Intro:

Commitments are very easy to make because they often arise from enthusiasm, good intentions, or social pressure. However, sustaining them over time is difficult because it requires discipline, effort, and resilience in the face of challenges.

Career and Business Ventures – Starting a new job or launching a business is exciting, and people often commit to giving their best effort. However, sustaining that enthusiasm when faced with workplace stress, difficult clients, financial struggles, or burnout is much harder. Many startups fail not because of a lack of ideas but because of the inability to sustain long-term effort and adaptability.

Marriage - Saying “I do” is easy in the excitement of a wedding, but maintaining a healthy, loving relationship requires continuous effort, patience, and commitment. Over time, differences arise, external pressures build up, and personal growth can sometimes lead partners in different directions. The difficulty lies in choosing to work through challenges rather than giving up.

Parenting – The idea of having children is often met with joy and anticipation. However, raising a child requires an unwavering commitment, patience, and sacrifice. The sleepless nights, financial strains, and emotional challenges can make it difficult for parents to sustain the same energy and dedication they had at the beginning.

The reality is, making a commitment is simple because it requires only words or a decision in the moment. However, sustaining it over time requires consistent action, discipline, and resilience, which is where most people struggle.

This morning, we have made it to Nehemiah chapter 10 and we are going to talk about the fact that as godly leaders, we need to make sure that we are…

Staying Committed

Last week we looked at the longest prayer recorded in Scripture… And in that prayer the Nation of Israel, as a whole, came together, confessed their sins and basically said; “God, we are willing to change”…

This, of course, was prompted by the reading and studying of God’s Word and realizing where they and their ancestors had failed to keep the Law that was given to Moses.

This prayer concluded with v.38 of Nehemiah 9, which states…

Nehemiah 9:38 NASB95

38 “Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”

This is basically an introductory verse to Chapter 10…

The Hebrew word that is translated here as “making” literally means “To Cut”… “We are making an agreement...” … “We are cutting a covenant...”… Now, where do you think they learned that terminology?… Everything else in chapter 9 was motivated by their reading and studying of God’s Word, so it would stand to reason that this was as well…

Before we get to our main passage today, lets take a look at…

Genesis 15

This is going to serve as a longer introduction for today’s message, but I feel it is necessary for us to have a clear understanding of the seriousness of staying committed to the covenants, vows, or agreements that we make.

(Read vv.5-18)

In this ancient culture, when two parties made a serious agreement, they would walk between the cut pieces of animals, symbolizing that if they broke the covenant, they too would be cut apart. This was an extreme way of sealing a deal with divine or legal consequences.

When the two parties, who were making the covenant, would walk between the animal halves, they were basically making the statement… “May this same thing be done to me if I don’t keep my end of the covenant”

This is what the Israelites in the book of Nehemiah are referring too… They not only know the method of making a covenant, but they would also know that God takes these covenants very seriously…

Numbers 30:2 NASB95

2 “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 NASB95

4 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

This is coming from the wisest man to ever live… If you cannot keep the vow that you are making, then don’t make it…

The other implication here is... “If you make a vow... then you better do everything you can to keep it.”

God takes vows very seriously and they should only be made after much prayer, with a sincere heart and an unwavering dedication to staying committed.

With that… let’s get into our passage for today…

Nehemiah 10

(Read entire Chapter)

This is the sealed agreement… the true covenant that Israel made with God… And there commitment included several things, which we will look at this morning.

Israel’s Commitment Included:

1. Godly Leadership

This has been a theme throughout this entire book… Real change begins with those in Leadership…

I will go through these fairly quickly as we have hit on this point several times throughout our study and I am certain it will come up again…

But, look at who the commitment started with…

Now, I am not going to read through all of these again… but…

vv. 1-8 names…

1.1 The Priests - vv. 1-8

The priests were chosen by God to serve as mediators between Him and the Israelites. They came from the tribe of Levi, specifically the descendants of Aaron, and were responsible for offering sacrifices, maintaining the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), and teaching God’s laws.

You could say that these were the Old Testament Pastors…

vv. 9-13 names…

1.2 The Levites - vv.9-13

The Levites were also members of the tribe of Levi, set apart by God for service in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). The Priests were descendants of Aaron, the rest of Levites were not… However, They acted as servants of the priests and played a crucial role in Israel’s religious life, by assisting in various duties, such as maintaining the sacred objects, singing in worship, guarding the Temple, and teaching the Law.

You could say that these were the Elders and Deacons of the Old Testament.

and then… in vv.14-27 we have the names of…

1.3 The Community Leaders - vv. 14-27

These were the heads of the households in the community… These were the Fathers and Grandfathers… which makes a strong point to us men… … If we want our families to stay committed to God’s Word and God’s Will… It starts with US!… …

Israel’s commitment included Godly Leaders

Secondly… Israel’s Commitment Included…

2. Submission to Scripture

Again, this is their motivation for all of this… v.29 says…

Nehemiah 10:29 “these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:”

They were completely committed to dedicating themselves to everything they had learned from God’s Word.… … Which is exactly the type of people that God is looking for to make an impact on the World…

2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB95

9 “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His...”

The key is unwavering commitment. The depth of our devotion directly impacts our influence. God isn’t searching the earth for the strongest, the greatest, the most perfect, or even the most religious individuals.… He is searching for those who are fully committed to the principles of His Word.

This morning, as He looks upon the congregation at PBC, He seeks devoted disciples—men, women, boys, and girls who are fully committed to Him. He’s looking for ordinary people through whom He can display His strength. For that to happen, we must be fully committed to His Word.

v.29 of Nehemiah 10 says they “…entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law...” … the people are saying that they are in full submission to God and His Word and that they are willing for the curses of God to fall on them if they do not carefully obey what He says.

The question is… Are you staying committed in your submission to God’s Word, or do you pick and choose what to obey?

They didn’t pick and choose… God said it, they believed it, that settled it… … They were fully committed to His Word…

Next… Israel’s Commitment Included…

3. Holiness

In v.6 of Exodus 19 God tells Moses…

Exodus 19:6 “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.””

The word holy means set apart or consecrated for God’s use. Israel was chosen from among all the other nations to reflect God's character, follow His commands, and show the world what it means to belong to Him.

Their way of life—governed by God's laws—was meant to distinguish them from the surrounding pagan nations.

Here in Nehemiah, their commitment to Holiness included…

3.1 Avoiding Worldly Influences

We talked about this 2 weeks ago when we were looking at the first 3 verses of Chapter 9… The second step of spiritual renewal was Separation.

Here in chapter 10, v.30…

Nehemiah 10:30 They made the commitment… “We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;”

Because God warned them that intermarriage often led to idol worship and spiritual compromises.

This is the Old Testament version of being IN the World, but not OF the World… …

This is not just a principle for marriage though… This would also include:

Business Partnerships

Ministry Alliances

and even Close Friendships

While we, as Christians, should love and engage with unbelievers, forming deeply intimate friendships with those who reject God’s ways can negatively influence our faith.

I believe its 1 Corinthians 15:33 that says… “Bad company corrupts good morals”

Their commitment to Holiness also included…

3.2 Honoring the Sabbath

v.31 - Nehemiah 10:31 “if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt.”

In Nehemiah’s time, it was necessary for God’s law about the Sabbath to be clearly understood.

First of all, this day was set aside to honor God. It was distinctive from other days and given to God so that they might offer their worship to Him without being distracted by the demands of everyday life.

Secondly, it was a day of rest. Relaxation is a vital ingredient in effective living. God set the pattern for this in His work of Creation... “He rested on the seventh day.”

When it came the Sabbath Year (every 7 years), they would give the land a rest and not grow any crops…

This was extremely different from what they were used to. They were used to self-preservation and maximizing profits… but God’s way demanded faith over financial gain…

We could do an entire study on the Sabbath and what it looked liked, but for now I just want you to know that, Honoring the Sabbath was a commitment to holiness and a major act of faith—it meant trusting God to provide even when they weren’t working.

In the final verses of this chapter it is clear that Israel’s Commitment also Included…

4. Supporting God’s Work

From vv. 32-39 The phrase “house of our God” is used nine times and refers to the restored temple.

The temple in Jerusalem was the focal point of the nation's religious, moral, and spiritual life.

They showed their commitment to supporting God’s Work…

4.1 By Assuming Responsibility

They take personal responsibility for the work of God… This is clearly seen throughout these last few verses…

Verse 32: "Also we made ordinances for ourselves..."

Verse 34: "We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God..."

Verse 35: "And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees..."

Verse 36: "To bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law..."

Verse 37: "To bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees..."

Verse 39: “For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil...”

These repeated phrases show that the Israelites didn’t expect God's work to be completed only by the priests and Levites. Instead, they recognized their shared responsibility in maintaining the worship and spiritual life of the nation.

They took ownership of the temple’s service and made a national commitment to be the ones responsible to support it.

And they did so…

4.2 Through Obedient Giving

They didn’t practice "impulse giving" (Well, I only have $1 in my wallet this week, so that’s what God gets...)… That’s impulsive giving, and that is not what these Israelites did… Rather, their giving was a reflection of practical obedience.

Those who love God follow His commands. They were faithfully "carrying out the commands to give" (As stated in verse 32). And then, in verses 34, 36, they state the reason they were doing this is because "it is written in the Law" .

The Israelites followed God’s instructions of tithing and giving, that they had heard from Scripture, to make sure that were doing it in a way that would honor and glorify God.

God's goodness to His people was evident, and generosity was expected in return. Supporting God’s work was yet another way to show that God was first in their lives.

This still rings true today… The instructions for the New Testament believers (that’s us) are as follows…

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper… ”

God wants us to make a commitment to set aside a specific amount to give back to Him every week, in order to support His Work.

This could be a specific percentage - a lot of people like to use the 10% rule, which I think is a great start.

This could be a certain dollar amount - Lord. I am committing to give X amount of dollars every week, or every month to be used to support Your Work in ministry.

2 Corinthians 9:6 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Closing:

As we’ve seen in Nehemiah 10, the Israelites made a serious and intentional commitment to God. Their commitment wasn’t just emotional or impulsive—it was rooted in godly leadership, submission to Scripture, holiness, and supporting God’s work. They understood the weight of their covenant with God and the consequences of breaking it.

But the truth is, commitment is easy to declare and hard to sustain. It’s easy to make promises when things are going well—but it’s in the daily grind, the challenges, and the setbacks where true commitment is tested.

The Israelites were willing to hold themselves accountable and take responsibility for their faithfulness to God.

Some questions to consider… and these are for me just as much as they are for you…

Application: ➡️ Are you truly committed to God’s Word, or do you pick and choose what to follow when it’s convenient?

➡️ Are you leading your family, your workplace, and your community in a way that reflects your commitment to God?

➡️ Are you giving faithfully—not just of your money, but also of your time, talents, and resources to support God’s work?

Challenge: Just like the Israelites in Nehemiah’s time, God is calling us to a deeper level of commitment. He’s not looking for perfection—He’s looking for faithfulness. He’s looking for people who will honor Him, not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard…

Staying committed isn’t easy—but when you stay faithful, you’ll see God’s blessing and strength in every area of your life.

Prayer: