Nehemiah 9:38-10:27 – Make living for God intentional

The Jerusalem after the exile was a far cry from the one before. Though the temple and walls and gates were rebuilt and restored, the sense of loss was still felt. We can imagine that they would invoke a sense of sadness among those who had returned from exile. Their ancestor’s departure from the law of God and waywardness were the main cause of why they had landed in this state of affairs. All these made a time of mourning, confession, and prayer necessary to hasten restoration. And all these the returnees did were needed to plead with God to initiate the move. However, they did one more thing to show their desire and intention to right the nation’s wrongs. Nehemiah 9:38-10:27 provides a list of the names of the leaders, priests, and Levites who agreed to what was right. They did not just agree verbally but put in a written sealed agreement their intention to follow the law of God from that day onward.  

As the leader and governor, Nehemiah set the example by having his name placed first. And in this list were many priestly names.  Not all the priests were mentioned individually. Fifteen of those names were named by families. That was probably why Ezra was not mentioned because he belonged to the Seriah family. Like the names of the priest, both the Levites and the leaders were also listed individually as well as by families.  

 

It helps to put an agreement in writing. They show their sincerity and willingness to abide by what they had unitedly and corporately agreed to do. A written agreement tells us that a decision has been neither hastily nor emotionally made. It is one that is rationally entered. A written agreement can also give an added motivation for one to keep what one has agreed upon. It is true that a recorded pledge is more likely to be observed than one given verbally. That’s why most contracts are put in writing and aptly sealed.  In our journey with God, it helps to put in a record what we have gleaned from the Word of God and are determined to act upon. It helps us to live a life that we can account for.