NehemiahLesson SixCommit Your Way to the LordBy Carol Miller of My Life Ministries

Review and Summary:

Under Nehemiah's exceptional leadership, the Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon (now Persia) had experienced the miraculous accomplishment of rebuilding their city wall in only 52 days. They knew they had experienced a miracle through their God. They knew that He had given them this wonderful leader and had allowed them to hold back the attacks of their enemies while working together to complete a great achievement as God's people that had been impossible to accomplish for 150 years before Nehemiah's arrival in the city. As God's timing would have it, they finished their task just as the new year was approaching, and the joy that filled their hearts led them to call on Ezra and their Levites to once again renew them in God's Word and deepen in them their understanding of the laws they had gotten so out of touch with during their years of captivity. God was now moving mightily in their hearts and revival was building within them. They prepared for and enjoyed their Feast of Tabernacles once again as a whole nation of Israelites (that is, those now living in Jerusalem and Judah), and following that, they longed to come to the Lord with fasting, repentance, confession, and recommitment to their mighty and compassionate God. So they took another full day to come together and read God's Word for one fourth of the day and confess their sins and worship God for another fourth of the day. Then their Levites had led them in a mighty prayer to their amazing God, acknowledging His majesty, power, loving kindness, and compassion and their own unfaithfulness, sinfulness, ungratefulness, and rebellion against Him, not just once, but over and over again throughout their history as His people. The prayer recorded in chapter nine is the longest and most comprehensive prayer of repentance and confession recorded in the Bible and concludes with a heart cry to God that He would not let their present distress and hard life as vassals of the king of Persia seem insignificant to Him, but that He would receive them back as His people and bless them once again. And as a result of this prayer, they conclude that they desire to recommit themselves to obey God's laws and to reinforce their decision with a solemn vow and a “binding agreement,” and to put their agreement in writing, sign it, and seal it before God.

There are many examples in Scripture of people making vows. The first time we see it is in Genesis when Jacob has wrestled with the Angel of the Lord and then vows, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Like Jacob, who had been forced to flee from his brother Esau on threat of death, people don't usually make vows until they are in trouble and backed into a corner. Others of God's people who made vows were Nazarites (Numbers 6:2), Jephthah (Judges 11:30), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:11), David (Psalm 56:12), Jonah (Jonah 2:9), and the apostle Paul (Acts 18:18). Making a vow is a very serious transaction and fulfilling your part of it is critical. (Eccl. 5:4, Numbers, and in particular Numbers 30:2). But, as your lesson guide said, “While we sometimes fall short of fulfilling our words of commitment, we need to remember that no effective dedication to God ever began without a conscious decision to commit ourselves to God. The words of commitment in themselves do not constitute a change in a person's obedience to God. Without the words of dedication and a sincere desire to obey God, however, a substantive change in our obedience will not become reality.”

At this time in their history, the Israelites could hardly have been more sincere and passionate in their desire to return to God and obey Him with full heartfelt commitment. We will see that for many of

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them, however, their commitment did not last very long at all. But God knew all along how it would be. And He had a plan that would make both an inward and an outward change possible. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and for our sinful nature, and to make it possible for us to be born again by the Holy Spirit and become true sons of God. And for the Israelites, He also gave a promise that would come a little bit later in human history, “And I shall give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep my ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:24-38) In the Old Covenant, we are expected to live up to our end completely and everything depends on our doing so. In the New Covenant, nothing comes from us, and everything comes from Jesus. Because of His grace, we can surrender, submit and obey out of love, not fear. Whenever we find it helpful to make a vow or serious commitment to God, we need to remember that we don't succeed as a Christian because we make promises to God, but because we believe the promises of God and act upon them.

Nehemiah 10

Nehemiah 10:1-3:

Before we look at the vow the Israelites made, let's look at the list of four groups who affixed their seal (legal assent to the written agreement) to the agreement of Nehemiah 9:38. The first were the civil leaders, the Levites, and the priests. Notice that Nehemiah's name appears first as the governor. Then came Zedekiah. Notice that this is the only time in the list where the word “and” is used. It sets off the two who represent the civil government. Then there are 21 priestly names in Nehemiah 10:2-8, Ezra's name is not listed, but it is probably because he was the son of Seraiah. Then there are 17 Levites listed, followed by 44 heads of families, or “chiefs of the people.” All these affixed their seal to the document.

Nehemiah 10:28-30:

In these verses we learn that the rest of the people— i.e. the rest of the priests and the Levites not listed above, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servant and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands - joined with the first groups, but not by affixing a seal. Who were these people? They included first, people who had stayed in the land and had never joined themselves to any heathen, plus those who had followed the demand of Ezra and Nehemiah to divorce pagan spouses. These took an oath, which included stating what they promised along with a curse which called down calamity on themselves if they failed to keep it. They may have been thinking, through their newly renewed knowledge of the Law of Moses, of the specific curses from Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

Now, let's identify the specifics of the vow they were making, beginning with Nehemiah 10:28-30.

Vow #1 Submission to God's Word

Nehemiah 10:29 it is clearly stated “all these now join their brothers...to follow the Law of God.” They submitted themselves to the Giver of the covenant and the Revealer of the Law. The Law's power lay in its source. They acknowledged Moses as being God's servant who delivered the Word of God. The commitment included all of the Lord's commands, ordinances, and statutes.

Vow #2 Separation from the World

Nehemiah 10:28 says:(Carol Miller, February 22, 2015, Nehemiah) Page 2 of 6

“The rest of the people---priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding.”

How serious were the Israelites in their desire to devote themselves to everything that was spelled out in the Scriptures?

Here the people are saying that they are so seriously submitted to God and His Word that they are willing for the curses of God to fall on them if they do not carefully obey what He says. Could we say the same?

What does Nehemiah 10:30 tell us about their seriousness of separating themselves from the world?

They were not going to intermarry with the people around them in the land.

Why would Jews want to marry pagan Gentiles in the first place?

Apart from affection, which should have been controlled at the outset, perhaps they would marry outside of the Israelite community for social status (Nehemiah 13:28) or to get ahead in business. Like some believers today who marry unbelievers, these Jews may have argued that marriage would give them opportunity to convert their mate to the true faith, although it usually happens the other way around.

Why were marriages with pagan people so disastrous?

First, there were clear scriptural warnings. When two people in the ancient world made a marriage agreement, they normally confirmed their commitment in the presence of their gods and gave each other's idols a prominent place in their new home. Joshua 23:13 states that heathen spouses would become “snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes....” Also, there was abundant historical evidence that unequally yoked marriages led to a decline in Israel's spiritual and moral life. Nehemiah 13:26 asks the question, “Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned?" Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by His God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.” Mixed marriages were a danger then, and they are a danger now. God's concern is that when a believer marries a non-believer, the stage is set for conflict, compromise, and at times, outright conformity. 2 Corinthians 6:14 clearly states, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

Nehemiah 10:31:

Vow #3 – Keep the Sabbath Holy

This verse speaks of the day of rest. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not simply endured or worked through.

Keeping the Sabbath Day holy was an important part of the people's covenant with the Lord. As one of the Ten Commandments, the holiness of God's Sabbath represented people's trust and obedience. By setting aside one day each week for rest and spiritual reflection, they trusted in God to provide for

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their needs through their labor on the other six days of the weeks. After pledging to submit to God's word and to live separate lives, the believers renewed their covenant with a third vow, to do those things that would Keep the Sabbath Holy. In Nehemiah's day, it was necessary for God's law about the Sabbath to be clearly understood.

(1) This day was to be set aside to honor God,

(2) It is to be a day of rest,

(3) It is a day to help others, and

(4) It is a day to declare truth.

If the commitment of the Jews was serious, to refuse to buy or trade on the Sabbath Day, what effect might it have on the unbelieving merchants?

Without customers, they might be forced to close their business.

Are there any successful businesses in America that close on Sunday? Why do they close on Sunday?

What other two things did the people say they would do in Nehemiah 10:31 to honor the “sabbath principle”?

They would leave the land uncultivated every seventh year, allowing it to rest. In this way, they would demonstrate their faith that God would provide enough harvest during the other years to sustain them through the seventh year.

Another aspect of the Sabbath Year involved canceling debts (Deut. 15:1-2). This practice made a way for poor people to get a new start and demonstrated gracious responsibility for all people in the faith community.

Nehemiah 10:32-39:

Vow #4 – Support for God's Work

What phrase do you see repeated nine times in this passage? The phrase “house of our God” is used nine times in this section and refers to the restored Temple. The people were promising to follow God's priorities by submitting to Him, by separating from the world, by keeping the Sabbath, and by supporting the work of God. Nehemiah 10:39 sums up their commitment: “We will not neglect the house of our God.”

The Temple in Jerusalem stood at the heart of the country's religious, moral, and spiritual life. In symbolic terms it proclaimed the presence and power of God among His people and the centrality of spiritual matters. This passage covers an impressive series of promises to support God's work in a variety of different ways and gives us seven insights into how our giving can support God's work today, which of course He expects us to do.

1. It was responsible giving. If you notice in Nehemiah 10:32, the people say, “We place ourselves under obligation” or “we assume responsibility,” they meant that they would give what they owned because they considered it their privilege and responsibility.

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2. It was obedient giving. They did not practice “impulse giving” but instead gave as an expression of practical obedience. Those who love Him will do what He says. They were “carrying out the commands to give” (Nehemiah 10:32), “as it is written in the Law” (Nehemiah 10:34, 36). There was nothing remotely optional about the support of God's work. God had been good to them, and generosity was expected from them. Everyone was required to give in one form or another. It was one more way to demonstrate that God came first in their lives.

3. It was systematic. There was nothing haphazard about their giving. Nehemiah 10:32 says that they were to bring a third of a silver shekel each year. Nehemiah 10:34 states that lots were drawn to determine when families were to bring a contribution of wood at set times each year. Verse 35 says that first fruits were brought each year. There was orderliness about these offerings and a system that was followed. The people knew precisely what was expected of them. The New Testament teaches systematic giving as well, in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income....”

4. It was proportionate. The reference to the wood offering suggests that many poor people in Israel had an opportunity to make a gift to the Lord that would demand time rather than money. The temple needed a regular supply of firewood to keep the sacrificial fires burning. Everyone, regardless of income, could gather wood and take it to the Temple.

5. It was sacrificial. They were to bring to God's house the “first fruits” of their crops “and of every fruit tree” (Nehemiah 10:35). To offer the first of their crops was to declare that God was the giver of all things, that everything belongs to Him, and that He is worthy of the best we can offer Him. Here's a helpful principle to remember: while not everyone can give the same amount, everyone can make the same sacrifice. Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice is the heart of the matter. It was Mother Teresa who said, “If you give what you do not need, it isn't giving.”

6. It was comprehensive. They were to not only bring their crops and their money; they were also to bring their first-born sons and their animals to the Lord (Nehemiah 10:36). God is not only interested in our money; He wants our hearts. Actually, He wants everything.

7. It was prescribed. They were not only to bring their “first,” but a “tithe” of their crops to the Lord (Nehemiah 10:37). Even the Levites, who collected the tithe from the people, gave a tenth of what they received for the support of the priests. They made their donation through the storerooms of the temple treasury. Giving a tenth of their produce or income to the Lord has a long and dignified history among believers and is an appropriate guide for Christian giving. As someone has said, “the tithe is a great place to start.” Actually, the tithe is the minimum we should be giving to support the Lord's work.

There are some very simple—but life-changing—principles that we can glean from these verses in Nehemiah 10. First, serious thought precedes any significant change. WE can never change areas of our lives that have not been given serious thought. We need to schedule some quiet times in our lives, times for thinking and reflection.

For many people, Christian living is about trying really hard to be and do good. They might not ever communicate it that way, but that is how they think about it. Fortunately, we have 2000 years of Old Testament history to demonstrate that trying really hard to be good and do good doesn't work. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and no one is exempted.

Why does trying hard to be good seldom work?(Carol Miller, February 22, 2015, Nehemiah) Page 5 of 6

The Bible teaches we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. We are not transformed by trying really hard to be good. We become more loving by thinking of the value of love, and by meditating on how to be more loving, and by crying out to God to fill us with His love, which we do not naturally have.

What else is necessary to really successful Christian living?

Read the Bible every day is not enough. Praying every day is not enough. We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only. We must read for application. The question not, “What did you read in the Word today?” That is a start, but it is only a start. The question is really, “What did you do about what you read in the Word yesterday?”

From the book of Nehemiah, we learned that prayer expands our vision. We need to pray and allow God to expand our vision.

Also, we learned from Nehemiah, that we must trust God to provide and protect us in the midst of our troubles. If we do, others will also be inspired to put more trust in God as well.

Teamwork is essential for the completion of major tasks. Do you have a task that seems overwhelming? It probably is, if you are attempting to do it alone. Any task has more chance of completion if you enlist the help of others.

Nehemiah was an effective leader. He was skilled in planning, motivating, organizing, delegating, and all the other functions of leadership. But the real secret of Nehemiah's effectiveness was not his skills but his prayers. In his prayers, he identified with the needs of the people whom he led as well as God's purposes. Nehemiah was a man of action, yet his prayers show that he relied on God. Finally, this effective leader showed that he served not for any reward that God's people could provide, but for the approval of the God whom he worshiped and loved.

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