Nehemiah, Day 5
Nehemiah Chapter 10 – 11
COVENANT: A contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word berith is always thus translated. In Greek, it’s defined as diatheke, which is, however, rendered “testament.”(Easton’s Bible Dictionary).
In the back of the old Southern Baptist Hymnals, you could find many things, including, “the Church Covenant.” At Sunday evening services, on occasion, we would read that covenant. It was an “agreement” to abide by certain statutes of the church.
In the Old Testament, there are seven covenants: Abrahamic, Palestinian, Mosaic, Davidic, Adamic, Noahic, and the New, the “new” being the last one. See Jeremiah 31:31 – 34.
A key theme in Nehemiah is that worship is at the center of the life of God’s people, and it includes the willing, joyful giving of their resources (10:32 – 39). The civil leaders, religious leaders (Levites and priests), and all the people, agreed to put their seals to a written agreement that they would obey the stipulations of the Mosaic Law (9:38 – 10:27, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament).
Nehemiah sets an excellent example by being listed first. There are 24 names listed in the first eight verses. They are the names of the heads of the families. There were 17 Levites who were involved in reading the Law (Chapter 8:7). The people essentially undertake to keep the entire Mosaic Law. The enumeration of laws is selective, however, highlighting major issues of their day (1:28 – 39, ESV Study Bible note).
Notice their commitment to following this by “a curse and an oath” (Verse 29). A “curse” refers to some terrible penalty, perhaps performed as a ritual, that they accept as their due if they fail (see 1 Kings 19:2; Jeremiah 34:18, ESV Study Bible note). In Verses 30 – 39, they spell out what they will abide by:
- avoiding intermarriages: this was an issue because it’s been a problem in the past (Ezra 9 – 10).
- keeping the Sabbath and the sabbatical year. The “Sabbath” set Israel apart from other nations.
- supporting the temple service by giving a third of a shekel (about one-eighth of an ounce). No Pentateuchal law requires this tax, so it is a new commandment. As is true today, giving to the church was important to their calling as a worshipping community.
- contributing wood for the fire on the altar, which was to burn continually (Leviticus 6:12 – 13)
- giving the first fruits of their crops (Exodus 23:19, Deuteronomy 26:1 – 3). They gave their firstborn sons and animals (Numbers 18:15 – 17; Deuteronomy 12:6).
- paying annual tithes (Leviticus 27:30). The Levites were to tithe the tithes they received. Tithing helped provide the needs of the priests.
Chapter 10 ends with an agreement we must uphold in our churches. “We will not neglect the house of our God.” Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people were led to place a higher priority on spiritual things, including the care of the restored temple. This was more important than restoring the city’s walls (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament).
Psalm 127:1a states, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”
Tom Dye