Nehemiah Chapter 10

Gone to Mex & Back

“The New Covenant”

May 5, 2019. The 40^th Lincoln Marathon promised to bring a storm of runners into Lincoln, and they would start one mile from where I live. That meant the one-way street, a block away, would close for several hours. The marathon affected almost everyone in Lincoln one way or another, and I was no exception. I was frantic, trying to make plans on how to avoid the long wait at the stoplight to cross the street. Once on the other side of the street, I would need to travel 20 miles for my twin-nephews’ graduation party. This would require some strategic Nehemiah-planning, except I wasn’t letting God give the directions. So far nothing was working out. The posters I ordered for the twin graduates came out fuzzy. I felt overwhelmed by the day before the day even started.

“Breathe,” I reminded myself as I sat down to pray and praise the LORD for all He did for my family this past week. “The LORD has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word.” (Lam. 2:17) I ended my prayer with, “Okay, Jesus. I’d like to make a deal with You. I’ll give You my anxiety for Your joy, and P.S., please direct my steps.” Then off I went to walk the dog and move my car to a different spot, hoping to make a clean escape from the traffic of runners. After all, 10,000 runners take a long time to cross the intersection.

I parked across the street at First Christian Church a.k.a. “my family’s church,” the one I grew up in. Since returning to Lincoln, I split my church time between the Calvary Church and my family’s church. From the time I left my apartment to the time I parked my car, I heard music playing nearby. What a relief to hear compared to the previous day when an annoying voice, instructing the runners, rattled my 8^th floor windows and woke me from my sleep. Reaching the end of the alley, I saw the marathon was in progress, passing in front of my family’s church.

There, outside the doors leading to the sanctuary, six members of the “Torch Team,” were singing and playing their hearts out for the runners. At that moment, my heart changed, and a tear rolled down my cheek as I realized what a beautiful service the Torch Team was providing, praising God and singing about Jesus. At the end of each song, one of the singers encouraged the runners to keep going. The response of the runners ranged from smiles to waving as they passed, definitely pumped up. I, too, was pumped up as my attitude took a turn. The dog and I ran home to retrieve my camera. I spent the next hour taking pictures and videos of the runners and the singers.   

My morning anxiety definitely turned into joy. I came away with a greater appreciation for the marathon runners. According to the apostle Paul, (Heb. 12:1) life is all about running the race of faith. I was thankful the LORD had directed my steps to the front of the church. Overall, it was a very strange, powerful, and blessed day. I participated in the marathon, and later in my nephews’ graduation reception. In late afternoon, a tornado swept the outer edges of Lincoln, destroying cars, trees and buildings.

What I learned is when I throw a mental tornadic tantrum, whining and complaining which amounts to anxiety capable of destroying my peace of mind, beware. Satan is trying to block the spiritual lesson God wants me to learn.

That evening as I read Psalm 111, it summed up my day and verse 5 provided a perfect introduction to Nehemiah, Chapter 10. “He will ever be mindful of His covenant.” 

For sure, when we pray, “LORD, direct my steps,” anything can happen.

NEH 10: DAY 37 READY, SET, READ!

Section I:  The People Who Sealed the Covenant

1 Now those who placed their seal on the document were:

Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and 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, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

9 The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel. 10 Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodijah, 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 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

The first thing the Israelites did were to line up in order of their position in the community. Nehemiah took his place at the head of the line. With his distinct seal, he pressed it into soft clay, leaving his imprint. The clay was used the same way wax is used to seal a letter, with a distinct mark identifying the sender. Next, the 21 priests signed. Ezra’s signature was missing. He may have been excluded because he was not head of a household. The Levites who signed were later named as heads of the orders of the Levites, then 44 political leaders signed. The lay people who signed included the gatekeepers, the singers, and Nethinim. Others who distanced themselves from those people of the land also set their seal in the clay.

Section II: The Covenant That Was Sealed

28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— 29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our LORD, and His ordinances and His statutes:

30 We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 31 if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt.

The people no longer needed a nudge from Nehemiah. They promised not to allow their children to intermarry with the peoples of the land, and not to buy grain from the peoples of the land on the Sabbath day or a holy day; and finally the Israelites pledged to let their land rest every seven years, and debtors were released from their debts.

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: 33 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. 34 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 fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law.

At first the people counted on Nehemiah to set things in order. Nehemiah prompted them to take responsibility of putting someone in charge of taking care of the wood offering.

35 And we made ordinances to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; 36 to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37 to bring the first fruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 

This is what God had told them to do when they were in Canaan after dividing up the land by lots. The Levites were not given any land. Instead, the tithes of the land were to go to the Levites. God told Aaron that He, the LORD Himself, would be Aaron’s portion.

38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.

39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering 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 neglect the house of our God.

NEH 10: DAY 38 CLASS NOTES & CONNECTIONS

At the end of Chapter 9, the people declared they would make a new covenant with God. At first, I thought, “What do they mean? New covenant? Only God can make or break a covenant, so for six months, I’ve turned this chapter upside-down and inside-out to understand the significance of man-made ordinances and covenants verses God’s covenant. As I studied Chapter 10, I realized the new covenant written by the Israelites would have to be a copy of the one Moses handed down. The Israelites had broken every commandment, ordinance, and statue that God gave Moses. The result was captivity. They repented, cried to God, and through His mercy, their captivity ended.

Chapter 10 is about the Israelites vowing they would follow God’s commandments and do all the things written in the book of Moses. Eventually, those vows were replaced by man-made laws demanding that people follow tradition to a “T.” In other words, tradition mattered more about how people performed instead of why people performed. When people become tradition-blind, they no longer see the reason behind the tradition.

From Chapter 10 we learn about church leadership and management which is summed up in one sentence. “And we will not neglect the house of our God.” (Neh. 10:39) Those man-made ordinances and laws incorporated into the signing of their “new covenant” could be construed as the people’s constitutional laws of the church.

Eight Terms Used to Describe God’s Law

The last half of Nehemiah changes focus from the rebuilding of the physical wall to the rebuilding of the spiritual person. The following terms are referenced throughout the Bible. They are best explained in the NKJV Study Bible and Psalm 119.

• Commandments are a distinct, authoritative order.
• Judgments are a binding law, judicial decision.
• Precepts are an injunction or requirement; a commandment.
• Statutes are things inscribed, enacted laws.
• Testimonies refer to ordinances; God’s standard of conduct according to the Ten Commandments.
• Way is the pattern of life required by God’s law.
• Word is a general term for God’s revelation.
• Covenant is God’s enduring promise and blessing upon man and earth.

The Covenant that was Sealed (Vs. 28) Verses 28-39 are all about the promises the Israelites made regarding their new covenant. From the text, we learn about the curses and oaths, including a promise not to allow intermarriage, and more promises to keep their man-made and God-made ordinances. Once again the Israelites were of one mind. Pleasing God became their number one priority.

What Exactly is a Covenant? 

In Genesis 9, God said, “The rainbow shall be in the clouds, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” That was the Noahic Covenant, then God made the Abrahamic, Mosasic, and Davidic covenants. Jesus, the first and the last of God’s Covenants, came to replace the old. Just as the Mosaic laws were given to teach the Israelites how to live as God’s holy people so they could have a relationship with Him, Jesus came down as the Word made flesh to establish a relationship with us. Before leaving, He promised to send the Holy Spirit who would teach us how to live.

Two Covenants, Two Sons

In the book of Galatians, chapter 4:21, Apostle Paul explains the differences between following the commandments of men and the commandments of God. He said there are two promises, two covenants representing the two sons of Abraham.

• One son was born to his bondswoman, Hagar. The one who was born of the bondswoman was born of flesh. Remember, Sarah doubted that she would ever have a son, so she told Abraham, “Here, take my servant, Hagar,” and from that union came Ishmael.
• The other son, Isaac was one borne of the free woman, Sarah, through promise. God had promised Abraham in Genesis 15:3.

“Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them . . . So shall your descendants be.”

The son born of the flesh persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, the prophecy and promise of God. Paul reminds us that our spiritual enemy, even in the flesh, is zealous to court us with distractions and promises. When we fall for those tricks, we end up placing too much importance in man-made ordinances or laws.

The Difference between a “Curse and an Oath” (Vs. 29) 

The children of Israel entered into a curse and an oath to obey God and to walk in the laws that God gave Moses, and to observe and do all commandments and His statutes (the Whole Law). Oaths are the same as a spoken promise, not to be broken. An oath is intended for everyone to observe and do according to all the commandments, ordinances and statutes of the LORD.

On the other hand, curses are the result of a broken oath, the opposite of a blessing when things fall apart, the weather turns bad and crops died, plagues wipe out livestock, children are taken into captivity. Deuteronomy 28 gives more details about curses and what types of crimes or iniquities warrant a curse. In Chapter 5, after dressing-down the rulers and officials who took advantage of their poor countrymen, Nehemiah also required an oath from the priests to make sure this didn’t happen again. He included a curse to make sure they took him seriously. “Then, I shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promises. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”

The Jesus Connection:  Galatians 3:10-13

When Apostle Paul was in Galatia, he explained to the new Christians how Jesus had saved them from the law. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). 

The Promise Not to Marry Non-Jews (Vs. 30

Earlier, those who signed the covenant did not include men and women who had not separated themselves from the people of the land. Men, women and their families who understood why a new covenant was needed, promised to obey all of God’s laws. They agreed not to give their daughters as wives to the peoples of the land nor take their daughters for their sons. We covered some of that in Chapter 1. King Solomon married women from other lands to promote peace and trade. While living in Jerusalem, Solomon allowed his wives to worship their goddesses in the high places. The same thing happened with the Israelites. In captivity, the Jewish men married daughters and sisters of their captors, then began to practice the religion of their enemies. When God restored them to their homeland, they signed the covenant swearing it would never happen again.

The Three Pledges (Vs. 31)

The covenant also reinforced three promises that the Israelites should have been keeping, but their captivity prevented them from following through. Ironically, their captivity had been brought about because of their failure to follow God’s commandments in the first place.

• Financial promises, a pledge to not buy wares or grain on the Sabbath day, or on any holy day. This was important, if you recall Chapter 5. The wall was completed, but the gates still needed to be hung. Nehemiah insisted on having the watchmen keep the salesmen out of the city until the late afternoon. It was a technique meant to discourage outsiders from setting up a place to sell their wares on Sunday.
• One of God’s commandments was to allow the land to rest and restrain from planting crops every seven years. It’s what we know as land management. For 70 years, the captive Israelites were unable to work their land or produce crops. Now free, they promised God that they would once again forego the seventh year’s produce.
• They pledged to forgive everyone their debt. This was not a new concept. In fact, it was outlined in the Law of the Book of Moses. In Chapter 5, Nehemiah told the rulers and leaders to call a truce on promises to pay the temple tax to help pay/defray worship expenses. Thanks to Christ, we are no longer under charging interest rates. They agreed to return any money they’d collected from the Israelites. At that time, Nehemiah reinstated the Year of Jubilee, freedom from debt and forgiveness of debtors. They made it official by including it in the new document.

Four Promises to Obey the Word of God (Vs. 32-39) 

• The Israelites promised to give according to old law. Yet, the early Christians recognized the church as a cooperative and they wanted to pool everything from food to finances to care for the needs of the church. In Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and his wife literally dropped dead after holding back money from the sale of their land. It wasn’t because they withheld the money, but because they had lied to God about having given all. Today, out of love for Christ and our fellow Christians, many give financial offerings and donations to support the upkeep of the church and church-sponsored programs or missionaries.
• They promised to provide a wood offering to burn on the altar of the LORD. Nehemiah made this the business of the people. He appears to be weaning the people from their dependency on him as a leader. Providing the wood offering was no small task if you consider the population of Jerusalem, plus the outlying areas, and the laws requiring burnt offerings and sacrifices during appointed times and feasts. They cast lots to appoint someone to bring in the wood.
• They made an ordinance to give one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of God and related offerings. By doing this, they were going beyond the call of duty.

• To recognize the LORD as landowner, they promised to bring the first fruits of the ground and fruit to the LORD, firstborn of sons and cattle, herds and flocks to the house of God and priests who minister.

The Breakable Promise vs. the Unbreakable

From the time Jesus started His ministry to the time He was arrested and tried, the Pharisees and Sanhedrin and Jewish rulers rejected His teachings. They criticized Him and His disciples for not following the traditions of their fathers, giving Jesus a hard time for picking grain, healing on a Sunday, and for His disciples not washing their hands before they ate. While the Pharisees shook their heads at Jesus for disobeying “tradition,” Jesus, as God in the flesh, elaborated on having a clean heart, not clean hands. He reminded them "The Sabbath was made for man; not men for the Sabbath." And, he told them, His yoke was easier and his burden light.

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After I read that verse a hundred times about his “yoke being light” I still wondered what Jesus meant. Finally, I understood. Those who followed Him and believed in Him were no longer under the old law because He was the New Covenant; the Old was overridden by the New, but the Pharisees and teachers thought the old ways were better, when in actuality, the old traditions were much harder to follow.

That’s what Jesus wanted His disciples and the self-righteous Pharisees to understand: “My yoke is easy.” Love replaced the law.

The Pharisees were too tradition-blind to accept the fact that Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise made by God, and that the Christ cancelled out mankind’s debts and sins, thereby abolishing the old laws and covenant. Until His resurrection, however, the Israelites were bound by the old laws.

Because of Christ, we are no longer bound to the old covenants drawn up by God. Christ did not come to burden us, but to unburden us. Through Him we have freedom and liberty, but it doesn’t mean ignore the man-made laws; be respectful of them. Pay your taxes, and drive the speed limit, etc. We have laws according to man and laws according to God.

As far as following traditional by-laws, rules, covenants, and ordinances, Jesus showed us how to keep man-made laws, as well as giving us new commandments to follow:

• “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment." (Matt. 12:30)
• “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Matt. 12:31)
• "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)

“A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.” (Psa. 111:10)

There are other commands Jesus gave His disciples, but He didn’t come right out and say, “I command that you do this.” He never bullied, threatened, or beat anyone over the head with His words, but taught them through stories, parables, scripture, repetition, questions, and by example.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. 

I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matt. 5:17) 

          The point? Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promise. He is the New Covenant. Unlike man-made promises forgotten before the next sun rise, when God makes a promise, He provides a way to fulfill it. While nations make covenants and treaties that are easily broken; God’s word stands forever. After the Israelites came under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylon king, God announced His plans to break that yoke and restore Israel and Judah. His people, He said, would no longer be enslaved by foreigners.

          (Jer. 30:8-9) “But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” True to His word, God raised up the Messiah from David’s line.

          (Jer. 31:31) God told Jeremiah to tell the people, “Behold the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and the house of Judah.” He promised to put His law in their minds and hearts, and to remember their sin no more. Fourteen generations after King David, Jesus fulfilled that prophecy.

          (Matt. 26:28) During the Last Supper, Jesus took a cup of wine, held it up, gave thanks, and told His disciples, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” When Christ called out from the cross, “It is finished,” the Old Covenant was put to death.

Christ compared the New Covenant to pouring new wine into old wineskins. The wineskin would burst because the two teachings were incompatible.

NEH 10: DAY 39 NEHEMIAH & ME

Aug. 30, 2017  Growing Complacent

Time for renewal and think about rebuilding. What? Again? It’s too easy to become complacent, growing older, hurting, living here with a lot of other complacent seniors. When we become complacent, we become ghosts, no dreams. No dances, no goals to move forward.

When I moved to Rosarito, besides spending time with Claire, David, and my grandkids, I wanted to write, and spend more time worshiping and getting to know my heavenly Father and the Lamb of God and scriptures. Great ideas, but depression made me complacent. When I became complacent, I looked around and couldn’t see anything that needed rebuilding. We are blinded by the indifference of complacency. I pursued pain relief and entertainment. Now I look around and spiritually I know it’s time to get back on the wall to continue rebuilding and renewing my body, renewing relationships, and life, and fulfilling any vows I’ve made to God.

In 1972, on the road to Jamaica, when my life and my two companions’ lives were threatened, I prayed for help, “O God, save us, and I will serve You for the rest of my life.” So that vow actually continues to be unfulfilled, because I have not come to the end of my life yet. Now that my children are grown, I’m retired, I can serve God in many capacities.

Let me not grow complacent, LORD, and think everything is finished or complete, like Dr. Bosworth and Dr. Chuck assured me three months after my hip surgery, I was well enough to do anything & I interpreted it as no more home therapy. Ha! That attitude set me back. I’d better not think everything is done that I can do and I’m finished because if I’m finished and my 1972 vow is fulfilled, then I must be dead. But wait stop! Christ gave me the gift of eternal life.

Life is a race (as Paul said in Heb. 12). We can run the race, stopping at stations along the way for First Aid (Holy Spirit aid), water (Jesus is our Living Water) but we’d better not sit down in the middle of the road, and declare the race is finished. The only One who can say, “It is finished,” is Jesus when He gave up His spirit on the cross. So, LORD, I still have rebuilding to do. My life is just beginning.

Dec. 4, 2017  Devo, Sunday

       All day Saturday I baked cookies and made wreaths and trimmed my little tree for Christmas, I look back now and feel I was an infinity away from You, LORD. Just a thought away from You makes me lonely and feeling I am separated, no matter how good the cookies were.

       This morning I read Psa. 65 and 66. Psa. 66 especially describes this morning.

      (Vs. 10) For You, O God, have tested us. You have refined us as silver is refined.

      (Vs. 12) But You brought us out to rich fulfillment, I WILL PAY YOU MY VOWS, which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.

      (Vs. 20) Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.

May 20, 2018  Promises

Psalm 147, Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. Melissa Hanson, visiting in Rosarito, messaged that on Sat. night in Santa Cruz, 45 people raised their hand to come to the LORD! 21 met with Michael after church! After reading that message on Messenger, I turned randomly to Micah 4:1. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. 

Consider these are the latter days, and peoples are flowing to Santa Cruz. What more can I write?!

March 15, 2019  Things to Give Up for Lent

This morning I touched on several Advent/Easter vows. I’m thinking of giving up counting time, temperature, money, and lists. I’m finally realizing lists bring on my anxiety. Yes, LORD, I know we had this discussion before.

 Recovering from my heart attack while at South Lake, I was unable to do much. Then I accepted it as God’s Will to sit back, wait, and be still (Lam. 3). Do not let me be trapped by my own plans or disappointed in lack of my accomplishments. Let my will be Your will. I know Nehemiah made plans, but he looked to You for help and approval. Nehemiah needed a plan so he could be ready with an answer for the king about the rebuilding. Ouch. I haven’t thought about that rebuilding plan for a long time. It’s not like I graduated, it’s more like I’ve been distracted. Teach me to stay on track.

       “The plans of man are on his heart, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Prov. 16:3)

March 19, 2019  OATHS vs. VOWS 

Jesus says, (Matt. 5:33) “As said of Old, you shall not swear falsely, but I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven for it is God’s throne, nor by the earth . . . Let your “yes” be “yes.”

(Isaiah 46) “I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath . . ."

April 19, 2019  The Changeless Promise

The New Covenant began the night of the Passover when Jesus poured wine into the cup and told His disciples it was “The New Covenant in my blood.” The history behind the Passover was when the Israelites were told to paint their door frames with the blood of a lamb so the Angel of Death would pass over their houses while the first born of the Egyptians from livestock to Pharaoh’s household died. After that, Pharaoh let God’s people go.

I learned today that on Passover there is always a full moon. Early early this morning the brilliant light of the moon woke me and I thought the angels and hosts of heaven were celebrating Good Friday. Of course, I had to get up and take pictures of the illuminated clouds and moon. Afterward, I read several passages about baptism, and was still thinking about Chapter 10 and Old Covenants vs. the New Covenant. I turned randomly to Galatians 3:15, “The Changeless Promise.” Very interesting how Paul spoke of man-made covenants verses God’s promise to Abraham and His seed (Jesus Christ).

Paul asked, “What purpose does the law serve?” Old covenant traditions were abolished by the New Covenant, meaning we are no longer bound by tradition. Through Christ came freedom from those things the Pharisees were always criticizing others for breaking the law.

May 5, 2019  Welcome Home Warren!

The other news I learned before leaving my apartment that morning was my friend and mentor, Dr. Warren Wiersbe, had gone to be with the LORD on May 2. Dr. Wiersbe was just a few days away from celebrating his 90^th birthday. I was happy for him, knowing he was welcomed into heaven. He was a marathon writer and Bible scholar, someone I felt very fortunate to have known. While I considered the works of Dr. Wiersbe’s hands, I had a conversation with the LORD about a covenant. The Israelites were excited by the reading of the Law of Moses and the Levites’ prayer; they wanted to sign a covenant to let God know they were serious about keeping His law. I, too, am excited about my promise to write more about God, less about me.

YOUR TURN!  Here's a suggestion: Describe a time you were lost or had a scare that someone with you was lost. How did you find your way out of that situation? Compare it to a time when you felt spiritually lost.

NEH 10: DAY 40 PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICE

INSPIRATIONAL VERSE: NEH 10:39  And we will not neglect the house of our God.

At last, the Israelites are able to stand on their own feet (with God’s help, of course). The wall is finished; the people celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles and confessed their sins individually and as a nation. They drew up a new covenant pledging to take care of the needs of the temple, the worship team, the Levites, and the priests. Not only do they promise to keep God’s house in pristine condition, they go beyond their required duties. They create ordinances that include stocking the temple’s storehouse with additional first fruits, wines, and other items. This covenant was a reminder of the days when the temple was the center of Jerusalem and brought life to the community. Then a succession of “bad kings” took what they wanted from the temple treasury to pay other nations for protection.

How the Temple Lost its Treasures  

          Once upon a time, Israel was one nation governed by one king, who either did good or bad in the eyes of God. After the split, there were two houses or two kingdoms consisting of Israel and Judah. According to 2 Kings, chapters 17-19, Ahaz and his son, Hezekiah were kings of Judah, from David’s line. King Ahaz did not do right in the eyes of the LORD and practiced idolatry and abominations like passing his children through the fire. In an attempt to pay off or barter with the King of Assyria, Ahaz took silver and gold from the House of the LORD and even took apart the carts and pavilion around the temple.

The Israelites who lived in Samaria were under the reign of Hoshea, King of Israel. Hoshea, conniving and evil, led his people astray and followed the ways of their captors. Prior to Assyria’s takeover of Samaria, “The children of Israel secretly did against the LORD their God, things that were not right . . .” (2 Kings 17:9). They were pretty sure God couldn’t see them worshiping in dark corners as if anyone could hide from God. Ask Jonah.

The King of Assyria took Samaria and removed the Israelites, then allowed other tribes to occupy Samaria. Those tribes had a big problem with the lions that God sent, so they figured they should learn about God’s ways. The Assyrian king sent a priest from the Israelites to instruct the people from Persia on how to worship the one True God. However, the people continued to practice their religious beliefs while they also worshipped God on the mountain, not in the temple. As a result, God rejected Israel’s descendants. They became the hated “Samaritans” that the Jewish people wanted nothing to do with. Remember, how the disciples were aghast when they found Christ at the well in Samaria, talking to a woman? Another time, Christ told the parable of the “Good Samaritan.” God does not forget His people. Christ came for all of us, not for just a few people or nations or tribes. The nation of Judah was spared God’s rejection because they continued to follow the statutes of Israel the same as it was when it was one nation. This was happening around 725-722 BC.

But oh, the rich history of the people! Drama, drama, drama! Wars, threats, prayers and prophecies, kings, conquests, captivity and deliverance.

 This whole Ahaz, bad king thing, was one of the reasons the treasury had to be restocked after the temple was rebuilt, and worship reinstated by Nehemiah!

 On a good note, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, proved to be a good king in the eyes of the LORD. And his son proved to be an even better king.

Nehemiah & Me has been about rebuilding our spiritual wall within ourselves and our community. In fact, the LORD provides us with gifts and talents to share with others while we’re working on restoring His church. Ask the Father to help you restore your church, whether the one you physically attend, or the inner church. We should perform spiritual maintenance just as we should perform maintenance on the physical church.

Don’t be afraid to contribute to the care of your church, or to be involved or excited. The Israelites took pride in sealing their new covenant so they could get on with the business of caring for the house of God. Did their good intentions last? Stay tuned for Chapter 11.

 THE JESUS CONNECTION below is a prophecy that was fulfilled by the birth of the Messiah. God asked King Ahaz what he wanted; the bad king took a step back, and said, “No way, I’m not going to answer that question; I don’t want anything from God.” Our amazing God would know that would be Ahaz’s answer. Ahaz represents those who are afraid of the power of God, especially if it’s directed at them. Perhaps Ahaz knew he was a sinful man, a frightened disobedient king who stole from the temple treasures, so maybe God wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him. Wishful thinking. But God already had a plan.

THE JESUS CONNECTION: Isaiah 7

During the reign of the King Ahaz, Isaiah the Prophet said to Ahaz, “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” But Ahaz, out of arrogance, said he would not ask nor test the LORD, so Isaiah accused the king of wearying God. 

Isaiah declared, “Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name, Immanuel.” 

Long before this whole division thing resulting in two nations, God had promised Jacob and David that the Messiah would come from their line, the Lion of Judah.