Nehemiah 10:36

_AND TO BRING THE FIRSTFRUITS OF OUR GROUND, AND THE FIRSTFRUITS OF ALL FRUIT OF ALL TREES, YEAR BY YEAR, UNTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD:_ No JFB commentary on these verses....

32-39 Having covenanted against the sins of which they had been guilty, they obliged themselves to observe the duties they had neglected. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well. Let not any people expect the blessing of God, unless they keep up public worship. It is likely to go well with our houses, when care is taken that the work of God's house goes on well. When every one helps, and every one gives, though but little, toward a good work, the whole will come to be a large sum. We must do what we can in works of piety and charity; and whatever state we are placed in, cheerfully perform our duty to God, which will be the surest way to ease and liberty. As the ordinances of God are the appointed means of support to our souls, the believer will not grudge the expense; yet most people leave their souls to starve....

Verse 36. _ALSO THE FIRST-BORN_] See this law, and the reasons of it, Exodus 13:1. As by this law the Lord had a right to all the firstborn, instead of these he was pleased to take the _tribe_ _of Levi_ for the whole; and thus the Levites served at the tabernacle and temple, instead of the _first-born_ of all the tribes....

EXPOSITION THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO SEALED, AND THE TERMS OF THE COVENANT (Nehemiah 10:1.). The covenant which the Levites had recommended, probably at the suggestion of Nehemiah and Ezra, whose hand may perhaps be traced in the long address of the preceding chapter (verses 6-38), was at once accepted by the heads of the nation in Church and State, and was "sealed to" by Nehemiah, by his secretary, by the heads of the priestly and Levitical families, each sealing for his house, by the heads of various lay families or communities, and by a certain number of individual laymen, sealing (as it would seem) for themselves only. The rest of the people, those who did not actually s

CHAPTER 10 _ 1. Those who sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:1)_ 2. The obligations of the covenant (Nehemiah 10:28) Nehemiah 10:1. The last verse of the preceding chapter mentions a covenant. “And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests, seal unto it.” In this chapter we find the names of the heads of the different houses who sealed the covenant, which means they put their signature to it. According to talmudical tradition these signers constituted “the Great Synagogue.” Originally it consisted of 120 members, but later only 70 belonged to it. Its covenants were as follows: _ (1) Not to marry heathen women;_...

NEHEMIAH 9:38 TO NEHEMIAH 10:39. THE COVENANT. This section is probably originally from Ezra's memoirs, though it has been considerably worked over, presumably not by the Chronicler, since he writes in the third person. It is, in the main, written in the first person plural, and may in its present form have come from some loyal follower of Ezra or Nehemiah who writes as representing one of the people. The special points of the covenant are the undertaking not to marry foreigners, to observe the Sabbath more strictly, to remit debts in the seventh year, to pay a third of a shekel to the Temple, to supply wood for burning the sacrifices, to offer all the first-fruits, and to give tithes; with all this _cf._ ch. 13....

_the firstborn of our sons_ The firstborn of the children of Israel -from a month old" were redeemed -for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary." Numbers 18:16; cf. Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20. _of our cattle, as it is written in the law_ The firstlings of oxen, sheep and goats were not redeemed; they were holy; their fat was offered as a burnt offering; the flesh was the portion of the priests. See Numbers 18:17-19. But the firstborn of all unclean beasts were redeemed for a price. Cf. Exodus 23:19;...

_WHAT DID THE PEOPLE PROMISE TO GIVE -- NEHEMIAH 10:32-39:_ The people make promises and ordinances that they would provide funds needed to do the work in the Temple. They determined to give a certain amount per person each year to accomplish this goal. This was a voluntary decision of the people to support the Temple work. They would be sure that the wood was provided to burn the sacrifices. These Jews also agreed to obey the laws of God regarding giving Him the firstfruits of the harvest and the firstborn of the people and animals. The gifts would be brought to the Temple and stored until they were needed. This store of good was to insure that the service to God in the Temple would not be neglected. Let us learn to uses whatever we have to the glory of God and to help build up his kingdom. If we give back to God anything less than what He deserves it is to rob Him. ...

4. The people also arranged support for the Levites, who in turn would support the priests. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 10:34-39 34 Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites, and the people in order that they might bring it to the house of our God, according to our fathers-' households, at fixed times annually, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the law; 35 and in order that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the LORD annually, 36 and bring to the house of our God the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, and the first-born of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. 37 We will also bring the first of our dough, our contrib

LIST OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE COVENANT 1. Now those that sealed _were_] The names that follow ZidMjah's are those of families whose living representatives sealed on behalf of their houses. Several of these family names occur in the list of those who accompanied Zerubbabel to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12). ZIDKIJAH] The fact that his name is coupled with Nehemiah's suggests that he was a person of importance, but nothing is known of him....