Explore the Book of Nehemiah with Dr. John Kyle as we witness the transformation of Jerusalem through the faithful leadership of Nehemiah. In this episode, we examine the solemn commitments of the Israelites to uphold God’s commandments, focusing on family, faith, and community. Discover valuable lessons on harmony in religious practices, the significance of regular reflection on faith, and the power of sincere repentance as we draw significant parallels to our own faith journeys.
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful, and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let’s join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.
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Please turn your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 10, verses 1 through 39. Nehemiah 10, 1 through 39. Now remember, God led Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and to rebuild the ruined walls of the city, which was a truly remarkable task. But even more, God led Nehemiah to be the catalyst in bringing the people back to repentant faith in the living God. Remember, after the wall was finished, the people gathered together in Jerusalem for the Feast of Trumpets. Two weeks later, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. And then, just a couple of days after that, the people again gathered together to observe a national day of repentance where they fasted, mourned, wore sackcloth, put dust on their heads, and then prayed an amazing prayer of repentance and confession in chapter 9 that offered an incredible survey of Old Testament history. They then make it official, verse 38. Because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it. Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it. And that’s what they did. They made a covenant with God. See, collectively, they were convicted of the demands of Scripture. Corporately and personally, their sins have been exposed. They then expressed their sorrow and repentance over their sin by wearing sackcloth and putting dirt on their heads, which was a good sign. But it wasn’t enough just to say that they were sorry. No, they needed to express the sincerity of their desire to serve the Lord wholeheartedly and passionately. See, there’s been a lot of spiritual fervor going on, both joy in the Lord and mourning over their sin, which is good. Emotion is good, but you can’t live on emotion alone. No, because after you come down from that mountaintop experience, which you will certainly come down from, you have to face a daily grind again. What are you going to do then? So the people need to be sure to lay out a specific plan to put the truth of God’s Word into daily practice. Okay, how do you do that? Well, the answer lay in this covenant renewal treaty. This has been done before in their past and a conviction of their waywardness encouraged a desire for a new beginning. Such resolve for consecrated lives was marked by a formal covenant on their part to follow the Lord with all their hearts. Note that Biblical covenants generally followed a very discernible pattern, and at its core, a covenant contained a commitment, a solemn promise to follow the Lord at all costs, which we will see, even when it’s costly. The leading government leaders signed it. The leading spiritual leaders signed it. The leading families signed it. And it really represented everyone in Jerusalem and in Judah as a whole. They said, this is our commitment. This is our covenant as a people. This is our promise as a people. This is what we are now doing, all of us. We’re committed to this. And look what they’re doing, verse 29. They’re now entering into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses, a servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments that the Lord our God and His ordinances and His statutes have given to us. So the people are committed to returning to God’s Word with fervor and they’re committing to obeying what it says, compelled by love to do so. That’s the general commitment. So how specifically will they do this? Seven ways. First, no mixed marriages. Now we’re getting specific. And please note this. This is so important to understand. This is not a race thing. Not at all. This is a religious thing. Hey, marry anyone you want. From any race you want, but don’t marry someone who doesn’t share your faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. See, that’s the issue. Verse 30, we would not give our daughters as wives to the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons. See, Israel couldn’t afford to compromise with the religions and related lifestyles around her. And so the Jews were to maintain a strict code of separation from their neighbor’s worldly ways, especially from their neighbor’s wicked religion. And look, one sure way of corrupting their faith was through a divided marriage, one that brought religious compromise into the very center of the home, into the very center of the family. In the ancient world, when two people got married, they swapped their idols and gave them a prominent place in their home. For an Israelite, that couldn’t possibly be allowed. In Israel’s history, Solomon’s disastrous marriages to women of other religions led directly to the division of the kingdom, and then King Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel led to the promotion of Baalism in the northern kingdom, as well as a murder of the Lord’s prophets. But even so, and even as God warned the people constantly throughout their history, the practice of marrying outside the faith has been a problem, even here in Nehemiah chapter 10. Look. If you want to ruin your family spiritually, then marry someone who practices another religion or no religion at all. Do that. In fact, if you want to ruin a whole people group that’s dedicated to God, then marry someone who practices another religion or no religion at all. It’s serious. It’s very serious. Here, as the people are serious about glorifying God with their lives, they commit to not give their daughters as wives to the people of the land, nor take their daughters for their sons. So they’re letting God know that they’re serious in their commitment, and they’ll show that seriousness with action. This applies to us today, does it not? For Christians, too, are under restrictions on whom they may marry. The New Testament makes it clear that there is neither Jew nor Gentile in light of the gospel, which means that Christians can marry across racial and ethnic lines. Of course they can. We already know that. But Christians may not marry unbelievers. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6.14, Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers. What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? Answer? None. So don’t set yourself up for spiritual failure. And don’t set your kids up for spiritual failure. Look, parents who are committed to the Lord, they will teach their children what it means to follow after Christ. And inherent in following Christ is avoiding anything that threatens our faithfulness to Him. Thus, not marrying a non-believer. That should be a no-brainer, but sadly, it needs to constantly be reiterated. That’s a good commitment on part of these people, isn’t it? Second, They’ll commit to observing the Sabbath. Verse 31. If the peoples of the lands brought wares or any grains to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. So this is a commitment to get back to what the Word of God calls them to do. The fourth of the Ten Commandments is this, to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, Exodus 20, verse 8. Following this command are statements defining the Sabbath as the seventh day, which was Saturday, dedicating it to the Lord, forbidding all work on it, applying to everyone in Israel, and then citing the basis for it. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that’s in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and He made it holy. And so the Israelites, under the Mosaic law, the old covenant, they were to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. Note that keeping the Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between Israel and the Lord. As Exodus 31, 13 says, you must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come. And so as Israel kept the Sabbath set apart, they were reminded that they too were also being set apart. So you may know that I am the Lord who makes you holy, verse 13. So question, are we commanded to observe the Sabbath law today as Christians? No, because here’s why. Jesus fulfilled all the law when he died on the cross and rose from the dead, and we are no longer under the law as Christians, even though it all greatly applies even today. As Paul writes in Colossians 5, 16 through 17, therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration, or a… sabbath day these are a shadow of the things that were to come the reality however is found in christ and there you have it see the sabbath day was meant to foreshadow god’s rest in christ that’s made available to the christian and while having a day of rest is a blessing it’s a far greater blessing to rest in the salvation that jesus christ gives There remains then a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience, Hebrews 4, 9-11. The rest spoken of there is salvation in Christ. And if a person has stopped trying to earn salvation, but simply rests in Christ’s finished work by grace through faith, then that person is keeping the Sabbath as God intends. See, Christ is our rest. But look, while this law is no longer binding on us today, it still applies, right? I mean, it still applies. How? Well, how about this? Set apart a day that’s different from the rest of the week by refraining from unnecessary work and by honoring the Lord with it. I got a good day for that. How about Sunday? How about Sunday? Which is called the Lord’s Day. And is the day that the early church corporately worshipped the Lord because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday. So Sunday is a great day to apply this Old Testament law to set apart the day, to rest from unnecessary work, to worship God with the people of God, to fellowship together, and to honor God every day, of course, but in a special way on Sunday. So yeah, this applies. But for the Jews in Nehemiah’s day, the law was very clear and they were committed to obeying that law. Very good. What else? Third, observe the seventh year. Verse 31 tells us that they also promised to forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt. And again… This is a commitment to obey God in every aspect of life, even when it’s hard and even when it requires great faith. Exodus 23, 10 through 11 says that the land was to rest each seventh year. What does that mean? Think about that. No farming in the seventh year at all. No working the land in the seventh year at all. Okay, so how then would they eat during the seventh year? they would trust the Lord who cares for them and who had promised to provide well for them in the sixth year to carry them through the seventh year. Talk about faith. I mean, few things tested their faith and conviction more intensely than this law, but here they are committing themselves to observe it. What does the exacting of every debt mean? Well, Exodus 21 calls for the release of slaves who were slaves because of debts in the seventh year. And then Deuteronomy 15 calls for the cancellation of debts in the seventh year as well. And here we see the goodness and mercy of God, do we not? It was a practical way of demonstrating God’s concern for the poor and for the needy. And here the people are committing to obeying God in this. We saw in chapter 5 that debt had become a great social problem in Jerusalem, and for many at the time, it was the only way for them to survive, going into debt. So many of the people borrowed money, often at exorbitant interest rates, and it brought the people great distress. But canceling these debts in the seventh year… would provide the greatest signal of the people’s devotion to the Lord, especially given the fact that some of these debts would have been considerably large. But still, think what they’re doing. They made this commitment to God, for God’s glory is clearly their priority. Cancel every debt in the seventh year. This too applies, doesn’t it? I mean, what are you living for? Are you living for God’s glory, or are you living for yourself? What are you living for? Jesus said, don’t lay up for yourself treasure on earth where moss and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6, 19 through 21. You see, God must come first. Obeying and honoring God must come first, even above our money, even above our stuff. Even above our comfort, our houses, our cars, everything. Do you trust God? See, will you honor God? Will you obey God even when it’s hard and even when it takes great faith to do so? See, that’s the call and that’s what Israel is doing here. Lord, help us to honor God like that because that matters and that lasts and the other stuff doesn’t. is earthly and fading. Fourth, they committed to being faithful in temple, care, and service. Verse 32. Also, we made ordinances for ourselves to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God. They’re taxing themselves. Who does that? For the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the set feasts. For the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel and all the work of the house of our God. We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God. According to our Father’s houses at the appointed times year by year to burn on the altar of the Lord our God as it’s written in His law. It’s very interesting. Because a specific temple tax like this wasn’t a law at that time, even though it was a precedent. But as the economy became more money-based, financial support for the temple became necessary. I mean, running the temple with its rituals and regular grain offerings and burnt offerings for Sabbaths and festivals and festivals, feasts and so on, all of that required money. And the people are committed to giving that money above and beyond their normal giving to make that happen. One third of a shekel every year, which was an amount that was based on weight, which would allow the ministry of the temple to be conducted appropriately. Now, what was the showbread? The showbread or the bread of the presence was a special bread that was always present on the table in the tabernacle and then later on in the temple. Leviticus 24.5 describes this bread. You shall take fine flour and bake 12 loaves from it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion, as a food offering to the Lord. That’s the show bread, and that bread could only be eaten by Aaron and his sons in a holy place, and that bread was set out every Sabbath day. Well, to supply that bread and to arrange for all the offerings and feasts and workings in the temple, again, all that required money and goods, and the people are committing themselves to making sure that all those things would indeed be done, thus the offering of the third of a shekel. Verse 34 says that they also cast lots for the supply of wood for the altar. See, the law of God states that a fire should continually burn on the altar, Leviticus chapter 6, but it doesn’t specify how the wood for the fire is to be supplied. I mean, that’s a lot of wood every single day. And so here, the people take it upon themselves to set up a system to ensure that the priests have the necessary supply of wood to fulfill this law, along with performing all the other required sacrifices according to the word of God. See what they’re doing? The people are accepting responsibility in providing for the work of the house of God, and they do what was necessary to make all that happen. That applies to us today as well, does it not? I mean, shouldn’t the people of God be acutely mindful and responsible for the needs of the church to carry out the work of the gospel, right? Yes, and a community of believers that loves God will not neglect those responsibilities. See, that makes sense. That applies. Fifth, The people committed to bringing the firstfruits and the firstborn and the firstfruits. Verses 35 through 39. We made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all the fruit of all the trees year by year to the house of the Lord, to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it’s written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flock to the house of the Lord our God, to the priest who minister in the house of our God, to bring the first… It says, For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offerings of the grain of the new wine and the oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are. And we will not, here’s a key, we will not neglect the house of our God. Firstborn and firstfruits were risky ways to give. Because your land might not yield much more produce, and your cow and you might not give birth again. And yet, those first fruits and firstborn belong to God, and they were given to the priests. God promised to bless this giving of the firstfruits and firstborn in faith. As Proverbs 3, 9-10 says, Honor the Lord your God with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase, so your barns may be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. And here’s a question. Do you trust God? I mean, do you really trust God? Will you honor God as first in your life? Not just by what you say, but by what you give, by what you do, by everything. See, the firstfruits were the choicest, and in giving them to the Lord’s house, the Jews signaled the principle that God comes first. Also, the firstborn sons were to be brought to the temple when they were a month old and dedicated to the Lord’s service. In a culture where male sons were regarded with enormous esteem and ensuring the survival of the family name, look, an act in which the firstborn son is taken to the temple and dedicated to the Lord is hugely significant. Does God really come first to you? Does God really come first ahead of your money, your house, your comfort, your ease, your spouse, even your child? Shouldn’t He? What’s the answer? Yes, He should. He should. And true believers understand that, that He is our all in all, He alone. And the people here in Nehemiah 10 are committing themselves to living that out. And they are very good examples for us today. Sixth, the people committed to bringing the tithes and the offerings to God, verses 37b through 39. The word tithe simply means a tenth or ten percent. The tithing system described in the Bible was designed specifically to meet the needs of the religious, economic, and political system of ancient Israel. Each of the twelve tribes of Israel, except the tribe of Levi, initially received an allotment of land in the promised land of Canaan. The Levites were assistants to the priests of Israel, and they were supported by a tithe offering from the other 11 tribes. All families of those 11 tribes were to give a tenth of all produce, flocks, and cattle to the Levites. In turn, the Levites were to give a tenth of that to support the priests, which we see referenced here in verse 38. Now, here in Nehemiah 10… The people are committing themselves to faithfully giving this tithe as was commanded by God so their spiritual leaders would be taken care of and so the worship of the one true God could be carried out successfully by God’s priests and by God’s Levites. So question, what about tithing today? Well, tithing is not commanded for us today. However, sacrificial, although it’s a great principle to go by… Sacrificial, generous, cheerful, and willful giving is commanded, 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Is that how you give? Oh, good. How good is all this? I mean, think about what’s going on. In this covenant, the details and extent of the commitment and sacrifice of the people of Israel is incredible and inspiring. They made promises and oaths that were of a most serious nature. Clearly, religion to them wasn’t a trifling matter. It was more than just a Sunday morning thing for them or Saturday thing for them. It was a life-changing thing for them and it was total in its scope as it should have been. God isn’t secondary to His people. No, He is central. And as we know and believe, He is everything to us. And our lives should reflect that fact in everything we do. And so their children’s marriages, their personal time, their possessions, their money, everything was held in stewardship to the Lord to be used for His glory and for His kingdom. And all that was an expression of of radical repentance on Israel’s part. They were saying this, we are serious about God. He saved us and we love Him and our aim in life is to glorify Him, to worship Him, to obey Him with everything that we do and we aren’t going to play religion any longer. No. Him, Him, Him. It’s all about Him and today we fully commit ourselves to Him. Amen? I mean… Oh, that that would be true of all of us here today in every aspect of our lives. May God speak to our hearts.
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Thanks for joining us for today’s exposition from the Book of Nehemiah on Expository Truths with Dr. John Kyle. We’ll be right back. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.
