Committing to Change

Introduction

When I was in junior high, I heard a sermon at a youth rally that I’ll never forget. The preacher compared the Christian life to Israel’s exodus from Egypt. He said Egypt is like the unsaved life. It’s sinful and worldly. Then crossing the Red Sea is like getting saved. Then he said the wilderness years are like the carnal Christian life.

Then he said many of you are living in the wilderness. You’re saved, but you’re living for yourself. You’ve never surrendered your life to Christ. You must decide to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land, what he called the victorious Christian life. Just come forward, decide to leave your sin behind, and you will enter a life of relatively easy, consistent victory and abundant spiritual blessing.

I didn’t go forward. I didn’t see how merely raising my hand would create such a radical change. I told my pastor that I didn’t want to make a promise to God I couldn’t keep. I was right. You can’t just decide to access special grace or live some victorious Christian life where godliness is relatively easy. No, the NT always describes it as a war. We’re making progress, but it’s slow, and every step is a battle.

So, does that mean you should never make a promise to God? Afterall, if you set ambitious spiritual goals, you probably won’t bat 1,000. You’re going to strike out occasionally. In today’s passage, Israel makes an ambitious covenant with God, and the Bible presents it as a worthy pattern to imitate.

So, we must carefully examine what Israel did, and you must consider how God wants you to imitate Israel’s example. Where are the holes in your discipleship? What goals should you pursue? What commitments should you make to God? The central challenge of this text is simple. Commit to obeying God’s Law. I hope you’ll do that today. This passage sets a great example. First, it describes the process of Israel’s commitment.

I.  The Process (9:38–10:29)

Nehemiah 8–10 all take place during the 7^th Israel studied the law for most of three weeks. The Spirit convicted, and Nehemiah 9 says they gathered in sackcloth and ashes to confess their sins.

9:38 continues their prayer, but the Hebrew Bible puts it in chapter 10 because the confession ends in v. 37. 9:38 turns toward setting a new direction for the future. In the process, Israel sets a great example for how to make godly commitments. The first step is that…

Israel acknowledged their sin. That’s what they did in vv. 5–37. They recognized their rebellion and confessed it to the Lord. That’s where every godly commitment must begin. You can’t set a good direction for the future without being honest about the past and the present.

Welcome the Spirit’s conviction and humble yourself before the Word. Take time to reflect on where you are spiritually, where God is working, and where you must change. Honest reflection is vital to making good commitments for the future. This led them to the next step…

Israel composed a covenant. The NASB says “We are making an agreement in writing,” but the Hebrew verb often refers to making a covenant. It literally means “to cut.”

It goes back to Genesis 15 where God signified his covenant with Abraham by passing between sacrifices had Abraham cut in two. The idea seems to have been that if I fail to keep the covenant, may I face the same fate as the animals that had been cut. A covenant is a solemn commitment.

So, Israel meant business. They didn’t say, “We’ll do some stuff if we get to it.” They are making a firm promise to God.

In fact, v. 29 says this covenant included “a curse and an oath.” In other words, they were so serious about their commitment that they invited God’s curse if they failed to follow through. God’s curse is obviously a big deal.

Why make such an oath? Because God is the Lord, and obeying his will is a serious matter. You can’t be willy nilly about your discipleship and expect it to go anywhere.

For example, Bryce and Gabriella took wedding vows yesterday and made a covenant before God. Why? Because marriage is a big deal. Living under Christ’s lordship is also a big deal and something you must take seriously.

Therefore covenants, commitments, and promises are good for us. Life Point’s constitution doesn’t include one, but many church constitutions require members to sign a church covenant. They promise to strive for godliness, serve the Lord, and work together to advance the Great Commission. They invite the church to practice church discipline if they fail to keep the covenant. I like it because it highlights the weightiness of our commitment to Christ, to his mission, and to each other.

And personal commitments and promises to God can also greatly benefit your spiritual progress. For example, if you wake up next Saturday with no goals or ambitions, you probably won’t get much done, at least not anything important. We need goals and task lists.

Similarly, if you are wandering aimlessly through your Christian life, you won’t make much progress, at least not to anywhere important. You need to know where you are going and how you are going to get there. Making wise commitments to God is good.

Now, going back to my intro, don’t make promises you don’t plan to keep or can’t keep. You should be ambitious, but also be realistic. And always remember that grace changes you, not a decision. You can’t dictate to God the speed of your progress. That said, commitments are good. Do you have any? Are you working on anything specific? Have you told God, “This is where I want to go. Please give me grace to get there”? You should. So, Israel composed a covenant. We’ll read the content later in the chapter. But first, the text tells us…

Israel sealed the covenant. They didn’t seal the covenant with wax; they sealed it with their signatures, like the signers of the Declaration of Independence. 10:1–27 list those who signed. The first name is Nehemiah’s. He led by example. Zedekiah was apparently another political leader.

Then vv. 2–8 list the priests. Many of the names throughout the list are family names, not individual names. So, Ezra’s name is not listed, but he was from the family of Seraiah, the first one listed. He was probably the first priest to put down his family name.

Then vv. 9–13 list the Levites who signed. Then, vv. 14–27 list “the leaders of the people.” These are family patriarchs or community leaders.

Finally, v. 28 says that many others joined their leaders in making this commitment. This includes every level of religious service, men, women, and even children who were old enough to know what they were doing.

I’m sure some refused to sign, but the text paints a picture of tremendous unity, resolve, organization, and purity. These were the pure people of God who had separated themselves to the Lord. They resolved to serve the Lord.

Even though we don’t have a church covenant, our constitution gives a similar picture of being a member. We have declared that Christ is our Lord, we will obey his will, and we will band together to advance his purpose. It means something. Some of you need to make that commitment.

You should do the same as a family. Be like Joshua who declared, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15). And do the same in your personal walk. Aimless Christianity doesn’t generally go anywhere. Consider where are you falling short? Where do you need to go? What’s the best way to get there? Get specific. Tell the Lord this is where I want to go. And be sure to ask for the grace to get there because any meaningful commitment will be beyond your strength.

That’s the process. Then the text transitions to the commitments in the covenant. First, the people made a general commitment to all God’s Law.

II.  General Commitment (vv. 28–29)

I have two challenges from v. 29. First…

Recognize Scripture’s authority over your life. Notice how they described God’s Law. It was “given through Moses, God’s servant.” God’s Law has ancient, divinely inspired authority. This drives everything in the story.

I hope you agree. Then make sure you keep the authority of Scripture front and center. God didn’t give 10 Suggestions; he gave 10 Commandments and plenty of other commands. So, your spiritual commitments are about obedience to your Lord. This leads naturally to the 2^nd challenge…

Resolve to obey everything Scripture commands. Verse 29 concludes by saying they resolved “to keep and observe…” They told the Lord that they were not going to be choosy about which parts of his Law they obeyed. Whatever God said, they would do—no exceptions.

Because of sermons like the one I mentioned in my introduction and the popular but faulty theology behind it, I am cautious (maybe too cautious) about how I talk about commitment to Christ.

The Bible teaches that Christ is Lord of every Christian. There’s no such thing as a carnal Christian who perpetually lives in rebellion against God. And at conversion we receive everything we need for life and godliness. You don’t need a 2^nd work of grace to give you more power. You get it all in the new birth.

As well, Christian growth is primarily about patient endurance and progressive growth, not crisis decisions. So, I don’t call Christians to make a one-time decision to dedicate their lives to the Lord because Christ is already your Lord if you are saved.

But rightly understood, there’s value in some of that language. Is your life fully surrendered to Christ’s lordship? Is there any area where you are refusing to obey? Is your all on the altar to the Lord, or are there parts of your life that you are holding back from him?

You can’t make a crisis decision that forever fixes that battle, but you should frequently say to the Lord, “I surrender all. My life is yours. I will do whatever you say, and I will go wherever you lead. Give me the grace to do it.”

Maybe the Spirit has put his finger on something you are holding back. Don’t quench the Spirit. Respond. Tell the Lord, “I surrender all.”

That’s what Israel did. They did the same in the days of Joshua, Josiah, and Hezekiah. But then the covenant focuses on 3 specific commitments the people made. Remember that they had been intensely studying and discussing Scripture for 3 weeks. I imagine all this study drove them to identify 3 acute issues they especially must address.

Again, it’s a good pattern. If “I surrender all” never turns into confessing specific sins and setting specific goals, it’s not much use. You must get specific. Israel’s first covenant commitment is a…

III.  Commitment to Pure Marriage (v. 30)

Mixed marriages were a big issue. Ezra addresses it. The prophet Malachi really goes after it, and Nehemiah 13 confronts it again. Part of it was simply that Israel was small, and marriage options were limited. As well, when you are weak and poor, it’s tempting to make friends with the rich and powerful. Marriage has always been one way people have done that.

But one of the worst Trojan horses you can receive into your life is making an unbeliever your life partner. King Solomon is example #1. He was the Lord’s anointed, an inspired author of Scripture. But his pagan wives gnawed at his faith until he compromised. God judged him by dividing Israel.

Some of you are married to unbelievers. It’s hard because you don’t share the most important part of your heart with your spouse. Don’t leave him or her. Love them and pray for their salvation. Ask God to give grace to endure because he will as you stay close to Jesus.

Teenagers and single adults, you should promise God that you will only marry a Christian. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says only marry “in the Lord,” meaning another Christian. So, don’t even entertain the thought. Don’t even open yourself to temptation by dating an unbeliever or doing anything to enable those passions to grow. Once you give your heart to someone, it’s really hard to take it back. Israel’s 2^nd commitment was a…

IV.  Commitment to Sabbath Observance (v. 31)

The 4^th commandment was clear, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work” (Ex 20:8–9).

Apparently, as Israel studied the Law, it shined a light on 2 ways they needed to step up their Sabbath observance. The first issue is fascinating because you can easily see how it became a loophole. The Jews could claim that they were observing the Sabbath because they weren’t selling grain and goods on the Sabbath. However, their pagan neighbors would set up market on the Sabbath, and the Jews would buy.

Again, Israel was small. They had no choice but to lean on a broader economy than their own. And the Law never specifically said they couldn’t buy things on the Sabbath. What’s the big deal? They came to believe that buying things violated the spirit of the Sabbath, and it was probably bleeding into other compromises. So, they covenanted to stop buying anything on the Sabbath because pleasing God was worth the sacrifice.

They also recognized they needed to begin observing the Sabbath year. The law said Israel was not to plant their fields every 7^th They could only harvest volunteer crops. The law also required the people to release all debts to fellow Israelites and to release any Israelite in slavery.

Israel always struggled to obey this standard. In fact, 2 Chronicles 36:21 says that one reason the captivity lasted for 70 years was to make up for all the Sabbath years Israel had failed to keep. It took a lot of faith not to plant and a lot of generosity to release a debt or a slave. And these people are poor. They didn’t have full barns to cover the Sabbath.

But they had to be right with God more than they needed full barns. And you must be right with God more than you need a full bank account or anything else. So, they made a very specific commitment. We will observe the Sabbath day and the Sabbath year, and we will trust God to take care of us.

Maybe you are letting fear compromise your obedience. You tell yourself that you have no option but to disobey. Trust God. He can solve your problems better than you can. Commit to obeying his will. Israel’s 3^rd commitment was…

V.  Commitment to Tithes and Offerings (vv. 32–39)

God set aside a whole tribe to teach Israel the Law and to maintain its worship. He also required a very significant system of sacrifice and priests to manage it. It was a big machine, and it was vital to Israel’s spiritual health.

Therefore, the Law required all Israelites to support that system through various tithes and offerings. Beyond that, the tithing system was a continual reminder that everything they had ultimately came from God and belonged to God. So, tithing was not ultimately a matter of generosity. When Israel failed to tithe, Malachi 3:8–9 say robbed God.” Their tithe was not theirs to keep.

Israel recognized that, and they made several very specific commitments to make sure they obeyed God’s law and prioritized worship. First, vv. 32–33 mention the temple tax. Exodus 30:13–14 required every adult man to give a ½ shekel to fund tabernacle worship. We don’t know why Nehemiah dropped it to 1/3. It was probably because they were under a different monetary system. Regardless, they committed to give their tithe.

Verse 34 says they also committed to supplying wood for burning all the sacrifices. The Law never mentioned this, but it took a lot of wood to burn all those sacrifices. Apparently, it was an issue. So, Israel didn’t whine about technicalities; they resolved to solve the problem.

Next, vv. 35–37 discuss tithing from the firstfruits. The law was very clear that the firstfruits belong to God. This included the first of your crops. It also included the firstborn from your livestock.

Notice that it even included your firstborn child. We think that if anything is mine, my kids are. But God said your first child belongs to me. Every parent was required to redeem the firstborn with a ransom price. It was a powerful lesson about God’s sovereignty, his grace, and our dependence.

Again, these people were poor, but it didn’t matter. The firstfruits belonged to God. They must give them, and they committed to doing so.

Finally, vv. 38–39 deal with the distribution of the tithes. The Levites lived throughout Israel, and they depended on the tithes and would collect them. But God said that a tenth of what they collected was for the temple. So, they resolved to make sure the priests, the sacrificial system, the gatekeepers, and singers were all cared for.

Notice the final commitment of the chapter. “We will not neglect the house of our God.” They must worship God. They must be right with God. They were poor, but it didn’t matter. Worship was a priority, so supporting that worship through their tithe was absolutely essential.

The NT does not include the same details for regulating giving, but when you look at the whole of OT and NT teaching several truths emerge very clearly. First, your money is not your own. It’s a gracious stewardship from the Lord. We all must fight the notion that we are going above and beyond when we give. Your offering belongs to God before you ever give it.

Second, worship and the advance of the gospel are eternally important. They matter more than any earthly treasure you can pursue, and your family needs the ministry of the church more than almost anything else money can buy.

Third, Galatians 6:6 says those who receive the ministry of the Word are obligated to support the ministry of the Word. So, every Christian should give to the church’s work, and you should want to do so generously.

You want good ministry, and you want more people to know the Lord. You’re not throwing your money away when you give to the church. You’re giving the Lord what is his, and you are investing in the most important work on earth.

The NT never demands 10%, just generosity. But 10% is a good place to start. God has been good to you. Does it show in your budget priorities? Start your budget by prioritizing his work. It may hurt, and it may take time to adjust, but Christ is worth it.

Conclusion

Maybe you need to make a promise to God this morning about what you give. Maybe it’s as simple as, “Lord, I’m going to talk with my spouse, and we will make a commitment soon.” Don’t be willy nilly about it because it will never happen. Make a commitment to obey God’s will. Maybe the Spirit has convicted you some other way. You know how you are neglecting his will and that it needs to change. Don’t walk out and forget about it. Confess your sin to God, promise to pursue change, and ask God for grace to get there. You will never make serious spiritual progress without a plan. Seek the Lord, make a plan, and pursue it by his grace. Commit to obeying God’s Law.