Nehemiah
chapter 10 reminds me of Saturday mornings. I am a checklist
guy. I like to have my “to-do” list. I also create a
Saturday Chore List for my children. Before they get up, I make
an individual “to-do” list for each of them. It is a tool
to help maintain the house. It is interesting to observe the
reactions. All three are different. One might do
everything grudgingly because it is their obligation, while another
works with joy. I am pleased when they join in to help me, but
my love in not contingent on completing tasks. I hope I never
communicate that they have to earn my love. Eventually each
will learn that being part of a family means we help each other.
The previous chapter ended with a promise by the Israelites “we
are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our
leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to
it“. Today’s chapter provides the details.
Chapter begins “Those who sealed it were“, and we are
given the list of 84 men that authorized this agreement. The
list includes all the A-list names in Jerusalem. Next we
get the details, “The rest of the people… who are able to
understand… separated
themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of
God… to follow the Law of God given through Moses… obey
carefully all the commands… of the Lord“. We might say
they accepted God’s checklist.
As
the chapter continues, we are given a few of the specific “check
boxes”. “We promise not to give our daughters in
marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our
sons… 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… Bringing to the house of the Lord each year the
firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree…We will bring the
firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds… to the house
of our God… the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings,
of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and oil. And we
will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites…We will not neglect
the house of our God“. I can just imagine someone
creating a “If you love God” to-do list using all of these
tasks. Please understand while all of this is good, following
rules cannot make you righteous. Romans
3:23 reminds us, “For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God“.
I
have a very simple understanding of “Works vs. Grace”. Like
little children, all new believers have to be taught. God is
Holy and we are not. We are born with a sin-nature because we
are descendants of Adam. This sin separates us from God, but
each of us has a yearning to be reunited with God. God gave His
people His Law as a standard of righteousness. Romans 7:7
explains, “I would not have known sin except through the law“.
Most of us think we are “good people” until we compare ourselves
with godly perfection. The moment we recognize this truth, we
are filled with dread. “What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).
In desperation we try to figure out how to get right with God.
This is when many find some type of Holy Checklist. We find if
we study God’s Word or we pray or we honor God in our actions, our
life improves. Then we stumble again. Eventually we learn
we cannot be good enough to earn God’s love. Are you tired of
trying to earn God’s favor? Here is the good news, Jesus
said, “I have not come to abolish but to fulfill the Law”
(Matthew 5:17). He lived a sinless life and became our once and
for all sacrifice. He paid the price fulfilling the righteous
requirement of the law. “There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ!” (Romans 8:1) Jesus
said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
have believed” (John 20:29). It is out of loving
gratitude we serve God. “We love Him because
He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Believe it!