Bible Commentaries
Nehemiah 10

Verses 1-39

Chapter 10

Now these words were sealed and these people signed the covenant, starting with Nehemiah, the governor. And it gives the names of the leaders who signed the covenant.

And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; they clave to their brethren, their nobles, and they entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes ( Nehemiah 10:28-29 );

So this is the covenant they made. And they by a curse, you know, "Cursed be the man that fails to do it and all." And they said, "Yes, we'll do it." When they bound their hearts together and in determination, "We're going to serve God. We're going to follow Him. We're going to keep His commandments that we've read in His law."

We will not give our daughters to the people of the land, nor will we take their daughters for our sons: and if the people of the land bring any of their merchandise or food on the sabbath day to sell it to us, we will not buy it from them on the sabbath day, or on the holy days: that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt ( Nehemiah 10:30-31 ).

So they'll keep the Sabbath-year law in that they will forgive every debt in the seventh year as was commanded in the law of Moses. And also that they'll allow the land to just not be planted or cultivated in the seventh year. Give the land its rest. Actually, you remember they were seventy years in captivity in Babylon that the land might have its rest, for they have been in the land for 490 years and they did not keep the seventh day or the seventh-year Sabbath for the land. So God said, "I'm going to give the land the Sabbath that you didn't give it. I'll keep you out of it for seventy years so that the land will have its seventy Sabbaths that it's missed." Now they said, "We'll keep it." And the exaction of every debt.

We also made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God ( Nehemiah 10:32 );

So we'll all give this money that the house of God might be maintained, that they might have the showbread, the meal offerings, continual burnt offerings, and all of the Sabbath offerings, new moons, and set feasts, and so forth. And so we'll all... we all covenant we're going to support the house of God and the worship in the house of God.

And we will bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD: also the firstborn of our sons, our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds, the flocks, to bring to the house of God, and the priests that minister in the house of our God: and that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough ( Nehemiah 10:35-37 ),

And no, that's not your money, but your bread dough that they made.

and the offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithes ( Nehemiah 10:37-38 ).

"And so we'll just commit. Lord, we're going to follow You. We're going to keep Your law. We're going to keep all your commandments and statutes. We're not going to... we're going to keep the Sabbath day law. We're not going to buy on the Sabbath day. We're going to keep the seventh year. We're going to start keeping up the house of God and the worship and so forth." It was the heart of the people to covenant, "Lord, we're going to be Your people again. We're going to serve You.' "