Nehemiah 10
Covenants are a bonding of two or more people together. In this case, we have 84 people making a covenant of obedience to the Lord, with each other, and with the Lord. Not only this, but verse 28 also mentions “the rest of the people…” and “..all who have knowledge and understanding…” meaning that the people who did not put their names on this covenant, they still knew about it. This provides accountability to those who did sing it, but it also means that those people who knew about the covenant and did not sign it have to make a decision to also walk in obedience to it or to not and separate themselves from the Lord.
The covenant consisted of 3 main agreements:
They will not intermarry with the people of the land who do not obey the Lord.
They will not conduct unholy business.
They will provide service, offerings, and tithes to God.
The chapter ends with a final statement, “We will not neglect the house of our God.”
The covenant represented deep commitment to each other and to God to walk in a manner glorifying to the Lord.
Through Jesus, we today are also part of the new covenant. God sent Jesus to die as a propitiation to make us clean and right with God. It is a free gift. From this goodness though, we decide to commit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ and to live obediently to God’s word and calling.
Do you have the necessary accountability around you to help you to keep walking in covenant with God?
Do you take it seriously, the decision of obedience made when you decided Jesus was Lord of your life? Do you actively position Jesus as Lord of your life and seek to live for him?
What can you learn from Nehemiah and the way he rallied these people to live into a relationship and obedience with the Lord our God?
