May 24, 2025, Nehemiah 10:1-39
May 24, 2025, Nehemiah 10:1-39
10 “On
the seals are the names of Nehemiah the governor, the son of
Hacaliah, Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah,
Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush,
Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth,
Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam,
Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these
are the priests. 9 And the Levites: Jeshua the
son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10 and
their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica,
Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah,
Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The
chiefs of the people: 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, Baanah.
28 “The
rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the
temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of
the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who
have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with
their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to
walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe
and do all the commandments of the Lord our
Lord and his rules and his statutes. 30 We will not
give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our
sons. 31 And if the peoples of the land bring in
goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the
Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year
and the exaction of every debt.
32 “We also
take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a
shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for
the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt
offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things,
and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the
house of our God. 34 We, the priests, the Levites,
and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it
into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times
appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written
in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring
the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree,
year by year, to the house of the Lord; 36 also
to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of
our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in
the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and
to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every
tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house
of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is
the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And
the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites
receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to
the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For
the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of
grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are,
as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the
singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.”
I love the commitments the
Israelites make to God and the pronouncement of their obligations to God. This
passage also helps me realize how seriously God takes our commitments to Him.
When I say to someone, “I will pray for you.”, and then I do not, I have lied
to God and my friend. Think about your commitments to God.
Have you fallen short in
some way? Did you ask God for forgiveness?
Debbie Walker
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