The Remnant in Jerusalem
Neh. 10
SEPARATION from all foreigners (9:2) is a root principle in the activity to which zeal for God led the remnant at this time. It was of all things essential to those who, not publicly owned of God, all the more owned their sins and the iniquities of their fathers to God: for what had so justly brought on them His sentence of Lo-ammi? What had, compared with it, made idolatry tolerable first, then plausible, at length desirable, till the true God was lost in the he of Satan? Marriage with heathen in private life led to alliance in public; and all evil soon followed in dishonor of God's law.
Here the chief men took the lead as became them; yet no small sign of their low estate was afforded by the Tirshatha signing first among the sealed. Then came faithful priests, followed by fewer Levites; and a fair quota of leading laymen. “And those that were sealed were Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah; Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah; Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah; Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch; Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah; Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch; Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin; Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these were the priests. And the Levites namely, Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan; Mica, Rehob, FIashabiah; Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah; Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani; Bunni, Azgad, Bebai; Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin; Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur; Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai; Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai; Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir; Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua; Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah; Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub; Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek; Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah; and Ahaiah, Hanan, Anan; Malluch, Harim, Baanah.” We may observe from what follows that “the rest of the people” were not slack, not only the Jews proper but proselytes, “all they that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands.” These become important henceforth, as we read also elsewhere (Esther 8:17) among the Gentiles. Separation to God is as lowly and powerful morally, as human or Pharisaic separateness is proud, narrow, and powerless. It is obedience, and nothing else more becomes the faithful. Its perfection we see in Christ, nor does anything give it more scope than Christianity, and it is only the more imperative in a day of departure and corruption. “And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one that had knowledge and understanding; 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 Jehovah our Lord, and his judgments, and his statutes; and that we would not give our daughters unto the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: and if the peoples of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy of them on the sabbath, or on a holy day: and that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.” It will be noted that the Rabbinic contempt of “wives and daughters,” had not yet raised its vain and wicked head. They joined no less than husbands and sons, “every one that had knowledge and understanding.” And it is beautiful to see how fidelity to God humbles the high and exalts the low: “they slave to their brethren, their nobles.” It is happy when God's will, not man's, welds all ranks together before Him Who is above all. Here it was as Jews to enter into a curse and into an oath to walk in His law. Alas! without the risen Christ, the object of faith, there was no power of the Spirit to work effectually; and there was soon a falling away.
The rest of the chapter shows how they applied the spirit of scripture to their then position. “And 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; 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 atonement for Israel, and for the work of the house of our God.
“And we cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law: and to bring the first-fruits of our ground, and the first-fruits of all fruit of all manner of trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD: 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: and that we should bring the first-fruits of our dough, and our heave offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, the wine and the oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
“And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levite shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave offering of the corn, of the wine, and of 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.”
“The house of our God” was precious even to those who knew the glory was no longer there. Such and more should be the name of Jesus, now that we are builded together for God's habitation in the Spirit—the Spirit of truth given to be with us forever.