Nehemiah 10-11: “The Oath Made By The Judeans / Those Who Lived In And Outside Jerusalem”
By
1. TIMELINE:
These graphs depict the timeline of the Old Testament, and note that the book of Nehemiah is written about a period of history after the Babylonian captivity and beginning in 445 BC.
Graph of Persian kings & Jewish companies sent out by them to Judea:
1.1. In our last study, we looked at chapter 9 of the book of Nehemiah.
1.1.1. We have seen in our study that in 445 BC that Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I, heard that the people in Jerusalem were in great distress and reproach, and the city wall was still broken down and its gates burned. This caused him to mourn, pray, and fast for four months that God might move the king’s heart and allow him to go and to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. Finally, the Lord moved in the king’s heart and he allowed him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s wall. The king gave Nehemiah all that he requested to successfully complete the job and even bankrolled the operation.
1.2. In our last study, we looked at chapter 9 of the book.
1.2.1. We have seen that the book of Nehemiah is broken into two sections:
1.2.1.1.The first section, chapters 1-6, deals with the rebuilding of the wall, and Nehemiah is the primary character.
1.2.1.2.The second section, chapters 7-13, deals with the rebuilding of the people of God, and Ezra is the primary character.
1.2.2. In this second section, Nehemiah has not stepped into the background as Ezra has taken the stage.
1.2.3. After completing the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, we saw that all of the people of Judea spontaneously began gathering to the center of the city to hear Ezra read to them from the book of the law. We saw that this result was the fruit of the teaching of God’s Word that Ezra had been doing in Jerusalem the previous 12 years. God’s word had not returned void (just as we are promised), but rather had produced a profound effect upon the people.
1.2.4. Ezra read the law from the morning until midday. Then, the priests went among the people and gave the sense of the words of the law to them. In other words, the people were told what the Word meant to them and how to practically apply the Word in their lives.
1.2.5. The affect on the people of this read and explaining of the Word to the people was that they were weeping and grieving over their sins. They were eventually told though that this was not the time to weep and mourn, but rather the joy of the Lord should be their strength. So, the people finally quit weeping and grieving and went back to their homes.
1.2.6. On the second day, the priests realized that being the beginning of the seventh month that it was the time that according to the law they were supposed to celebrate the Feast of Booths at this time, so the Judeans all observed the feast for the seven days and the Levites came together every day during the seven days and Ezra read the law to them.
1.2.7. Then, on the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month the sons of Israel again assembled before Ezra, this time to fast, confess their sins, and then put away the foreign wives that they had taken to themselves. Then, they heard the law read to them. Revival was still breaking out in Israel.
1.2.8. We talked about what genuine revival of religion consists of, specifically that it brings conviction of sin that is the result of an emphasis on the preaching and teaching on the word of God.
1.2.9. We saw that the previous chapter primarily was a very long prayer to the Lord, and that it was the longest prayer recorded in the Bible.
1.2.10.We saw that this prayer when originally given lasted 1/4th of a day, or 3 hours. Therefore, just as with most of the other prayers in the Bible, this was just the condensed gist of the prayer that is recorded for us.
1.2.11.We saw that this incredible prayer was very encouraging to our faith as it recounts over and over, from the beginning of God’s calling of Abraham until the time of the exile of the southern kingdom of Judea, God revealing His faithfulness to the Israelites followed by the Israelites stubbornness and rebellion against the Lord. Yet, they state that the Lord has never forsaken them in spite of their rebellion and stubbornness.
1.3. In our study today, we are going to look at chapters 10-11 of the book.
1.3.1. In chapter 10, we will look at the 84 people who were committed to and signed their name to the oath that the Judeans were making to the Lord at this time, and also the various aspects of the oath they were making itself.
1.3.2. In chapter 11, we will look at those Israelites who where chosen to live in Jerusalem.
1.3.3. In chapter 11, we will also look at the cities where the Israelites lived outside of Jerusalem.
1.3.4. On that 24th day of the 7th month, the Judeans had sought the Lord in the three hour prayer whose gist is recorded in chapter 9, and they had thoughtfully and prayerfully laid their whole lives up before the Lord. They had determined that they wanted to make significant and permanent changes in their lives as God’s people. They wanted to commit themselves to the Lord and never turn back from faithfully serving Him. The document that they create was made so that they might write out in as specific a form as possible exactly how they were committing themselves to the Lord. The signatures that they had placed on this document then made it formal and binding upon them.
1.3.5. We saw in our first study in this book as we were looking at the life of Nehemiah as a leader, that a leader plans. We as God’s people need to take serious thought to our own life and see where it is that we fall short and what we can do to make sure that we are walking in God’s perfect will for our lives. Very few people ever do great things for God and claim that this was just something that God did through them and that they didn’t really make any plans or make any commitments to God.
1.3.5.1.At the outset here, let me ask you this question, have you sat down and truly contemplated what God wants for you to do in order for you to be sure to be in the center of His will for you and your family? Is it time for you to prayerfully make such an assessment as this on by the Judeans?
1.3.6. Before we talk about the Judeans taking an oath before the Lord to be faithful to the Lord, we ought to consider whether it is God’s will for us to take oaths.
1.3.6.1.An oath is just a promise.
1.3.6.2.The problem with taking oaths is two-fold:
1.3.6.2.1.God expects us to keep any oath that we make.
1.3.6.2.2.We as people are not good at keeping oaths.
1.3.6.3.We really don’t need to make oaths in order to have the Lord’s favor and blessing in our life. But, there are times in our lives when we do in fact need to make oaths, including:
1.3.6.3.1.When a person gets married he makes a vow of fidelity.
1.3.6.3.2.When a person swears in testimony before a court.
1.3.6.3.3.When a person takes out a loan or enters any type of binding contract.
1.3.6.3.4.When a person commits his life to follow and obey Jesus Christ.
1.3.6.4.I have made a couple of vows in my life that have been significant and have made a big impact on my life, including a vow once to spend time with the Lord every single day for the rest of my life.
1.3.6.5.If you make a vow to the Lord, you better make sure that you keep that vow, so seriously count the cost before you make it.
1.3.7. Can you imagine how awesome it would be if the entire church of Jesus Christ today were to be overcome by revival and were one and all to come before Him prayerfully to align their lives to do completely as His word commands and instructs us to do, and were even to sign such a vow.
2. VS 10:1-27 - “1 Now on the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10 also their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. 14 The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.” - The names of those who 84 people who signed the oath to serve the Lord faithfully are given
2.1. These were representative signatures for all of the people of Judea that were placed on this oath.
2.2. As their governor and leader, Nehemiah’s name appears first on this list.
2.3. Then, there were also 21 priestly names, and at least 15 of those names were family names.
2.4. Ezra’s name was not specifically included here because he was part of the family of Seraiah, which appears here and which was also the family name of the high priest.
2.5. There are also 17 names of Levites.
2.6. Finally, there are many of the chiefs of the people, and the first 21 of these names correspond closely to the names of the heroes of the faith listed in chapter 2 of the book.
3. VS 10:28-39 - “28 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, 29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes; 30 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. 31 As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. 32 We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 34 Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites and the people so that they might bring it to the house of our God, according to our fathers’ households, at fixed times annually, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law; 35 and that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually, 36 and bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. 37 We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns. 38 The priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine and the oil to the chambers; there are the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers and the singers. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.” – The terms of the oath that was made to the Lord on this day is given
3.1. We see here that not only the ones who signed the oath were making this oath to the Lord, but really all of the Judeans: ‘the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, 29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles.’
3.2. The law of Moses came with a promise of blessing for those who kept the law as well as a curse for those who did not keep it, and so the people on this day who were committing their lives to the Lord say they, ‘are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law’.
3.3. This is what the sons of Israel vowed to commit to the Lord in their oath:
3.3.1. ‘To walk in God’s law’ and ‘to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord and His ordinances and His statutes’: vs 29.
3.3.2. ‘We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons’: vs 30.
3.3.2.1.In chapter 13, we will see that some have broken this commitment already.
3.3.3. For those of the land who bring wares or sell grain, ‘we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day’: vs 31.
3.3.4. ‘We will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt’: vs 31.
3.3.4.1.This was the promise to keep the Sabbatical year which is outlined in: Leviticus 25:1-7, “1 The Lord then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the Lord. 3 ‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, 4 but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 ‘Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. 6 ‘All of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. 7 ‘Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat.” This law prohibited the people from planting or harvesting crops every seventh year.
3.3.4.1.1.Just as the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings were to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day of the week and then not gather any on the Sabbath, so the Israelites would have to trust that the Lord would provide enough of a harvest on the sixth year so that they didn’t have to plant and harvest on the seventh year.
3.3.4.1.2.This law also allowed for the poor of the land to plant a crop in the fields every seventh year.
3.3.4.1.3.The law also helped the soil from losing its nutrients
3.3.4.2.The law also stated that on that seventh year that the children of Israel were to forgive all debts and return anyone who was enslaved, and thus it mentions here that they would forego ‘the exaction of every debt.’
3.3.4.3.It was the not keeping of this law that had caused the Israelites to be taken captive to Babylon for 70 years. Since they had not kept the Sabbatical year for 490 years prior to 587 BC, they were force to keep the years they owed to the Lord (70) in slavery to Babylon.
3.3.5. ‘Contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God’: vs 32.
3.3.5.1.In Exodus 30:11-16, we see in the law that the temple tax was to be ˝ a shekel as a ransom for yourself, but also that it was to be given only when a census was taken: “11 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 13 “This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the Lord. 14 “Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the Lord. 15 “The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. 16 “You shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”” In Matt. 17:24, we read that in New Testament times that this tax was ˝ shekel given annually.
3.3.5.2.So, why it was determined that the people should only have to give 1/3rd of a shekel instead of ˝ of shekel is uncertain, especially since it was never to be man’s place to altar God’s law? Many have speculated many things to explain this discrepancy. Some have said for instance that since the people were already contributing of their substance for the temple that the amount to be collected was likewise lessened. But, the long and short of it is that we do not know why the Judeans were led by the Lord to change the tax to be 1/3rd at this time.
3.3.6. ‘We cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites and the people so that they might bring it to the house of our God’: vs 34.
3.3.6.1.There was an understanding that when no one is trusted to get a job done that it never gets done, and thus even those who gathered the wood that needed to be gathered regularly for the use at the temple had to be designated, if they were to be faithful to the commands of the law.
3.3.6.2.The wood burned in the Brazen Altar and provided the means for the people to make their sacrifices upon the altar.
3.3.7. ‘Bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually’: vs 35.
3.3.8. ‘Bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks’: vs 36.
3.3.8.1.The law required the sacrificing of an animal to redeem every firstborn male child that was born, otherwise all of the firstborn animals were required.
3.3.9. ‘Bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests…and the tithe of our ground to the Levites’: vs 37.
3.3.10.‘The Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse’: vs 38.
3.3.10.1.In Num. 18:26, we read that the Levites were to provide a tithe of what they received, and that this was to go to the priests, the sons of Aaron: ““Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe.”
3.3.10.2.Derek Kidner writes about how the fact that the Levites in Nehemiah’s day no longer greatly outnumbered the Aaronic priests that this tithe of the Levites placed the priests in hard place: “In Moses’ day, when Levites greatly outnumbered priests, this gave a reasonable proportion to both groups, but now it bore hardly on the priests. The fact that they nevertheless accepted the position shows how sacrosanct the law was to them.”
3.4. I don’t want us to get the wrong impression of the Christian life such as to believe that by our own will power we can truly keep an oath to serve the Lord with all of our hearts. When Jill and I were planning our wedding, we had to determine what we would say in our vows. I remember being concerned that I would not be able to fulfill my vows that I would make on that day, and thus I was convicted and hesitant to write out the vows we were planning to say. I was in a tough predicament. However, I finally realized that I would have to trust God for the grace to be able to keep that vow to my wife I would say before Him. We even ended up including that point in the vows we wrote. We Christians need to recognize that God is with us when we make important vows that He is leading us to make. We need to trust Him for the grace to enable us to keep that important vow that we make.
3.5. Alan Redpath has written about how that merely yielding to the Lord is not enough for the believer: “Also, dedication is not simply yielding all—it is taking all. Someone has said that it is not what we give to Jesus but what we take from Him that makes us strong and victorious day by day. To discover that in the Lord Jesus all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, and to know that we are complete in Him, to know that there is nothing we need at all for life or character which is not in Him, and held by Him for each one of us—that is His purpose for us. The tragedy for our lives is that we take so little, and if we are poor and miserable in Christian work and service, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. It is a great thing when in Christ work we realize that it is not only a question of yielding to God, but of taking everything from Him.”
4. VS 11:1-3 - “1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. 3 Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah each lived on his own property in their cities—the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.” – Nehemiah explains how people were chosen to live in Jerusalem
4.1. The people generally preferred to live outside of Jerusalem because outside of Jerusalem was where their family inheritance of land was located.
4.2. Because not enough people were willing to volunteer to come and to live in Jerusalem, the Judeans implement a draft system and drafted one out of ten people to come and live in Jerusalem.
4.3. There were those ‘who volunteered to live in Jerusalem,’ and because in doing so they were foregoing their inheritance of land ‘the people blessed’ and honored them.
5. VS 11:4-6 - “4 Some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem. From the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 able men.” – Some of the sons of the tribe of Judah as well as the sons of Benjamin who chose to live in Jerusalem are listed for us
6. VS 11:7-9 - “7 Now these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; 8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai, 928. 9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second in command of the city.” – The sons of Benjamin who lived in Jerusalem are enumerated
7. VS 11:10-14 - “10 From the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the leader of the house of God, 12 and their kinsmen who performed the work of the temple, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13 and his kinsmen, heads of fathers’ households, 242; and Amashsai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14 and their brothers, valiant warriors, 128. And their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of Haggedolim.” – The sons of Aaron, the priestly line, who lived in Jerusalem are enumerated
8. VS 11:15-19 - “15 Now from the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the leaders of the Levites, who were in charge of the outside work of the house of God; 17 and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284. 19 Also the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brethren who kept watch at the gates, were 172.” – The sons of Levi who lived in Jerusalem are enumerated
9. VS 11:20 - “20 The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each on his own inheritance.” – The rest of those who did not live in Jerusalem are mentioned
10. VS 11:21-23 - “21 But the temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of the temple servants. 22 Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, from the sons of Asaph, who were the singers for the service of the house of God. 23 For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a firm regulation for the song leaders day by day.” - The temple servants and those who are were overseers of the temple servants and mentioned
11. VS 11:24 - “24 Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was the king’s representative in all matters concerning the people.” – The man who was the king’s representative in all matters concerning the people are listed: Pethahiah
12. VS 11:25-30 - “25 Now as for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its towns, in Dibon and its towns, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, 26 and in Jeshua, in Moladah and Beth-pelet, 27 and in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its towns, 28 and in Ziklag, in Meconah and in its towns, 29 and in En-rimmon, in Zorah and in Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba as far as the valley of Hinnom.” – The village outside of Jerusalem where the Judeans lived is recounted
12.1. The sons of Judah who did not live in Jerusalem lived in the various villages from way in the south of Judea, in ‘Beersheba’, all the way to just south of Jerusalem in the ‘valley of Hinnom’.
12.2. The ‘valley of Hinnom’ was a dump where trash was burned, and then later even the corpses of people and animals. In NT times this was referred to as “Gehenna” and was used as a symbol for Hell in the NT.
13. VS 11:31-36 - “31 The sons of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash and Aija, at Bethel and its towns, 32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 36 From the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.” – The cities where the sons of Benjamin were spread out in and lived
14. CONCLUSIONS:
14.1. Is it time for you to sit down and prayerfully and solemnly determine what the Lord wants you to commit to doing in order to insure that you and your family will fulfill His will and plans for your lives?
14.2. I would encourage you to come before the Lord and ask Him as David did if there be any hurtful way in you, anything that is displeasing to Him. Then, confess and repent of any sin that He reveals to you.