Nehemiah 10:1-39

Commitments are an important part of our spiritual growth and our walk with the Lord.  The natural outflow of our study of God’s Word should involve the making of commitments before the Lord to make changes in our lives that will reflect the teachings of Scripture.  This is what the children of Israel who returned from exile did when they returned to the land and were exposed to the Scripture.  Too often we read the Word of God simply for the purpose of information and not for the purpose of transformation.  We must be diligent students of God’s Word and seek to understand it fully but all of our studies and understanding will only create pride in our hearts if we do not commit ourselves to the process of change that the Word of God requires of our lives.

GOD REMEMBERS THOSE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO HIM: There is a long list of names of the people who wrote and signed the covenant that the leaders of the people of Israel were making to God.  All of their names are recorded forever in the Scriptures and are obviously remembered by the Lord.  The same is true today.  The commitments and covenants that we make today are never forgotten by the Lord even if we come to forget them or fail to keep them.  We must not make our commitments hastily or take them lightly.


WE MUST REMEMBER THE COMMITMENTS WE MAKE TO HIM: The people were challenged by their study of Scripture and moved to repentance.  They were truly committed to making drastic changes in their lives in accordance with what they had learned.  However, they apparently also recognized that they could easily forget these commitments so they took the time to write them down and sign them individually.  They promised to prevent idolatry in the land by not intermarrying with the people of the land.  They promised to worship the Lord by setting aside one day a week to rest from their work and focus on worship.  They promised to trust in the Lord by obeying His instruction to let the land rest every seventh year.  They promised to take their sin seriously by offering regular sacrifices for their sin in accordance with the instruction of Scripture.  They promised to contribute generously and regularly of all of their produce in order to support the house of the Lord and those who serve there.  The commitments we make to the Lord should accurately reflect our understanding of Scripture and should impact ever area of our lives.  We must be careful to record our commitments and keep them and not simply let them slip from our minds and our hearts because God will never forget them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more