Nehemiah 10
United We Stand

Gospelcom Bible Gateway

"¹ Now those who placed their seal on the document were:Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, ²Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ³Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, ⁴Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, ⁵Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, ⁶Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, ⁷Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, ⁸Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.⁹The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, and Kadmiel.¹⁰Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, ¹¹Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹²Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, ¹³Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu. ¹⁴The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, ¹⁵Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, ¹⁶Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, ¹⁷Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, ¹⁸Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, ¹⁹Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, ²⁰Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, ²¹Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, ²²Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, ²³Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, ²⁴Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, ²⁵Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, ²⁶Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, ²⁷Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.²⁸Now 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-- ²⁹these 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: ³⁰We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; ³¹if 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.³²Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: ³³for 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. ³⁴We 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. ³⁵And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; ³⁶to 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; ³⁷to bring the firstfruits 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. ³⁸And 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. ³⁹For 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."

INTRODUCTION:

A. A tremenadous togetherness and unity exist within this chapter mixed with a humility in serving God

B. Comapre Nehemiah 5:1 and 5:6 with Nehemiah 8:1, 13; 9:1, 9:38

C. Notice the change in the people and their unity

D. A solemn public covenant is made in Chapter 9 and spelled out in Chapter 10 but before it is, all 84 names are spelled out and put into Scripture

E. 28-39 is the covenant

F. 84 names, nobles, leaders plus a host of others that did not make a public signing.

G. "The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings"

H. Perhaps tonight is a new beginning in your life

I. Indivudals are listexd to show the emphasis on the community and that they are all together with one heart and mind and their is unity within the community. It is not about those who signed.

J. Not only has the wall been built, and all the people have signed but that they are all cooperating beutifully together.

K. Tonight we will discuss four facets of unity

I. Unity based Scripturally (28-29)

A. Who were the Nethinim?

B. What was this group affected by? (Ezra reading from the Law of God

C. Read Hebrews 4. It is illustrated in Nehemiah 8-10

D. Read Deut 29:10-13

E. It could be that this is what caused them to want to make this covenant now

F. This is the right kind of unity. It is based upon Scripture.

II. Unity with accountability

A. This was done as a public proclamation in the sight of others as a solemn vow

B. Why was this?

1. We have this propensity that we will go astray and be taken captive

2. If we are going to take this seriously we need to have both a verbal, written and public proclamation so that we will be accountable to one another

3. How is accountability different when it is done publically?

III. Unity affects the Family

A. Marriage (30)

B. Keeping of the Sabbath (31)

IV. Unity touches our finances (32-39)

A. How do you personally treat your finances?

B. It is a barometer of our spirituality

APPLICATION:

1. Reflect upon how you live your life. Is it scirpturally based?

2. Look at those areas of your life that are without accountability that needs it and establish accountability with others

3. Review your use of finances and how it is being distributed. What needs to be adjusted so that you are biblical (Read Matthew 6:33)

MEMORY VERSE: Nehemiah 10:28-30

^"28Now 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-- ²⁹these 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"