As discussed in the previous article, the Israelite people made a commitment to God in the time of Nehemiah. They had previously gotten away from God (and had faced the consequences), but had the chance – as we do – to return to God and make a new promise to follow Him.
“The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand— all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.
Nehemiah 10:28-29 NIV
FYI: verse 29 might sound a little redundant in the NIV, but it refers to God by His name (Yahweh, or – we might say – the “I AM” – denoted by LORD in all-caps), and it attests that He – specifically – is these people’s Lord (master, king, ruler).
Here, we find the essence of the commitment being made by the people to God (their Lord).
- Who? It sounds like pretty much everybody else who didn’t formally sign (or “seal”) the document is joining in with their commitment to do what it says.
- What? Follow the law of Moses (which, as has been pointed out by others, is really the law of God, who gave it through Moses), as well as God’s other various instructions.
- How? “A curse and an oath” (v.29). We might normally make a promise first, and then reinforce that with what should happen to us if we break that promise. It sounds like the people here reversed the order of those things.
Note that these people include those “who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God” (verse 28). This stands in contrast to the people who had previously joined themselves with surrounding nations through marriage. [Ref. Ezra 9-10] Perhaps more significantly, though, it sounds like these people who had separated themselves had also physically made themselves holy (which means “set apart”), as they observed a division between themselves and nations around them.
This commitment from the people is a great example of the holiness that God calls us (since followers of Jesus are also His people) to practice. When we meet together as Christians, we may not act perfectly, but we often physically leave a world that is opposed to God, and enter into an environment where we can be together in His name and in Jesus’ presence (see Matthew 18:19-20). Our hearts and our lives should also remain set apart from the sin that has persisted in this world since the Fall.
Like these people in Nehemiah’s time who separated themselves from pagan nations, I hope that each of us will also set ourselves apart and keep ourselves holy. This does not keep us from inviting and welcoming others from a fallen world into the family of God, nor does it preclude us from interacting with and inviting others to the better life that Jesus offers, but it does mean that we diligently strive to keep from becoming a “card-carrying member” of the world of sin.
I think that it is good to remind ourselves of the importance of being holy on a regular basis. We must set ourselves apart from a sinful world, and keep ourselves separate from it. The paradox of being holy while living here (with bodies that aren’t yet redeemed) is a challenge, but one that we must work on daily.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 26, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, February 26, 2023, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Ezra-Nehemiah, by Keith Schoville. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 