The Agreement of The People

Nehemiah 10:1–31
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On the basis of their repentance and prayer mentioned in 9:38, the people made an agreement with God. The agreement was signed and sealed, and the first twenty-seven verses of this chapter list eighty-four people who put their seal on this covenant. Many other citizens subscribed to this covenant (v. 28) individually, including wives and children, who didn’t have the legal right to sign it.  Nehemiah was the first person to sign this document. No doubt he is conscious of the fact that he is a leader of the community and wants to be a good example by being the first person to sign. There are three groups of people mentioned in the signing of this agreement (vv. 1-27):  the priests (vv 1-8), the Levites (vv 9-13), and the people (vv 14-27).

The two qualifications for signing this document (v. 28) is that they were separated from evil and had knowledge and understanding of what they were doing. Two special areas of concern were marriage and the Sabbath. (1) This agreement included a commitment to remain separate from the heathen nations around them by refusing to intermarry with them. The danger in mixed marriages was the loss of faith on the part of the Jewish mates (Ex. 34:10-17).

(2) They also agreed to observe the Sabbath day by not buying from anyone or doing business on that day. The observance of the Sabbath was a Jewish practice (Ex. 20:8-11). It was not to be a day of bondage, but a day devoted to rest and meditation on things spiritual. The prophets rebuked the Jews for violating the Sabbath because it was a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem.

Application

Our culture is not the same as it was in Nehemiah’s day but a saved person is still not to marry an unsaved person and it is good to spend Sunday going to Church and worshiping the Lord. I want to be a person who is in agreement with the Lord and set a good example for others.