Promises That Matter

I heard about this man who bought a parrot. It was a really pretty parrot but it had a really bad mouth. He could swear for five minutes straight without repeating himself. The man was so embarrassed because the bird was driving him crazy when people would come to visit.

He begged that parrot to clean up his language especially when they had visitors in the house and the parrot promised that he would. But he didn’t. He actually started cussing even more.

It finally got to be too much, so the guy grabbed the bird and yelled, “Quit it!” But this just made the parrot angry and he swore more than ever.

Then the guy got really mad and locked him in a kitchen cabinet. That really aggravated the bird and he started clawing and scratching and making all kinds of racket. When the guy finally let him out, the parrot let loose with a stream of swear words that made the man blush.

At that point, the guy was so ticked off that he opened the freezer, threw him in and shut the door. For the first few seconds the bird squawked and screamed and thrashed around. And then there was silence.

At first the guy just waited, but then he started to wonder if the bird was hurt. After a minute of not hearing anything, he was so worried that he opened the freezer door. The bird calmly climbed onto the man’s arm and said, “I’m really sorry about all the trouble I’ve been giving you. I promise to clean up my language from now on.”

The man was astonished. He couldn’t believe the transformation that had come over the parrot from being in the freezer for only a minute. The parrot then turned to the man and said, “I just have one question…what did the chicken do?”

This morning we’re going to learn about four promises that the people of God made in Nehemiah chapter 10.

While God’s people weren’t thrown in the freezer, they did feel the sting of God’s Word in chapters 8 and 9. After hearing what God wanted from them, and owning their own persistent rebellion, verse 38 of chapter 9 says that the people made a “firm covenant,” a “binding agreement” to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. They put it in writing and sealed it. Putting a seal on a document was a serious matter because it meant making a solemn promise to the Lord.

The 84 people who agreed to this covenant are listed in Nehemiah 10:1-27 which you can read on your own later.

I’ll pray and then we’ll work through the rest of this chapter together.

Pray!

As a result of hearing God’s Word, the Israelites made four promises. The first one is found in 10:29:

Nehemiah 10:29 ESV

join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.

This is the first promise: Submission to God’s Word.

Submission to God’s Word

They were serious in their desire to dedicate themselves to everything that is spelled out in the Bible.

Who does God use to make an impact? Super-saints? Super-heroes? Super-religious people? No.

2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless (committed, devoted) toward him…

The key is devotion. We need to remember that the depth of our devotion determines our impact. God is not looking all over the earth for strong people, for great people, for perfect people, or even for religious people. He’s looking for devoted followers, for men, women, boys, and girls who are fully committed to Him. He’s looking for a regular person who He can pour His strength out on. In order for that to happen, we need to be fully committed and devoted.

In Nehemiah 10, the people are saying that they are so serious in their submission to God and His Word that they are willing for the curses of God to fall on them if they do not carefully obey what He says.

I wonder if we have that same submission and devotion today. Does God have all of you?

After submitting themselves to God and His Word, the believers make a second promise to be separate from the world in verses 28 and 30:

Nehemiah 10:28 ESV

“The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding,

Nehemiah 10:30 ESV

We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.

That’s the second promise: Separation from the World

Separation from the World

When you think about it, separation is simply total devotion to God, no matter what the cost. When a man and woman get married, they separate themselves from all other possible mates and give themselves completely to each other. The Israelites separated from the peoples around them and to God and His Word.

It wasn’t a sense of racial pride or superiority on the part of the Israelites. It had to do with how they worshipped God and honored Him. Wrong relationships can destroy a believer’s witness.

God wanted his followers to be a missionary people and so it was vital that their message not be corrupted. In declaring this prohibition, the Lord was concerned about both the purity of their faith and the holiness of their lives. They had been entrusted with the most wonderful message in the world and nothing was to be allowed to corrupt it.

There were at least two reasons why marriages with pagan people were disastrous.

First, there were clear biblical warnings.

Biblical Warnings

When two people in the ancient world made a marriage agreement, they normally confirmed their commitment in the presence of their gods and gave each other’s idols a prominent place in their new home. Joshua 23:13 says that pagan spouses would become

…a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes…

Second, there was abundant historical evidence that these marriages led to a decline in Israel’s spiritual and moral life.

Historical Evidence

Nehemiah 13:26 asks the question,

Nehemiah 13:26 ESV

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.

We are more influenced by other people than most of us care to admit. God’s concern is that when a believer marries a non-believer the stage is set for conflict, compromise and conformity.

God did not want them to compromise their walk or their faith. But it just isn’t in the marriage relationship that we need to be separated from the world. We are called to live in the world but not like the world.

We are not meant to live in a way that would bring Christ a bad name but when we start compromising and living outside of his will, we change. It might not happen all at once. But we will slowly and surely drift away from Him and the church.

Now, don’t think that I’m talking about isolation, about isolating and insulating the church from the outside world. If we did that, we wouldn’t be able to fulfill his purpose. We need to live our lives obedient to Him instead of the way the world operates – in the world but not like the world.

After pledging themselves to submit to the Word of God and to live separated lives, the believers renew the covenant with a third promise in verse 31:

Nehemiah 10:31 ESV

And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

That third promise is a:

Sabbath for God’s People

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

First, this day was set aside to honor God.

A day to honor God

It was different 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.

Second, it was a day of rest.

A day of rest

Rest is an important part in effective living. God set the pattern for this in Genesis 2 when He rested on the seventh day and set it in stone in Exodus 20:11. The Israelites worked with no breaks in their weekly schedule when they were slaves in Egypt and God did not ever want this to happen again.

Third, it was a day to help others.

A day to help others

Jewish workers had a mandatory rest day automatically written into their employment contracts. This helped others enjoy the blessings of rest.

Fourth, the Sabbath was a day to proclaim truth.

A day to proclaim truth

It was a silent witness to God’s supremacy and gave the Israelites multiple witnessing opportunities. To their unbelieving neighbors it proclaimed, in very practical terms, the truth that God comes first.

This is an important model for us today. From the very beginning of the church, Christians made the Lord’s Day their appointed day for worship, rest, service, and witness. While avoiding the legalism that the Pharisees fell into, most of us can do a much better job of looking for ways to keep Sunday special.

The Israelites also promised to observe the Sabbath Year. Every seventh year, they were to let the land lie idle so that it could restore itself. To obey God in this way, they certainly needed to trust Him with their needs during the seventh year. Obedience to God always involves trust. We cannot always see what’s coming up, but if we are doing what God says, He will never disappoint us.

Their commitment to commemorate the Sabbath Year was a great step of faith and is a beautiful illustration of Matthew 6:33:

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

They also canceled all debts in verse 31. They promised that every seven years, they would live out a renewed set of values that people matter more than money. The keeping of the Sabbath and Sabbath Year were ways of saying “no” to a life of acquiring the most stuff.

The goal was not to make the most money and then spend the rest of life trying to hold on to it.

That leads to their fourth promise: Supporting God’s Work in verses 32-39.

Supporting God’s Work

“The house of our God” is used nine times in this section and refers to the restored temple. The people were promising to follow God’s priorities by submitting to Him, by separating from the world, by keeping the Sabbath, and by supporting the work of God.

The end of verse 39 sums up their commitment:

Nehemiah 10:39 ESV

For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.”

…We will not neglect the house of our God.

The temple in Jerusalem stood at the heart of the country’s religious, moral and spiritual life. In symbolic terms it proclaimed the presence and power of God among His people and the centrality of Him in the life of the nation.

This passage covers an impressive series of promises to support God’s work in a variety of different ways and gives us 7 insights into how our giving can support God’s work today.

responsible giving

In verse 32 the people say that “We also take on ourselves.” They owned it and gave what they owned because they saw it as their privilege and their responsibility. They chose to give.

obedient giving

They didn’t practice “impulse giving” but instead gave as an expression of practical obedience. Those who love Him will do what He says.

They were taking seriously “the obligation to give” (32) “as it is written in the Law” (34, 36). God had been good to His people, and generosity was expected from them. There was nothing remotely optional about the support of God’s work. Everyone was required to give in one form or another. This was another way to demonstrate that God came first in their lives.

systematic

There was nothing random about their giving. Verse 32 says “to give yearly a third part of a shekel.”

Verse 34 states that lots were drawn to determine when families were to bring wood at set times each year. Verse 35 tells us that first fruits were brought each year. There was an orderliness about these offerings and a system that was followed. The people knew precisely what was expected of them.

The New Testament teaches systematic giving as well in 1 Corinthians 16:2:

1 Corinthians 16:2 ESV

On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper…

proportionate

The reference to the wood offering suggests that many poor people in Israel had an opportunity to make a gift to the Lord that would demand time rather than money. The temple needed a regular supply of firewood to keep the sacrificial fires burning. Everyone, regardless of income, could gather wood and take it to the temple.

Israel’s sacrificial system also recognized that not everyone could make the same kind of offering. If someone could not afford the cost of a young bull, a male goat or lamb, they were able instead to offer two doves or young pigeons. It they could not even afford that, Leviticus 5:11 allowed them to bring some fine flour as an offering.

It is not the amount that is given that is important; it is the spirit in which we make our offering. We should give in proportion to how we’ve been blessed. The New Testament echoes this principle in 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8-9.

sacrificial

They were to bring to God’s house the “first fruits” of their crops and of every tree. (35)

To offer the first of their crops was to declare that God was the giver of all things, that everything belongs to Him, and that He is worthy of the best we can offer Him.

The principle is:

While not everyone can give the same amount, everyone can make the same sacrifice.

Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice. It was Mother Teresa who said, “If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving.” And, C.S. Lewis put it this way, “I don’t believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I’m afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.”

comprehensive

They were to not only bring their crops and their money; they were to also bring their first-born sons and their animals to the Lord in verse 36. God is not just interested in our money, He wants our hearts. Actually, He wants everything.

required

They were not only to bring their “first,” but also a “tithe” of their crops to the Lord in verse 37. Giving a tenth of their produce or income to the Lord was a command given to the Israelites under the law.

But when we get caught up in the tithe being the be-all end-all, it can be unhealthy.

It’s easy to give with the wrong motives. We can give out of a sense of duty or fear, or even greed (“If I tithe, God must prosper me!”)

We can start thinking that we can do whatever we want with the 90% that’s left.

We need to be giving for the right reason, not the wrong.

If we give because we have to, that’s the law.

If we give because we know we ought to, that’s just obligation.

But if we give because we want to, that’s grace.

Someone has said that we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:21:

Matthew 6:21 ESV

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Let’s determine to be like the believers in Nehemiah 10:39:

We will not neglect the house of our God.

We need to make promises that matter:

• Submitting to God - that answers the question of who is in charge of your life

• Separating from the world - that covers who we spend time with

• Practicing a Sabbath rest - that deals with how we spend our time

• Supporting God’s work - which involves how we spend our resources

While it may be helpful to make a vow, an oath, or a promise to God today, remember this: We don’t succeed as Christians because we make promises to Him, but because we believe the promises of God and act upon them.

Having said that, many of us never come to the point of getting serious in our walk with God simply because we never get specific with Him. We hear sermons and feel the Spirit pulling at our heart, but until we decide to be completely committed to Him, we won’t be. I invite you to use this time to think through any decisions the Lord wants you to make. Perhaps you’ve been challenged or convicted by the Lord as we’ve worked through the book of Nehemiah. Listen to Him and decide this morning to put into practice what you know you need to do, right now.

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