."

VERSES 14-27 tells us the names of the civic leaders who signed the covenant.

"The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, Malluch, Harim, and Baanah."

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT JESUS COULD DO FOR THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD...IF ITS KINGS, ITS RELIGIOUS LEADERS, NATIONAL AND STATE LEADERS, HIT THEIR KNEES, REPENTED, FASTED AND PRAYED AND PRAISED, AND THEN MADE A COVENANT WITH JESUS?

VERSES 28-29 tells us of the MAKING of the covenant with God.

"Now the rest of the people; the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding; these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:"

Now THE REST OF THE PEOPLE...The 84 mentioned previously SEALED the covenant, but the rest of the people - that is, everyone who had knowledge and understanding - ALSO MADE the covenant with God.

Entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law...

YOU SAY WAITAMINNIT HERE...THEY ENTERED INTO A CURSE AND AN OATH?
HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
IN THOSE DAYS, In making A COVENANT, IT MEANT THAT THEY AGREED TO ACCEPT A CURSE FROM GOD IF THEY DID NOT OBEY HIS LAW AND BROKE COVENANT. They ACCEPTED the curse as a form of His correction, to bring them back to obedience.

NOW BEFORE YOU SAY....WELL I WOULD NOT ENTER INTO SUCH A COVENANT WITH GOD AND AGREE TO BE CURSED IF I DID NOT KEEP IT.

BUT THINK ABOUT IT....MANY OF US HAVE DONE A SIMILAR THING.
HOW?
We PROBABLY HAVE NOTTTTTTTT PRAYED...JESUS CURSE ME IF I DISOBEY YOU.
BUT MANY OF US HAVEEEEEEEEE PRAYED...
JESUS, whatever it takes I want to follow You. Whatever it takes I want to be Your man.
That is ESSENTIALLY PRAYING THE SAME THING AS WHAT NEHEMIAH AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL PRAYED AND THAT IS A GOOOOOOD PRAYER FOR US TO PRAY, AMEN?
THEN IF SOMEONE BROKE THEIR PROMISE TO GOD, IT REQUIRED A BLOOD SACRIFICE IN REPENTANCE AND ATONEMENT TO COVERRRRRRR THEIR SIN.

BUT WE KNOW JESUS ISSSSS OUR SACRIFICIAL LAMB, HIS BLOOD ISSSSSSSSS OUR ATONEMENT BLOOD THAT PERFECTLY CLEANSES AND ERASES AND WASHES AWAY OUR SIN, AND JESUS BECAME OUR CURSE AND PAID ALL OUR SIN DEBT, AMEN?

AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO TEACH THAT GOD HAD NO REAL USE FOR WOMEN, AND DID NOT CONSIDER THEM WORTHY/CAPABLE OF PROMISES/COVENANTS TO ALMIGHTY GOD SINCE EVE...BUT RIGHT HERE IS ANOTHER PROOF THAT OUR TRIUNE GOD DID LOVE, CARE FOR, INCLUDE, AND CONSIDER WOMEN WORTHY, AMEN?

Their wives, their sons, and their daughters, EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE ADULT MEN, BUT THE WIVES, SONS, AND DAUGHTERS, WHO HAD KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING WERE INCLUDED.
AND REMEMBER TOO..THIS COVENANT WAS MADE PUBLICLY...EVERYONE STEPPED FORWARD IN PUBLIC TO SIGN THE COVENANT...Though its MOST significant meaning was between the individual and God, it was ALSO important that other people BE WITNESS to the covenant.
WHY?
A public covenant meant accountability.
THIS REMINDS US TO BE CAREFUL OF OUR WORDS AND OUR PROMISES MADE BEFORE PEOPLE AND THE PUBLIC WHO WITNESS IT, AMEN?
AND BOY OH BOY DO WE SEE THE TRUTH OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN OUR DAILY LIVES, IN GOVERNMENT, IN THE MEDIA.. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE POLITICIANS AND LEADERS IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE HAD THEIR UNKEPT AND COMPROMISED PROMISES REPLAYED AND HAVE THOSE UNKEPT PUBLIC OATHS & PROMISES COME BACK TO HAUNT THEM, IF NOT DESTROY THEM AND THEIR CREDIBILITY, AMEN?
SO AS PEOPLE, AND ESPECIAAAAAAAAAALLY AS JESUS CHRIST FAMILY, AS JESUS LOVING CHRISTIANS, WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT OUR PROMISES AND OUR GIVEN WORD IS NEVERRRRRRR TO BE MADE OR GIVEN LIGHTLY AND THAT WE SHOULD STRIVE TO KEEP OUR PROMISES TO JESUS, AND THEN TO PEOPLE AS WELL, AMEN?

VERSE 30 TELLS US OF THEIR FIRST AREA OF DECISION...we will be faithful to God when it comes to our romantic relationships.
"We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;"

We would not give our daughters as wives to the people of the land...
WHAT IS THIS AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
This promise was addressed TO parents.
WHY?
BECAUSE IN THAT DAY, parents made ALL the marriage decisions, NOT THEIR CHILDREN SEEKING TO GET MARRIED.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

BECAUSE IN THAT DAY, CHILDREN DID NOT & WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE DATING RELATIONSHIPS, THEY DID NOT SEEK OUT OR SOCIALLY MINGLE WITH MIXED GROUPS. ANY AND ALL INTERACTION WAS UNDER THE CHAPERONE OF PARENTS. THE CHILDREN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO CONSIDER OR MAKE THEIR OWN CHOSEN PARTNERS. FOR SONS AND DAUGHTERS AS WELL, THE PARENTS WERE MADE ALL MARRIAGE CONTRACTS.

If this covenant were to be repeated today, it WOULD NOT BE FOCUSED AND THE PROMISES HELD AND/OR FOCUSED TOWARDS THE PARENTS, BUT TOWARDS THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WANTED TO GET MARRIED.

We would NOT give our daughters as wives to the peoples OF THE LAND...This preserved the important principle that a follower of God should ONLY MARRY another similarly committed FOLLOWER OF GOD. It is obvious by experience and observation that it is important to carefully and prayerfully choose your spouse, AMEN?

Many of us have remarkable stories of how we came together with our mate - some stories are romantic, others are the impossible made possible, and others are kind of strange. Once we are together, God wants to make that marriage SOMETHING SPECIAL before Him, and desires to draw the couple closer together as they DRAW CLOSER TO JESUS, as the sides of a triangle come closer as they come higher up AND DEEPER IN OUR LOVE WALK WITH JESUS.

But if one is not now married, it is important for them to STILL MAKE the same kind of covenant WITHE JESUS.
If one has given their life to serving Jesus Christ, there will be MUCH MORE DIFFICULTY, UNEVENLY YOKED AS THE BIBLE SAYS, if they marry someone who has given their life to something else without JESUS AS THEIR CENTER..THEIR ANCHOR...THEIR CORNERSTONE...THEIR FOUNDATION, AMEN?
If one is in that situation now, JESUS CAN DO GREAT THINGS, but one should never knowingly choose to ENTER INTO A MARRIAGE OR A DATING RELATIONSHIP....AND BE PUT IN THAT POSITION FROM THE BEGINNING.

The WHOLE IDEA OF CHRISTIANITY AND JESUS CHRIST LOVING CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE ISSSSSSSS closely connected to the idea of COVENANT.

AND REMEMBER Malachi 2:14 says, "Yet she is your companion, and your wife by covenant."

COVENANT IS A TRIUNE COVENANT...YOU, YOUR SPOUSE, AND JESUS. Marriage is ALSO a covenant, between them and all family and witness, but most importantly, between them and JESUS CHRIST ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL OTHER THINGS, AMEN?

When we understand marriage as a covenant, we have something to bond us together that is STRONGER than society's expectations, more CONSTANT than romantic love, and more CERTAIN than happy times - we have a covenant WITH OUR ALL KNOWING, ALL SEEING, ALL CONTROLING ALL THINGS JESUS CHRIST...WHO PROMISES TO BE WITH US, FOR US, NEVER LEAVE US AND NEVER FORSAKE US...SO WE KNOW THAT IF WE STAY CLOSE IN HIM, IF WE LIFT ALL THINGS, ALL DECISIONS, ALL PATHS, INTO HIM IN PRAYER AND TRUST HIM...JESUS WILL FAITHFULLY SUSTAIN US AND BRING US THROUGH EVEN THE WORST STORMS THIS WORLD, MANKIND AND SATAN AND ALL HIS DEMONS CAN HURL AT US, AMEN?

VERSE 31 tells us THE SECOND AREA OF DECISION.. we will be faithful to JESUS CHRIST when it comes to doing business.

"If the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year's produce and the exacting of every debt."

If the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day...WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, UNDER OLD TESTAMENT LAW, God said that no one could buy or sell anything on the Sabbath day. These citizens of Jerusalem had been breaking this law, and they now covenant with God to obey it. NOW THEY MISUNDERSTAND THIS AND MIS-TAUGHT THIS...HOW? IN THOSE DAYS, AND EVEN TODAY, THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE LETTER OF LEVITICAL LAW...WOULD PASS BY SOMEONE BROKE DOWN ON THE ROAD, OR IF A PERSON'S HOME WAS ON FIRE, OR IF SOMEONE NEEDED MILK OR WHATEVER...THEY THEN AND SOME STILL DO NOW, REFUSE TO LIFT A FINGER FOR FEAR OF BREAKING THE LAW. SOME ARE SOOO RIGID, THAT THEY CONSIDER USING THE TELEPHONE OR TEXTING AS WORKING AND THEY WILL NOT DO IT...

THAT IS NOT WHAT ALMIGHTY MEANT, AND JESUS CLARIFIED IT DURING HIS WALK ON THIS EARTH...REMEMBER SAYING IF AN OXEN AND CART IS IN THE DITCH AND YOU DO NOTHING, AND HOW ABOUT THE GOOD SAMARITAN...THEY WOULD NOT TOUCH A PAGAN OR HEATHEN OR AID THEM ON THE BEST OF DAYS, MUCH LESS GIVE ANYYY AID TO ANYONEE DURING THE SABBATH. AND HEAVEN HELP A PREGNANT WOMAN IF SHE WENT INTO LABOR ON THE SABBATH...FOR THE RIGID RELIGIOUS....THAT WOMAN WAS ON HER OWN. NO DOCTOR OR MID WIFE WOULD BE CALLED OR SUMMONED OR ASKED TO HELP...WHY? BECAUSE THAT WAS CONSIDERED WORKING.

ALMIGHTY GOD CLEARLY INTENDED THIS TO MEAN, WORKING AND EARNING AND MAKING MONEY FOR PLEASURE, GREED, GAIN, OR DOING FOR MONEY OR ADVANCE...NOT IF SOMEONE NEEDEDDDD THEIR HELP....BUT THE RELIGIOUS OF THAT DAY TWISTED ALMIGHTY GOD'S WORD TO MEAN THE RIDICULOUS AS WELL.

We would not buy it from them on the Sabbath...ALMIGHTY GOD ONCE AGAIN CLEARLY SPEAKS TO TRUE MOTIVE HERE, THE TRUE REASON: The motive for breaking this law was clear. They could make more money selling on seven days of the week instead of six days. This was a covenant to only make money IN SIX DAYS AND TO SACRIFICE THE SELFISH EARNING OF IT ON HIS DAY & TO SHOW THEIR OBEDIENCE AND TRUST IN HIM AND GLORIFY HIM ON THE SABBATH, AMEN?.

AND WE KNOW THIS IS STILL A GREAT CHALLENGE FOR JESUS FAMILY AND THE CHURCH TODAY, AMEN?
ESPECIALLY WHEN CAREERS AND/OR OUR JOBS OFFER OR INSIST UPON WORKING TO EARN MONEY FOR CORPORATE GAIN WHEN BOSSES, EMPLOYERS, AND BUSINESSES SHOULD RELY ON JESUS AND HONOR HIM ONE DAY OF THE WEEK AND TRUST THAT JESUS WILL MAKE UP TO THEM WHAT THEY WOULD LOSE ON THAT ONE DAY, FOR THEIR HONORING OF HIM.

JUST AS CHICK FIL A AND OTHER CHRISTIAN BUSINESSES, THAT ARE NOT EMERGENCY BASED OR ESSENTIAL BASED ARE CLOSED ON THE SABBATH DAY, AMEN?

Many of us - JUST as was true in Nehemiah's day - slip into these GREED OR EARNINGS PLUMPING practices subtly. We don't wake up in the morning saying we're going to cut corners, cheat others, and defraud the system. We do it because we think we need to - bills need to be paid, the kids need things, and so on. Then we do it because it works. But we don't really need to; if we trust JESUS, REALLY BELIEVE HIM AND TRUST WHAT HE SAYS AND GIVE ONE DAY TO LOVE, HONOR, GLORIFY HIM AND TO REST IN HIM...JESUS WILLLLL TAKE CARE OF OUR EVERY NEED. WE SHOULD TRUST JESUS, THE WISEST AND SMARTEST BUSINESSMAN, BANK, CPA, AND PROVIDER AND PROTECTOR THERE WAS IS OR EVER SHALL BE, AMEN?

VERSES 32-39 tells us...THE THIRD AREA OF DECISION...we will be faithful to God when it comes to supporting God's work.

"Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law. And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God."

To exact from ourselves yearly ONE-THIRD of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: They laid down a YEARLY TAX to support the workings of the temple. They required people to bring wood to the temple on a rotating basis. They committed themselves to obey the command to bring the firstborn and the firstfruits, and the tithe (TEN PERCENT of the produce of their land) unto the house of God.

They simply did TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS:
FIRST...they agreed to give as God had commanded (the firstborn, firstfruits, and the tithe).
SECOND....they agreed to give as the special need required (the one-third of a shekel tax and the wood).

Firstborn and firstfruits were risky ways to give?

WHY?
Because your land might not yield much more produce, and your cow or ewe might not give birth again - yet the FIRST still belonged to God, and was given to the priests.
GOD PROMISED to bless this giving of the firstfruits and firstborn in faith.
WHERE?

PROVERBS 3:9-10 SAYS..."Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine."

We will NOT neglect the house of our God: If before they covenanted to make money only in ways that would glorify God, here they covenant to ALSO SPEND their money in ways that glorify God - and beginning it all with GIVING UNTO the Lord.

We will not neglect the house of our God...Simply said, the Bible says we NEED TO BE GIVERS. Not so much for the sake of those we give to, but because giving SETS AND KEEPS OUR HEARTS RIGHT about material things. God Himself is the greatest giver, AMEN?

HE GAVEEEEEE HIS MOST PRECIOUS PERFECT AND PRICELESS SON TO A WORLD THAT DID NOT DESERVE HIS JESUS, AMEN?

ANDDDDD....If WE CHOOSE TO HOLD ONTO MONEY SO TIGHTLY that you will not be a giver, than you have revealed where your heart REALLY IS is when it comes to money.

The New Testament speaks with GREAT CLARITY on the principle of giving; that giving should be regular, planned, proportional, and private (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); that it must be generous, freely given, and cheerful (2 Corinthians 9).

SO NEHEMIAH 10 TEACHES US MANY THINGS ABOUT MARRIAGE, FAMILY, OUR WALK, WHAT JESUS EXPECTS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY ABOUT GIVING.

WARNING US THAT IF WE ARE RELUCTANT to be a giver as the Bible says you should, WE NEED TO REFOCUS OURSELVES ON THE THINGS OF JESUS AND LESS ON THE TEMPORARY THINGS OF MAN AND THIS WORLD.

AND IF WE DOUBT THE TRUTH OF JESUS PROMISES WHEN WE ARE CHEERFUL GIVERS...WE CAN ALSO TALK TO THOSE WHO AREEEEEEEEEE FAITHFUL, CONSISTENT, AND JOYFUL GIVERS.
WE CAN ASK THEM...if it has been a blessing or a curse in their life to give as God says to.
God promises He will never owe us anything, and we cannot out-give God - though the return is often far better than dollars and cents, AMEN?