20140923 Tuesday, September 23 2014
Nehemiah 10: The Signers Of The Declaration

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"We make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it"

The people of the Kingdom of Judah (the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi; see Israel In History and Prophecy: Kingdom Of Judah) who came from Babylon in the time of Nehemiah to restore Jerusalem were not the people who were sent into exile seventy years before (see Israel's Journeys Along The Fertile Crescent). Their national, not personal, return was a fulfillment of the prophecy (see What Did Jeremiah's Letter To Babylon Say?) by the LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) of a return for the sake of the coming of the Messiah of all people in His due time.

The people of Judah, Benjamin and Levi were well-aware of why their ancestors were sent away (see Why Did Judah Fall To Babylon?) and why the city of Jerusalem had been left in ruins for seventy years (see Why Was It Desolate For Seventy Years?). When their restoration work was completed (see The Fifty Two Days of The Wall), they formally declared that they would not repeat the loser behavior of their liberal ancestors who had delivered the nation to its ruin with their "progressive" (i.e. a "progressive" rejection and abandonment of what had once made their nation great when they didn't follow the way of fools) perversions and atrocities.

"9:38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it." (Nehemiah 9:38 KJV)

The declaration was signed and sealed by representatives all of the people.

"10:1 Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, 10:2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 10:3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah, 10:4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 10:5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 10:6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 10:7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 10:8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

10:9 And the Levites: both Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; 10:10 And their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 10:11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 10:12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 10:13 Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.

10:14 The chief of the people; Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani, 10:15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 10:16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 10:17 Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur, 10:18 Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 10:19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 10:20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 10:21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua, 10:22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 10:23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub, 10:24 Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek, 10:25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 10:26 And Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 10:27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah." (Nehemiah 10:1-27 KJV)

The general population also declared their obedience to the LORD "as it is written in the law." The Law was the actual, original Law that was given to humanity by the LORD; it was not what became "Judaism" in the centuries between the return of those people to Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Judaism and A History Of Jerusalem: The Hasmonean Kingdom).

"10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; 10:29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;

10:30 And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

10:31 And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

10:32 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God; 10:33 For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

10:34 And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law:

10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:

10:36 Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God:

10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. 10:38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. 10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God." (Nehemiah 10:28-39 KJV)

Fact Finder: (a) The people of the Kingdom of Judah returned to Jerusalem during the Persian Empire. What empire ruled the land of Israel after the Persian Empire? (b) What empire followed the Greek Empire and ruled the land of Israel at the time of the Messiah's coming?
(a) See A History Of Jerusalem: Greeks, Ptolemies, Seleucids and A History Of Jerusalem: Abomination Of Desolation
(b) See A History Of Jerusalem: Pompey And The Caesars, A History Of Jerusalem: The Herodian Dynasty and A History Of Jerusalem: The Coming Of The Messiah