Nehemiah Week 9 Chapters 10-11

Gods desire for His children was separation from the pagan world around them. He desired holiness from the nation and from the individual. Gods desire for His people to be holy is still true today. His purpose has always been for the world to know He is God. We, who are called by His name, must be different than the world. The difference points to Jesus. This week as we study, we need to think about Gods command for us to be holy and His decision to leave us planted in the midst of an unholy society. How do we follow His command? What will it take to be holy, set apart and obedient to our God?

Day One: Today, well see a large list of names. Nehemiah recorded 84 names of people who signed the covenant they made with God. While each name is important, well take a look at the descriptions of the people who sealed the covenant. A covenant is a binding agreement, or pledge between two people or two parties. Here we see the covenant signed by the people and presented to God.

1) Lets go back to see why the people wrote the document of covenant. Read Nehemiah 9:33 and 38. What reason do you see for their pledge? 2) To place a personal seal on an agreement or document, meant the person completely committed to the other person and the words of the document sealed by them. Look at the names listed in verses 1-27. There are 5 categories of people who signed the document. List the categories here: 3) Who led the people in the signing? 4) Describe the importance of leaders (both spiritual and civil) stepping out in commitment to God. 5) Lets take a look at another leader, a king, who made a similar covenant with the Lord. Read 2 Kings 23:3. King Josiah was dedicated to following God and restoring true worship in the land. With what did He commit to keep the covenant? How many ties is the word all used in this verse? Is there some area in your own life that you need to dedicate your all in obedience to the Lord?

Day Two: Separation always calls for us to come apart from something and cling to our God. Many times in our spiritual growth, well discover God calling us away from something and closer to Him. This process is called sanctification, a work of the Holy Spirit; and it is all about becoming like Jesus. Look at that! The Trinity involved in making us into His imageAmazing!

1) Examine the wording of Nehemiah 10:28. From what (whom) had God called His people to separate? To what (Whom) did the people separate themselves? 2) As Nehemiah stood before the people on the day of covenant signing, the scene resembles the day another leader, Moses, stood before Gods people calling them to a covenant of separation to the Lord. Read Deuteronomy 29:10-18. Why did God want His people to be separate from the people of the lands around them? 3) 1 Peter 1:16 is a quote from the Old Testament book of Leviticus. Take a look at Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2 and 20:7. What is the central command in all 5 of these verses? 4) Read through Nehemiah 10:29-31. List the commandments, ordinances and statutes the Jews committed to follow in these verses: 5) ***The people made a strong commitment to the Lord. They confirmed this commitment to the Lord with a curse and an oath ceremony. In this action, the covenant making party killed an animal to show they understood the gravity of their agreement. If they broke the covenant, or violated their oath, they expected to suffer the same consequence (death). This picture catapults us forward to the cross where Jesus suffered the judgment for all mankinds violation of Gods commands. Doesnt it just blow you away to think that God established His covenant with us, (He was the covenant Maker) we violated it, (we are the covenant breaker) yet, He paid the price of judgment on our behalf? Why did He do that? What do you know about our Gods character that will help explain why He paid the judgment price for the covenant He kept and we broke?

Day Three: In todays reading, well see the phrase the house of God repeated over and over. Part of the peoples commitment was a new dedication to the Temple. Gods Temple was where He promised to dwell. The people neglected their service to care for the Temple and the priests who served there. As a reflection of todays study, consider your attention to the place of corporate worship (the church). Have you neglected your service, giving, praying and overall concern for your church? If so, be inspired to recommit to your place in the Body of Christ today. 1) Read Nehemiah 10:32-39. Underline and count the number of times you read the phrase, house of God. How many?

2) Name three commitments the people made to the care and functioning of their part in the Temple worship. 3) Use cross-references in your Bible to explore the requirements of first fruits and tithes in verses 35-37. Write down some key notes from your discoveries.

4) According to verses 34-39, what were the responsibilities of the priests and Levites? 5) Ultimately, the people were committing themselves to God. In promising to obey Him, they were determined to follow His plan for worship. How did Nehemiah explain their actions at the end of verse 39? Run over to Hebrews 10:25. Understanding that the believers body is now the Temple where Christ dwells, how does God call us to be committed to the local Body of Believers, the gathering of the church for corporate worship? Is there anything you need to change in light of what you have learned today? If not, maybe a prayer of gratitude for your church would be an appropriate ending to todays study. Day Four: God called Nehemiah to rebuild the wall and govern the people. Nehemiah was thorough in completing the work God assigned him. When God gives us a task, He equips and expects us to complete it. Chapter 11 of Nehemiah should encourage us all to press on toward the finish in the work God sets before us. 1) Lets read verses 1-18 straight through. Take note of the descriptions of the groups of people mentioned. How were they described? 2) In His commentary, Warren Wiersbe points out: Now that the walls and gates of Jerusalem were restored, it was important that the Jews inhabit their capital city and make the population grow. For one thing, people were needed to protect the city, for they never knew when the enemy might decide to attack. It may have been safer for the people to live in the small outlying villages that were no threat to the Gentile society, but somebody had to take the risk and move into the big city (pp. 143-144) Why would it be a sacrifice for the people to move into the city? 3) How did the people respond to their brethren who willingly chose to leave their inheritance and move into the holy city? (v. 2) 4) Nehemiah chose a tenth of the Jews to dwell in the city. Those people became a living sacrifice, an offering, holy and acceptable to the Lord. Read Romans 12:12. How might we intentionally offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to our God? 5) It would take collective faith in God to re-establish community life in the city. It would take individual faith in God to re-establish individual life in the city. Has God ever challenged you to exhibit moving faith, from one location to another? One

vocation to another? One comfort zone to another? How did you respond? What Truths did you learn about God during and after that move? If youve never experienced that call, would you be willing to make a life-changing move if God asked you to do it?

Day Five: Today, well take a closer look at some of the people who remained in Jerusalem; and well get a picture of those who lived outside the city. As we investigate the remnant, hold onto the fact that God had a plan for His people. He made provision for them. In seeing this reality, consider the very same God has made a plan and continually makes provision for you. 1) Many times we can get bogged down in reading lists of names. Its easy to forget that the difficult-to-pronounce names identified real people, with real needs and concerns. As God prompted Nehemiah to list these names, He demonstrated His love not only for His people as a whole, but also for the person as an individual. Lets read verses 19-36. Who stands out to you? Why? 2) There were gatekeepers, Levites, priests and a group of people called Nethinim listed in verses 19-21. Each had a responsibility for the function of the Temple. The Nethinim were Temple servants who descended from the Gibeonites (not Jews). Their history goes all the way back to the book of Joshua (9). God made a place for them in His service. They were a necessary part of the Temple. They mattered to God. How significant is it that God appoints a place in the Body for displaced people? 3) Nehemiah 11:22-23 describes the singers, the sons of Asaph. What were they appointed to do? How had God prompted the King to provide for them? (Ezra 6:8, 9; 7:20) 4) Verse 24 lists an interesting man. Pethahiah was a descendant of Judah. Judah is the tribe of Jesus earthly ancestors. This man was listed as the kings deputy in all matters that concerning the people. The phrase literally means at the kings hand. How did God provide safety for the people through this connection with the king? 5) ***Verses 25-36 list the places where 90 percent of the Jews lived outside the city. We saw that it took sacrifice to move into the city. There is a cost in obedience. But there is always a reward. What does Matthew 16:24-26 have to say about that? How does the prize (Jesus) far outweigh the cost when we obey God?

Building Block: As believers, God calls us to be holy as He is holy. The only way we can be holy is to follow the leading of Gods Holy Spirit. Listen as God calls, obey as the Spirit sanctifies and rejoice in the knowledge of growing to be like the Son!