Nehemiah · chapter 10 of 13
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Nehemiah 10 lists those who sealed the covenant, beginning with Nehemiah the governor, followed by priests, Levites and leaders, and describes the commitments of the people: to walk in God's law, not to give their daughters to the peoples of the land, to keep the Sabbath and the seventh year, to contribute to the temple service and to bring the firstfruits and tithes, so as not to neglect the house of God.
This chapter is the practical answer to the confession of chapter 9. The people do not only repent: they sign a covenant with concrete commitments that touch daily life, family, rest, money and worship. It serves as a model for how a spiritual renewal turns into habits and decisions.
The chapter begins with the signatures on the covenant. First signs Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and then a number of priests, Levites and leaders of the people, each by name. The list includes the priests, the Levites and the heads of families who sign on behalf of all.
The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the land to follow the law of God, with their wives, sons and daughters who could understand, join their brothers the nobles. They enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law given through Moses, and to observe and do all the commandments, rules and statutes of the Lord.
They promise not to give their daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for their sons. If the peoples bring goods or grain on the Sabbath, they will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. In the seventh year they will let the land rest and forgive every debt. They also take on the duty of giving each year a third of a shekel for the service of the house of God: the showbread, the regular offering, the burnt offerings, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the feasts and the sin offerings.
They cast lots for the wood offering, so that each year a family brings it to the altar at the appointed times. They commit to bring the firstfruits of the ground and of every fruit, the firstborn of their sons and livestock, to the house of God, to the priests. They will also bring the firstfruits of the dough, the contributions, the fruit of the trees, the wine and the oil, and the tithes of the ground for the Levites. The chapter closes with the declaration: we will not neglect the house of our God.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
All the people join their brothers the nobles and bind themselves with an oath to walk in God's law given through Moses and to keep all his commandments. The covenant embraces the whole community, not just the leaders.
They pledge not to give their daughters to the peoples of the land or take theirs for their sons. The commitment seeks to protect faithfulness to the Lord in a time of risk of idolatry.
They promise not to buy goods on the Sabbath or on a holy day, and to let the land rest in the seventh year. Keeping the Sabbath was a sign of trust in God as provider, even at the cost of losing profit.
The chapter ends with a key phrase: we will not neglect the house of our God. The commitment is summed up in something concrete: caring for worship with the resources and time of each family.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah. — Nehemiah 10:1
Answer: To walk in God's law given through Moses and to keep all his commandments, rules and statutes. — Nehemiah 10:29
Answer: Not to give their daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for their sons. — Nehemiah 10:30
Answer: Not to buy goods or grain from the peoples on the Sabbath or on a holy day. — Nehemiah 10:31
Answer: A third of a shekel. — Nehemiah 10:32
Answer: We will not neglect the house of our God. — Nehemiah 10:39
Nehemiah 10 shows that faith becomes concrete in commitments. The people did not merely get emotional on hearing the law: they wrote down how they would live it in marriage, rest, money and worship. In a Sunday school class you can ask what concrete commitments you could make in light of what you study, and how to help one another keep them.
The closing phrase is a good motto for a congregation: we will not neglect the house of our God. It means attending, serving, giving and praying consistently. Today it is no longer a stone temple but a community. Ask what small neglects have drawn you away from it, and what practical decision you can make this week.
Nehemiah 10 ends with the commitment to sustain the house of God. Chapter 11 shows another practical decision: casting lots so that one out of ten families settles in Jerusalem, which had walls but few inhabitants.
Because these were areas where the people had failed before and where the law of Moses gave clear instructions. The Sabbath expressed trust in God as provider, and the tithes and firstfruits supported the priests and Levites who served in the temple. The covenant sought to make daily life reflect faithfulness to the Lord.
It was the wood needed to keep the fire of the altar of burnt offering burning. Since there was no fixed supply, the people cast lots so that each year a different family would bring it at appointed times. It is an example of how small tasks were shared so that no one was left out.