NEHEMIAH
10:28-33
Review
Last
week the people confessed their sins, repented and prayed for God to remain
faithful. He is faithful to forgive us and restore us to Himself.
Context
After
this national confession of sin the leaders and priests signed an agreement
vowing faithfulness. A contract of commitment to obey God’s law detailing
specific acts to demonstrate devotion which is what we are going to look at
today. We see in later chapters that Nehemiah returns to the palace of
Artaxerxes. He visits again to find this commitment broken with some rooms of
the temple re-tasked for a pagan god.
Intro
Is it easy for you to look at other
people’s lives and see what they are committed to? What does your life reflect
your commitment to? It is not because of our actions that
we receive grace but it is because we have received grace that our actions
should be different. It is a response to that grace, not attempt to get the
grace. There is a moral responsibility when we do follow Christ.
Verse 28
What two things in verse 28 identified
those taking the oath? It is for those who were able to
understand and had separated themselves from the surrounding peoples (the
pagans that lived around Jerusalem). To make a sworn oath was serious (Gen.
14:22). To not keep it leaves one guilty before God.
Verse 29
What are they including in the oath?
What kind of commitment does this show? They were going to commit
themselves to the commandments (God’s directives for life and worship),
ordinances (God’s judicial injunctions) and statutes (laws of the legitimate
ruler).
Verse 30
Why was it necessary for them to marry
only those people within their nation? It begins with
relationships. This is not an issue of race or culture. The point was to remain
spiritually pure. This is not about ethnic differences but spiritual loyalty.
It increased pagan influence and diluted the pure faith of families.
Do you know of leaders in the Old
Testament who intermarried? What were the consequences?
Solomon. Many of these people had already married outside their faith (Nehemiah
13:28).
What does this say to us today? We are
not of the Jewish nation? We are not to date or marry those who
are not Christians. Marry only those with the same beliefs.
Verse 31
What were they committing themselves to
regarding the Sabbath? They committed not to purchase
merchandise, or grain, or other commerce on any holy day. Without customers the
pagan merchants would be forced to withdraw. They also committed to leaving the
land uncultivated in the seventh year (Ex. 23:10-11) and cancelling every debt
in that year (Deut. 15:1-2). They were showing faith that God would provide
their needs reflecting their commitment to God.
Verses
32-33
What does it mean when it says they
were going to impose commandments on themselves? What were they going to do? They
were going above and beyond to show it wasn’t about them but God. When our view
is that we owe Him everything then our lives and commitment will reflect that.
When our view is that He owes us something then our lives reflect that also. They gave an eighth of an ounce of silver.
Apply (What now?)
Our lives will reflect the truth we are
committed to. Live it out.
If someone were to follow you for one
week, what would they say you are committed to? What needs to change in your
life for people to know that you are a follower of Christ? Remember,
it isn’t performance that makes us right with God but what we do shows what we
value. If we don’t value Him have our lives really been changed?
What
does a committed life look like?
First, acknowledge
the fact that you are a wretch – a desperate sinner through and through.
Second,
embrace the fact that we are justified before God solely on the merit of Jesus
Christ, who died on the cross in our place for our sins and was raised from the
dead three days later for our redeemed life (1 Cor. 15:1–3).
Third,
ask God to convict you in the areas of your life where grace still needs to do
its work.
Fourth,
realize that growth in holiness is impossible in our own strength. The grace
that justifies us is more than mere legal cleansing; it sanctifies us as well,
teaching us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:12). Ask
Him to change your heart desires. A good test is your reactions, not just your
actions. “Spontaneous emotional responses are not morally neutral; they reveal
the conditions of our hearts. When we spontaneously respond in rage to the rude
driver, in condemnation to the fallen saint, or in lust to the attractive
woman, we reveal that the agendas of our hearts are not as aligned with God as
they should be.” (Gerald Hiestand)
“We are
not our own. We bear the image of another, and the ownership of that image
belongs to him. We must not act in ways that are inconsistent with the
character of the one we portray. We must remember that every part of us,
including our sexuality, has a higher purpose than merely our own pleasure, for
every part of us was created primarily to image forth the glory of God. Life
has a higher purpose than our autonomous satisfaction.” (Gerald Hiestand)
Pray
Show us
the things that need to change in our lives. Give us the strength to walk away
from relationships that are not spiritually healthy for us. We can’t do this in
our own strength but only yours.