A Covenant Renewal

Study Scripture: Nehemiah 10:28-39

Lesson 13        July 26th, 2025.

Key Verse

Nehemiah 10:39
³⁸   For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the chambers; the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers, and the singers are there. So we will not neglect the house of our God.

INTRODUCTION

How committed are you in your Christian walk with God? Do you take your Christian life seriously or are you content to do a few things you consider important and then ignore everything else others think are important?

We invite you to rate your attitude and your performance against that of the young people in the returning exiles to the land of Judah.

We are now faced in our Lesson Study with the issue of whether the law of God in whole or in part is relevant to our modern beliefs since we claim to be modern day Christianity.

This issue is most important for there are many that water down the force of what God wishes for humanity by simply focusing on the significant acts of the returned exiles leading to their unwavering commitment to observe the law of God.

They try to avoid full obedience to the commandments, especially Seventh day Sabbath worship by voiding the reason why the Lord God instituted the Sabbath for a perpetual covenant practice with the excuse they have to right to change law of God because they argue without much factual support Jesus was raised on a Sunday, Thus they argue they are celebrating on the day of Jesus’ resurrection and this justifies their right to change the laws of God and substitute the commanded worship Day of rest.

It must however be recognized that the laws of God with respect to the sacrificial system and the priesthood system are no longer in force literally because the lamb of God has come, completed the work that system represents and has made believers priests tasked to perform spiritual sacrifices.

Over the past eight lessons we have come a long way studying God’s sovereignty in the affairs of men, His promises to His people, and demonstrated ability to restore His people by bringing them out of exile.

God raised up people like Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra and Nehemiah who were instrumental in His plan of restoration.

A character study of these men teaches many things. In this Study, it quickly becomes apparent, that none of these men relied on their own ability to accomplish God’s work; they learned to trust God every step of the way.

They recognized and repented of their own sinful ways which included their frequent excuses in varying the word of God. They confessed as having contributed to the current situation. 

God stirred the hearts of these men, and as we see in the case of Nehemiah, he began to mourn the terrible condition, both the physical and spiritual dereliction of God’s people.

We cannot stress too much the importance of the freedom found in the dependence on God. He is your only rock and under His wings is the only hiding place. There is much freedom there.

It cannot be stressed too much that here we have a model of commitment and the fact we have to say, “Wow”, for in that model there is quite a lot of commitment.

After hearing the word of God read to them, having it explained to them, applying the word to their lives, and then confessing and repenting, there came a great commitment.

There was complete commitment to obedience and one writer states; “We find eight specific commitments, pledges, bound with an oath and a curse against themselves that bound every aspect of their personal lives and their spiritual lives”.

This commitment included no mixed marriages, a religious, not a racial separation, and the promise to pay a contribution to the support of the Temple.

Seventy years of exile, as was prophesied, had come to a close, and God’s plan of restoration was already in motion.  Through the message of God’s prophets, the hearts of the people (the remnant) were stirred. God never forgets His people, always reviving them in His time. God never breaks His covenant.

The nation had completely ignored the warning of the prophets and slid deeper and deeper into apostasy. As God had warned the exile happened. That should have been no great a surprise, for God was displeased with their behaviour, and their continued disobedience to the Law of God.

Israel, the Northern Kingdom, before the Southern Kingdom of Judah had been the destruction of their nation because they were completely into paganism wholeheartedly embracing the abominable practices of the pagan nations around them. But Judah followed suit, not heeding the warnings of the prophets or the example of the Northern Kingdom of Israel’s disgrace.

So Nebuchadnezzar, king of the vast Babylonian Empire, took God’s people into exile as prophesied.  Jerusalem was decimated, the Temple destroyed, and terrible atrocities were committed against the people, as Jeremiah had prophesied. The best of Israel, its people and possessions, were taken captive to Babylon, and all that remained were the poor and outcasts of their ruined society.

Daniel, who was amongst some of the first captives, knew the prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the seventy-year exile (Jeremiah 25:12,29) and as the time of the exile drew to a close, after a lifetime in captivity, Daniel began to pray for God’s promised deliverance,(Daniel 9:2).

God had already orchestrated the fall of the Babylonian Empire, and the Persian Empire by this time was under the rule of Cyrus, who would also be God’s instrument in the deliverance of the Jews.  This was prophesied by Isaiah in ,Isaiah 44:28,and 45:1-5 150 years before it happened.

God stirred the heart of Cyrus that he would the people of Judah return to their homelsnd. Not only did he let the people go but he commanded them to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem.  He made a decree that anyone hindering the work be put to death, and commanded that the people supply the returning exiles with materials, to aid in the building of the Temple.  Cyrus also returned the Temple vessels taken by the Babylonians and used some of his own treasury to fund the rebuilding of the Temple.

But very few of the Jews actually returned.  The years ahead would prove to be arduous and a continual struggle. God however guaranteed their ultimate restoration.  God raised up Zerubbabel, Haggai, and Zechariah to encourage and lead the first batch of returning exiles.  It was after hearing the word ministered to them, that they would for a time take heart and do the work of God, despite the fact that the Samaritans and people from the other surrounding pagan nations tried to derail their efforts.  The work proceeded nicely for a time, but soon lapsed, as the people turned from doing the work of God to attending to their own affairs.

The foundation was barely completed, the Temple itself was not yet built, and the work remained in an unfinished state for the next fifteen years. The people of God, the remnant, needed constant encouragement, prodding and pushing, much like we do.

Left to ourselves we are indeed like sheep prone to stray, but the grace of the covenant keeping God will not allow His elect to be lost.  Praise God.

At one point the work had been halted for fifteen years, the people had abandoned the work of God and had become self-centred, looking only after their own affairs. The prophet Haggai  let the people know  that they would  never succeed or be prosperous, if they neglected the work of God.

When the rebuilding of the Temple finally resumed, it was actually completed in a relatively short period of time.  But this Second Temple (the temple built by Solomon was the first Temple), could not compare in appearance or beauty to the first Temple. But God’s promise to be with His people was a comfort and a blessed assurance.

When the Temple was finally complete and dedicated (Ezra 6) a new era had begun, an era in which Zechariah’s valley of dry bones pictures the miraculous restoration of the people.

Although the Temple was completed and sacrifices again were being offered, the walls of the city remained in ruins, allowing those antagonistic toward the work of God to pillage and rape and steal and continuously demoralize the people.  They had no protection from those who surrounded them. 

When reports about this situation reached Nehemiah, the Persian King’s cupbearer, he was grieved.  He fasted and prayed four months. God had put him a position close to the King, and in due time gave him the opportunity to address the king and present a highly risky request-to have an extended leave, with permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, the city that was the burial place of his ancestors.

God put it in the mind of the King to allow the wall to be rebuilt, allowing Nehemiah to take charge of the matter.  He Nehemiah, roused and motivated the people to complete the wall in only fifty-two days, and having accomplished this, Nehemiah then called the people to obey the law, which they had neglected. This was all part of the restoration.  As Ezra read the law, God stirred the hearts of the rest of the people.

This brings us to today’s Study Lesson; having eagerly received the law, it was now time to renew the Covenant.

The first chapters of the book of Nehemiah point out the importance of rebuilding our defences, restoring the walls and gates of our lives, closing the openings that enable our enemy to get at us.  Satan our enemy will never rest, but it is critical that we do what is necessary to rebuild our walls. See chapters 1 through 7.

Then the book showed us the necessity for changing our outlook on life, renewing our minds, to correct how we think, by once again being instructed in the truth, by a careful listening to the Word of God.  See chapter 8.

The next step in this process of renewal was a commitment to a new lifestyle. We must be prepared to act for the application of the teaching of the Word of god is not a matter easily done. Satan and his world will never make it easy for you to apply God’s word to the practical matters you and your nation will face.

So as you look around you will see the need for the thundering condemnations found in the book of Amos as well as the pleadings for a changed life and behaviour.

We of course also need to do this once we have rebuilt the walls of our lives, been re-instructed in the truths of the Word of God, and renewed our minds.  We have to commit ourselves in a serious commitment to a new lifestyle, where we now have an agreement with God to keep in step with Him, making specific commitments to Him, and leaning and depending on Him, for the ability to keep these commitments.

This is what the people of Israel now did. 

Chapter 9 records that they had a solemn fast; the Levites recounted their history of disobedience, and confessed how God was often times good to them despite their great wickedness.  After the entire remnant nation repented of their sins and the sins of their fathers, they declared themselves to be servants of Jehovah. 

After this great statement of repentance, stating clearly how God had been merciful and mighty toward them for many years, keeping His covenant with them faithfully, leading them to re-establish the nation, they then quite logically and naturally entered into a formal, sealed agreement, to bind themselves to totally follow the ways of God .

To prove that they were absolutely sincere in the preceding act of prayer and penitence, the priests, the Levites and the princes or the heads of the people put their signatures or sealed the covenant document.

THE TEXT

Verse 28. The Text today begins by identifying those who were prepared to renew the covenant, the basis of which would be adherence to the law of God. 

Note that in every respect they went right back to the instructions that God had given them during their trek out of bondage in Egypt.

In today’s Lesson we will look at the specific commitments that these people of Israel made. The commitments are summarized below for discussion.

First, the people committed themselves not to be unequally yoked in their marriages.

Second, they covenanted to again observe the Sabbath, the seventh day Sabbath.

Third, they promised to observe the rules about the seventh year Sabbath, the sabbatical year.

Fourth, they would support the system of worship in the Temple, providing animals, money and grain for offerings in the Temple.

Fifth, they agreed, as required in the law, to bring the first fruits of their crops, their flocks, their herds, and their firstborn sons to God.

Sixth, they promised to pay the tithe, that is, ten percent of all their income, their crops and their wealth to the Temple.

Seventh, they promised to faithfully and regularly attend the Temple, which was the house of God.

Note the first commitment, which had to do with this matter of being unequally yoked with unbelievers. A major prohibition contained in the law, was that against intermarriage with pagans, much of which have occurred. Of course, Pagans were unbelievers.

In these marriages, separation from these loved ones would be hard but necessary, for those who would not separate, could not enter or renew the covenant, as they could not fulfill the requirements of the covenant being in continual disobedience to the law.

The same Jews therefore would also be excluded from entering the Covenant. 

Note however, that while only faithful Jews could enter into the Covenant, others besides them could also enter, for the covenant would take in and include those who separated themselves from the people of the land, that is to say, those who rejected the heathen practices and customs, the false gods and religions of the land, and though not Jews, had embraced the law of God, that is to say, embraced the God of the law, and true religion.

This they did not without understanding, but fully understanding what the Covenant meant, and purposed to walk accordingly.

Knowing the nature of the Covenant and what was required of them was equally as important as rejecting their heathen religions.

Verse 29.   The oath and curse were very important parts of Jewish culture, as well as vital components in the belief structure of other cultures. They were used in a variety of ways. 

They were so critically important and so powerful that one dared not break them, for the curse would surely come upon the oath breaker. Oaths were considered to be so important that they could not be broken without severe repercussions. 

For that reason, we are warned not to take such action lightly or rashly.  As in the case of Jephthah, Judges_11:30-36; his rash decision cost him his daughter.

Easton’s definition of an oath is:  A solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deu_6:13; Jer_4:2), in various forms (Gen_16:5; 2Sa_12:5; Rth_1:17; Hos_4:15; Rom_1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen_14:22; Gen_24:2; 2Ch_6:22).”

In renewing the Covenant the people were not satisfied to simply make a verbal declaration, but united themselves with their leaders, who sealed the agreement in writing – more than mere words.  They joined themselves to their nobles, that is, they could not be separated from them. They ratified the Covenant with the people assenting to this agreement.

All the people who had separated themselves from the people of the lands onto the Lord God, bound themselves to solemnly keep this oath.  This was a promissory oath to live in conformity with the Law.

Certain of their intent to keep the law, the people also added a curse. They called on themselves grievous punishments in the case of transgression.

Those Proselytes, were, as mentioned before, required to understand the seriousness of the Covenant to which they were committing themselves.  This type of oath and curse would not have been foreign to them.

It is also interesting to note, that when God made the Covenant with Abraham, only God passed between the pieces of the calf, binding Himself to keeping the Covenant with Abraham.  This made the Covenant with Abraham an unconditional one, since God alone passed through the pieces of the slain animals, thus committing Himself alone to maintaining the Covenant and ensuring that all of its terms were fulfilled.

The last part of this verse gives us the general scope of the commitment, which was to keep the law that was given to Moses, not only the Ten Commandments, but the judgments and statutes, thus covering the moral, judicial and ceremonial aspects of the law.

The following verses highlight three vital areas where this Covenant keeping community had continually struggled.  These were major contributing factors that led to their exile.

Intermarriage with heathens, Sabbath breaking, and not tithing and supporting the worship system, are quite likely the root of the other Covenant breaking atrocities.

Verse 30.   The law forbade intermarriage with heathens. Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3; God would have a holy nation, a peculiar people, set apart for Himself.  He is a jealous God and would not share His glory with another. 

The people had been warned that intermarriage served only to introduce them to heathen practices and false gods, polluting the true and pure worship of Jehovah.

Time and time again, they spurned the law of God, taking pagan wives for themselves and giving their women to pagan men, who promptly turned their hearts from following the true and living God, and toward a life laced with idolatry.  This decline into apostasy led to the atrocities of sacrificing their children to these false gods, and all kinds of immorality.

Ezra led these returned exiles to understand that it was necessary to give up their foreign wives and children, though difficult this may be. Ezra 9:1-3,12-14; 10:10-12. 

Thus at the renewal of the Covenant the people swore – promised that they would not marry heathen wives or allow their daughters to marry heathen men.  Unfortunately this would be just another broken promise. Nehemiah 13:23.

This rule about being unequally yoked with unbelievers looks like discrimination but history had shown that God had excellent reasons for this instruction.

We note that the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 repeated this command stressing that persons marrying must have the same or similar religious belief. Disagreement about religion will lead to a wreck. When Christians ignore this direction and intermarry with pagans or unbelievers, they will undermine their own faith, opening the door to misery, heartache, and struggle. 

Of course, marrying a Christian does not necessarily mean one will be happy, for there are other elements necessary for a successful marriage.  But if the rule is disregarded, the practical wisdom spurned, there will quite likely be more trouble than there ought to be.

Verse 31.   Over the years the Sabbath was desecrated, its observance abandoned, and its meaning lost to many. 

This of course is the only commandment that God specifically tells us to remember, for Satan works extra hard to put this commandment completely out of our mind. Nehemiah realized that Sabbath breaking was a major reason for the people going into exile.

This commandment is a most important one.  God has never changed

this commandment, but men have always tried to corrupt it and change it, and have fought against it. This first established commandment has been resisted more than any other.

But there is no biblical justification for substituting any other day for the 7th day Sabbath worship commanded in Genesis chapter 2, and confirmed in Isaiah 66. Jesus made the Sabbath, kept it when He was on earth, and the Apostles and the early church observed it.

The Sabbath was created so that man would imitate God, that is, act like God acted, rest, remember that God is his Creator and worship Him.

Men have done all they can and continue to do more to turn men’s mind away from God as Creator, for that focus on God as Creator will remind them that they must be totally obedient to every single word of God. This men do not like to hear. 

Men preferred to reject everything associated with the people of Israel, and change the day God set apart for worship to a day, which for them allegedly means rejoicing and celebration.  But we know that there is no biblical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. 

The change from the 7th day Sabbath is really a change brought about by pagan influence, which was brought into the congregation of God.

In particular laws against trading and commerce, buying and selling from the people of the land on the Sabbath day was a common and major violation of the Sabbath, and was forbidden by law, Amos 8:5.

This law forbidding work and commerce pertained to the weekly 7th day Sabbath and also to the feast days, which are also recognized as Sabbaths (the Feast of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles). 

The people had not followed the law with respect to sanctification of the Sabbath.

In addition to this, the Sabbath year had not been observed. It was required that the land also have its rest. Thus the ground should not be tilled in that year, the vines were to be left un-pruned, and any fruits produced were to be left for the poor to gather, Leviticus 25:4.

The continuous breaking of this law showed tremendous stubbornness in iniquity, selfishness, and a love of materialism.  It was rank disobedience against the express command of God.

The people covenanted now to obey forever more.

Verse 32.   Neglecting the work of God in any form was a terrible sign of ingratitude to the one who provided us with all things; it is also a blight on our own prosperity. 

They robbed God by withholding their tithes, thus God withheld His blessings from them, causing the ground to yield a fraction of what they had planted, so that there never seemed to be enough.  It seemed as if they were putting their money into bags with holes.

During the renewal of the covenant the people made an ordinance, a law amongst themselves, binding them to pay yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the House of God.  This ordinance seemed to be above and beyond what the law required.  The funds were used to run and maintain the Temple

Note that there is a difference of opinion concerning this tithe, Gill notes:

To charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel, for the service of the house of our God; the particulars of which follow in the next verse; for the defraying of which there used to be a treasury in the temple; but now there was none, and therefore they took this method to assess themselves; and being poor, instead of the half shekel, which in some cases was required, they only charged themselves with the third part of one; though Aben Ezra thinks this was added to the half shekel, and was paid over and above that; according to Brerewood.

Barnes also makes a careful observation:

The third part of a shekel – This appears to have been the first occasion on which an annual payment toward the maintenance of the temple service and fabric was established. The half-shekel of the Law Exo_30:13 was paid only at the time of a census (which rarely took place), and was thus not a recurring tax. In later times, the annual payment was raised from the third of a shekel to half a shekel Matt 17:24.

Whether this ordinance was in addition to that required in Exodus 30:13 or a method to lift the financial requirement of an impoverished people might be difficult to ascertain.  However, it seems clear that the people had finally accepted the importance of making the sacrifice to support the work of God and maintain the Temple, therefore committed themselves to sacrificial giving and meeting the increased requirements of worship.

Verse 33.   This money which was to be collected once a year would pay for the twelve loaves each week, for the table of showbread (Leviticus 24:5) and for the daily sacrifice which was a meat offering offered morning and evening, Exodus 29:38. In addition to the daily sacrifice, there were those required for the other Sabbaths and new moons (Numbers 28:9) and for the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, Numbers 28:16.

There were other holy days and special days of Thanksgiving that required sacrifice, including the sin offering. This sacrifice was a public affair, and was done to make atonement for the sins of Israel.  All these sacrifices required significant amounts of animals and grain and the cost was heavy for the impoverished people.

These continuous sacrifices taught the people that sin was such a serious matter that only death could cure it. The people of Israel could never forget the sight of the many animals sacrificed every day, day after day. The many sacrifices pointed to the sacrifice of the Lamb that was to come.

We can never forget the serious nature of sin, and the necessity for blood to be shed for the forgiveness of sins.  Many are offended at talk about the importance of the blood of Jesus. But we must remember it often, and often meditate on it at the Lord’s Supper.  Do not forget the terrible cost of our redemption.  See 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Finally the funds that were collected would help to meet the requirement to maintain the Temple and supply whatever was necessary for the priests to carry out their duties.

Verse 34.   Barnes describes the reason, the method of selection and the purpose of the wood offering:

No special provision was made by the Law, by David, or by Solomon, for the supply of wood necessary to keep fire ever burning upon the altar. Nehemiah established a system by which the duty of supplying the wood was laid as a burden in turn on the various clans or families, which were regarded as constituting the nation. The lot was used to determine the order in which the several families should perform the duty. A special day (the 14th of the fifth month, according to Josephus) was appointed for the bringing in of the supply; and this day was after a time regarded as a high festival, and called “the feast of the wood-offering.”

Verse 35.   Also according to the law the first fruits were to be brought to the Temple, Exodus 34:26.  The first fruits of the barley harvest and that of wine and oil and wood (Leviticus 23:10-17 and Deuteronomy 18:4) had all to be of the very best kind (Numbers 18:12) without blemish.  These were presented at the Tabernacle and belonged to the priests, Deuteronomy 18:3-5.  In the fourth year, the fruit of newly planted trees were also required, Leviticus 19: 23-24.

It is evident that God considered those who worked in the Temple worthy of their hire, and thus the congregation was responsible to minister to their needs.

Verse 36.   The firstborn male, whether man or beast was to be brought to the Temple and dedicated to the service of God, Exodus 13:2-12; 22:29.  Originally the firstborn of every family were to serve as the priests.  Later, Moses under the direction of God chose the tribe of Levi to serve in the Temple in place of the firstborn.  The firstborn now had to be redeemed in order to release them from this prior obligation.  Exo_13:2, Exo_13:12-15, Exo_34:19 Note that the concept of the first- fruits is very important. The people committed themselves to bring the first fruits of their crops, herds, flocks, and even their sons to God.  By this act they were recognizing that God owned them and had a right to everything in their lives.

This concept is important for us too. God also owns us and He has a right to everything in our lives.  We have been bought with a price.  We do not own ourselves.  We do not have a right to anything that we possess.

One writer states:

“ We are not our own.  We have no right to determine what we are going to do with our lives, or even whom we are going to marry.  We have certain choices granted to us, but not all choices.  One of the important aspects of becoming a Christian is to recognize the rights of God, and to live our lives within the limits he establishes.  That is what this great passage is teaching.  It is the way by which Israel recognized frequently and continually that their lives were not their own.  They too “ were bought with a price”.  They belonged to God.  He has the right to direct their affairs and make many choices for them.”

 When we give the first fruits of our labour to God we are truly recognizing and we really are His.

Verse 37.   All these tithes and offerings had to be brought to the Storehouse; part of which was to be used for the personal consumption of the priests, while the rest would sustain the demands of the daily sacrifices.  Thus oil and wine and a wide variety of agricultural produce were kept on hand.

Verse 38.   The Levites who served the priests were responsible to bring the tithes they received of the people into the store.  This of course was done under the watchful eye of the priests.

Verse 39.   The renewal of the Covenant was closed by the solemn pledge that they would never again forsake the House of God.  It was an expression of intense zeal. The people by this time were eager for the glory and worship of God.

The people committed themselves to faithfully attend the worship of God in the Temple.  That was the place where God wanted the people to meet regularly.

We too must never neglect to meet to worship God together, for when we meet He is there with us.  This is His command and we are warned by the Apostles not to break it.

We note that when people forsake the assembling of themselves they always begin to forsake God, and begin to pay attention to the worldly and the profane.  It is true that those who forsake the stipulated worship of God forsake God.

Such intense desire to worship the true and living God was fuelled by earnest feelings of sorrow and national repentance for their sin of apostasy from the service of God.  Fresh in their minds were the painful memories of captivity and the miraculous deliverance and restoration they thought they’d never see.

The rebuilding and dedication of the Temple, the rising of walls of the city, the reading of the law and finally the renewal of the Covenant, marked a new era of hope.  Thus the people vowed and said

“and we will not forsake the house of God.”

One psychologist gave a Bible scholar his take on why people will spends a lot of money on therapy but yet they do not change. His answer to this was “Because most people don’t really want to change. In the final analysis, they aren’t willing to do the things necessary to really change”.

CONCLUSION

There is one very important lesson we can take from our Study.

Remember therefore “change is not going to take place unless there’s some sort of commitment made.

-a commitment to act on the Scriptures

-A commitment NOT TO DO wrong.

-and a commitment TO DEFINITELY AND AGGRESSIVELY DO what is right”.

After a period of apostasy God again stirred the hearts of these people.  He never forgot His covenant with Abraham, thus He raised up servants to lead His people back home.

The people however had become so dull of hearing, stiff-necked and hard of heart, that only a remnant or minority of them left the city of exile and returned home.  Even those who returned wavered from time to time, needing constant motivation to do the work of God and behave in a godly manner.

So today we as Christians often find ourselves wavering, neglecting the work of God and need constant reminding to keep the commands of God and follow Him.

We find that even with the Spirit of God indwelling us, we are still prone to sin, because we still possess that sin nature. 

It is much easier to float downstream being carried along with the waves of sin than to exercise that godly intent and swim upstream in pursuit of righteousness.

We must however not be too harsh when we look at the ingratitude of those people who returned to Jerusalem, because we are no better than they.  We suffer from the same sin sickness.

As a result we often find ourselves lining up at the altar to dedicate our lives every time we hear the word of God delivered with power.  That is not bad in and of itself, for when we are convicted of sin we must repent so restoration can take place.  

But what’s better is that we simply heed the word of the Lord, clinging to every command of God so that it may prevent us from sinning and consistently attend to His work.

As the Scriptures say:

“Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not saying against thee”. Psalm 119:11.

Let us learn from those who’ve gone before and avoid the painful consequences of disobedience.  Let us keep ourselves from being unequally yoked with unbelievers, because they will turn our hearts from following God.

Remember that you are not your own.  Your responsibility is to simply follow the guidelines that God has laid down, to obey His words and to worship and praise Him.

We are to support the work of God out of gratitude for what He has done for us, knowing that He has blessed us tremendously.  We must give everything we can in grateful thanksgiving.

We must endeavour to meet together often for mutual support, worship and prayer.  We must support each other, that we all will be successful in our Christian life.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, set it apart for worship, for fellowship and for every good work that God would have us to do.  When we worship together on the Sabbath, we must concentrate our efforts and focus on remembering that He is our Creator, our Lord, and our Redeemer.  Without His grace we would never exist.  Without His mercy we would never survive.  We must be totally obedient to Him.

Neither should we forget to bring our tithe or our varying amounts of contributions into the storehouse of God that His work might proceed unhindered. We must be committed to supporting the work of God.

Remember that failing to do these things only leads to the bondage of sin.  If you find yourself in bondage because you have neglected the word and work of the Lord, repent, seek God’s forgiveness, and renew your covenant in humility, that God May restore you.

Most importantly we must understand that all this takes discipline.  We must decide what we must do and stick with that decision.

When our old habits of sin return, and we fail to live up to our commitments, let us understand that we must go to God for strength, for as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13:“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”