10.2 Chapter 10 – Recommit

“In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”

“The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand- (Nehemiah 9:38, 10:28 )

Okay, so Recommit starts at the end of Chapter 9. (I wasn’t in charge of numbering verses.) Having announced their intention in Nehemiah 9:38, Ezra gives us a list of those who are ratifying the covenant in verses 10:1-28. Then, he gives us the text of the covenant in verses 10:29-39.

“…all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.

“We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.

“When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.

“We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals and appointed feasts; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God…We will not neglect the house of our God.” (Nehemiah 10:29-33, 39)

If you skimmed the Scripture above, here are the cliff notes. The Jews committed to walking with the Lord by returning to four gate-keeping rules that would protect them from temptation. They pledged to:

· Follow the law of God given through Moses (10:28-29)

· Not intermarry with the neighboring peoples (10:30)

· Honor the Sabbath (10:31)

· Make regular tithes and offerings of different types to support the temple (10:32-39)

I told you they were serious. If the list of commitments is making you nervous, remember that they were under the Law. Because of Christ, we are under grace. You don’t have to work through this list when you recommit to walking with God. That said, we can learn from it. How much stronger against temptation would you be if you reviewed what made you fall and then established gate-keeping rules to guard against it?

As the old saying goes, those who don’t know their history are destined to repeat it. I mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating. If you fall, learn from it. Search your wall for weak spots and post a guard. Rework your gate-keeping rules to make them more effective at keeping the bad stuff out. Plan your defense, and then stick to your plan.

10.1 The 4 R’s

Chapters 9-12 follow the series of steps Nehemiah and Ezra led the people through in order to honor God for the mighty work He had done through them. They provide a picture of the steps we should take anytime we fall in our efforts to maintain our sexual purity. These four R’s will help you get back into the fight.

Chapter 9 – Repent

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.

(Nehemiah 9:1-3)

Following the joyful celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people came together for a time of repentance. They humbled themselves before God by fasting, wearing sackcloth (a comfy material made of coarse goat hair) and throwing dust on themselves. These practices were to show their complete poverty of spirit before the Lord. In this state, they confessed their sins and the sins of those who came before them. Then they stood for three hours while the Word was opened and read aloud. Those three hours were followed by three more hours in more confession and worship. In other words, they were serious.

And they aren’t done. The rest of Chapter 9 includes Ezra’s prayer, the longest recorded prayer in Scripture.¹ When I grow up, I want to pray like that! Ezra doesn’t rush through his wish list so he can hurry and get on with his day. He puts the focus on God. First, he recounts the greatness of God (verse 6). Then, he remembers the goodness of God (verses 7-30). He finishes with the grace of God (verses 31-38).² In the whole thing, he only makes one request:

“Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.” (Nehemiah 9:32)

That’s not to say that this prayer is the model for all prayer. It’s not. God isn’t looking for us to ignore our needs. He wants to hear them. What makes this prayer remarkable is the context. This was a time of repentance for the Jews. They are turning from the sins of the past back toward their great, good, gracious God. Ezra is also laying the foundation for the second “R,” – Recommit. He’s making sure everyone knows why they are about to make the commitments they are about to make.

The message of Chapter 9 is Repent. When you’ve turned away from the Lord through your sin, turn back. No matter how far you’ve gone in the wrong direction, He’s right where He was when you left Him. With humble spirit, repent. Acknowledge that God has always been great and good and gracious. Then, Recommit.

9.5 The Father’s Forgiveness

Ever find yourself wondering if God can really forgive you after you’ve failed Him yet again? I do. I’ve learned so much about God’s limitless forgiveness when I repent (yes, even if it’s the 32,121^st time) from my struggles with sexual purity.

Remember the prodigal son? You may have thought of him as a metaphor for the unbeliever who comes to know the Lord, but remember that he is a son. He was a son before he sinned and after. The prodigal son is a metaphor, true, but it’s for the believer who backslides.

As the story goes, the son asked his father for his full inheritance, an act equivalent to telling his father that he wished he were dead. Despite this incredible disrespect, his father gave it to him. The son took the money and squandered it through sinful living. When it was gone, he had to tend pigs to survive.

Think of that! A Jew tending pigs! Pigs were/are considered to be an unclean animal according to Jewish scripture. The son was desperate…so desperate that he considered eating the pigs food to ease his hunger pains. Standing in their filth, he realized that his father’s lowest servant had a better life than him. What he didn’t seem to realize is that he had been in the muck long before he went to work for the farm. His life in the fast lane may have seemed fun and exciting, but it was fleeting and empty. His father offered a dignified, meaningful life of service. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would come with lasting and satisfying treasures the youth couldn’t imagine.

The son decided it was time to go home and beg for his father’s mercy. He had his speech planned. He would confess his sin and ask his father to put him to work. He knew that he didn’t deserve to be treated like a son, so he was prepared to return as a servant. To his surprise, though, his father was waiting for him. Watching the horizon for his son’s return, the father saw him and came running. Embracing his son, he commanded the servants to throw a party, because his son had returned to him. All was forgiven.

Apply the metaphor to your struggles with sexual purity. When we persist in living sinfully, we are squandering our inheritance – our gifts and talents, the blessings of God, His plans for us… – but that never changes our position with God. We are always and irrevocably sons of the Father. So, even though you’ve been in the muck, wasting your inheritance, the Father will forgive you and welcome you back with open arms.

Greg Laurie, in his daily devotional, said this about the prodigal son:

When the prodigal son finally went home, his father ran to meet him (see Luke 15:20).  In that culture, it was undignified for an older man to run.  But the father didn’t care about dignity; all he cared about was his son.  The father smothered his son with kisses.  Now keep in mind that he had been hanging around with pigs.  This kid would have reeked.  His clothes would have been tattered rags.  His father could have said, “Go get a bath!   Then I will hug you.”  But he hugged and kissed his son in his miserable, stinking state. ¹

What a fantastic picture! We come to God stinking in our sin, and God embraces us with His arms. You’re his SON! He loves you! He wants you back! Every day, He watches for your return. He knows you’re coming back, because he knows where sin will lead you (and, well, because He knows everything). He’ll take you back as many times as you return to Him.

9.1 Keeping Your Walls Strong

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.

So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:1-3)

Nehemiah is describing for us the Feast of Trumpets, which occurs on the first day of the seventh month (Tishri, which occurs around September-October) on the Jewish calendar. It’s also known as Rosh Hashanah or “Head of the Year,” and it celebrates the new year and remembers the creation of the world. Jews use this time for self-examination and prayer. They face up to their sins and their mistakes and commit to returning to the Lord in these areas during the new year.

The secular parallel to this practice is the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions. The Christian parallel is repentance. When we repent of our sins, we make a 180-degree turn and head in the opposite direction. We return to the Lord and commit to obeying His Word. While this may seem somewhat somber, it’s intended to be a celebration. It’s starting over with a clean slate thanks to God’s grace. Once we “confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Obviously, we shouldn’t wait an entire year to get right with God. We should turn back to God as soon as we are convicted of our sin. The sin will eat our walls from the inside out, so keeping short accounts with God is an essential ingredient for strong walls.