We have been studying the first series of this year titled “Rebuild our Broken Walls and Others” through the book of Nehemiah. In the first half of this text, the people of Israel completed the renovation of the damaged tabernacle in Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah. After restoring God’s physical house, the people of Israel wanted to renew spiritual temples within themselves. In the second half of this Nehemiah book, they began reforming their spiritually destructive hearts through the Word of God and prayer. They “came together as one” at the temple and asked Ezra, the priest and the teacher of the Law, to bring out “the Book of the Law” to them (Nehemiah 8:1). Through Ezra, they read the Word of God from daybreak until noon (Nehemiah 8:3). They respected God’s Word while examining their minds and repenting of their sins. With God’s forgiveness and strength, they rejoiced in the Word. Once again, they gathered at the house of God and had a prayer meeting led by the Levities. All the people of Israel adored God since they believed that only the Lord could receive their praises and adorations. They confessed the wrongdoings that their ancestors and they had done before the Lord. They thanked God for what He had provided for them and how He had protected them from danger. Furthermore, they made supplications to the Lord to help their loved ones and themselves accomplish their divine restoration. They all believed that holding on to God’s Word and petitions to God would be fundamental methods to rebuild the brokenness or damage in their hearts.

In our main account for today, we find the people of Israel making their binding agreement with God. All the political and religious leaders in Jerusalem wrote what they pledged before God and put their names on the sealed documents. Nehemiah placed his name first in that holy covenant, and the other 83 people followed to put their signatures there. After that signing ceremony, the rest of the people of Israel, including children who would understand this sacred pledge, were also invited to participate in that goldy declaration. “All these now join the fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord” (Nehemiah 10:29). Did we notice that they did vow “with a curse and an oath” before God. We usually want to make a vow with God’s blessing. “If God blesses me with some things, I will do that or this.” On the contrary, the people of Israel would not mind being cursed if they would not do that or this. This description would show how serious the people of Israel would be when they made their vow before God. It is not just deciding to be out of difficult situations quickly. They revealed their sincere and sacred attitude toward God through those vows. With all their hearts and strengths, they wanted to observe all of God’s words in their restoration journey. They pledged for the glory of God in the following three areas of their lives: one, the relationship they had with, two, the time they were given, and the resources they were blessed with. This morning I want us to explore these contents, learn lessons from the people of Israel and apply these godly principles to our spiritual recovery.

Let us look at the first, the relationship. The first vow the people of Israel made was to separate themselves from the world. “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.” I do not think they were saying they would be superior to neighbouring countries’ people. As God’s chosen people, they wanted to keep both purity and holiness in their faith journey. They had heard and seen ruined relationships from their ancestors. Solomon, King David’s son, was known as the wisest person in those days. God had blessed him and his nation abundantly. However, he married many foreign women. They brought their gods with them and introduced pagan practices in the divine journey of the people of Israel. This caused them to have been influenced by idol worship. The people of Israel were committed to staying pure in their relationships. Before this decision, they “separated themselves from the neighbouring peoples for the sake of the Law of God…” (Nehemiah 10:28). One meaning of holiness in the Bible is separation. When the people of Israel got married, they separated themselves from all other possible mates and gave themselves entirely to their spouses.

Having a relationship with those who share the same faith is vital in our walk with God because faith is the basis for all our perspectives. God cares about our spiritual life. If we are truly submitted to God and His Word, we will also honour Him in all our relationships. Before we start any relationship, we need to ask ourselves the question. “Will this relationship enjoy God’s blessing and fulfill God’s will?”

The second vow the people of Israel committed themselves was to keep the Sabbath. “When the neighbouring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or any holy day. Every seventh year, we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts” (Nehemiah 10:31). Observing what the Word of God taught the Sabbath and the seventh year to the people of Israel would be a sacred way of separation or holiness. According to the Word of God, God had worked in the heavens and the earth during the six creation days. On the seventh day, God rested from all his work. Then God blessed this designated day and made it holy (Genesis 2:2-3). One meaning of “holy” in this scripture differs from other days. Later, the people of Israel were advised to “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” as God did (Exodus 20:8). Honoring the Sabbath in the Old Testament era would be one way the people of Israel being separated from their neighbouring countries’ people and being recognized as God’s people.

In the New Testament period, early Christians started meeting on Sunday to worship God since the resurrection of Christ occurred on the first day of the week. That is why we as Christians call that day the Lord’s Day and consequently have a public assembly praising the Lord and breaking the bread of Christ on Sunday. On this Lord’s Day, let us ask ourselves, “Am I keeping the Lord’s Day holy?” As we ponder this question, we need to remember that the Lord our God is the owner of our life. Everything we enjoy, including this precious present time, comes from the Creator God. Today we are supposed to use this worship opportunity of remembering Who God is and Who we are in God’s sight. God is mighty and merciful. Since God governs the entire universe, He can and will control every matter in our spiritual race. With God’s mighty help, we can use our God-given time wisely while glorifying the Lord whatever we do and enjoying our loved ones and ourselves now. With God’s merciful love, we can use our God-inherited time carefully while “attempting a great thing for the Lord and expecting a great thing from the Lord.” Of course, going to the house of the Lord and worshiping there on Sunday is one way of expression that we honour and sanctify the Lord’s Day. On top of this divine assembly, every day is graciously given by God to us to “offer [our] body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is [our] true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). Keeping the Sabbath or God’s designated day holy means more than making To-Do lists or Not-To-Do lists. It is our humble and honest acknowledgment that all the time or our God-given opportunities belong to God. We are supposed to use all to please God and fulfill His will in our faith journey. On the second Sunday in Lent and on a Holy Communion Sunday, let us also ask ourselves: “Am I spending my God-given precious present moment in His holy working and worshipping principles?” Once again, please remember that the Mighty and Merciful Lord is the God of the second chance, the third, the fourth and the unmeasurable opportunities if we come to God with our humble and honest confession today.

The third vow the people of Israel made was the pledge to support God’s ministry. I want to reread a couple of verses: “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God… We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the LORD each year the first fruits of our crops and of every fruit tree… And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work…” (Nehemiah 10:32-39). All the people of Israel felt responsible for giving a portion of their resources to the Lord. They responded to the need of God’s House with gratitude for the blessings God had given them. They remembered God while making the giving pledge before Him since it was the Lord their God “who gave [them] the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Out of that thankfulness, they decided to give as freely as they could to the Lord.

Giving expresses our faith in God, the provider and protector, in our walk with God. Whether we bring the first of everything or some portion of our wealth to the Lord, we need to remember that God sees our motives and beliefs. He wants us to give things to the Lord with a thankful spirit and a cheerful mind. He wants us to remember that God owns everything we have. He wants us as His steward over our God-inherited possession and property to do God’s will. One primary business of God is done through the House of God called the Church. Please understand this: Wherever the people of God gather together to worship the Lord, that assembly location can be called the house of God. The followers of Christ can also be called the temple of God. Offering to the Lord’s house means not just maintaining church doors open but also supporting God’s main ministry. God’s resources through God’s people will be given to the house of God if the church keeps doing the right things before the Lord, such as loving the Lord through not only praising Him, listening to the Word, and praying to Him in worship on Sunday but also offering a daily living sacrifice through our love for Him and His people. Our giving can be holy with that motive and loving heart toward God.

To conclude, we have learned the three typical covenants the people of Israel made with the Lord their God. They wanted to have a pure relationship with their God. They desired to spend precious time for the sake of the Lord. They tried to use resources to support God’s ministry. All the people of Israel made holy agreements between God and themselves. Today, we are allowed to make these divine declarations before the Lord. Before, during and after observing the Lord’s Supper, let us remember our genuine identity as the people of God’s covenant, like the people of Israel. Our bodies are “temples of the Holy Spirit” in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are not our own because we were all bought at the price of the life of Jesus Christ, who shed His blood on the cross (1 Corinthians 6:20). Therefore, let us honour God with our whole sacrifice in our relationship, time, and resources. We cannot keep all the commitments even though we have made and written in the sealed documents. But we can fulfill all the sacred covenants in our hearts in Christ, who gives us all the power, mercy, and wisdom for our spiritual recovery.

* In this sermon, I have used some thoughts from the messages based on the texts, Nehemiah 9:39, 10:1, 27-39 and Romans 12:1-2.