After Gods people had exalted the scriptures and placed their lives under their authority, they made several commitments to The Lord.
This began with a decision to “Carefully obey all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.” - Nehemiah 10:29
The commitments included a decision that Gods Word would govern their relationships – (10:30) / No mixed marriages (not a racial component to this at all – religious separation marriages will lead you astray (King Solomon – wisest man in history yet built Pagan Temples and allowed idols in Palace)
Gods Word would govern their time – The Sabbath would be kept holy. No commerce on the Lords Day / The Sabbath year (no planting)
Gods Word would govern their stewardship
• Their Generosity Would Be
“We will impose the following commands on ourselves: To give an eighth of an ounce of silver yearly for the service of the house of our God: the bread displayed before the Lord, the daily grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbath and New Moon offerings, the appointed festivals, the holy things, the sin offerings to atone for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.” —Nehemiah 10:33
This planned giving is also cited in the New Testament
“Now about the collection for the saints: Do the same as I instructed the Galatian churches. On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.” —1st Cor 16:1-2
• Their Generosity Would Be
“We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring the wood to our God’s house to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law” —Nehemiah 10:34
• Their Generosity Would Be Rightly
“We will bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord’s house year by year. We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in our God’s house. We will bring a loaf from our first batch of dough to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our grain offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and fresh oil. A tenth of our land’s produce belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns. A priest from Aaron’s descendants is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God. For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and fresh oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the priests who minister are, along with the gatekeepers and singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.” —Nehemiah 10:35-39
- In This We See Desire To Obey The Lords
The Law of God demanded their best (firstfruits) and not the leftovers. The tithe (10th) was also commanded (actually predates the Law – Abraham tithed in Genesis 14)
“Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure” —Malachi 3:10
- We Also See A Theology That Declares That God
“The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord” —Psalm 24:1
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” —James 1:17
When we think about how The Lord owns it all and has decided to richly and graciously bless us, the wrong question to ask is, “How much should I give” but rather, “How much
Our Lord declared that if we really want to know the
The Jews had exalted the scriptures, submitted to their authority, and that was reflected in several commitments that they made in chapter 10.
With the walls now reconstructed, the gates restored, and worship taking place in the Temple, Chapter 11 – is a list of individuals who were already residents of Jerusalem committing to stay there and of people who moved to the now busting city.
In chapter 12 we find a beautiful portrait of faith and obedience.
The Wall is dedicated, purification ceremony is held, people brought their first fruits, tithes and offerings to the Temple, they read again from the scriptures, two massive choirs are formed, worship service happened!
With everything in place, Nehemiah eventually returns to the Capital City of Persia to serve Artaxerxes and he gets some terrible news and has to return. Each of these commitments made in chapter 10, affirmed in chapter 11 and applied in chapter 12, had been violated.
They had committed their
In chapter 13, two groups (Ammonites and Moabites) were singled out because of their wicked schemes against Israel when Israel came into the Promised Land.
“The priest Eliashib had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was a relative of Tobiah” —Nehemiah 13:4
“I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of God’s house” —Nehemiah 13:7
** They Had Committed Their
“I also found out that because the portions for the Levites had not been given, each of the Levites and the singers performing the service had gone back to his own field. Therefore, I rebuked the officials, asking, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” —Nehemiah 13:10
They Had Committed Their
“I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. The Tyrians living there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem” —Nehemiah 13:15-16
EVERY SINCERELY MADE VOW THEY’D MADE – THEY HAD BROKEN
As we close this study, what do we do with a cautionary tale like this? What do we learn?
1. Remember That Spiritual
The committed people who were part of that incredible worship celebration in chapter 12 didn’t just wake up one day and decide to abandon their faith and practice.
They faded – they drifted.
2. Our Commitments To The Lord Are Only As Strong Our
There was nothing wrong with God’s people making commitments to Him.
“May your hearts be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands” —1 Kings 8:61
It’s not how high you jump in worship, it’s how straight you walk when you come back down.
We must understand that our commitments to the Lord, no matter how sincere, rightly motivated, or well intentioned are impossible to keep by our will power alone.
3. Our Commitments To The Lord
4.
WHEN WE COMMIT OUR CALENDER – RESOURCES – LIVES TO THE LORD AND HIS WORK, THE LORD NOT ONLY PROVIDES FOR OUR NEEDS BUT IMPACTS OTHERS
“The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us” —2 Corinthians 9:6-8