Selwyn continues to look at the attitude of the Jewish people who were in the process of binding themselves to a covenant, to follow the Law of God (Nehemiah 10:28-31). (I like the word ‘binding‘, it really does carry well, the meaning of commitment.) The first observation Selwyn makes, is important: “Having provided us with the names of the people who sealed the covenant, Nehemiah makes it clear that everyone, including children old enough to understand, made an oath to keep the conditions of the covenant.”
We see here that all the individuals who take part are identified, no one can say at a later date – I was not part of the group – I did not make any promises! The second aspect is that children, who were old enough to understand, were also made responsible for keeping the terms of the covenant. Now, that’s a revolutionary idea for today’s parents to consider – do you agree?
The second important area for me, is that the situation which caused many to sin was also recognised and a solution agreed to by the community. The Jewish people agree to abstain from intermarriage. There would have been no issue if the prospective foreign partners of Jewish people had agreed to leave their culture and religion behind; and to honestly follow the one and only God of the Jews. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done – history demonstrates the difficult nature of this problem, over and over again. As well as obeying the laws of God; it’s also very important that we avoid those situations which often lead us to sin – even if they are not sinful practices in themselves. For example, drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin; but drinking excessively to the point where our discernment becomes distorted,  is a sin. Even more so, when we recognise that this area is a personal weakness, and we fail to avoid those situations where there is the temptation to drink too much. Do you agree?
Finally, to follow Jesus requires total commitment – there can be no compromise. As Selwyn says in his conclusion: “We should remember that when we commit ourselves to obeying the commandments of the Lord we commit ourselves to obeying all the commandments. ‘Some’ or ‘most’ is not enough.” Actually, we read in Scripture that when we break one of God’s laws, we become ‘outlaws’, as if we have broken all of His laws – something to keep in mind.
Yet, we know that Jesus understands what it’s like to be human and with His help we can remain faithful to Him – He has told us that He will help us in our daily journey – it’s one of His commitments – we can trust in Him!
What’s your view?
‘Most’ is not enough
Selwyn continues to look at the attitude of the Jewish people who were in the process of binding themselves to a covenant, to follow the Law of God (Nehemiah 10:28-31). (I like the word ‘binding‘, it really does carry well, the meaning of commitment.) The first observation Selwyn makes, is important: “Having provided us with the names of the people who sealed the covenant, Nehemiah makes it clear that everyone, including children old enough to understand, made an oath to keep the conditions of the covenant.”
We see here that all the individuals who take part are identified, no one can say at a later date – I was not part of the group – I did not make any promises! The second aspect is that children, who were old enough to understand, were also made responsible for keeping the terms of the covenant. Now, that’s a revolutionary idea for today’s parents to consider – do you agree?
The second important area for me, is that the situation which caused many to sin was also recognised and a solution agreed to by the community. The Jewish people agree to abstain from intermarriage. There would have been no issue if the prospective foreign partners of Jewish people had agreed to leave their culture and religion behind; and to honestly follow the one and only God of the Jews. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done – history demonstrates the difficult nature of this problem, over and over again. As well as obeying the laws of God; it’s also very important that we avoid those situations which often lead us to sin – even if they are not sinful practices in themselves. For example, drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin; but drinking excessively to the point where our discernment becomes distorted,  is a sin. Even more so, when we recognise that this area is a personal weakness, and we fail to avoid those situations where there is the temptation to drink too much. Do you agree?
Finally, to follow Jesus requires total commitment – there can be no compromise. As Selwyn says in his conclusion: “We should remember that when we commit ourselves to obeying the commandments of the Lord we commit ourselves to obeying all the commandments. ‘Some’ or ‘most’ is not enough.” Actually, we read in Scripture that when we break one of God’s laws, we become ‘outlaws’, as if we have broken all of His laws – something to keep in mind.
Yet, we know that Jesus understands what it’s like to be human and with His help we can remain faithful to Him – He has told us that He will help us in our daily journey – it’s one of His commitments – we can trust in Him!
What’s your view?