Reflections on Nehemiah 10

Nehemiah 10 (Contemporary English Version)

1. As governor, I signed the agreement together with Zedekiah and the following priests:
   
2. Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.
   
3. (SEE 10:2)
   
4. (SEE 10:2)
   
5. (SEE 10:2)
   
6. (SEE 10:2)
   
7. (SEE 10:2)
   
8. (SEE 10:2)
   
9. The Levites who signed were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui from the clan of Henadad, Kadmiel,
   
10. Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
    
11. Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
    
12. Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
    
13. Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
    
14. The leaders who signed were: Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
    
15. Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
    
16. Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
    
17. Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
    
18. Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
    
19. Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
    
20. Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
    
21. Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
    
22. Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
    
23. Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
    
24. Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
    
25. Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
    
26. Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
    
27. Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
    
28. All of us, including priests, Levites, temple guards, singers, temple workers and leaders, together with our wives and children, have separated ourselves from the foreigners in this land and now enter into an agreement with a complete understanding of what we are doing. And so, we now place ourselves under the curse of the LORD our God, if we fail to obey his laws and teachings that were given to us by his servant Moses.
    
29. (SEE 10:28)
    
30. We won't let our sons and daughters marry foreigners.
    
31. We won't buy goods or grain on the Sabbath or on any other sacred day, not even from foreigners. Every seven years we will let our fields rest, and we will cancel all debts.
    
32. Once a year we will each donate a small amount of silver to the temple of our God.
    
33. This is to pay for the sacred bread, as well as for the daily sacrifices and special sacrifices such as those offered on the Sabbath and during the New Moon Festival and the other festivals. It will also pay for the sacrifices to forgive our sins and for all expenses connected with the worship of God in the temple.
    
34. We have decided that the families of priests, Levites, and ordinary people will supply firewood for the temple each year, so that sacrifices can be offered on the altar, just as the LORD our God has commanded.
    
35. Each year we will bring to the temple the first part of our harvest of grain and fruit.
    
36. We will bring our first-born sons and the first-born males of our herds and flocks and offer them to the priests who serve in the temple, because this is what is written in God's Law.
    
37. To the priests in the temple of our God, we will bring the bread dough from the first harvest, together with our best fruit, and an offering of new wine and olive oil. We will bring ten percent of our grain harvest to those Levites who are responsible for collecting it in our towns.
    
38. A priest from the family of Aaron must be there when we give this to the Levites. Then the Levites will put one tenth of this part in the temple storeroom,
    
39. which is also the place for the sacred objects used by the priests, the temple guards, and the singers. Levites and everyone else must bring their gifts of grain, wine, and olive oil to this room. We will not neglect the temple of our God.
    

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    The temple had been rebuilt under the leadership of Ezra, the wall rebuilt under the leadership of Nehemiah, and now, more importantly, the people were being restored to the Lord under the leadership of both Ezra and Nehemiah. From the reading of God's word the hearts of the people had been stirred to return to the Lord. This chapter tells of the signing of a covenant by both the religious and civic leaders and the making of an oath by the people to recommit themselves to the Lord. In the latter part of the chapter some specifics were listed as to what they were committing to do.
    
    First, they committed themselves to keeping themselves separate by not giving their daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples or not taking their daughters in marriage for their sons. This was a requirement in the Mosaic law intended to keep them from the pagan religions of the surrounding peoples. Next they committed to keeping holy the Sabbath day and observing the Sabbatical year every seven year. The remainder of their list of committments had to do with maintaining the temple and its activities along with contributing their tithes and offerings.
    
    This was a good beginning that involved the externals of their faith. This is typical of people who are new in their faith. But the question is whether one will mature to the point that their devotion to God involves the more important inward devotion to Him of loving Him with their whole heart which involves the giving of oneself wholely? Unfortunately, for these postexilic Jews this maturing did not happen for the community in general or its religious leaders. Instead, from this focus on externals developed the corrupt pharisaical system that opposed Jesus with His weightier issues of inward devotion.