COVENANT PRINCIPLES. Nehemiah 10:1-27 On the basis of repentance and prayer, the Jews again made a covenant with God, which was signed and sealed by leaders on behalf of the people. These specific groups had leaders named in this list. In the binding agreement the Jews made with God, the signatories stepped forward to sign as a public testimony of obedience to the covenant's terms.
Those with spiritual leadership, those responsible for maintaining order in the nation's spiritual life, and civic leaders signed the covenant, thereby committing themselves and the people they represented to obey, fulfill, and live by its terms.
Nehemiah was the first to sign. That was appropriate for the governor, and his sincerity and commitment were beyond question. Following him, priests signed on behalf of their families as representatives of the people before God. A family member probably signed for Ezra, since he was from a priestly family. Levites signed for their families as spiritual leaders. Chief civil leaders signed for their families, representing the nation's business and government. Then the people gave their verbal assent in the form of an oath to obey the terms of the covenant.
By definition, covenants are fixed and binding. When the people of Israel made a "sure covenant," they agreed to the principles of the covenant God had made with the nation of Israel through Moses. The act of setting a "seal" to it meant they were signing it with a written "Amen." This indicated the people's agreement with what Ezra had prayed in his review of Israel's history before the Lord. The people's desire to return to fellowship with the Lord initiated this "sure covenant," as they testified to their intention to obey the Lord.
A review of the history of the Lord's dealings with us is one thing. To revisit our failures and confront them in light of God's faithfulness is quite another. It is then that we must humble ourselves in repentance and consider the consequences of our sin in light of God's holiness. Sincerity is a good beginning, but wishful thinking does not translate into practice. Resolve and reality sound good together, but until there is an inward change of heart and character in a person or an assembly, reality is still missing. There may be cosmetic changes that look good for a while, but they only mask the underlying problems hidden from public view.
Commitment to a covenant with God and to obeying its terms involves our hearts, wills, minds, bodies, finances, and future. We commit to loving God with all we are and have; we commit to yielding our wills to His. With our minds, we seek to know Him and His word so that our values and principles of living are consistent with His. With our bodies, we use our strength, talents, and physical abilities to fulfill the covenant's rules and purposes. All our resources, financial and otherwise, have come from God in the first place and have been entrusted to us to use appropriately. Our future in this covenant relationship depends on our commitment to serve God throughout our lifetime and to bring honor, respect, and glory to Him.
The review of God's character, words, and covenants, as given by Ezra, the spiritual leader of the people, stood in stark contrast to the people's character, words, and broken covenants. There had been national covenants made by God with Abraham, Moses, and David, which they had broken. The completion of the wall was a high point in their national life, and they became aware of God working with them to complete the project despite outward and inward opposition. As a result, they seemed to sincerely want to return to a real covenant relationship with Him.
Reading the scriptures and sincere prayer are essential to maintaining fellowship with God. We cannot rely on memories or past victories to give us power over sin and its consequences. It is God Himself who must work in us to do His will and bring Him pleasure. We are blessed to be part of a new covenant made on the highest and best possible terms. God's covenant with us is made in "the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you." This covenant does not depend on human resolve but on a righteous act of God in which "Christ died for us" and we died with Christ. Now the new birth has brought a new creation in Christ, and we have become partakers of a divine nature. A real, lasting covenant has been formed, a reality now and forever.
The word of God helps us understand both good and bad experiences in life. It relates to our events because it tells stories of similar true events from the past and how God guided and gave understanding to people who believed in Him. In a world filled with sin, uncertainty, and death, we can find wisdom and hope in God’s word. Reading, studying, trusting, and applying the teachings of the Bible will be exactly what we need. Really meaningful life is available to us when we recognize our need for divine guidance, agree, and are convinced that God can satisfy us. When we pray for God to be with us and give us directions, we can experience and enjoy our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and practice what our Lord teaches us.
When we take time to reflect on our lives so far, we realize we have been blessed and are daily receiving new blessings that we often overlook. When we read the Word of God devotionally, we begin to examine ourselves to see if we are true “practitioners” of the truths we’ve learned. The Lord our God guides us daily, step by step, along the path of life He has created for us. As He does this, He grants grace upon grace—grace given for the grace we need. Additionally, we receive faith upon faith—answers from His Word when we move forward in His will.
The process of living by the Word of God often follows a certain pattern. A need arises, and we wonder how it will be met. Knowing our need increases our faith in our Gracious Father, and we confidently turn to Him. We remember how He has dealt with us in the past and why things unknown at the time have turned out to be great blessings.
By God's grace, He has humbled us so that we realize what we thought we could do; we could not accomplish it without Him. In humility and repentance for our arrogant pride, we came to Him, and He enabled us to do what was needed with His power. In hindsight, we began to understand our true need for God in the small things of life, as well as in what we once considered big. This was a time of testing for our Lord to show us our limitations and His all-sufficiency. By allowing us to face difficulties beyond our control or capacity to handle, He reveals to us who we truly are, and we learn who God truly is. In those moments of need, we discover that God meets that need.