Nehemiah: Covenant God (Part 2)

Introduction

Open your Bibles to Nehemiah 10:28–31 that is Nehemiah 10:28–31. We will Also, be reading in Nehemiah 8:1–8 this evening if you want to put a book mark there. Again the text for the evening is Nehemiah 10:28–31 but we will also be looking at Nehemiah 8:1–8.

Last time

About the issue that springs up thought the scriptures

How can a just God not bring wrath on a wicked people.

Our wickedness is over our heads, Nehemiah said.

We are drowning in it

The answer to the equation is Jesus

Apostates never understood

Never the less God has alway kept his covenants with people,

We talked about God being a Covenant God.

The people in response to God made a firm covenant

We talked about how those Hebrew words are translatable a Binding Contract.

Before we go farther lets read the text for today Nehemiah 10:28–31

Nehemiah 10:28–31 ESV

28 “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, 29 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. 30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 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.

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy and Infallible Word

Let’s Pray

Transition

In the text we see the “Binding Contract.” It say “enter[ed] into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law a curse and an oath.” We are going to return to that, Binding Contract but first, Let’s look at what prompted this response from the people. Lets read

Body

The Word is Enough (Sola Scriptura)

Nehemiah 8:1–8 ESV

1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

I wanted us to come full cereal here, we have to ask the question, what caused Nehemiah to say, our iniquities are above our heads and why would the people, everyone of them run to bind themselves with “a curse and an oath.”

where did this come from

Nehemiah we are drowning in insensitivity

The people agree to a curse and an oath.

The answer is here in Chapter 8

The book of the Law, the Hebrew word the Torah, we understand refers to what we call the first five book of the bible.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Number and Deuteronomy

Verse 3 They read from the “early morning until midday” this is not enough time to read from Genesis to Deuteronomy, so most likely they read just the book for Deuteronomy because to is a summation of all of the law.

Verse 5 “Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.”

There a lot of thing happen right new that are models off this text

The pulpit is upfront right, and rased so people can all see and hear.

In verse 8 says “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

That’s the preachers Job, give the meaning of the text, God has said. This is what we mean when we say sola scriptura. The text, what God has said, is enough.

Transition

Go ahead and turn back to Nehemiah 10:28–31

The response (Nehemiah and the people) shows us that the word of God is enough to convict the people of God and lead them to action. In this case the people took the very appropriate action of binding themselves with a “curse and an oath.” Lets take a look at Chapter 10 verse 28-29

God’s Binding Law

Nehemiah 10:28–29 ESV

28 “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, 29 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.

Verse 28 “all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God

The people of God are the ones taking the Oath.

The devotion of the people of God goes beyond that of the rest of the world

Deut 27-28 have the “curses and blessing”

Remember when we were going through that section we talk about Moses prophesied this would happen.

“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, 2 and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.” (Dt 30:1–3, ESV)

They are seeing Moses prophesy come full circle, now and we will talk about it more when we get to Daniel chapter 10.

They have just read Deuteronomy

They just read the curses and the blessing.

When they bind themselves with a curse and an oath, they are not doing anything new.

They see God has restored them, they see God has provided for them to a chance to live in the land again.

They realize we better get this right this time, because those curses and blessing are there in the book and God means business, after look what happened with Babylon

So what is the oath, The end of verse 29, “to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.”

Transition

The history is interesting here is that they actually do it, sort of here. There is a changed this is really the birth of the Pharisees. Lets look at verse 30 and 31 to see part of what they are saying they will do.

Physical Obedience is not Enough

Nehemiah 10:30–31 ESV

30 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 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.

This text is written, near 400, most put it about 430 BC. So, just a few generation before Jesus walked the earth.

The Pharisees are often mentioned in the Gospels as the religious leaders that bump heads with Jesus.

Modern new age theology often portrays the interactions with Jesus and the Pharisees as Jesus rebelling against the status quo, or some polemic against organised religion. But that is not it at all.

Jesus said in Matt 5:20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:20, ESV)

They had built up all of these rules, to prevent them even coming close to

I mean take a look at verse 30 an 31

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

A Pharisees wouldn’t dare intermarry with a none jew.

“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.”

Pharisees wouldn’t wouldn’t even walk more than 2 miles on the Sabbath day

But later in Matthew 23:23 Jesus says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” (Mt 23:23, ESV)

The Pharisees were doing all the things, but they missed the point of the Law

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Ro 3:20, ESV)

The Law was the bring the people of God right to where Nehemiah was, Lord our inequity is above our heads.

We got nothing but to rely on your mercy.

Paul in Galatians writes “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” (Ga 3:24, ESV)

what are the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.”

These are all found in Jesus.

So, what should be our response,

freedom

Christ, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Pe 3:18, ESV)

What did he suffer? The curse of the Law. Its already been born, for the believer there is no more curse.

The cup of the wrath of God is empty for us.

So do we use our freedom sin, break the Law, that’s what sin is, from our catechism.

Question 14, “Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of the law of God.”

The apostle Paul said it like this, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Ro 6:1–2, ESV)

Physical Obedience is not Enough

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters I hope you see it, this theme is every where in scripture. What is the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. The God of justice has been just. The God of mercy has been merciful. The God of covenant has faithfully kept his covenant. This whole panorama has one central theme Jesus Christ. Therefore bothers and sisters, go forth and imitate your Father.

Benediction

English Standard Version Chapter 6

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24  The LORD bless you and keep you;

25  the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26  the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.