Read Nehemiah 10:30-39. What are four things the Israelites pledged to do as part of the renewed covenant? The people pledged the following: 1. No mixed marriages (no marriage to an individual who could lead one into idolatry); 2. True Sabbath observance (no distractions through business transactions); 3. Debt cancelation and Sabbatical year observance to care for the poor and give them … Continue reading –>
Bible scholars recognize that there is a typical structure to biblical covenants; this was even seen in covenants made by the ancient Hittites. That is, God communicated to the people in a manner that they, in their culture, could especially understand. The covenants that were common during the time of ancient Israel had the following … Continue reading –>
After the flood, God began again, now with Noah and the people who came afterward. With them, too, He sought a relationship, and central to that relationship was the idea of covenant. The Bible identifies seven major covenants that God has made with people: 1st Covenant – Adam (Genesis 1:1-3:24) 2nd Covenant – Noah (Genesis 6:1-9:29) 3rd … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 10:1-29 (and refresh your memory by reading Nehemiah 9:36-38). Who is making this covenant, and why did they enter into it? Although only the leaders signed the document, the text pointedly notes that all of “the rest the people” entered into “a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God” (Neh. 10:28-29, NIV). What was … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Neh. 10:1-29, Gen. 4:8-19, Heb. 13:20, Joshua 24:1-33, Neh. 10:30-39, Heb. 8:1-7. Memory Text: “‘And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it’. … we will not neglect the house of our God” (Nehemiah 9:38; Nehemiah 10:39, NKJV). What does the Bible mean when it … Continue reading –>
Present for Uganda’s President By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Seventh-day Adventist Church president Ted N.C. Wilson was thinking about religious literature when I arrived in a hotel lobby in Uganda to accompany him and other church leaders to a meeting with the African country’s president, Yoweri Museveni. “I have a pen for the president”, Pastor … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Confession”, pages 37-41, in Steps to Christ. In Nehemiah 9:25, the Hebrews talked about how their ancestors “delighted themselves” (NKJV) in God’s great goodness. The verbal root is the same as the name Eden, as in the “garden of Eden” (Gen. 2:15). Perhaps, the best translation would be “they edenized themselves” if only edenized … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:32-38. What is the focus of the conclusion of the prayer of confession? Once again the prayer turns to praising God for who He is: great, mighty, and awesome, one who keeps the covenant and mercy. They seem sincere in their acknowledgment of God’s goodness to them. They also bring a petition in the … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:23-31. How are the Israelites described in comparison to God’s “great goodness” (Neh. 9:25)? This next section of the prayer/sermon focused on life in Canaan as the Israelites possessed the land that God had given them. They had been handed land, cities, vineyards, and fields ready for use, but they had taken it all for … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:9-22. How does this part of the prayer differ from the first part? The prayer transitions from praising God for His faithfulness to recounting the contrasting unfaithfulness of the Israelites in their Egypt and wilderness experiences. It outlines all the different things God gave the Israelites; but unfortunately, the response of the “fathers” … Continue reading –>
