GROUP DISCUSSION Sunday

1. What kinds of contracts, agreements, vows in contemporary society can you think of? List some 5:30pm here? What makes people accountable to them? St Michael’s North Carlton

2. In Chapter 10 of the people make a binding agreement about the following: Nehemiah 10:1-39 ⇒ Submitting to God ­ Knowing and responding to the Word of God Covenant Commitment ⇒ Being distinctive in the world ­ who we commit our lives to ⇒ Practicing a rest ­ how we spend our time and how we prioritize ⇒ Supporting God’s work ­ which includes how we spend our money

Take time to reflect and make some resolutions about each area of discipleship for your own life.

3. Spend some time in prayer to commit what you’ve written above to God this week. If you feel Studies in comfortable to do so, share your commitments with another person. the Community Under Construction 10

35 "We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Study 10– Covenant Commitment LORD each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree. In chapter 9 the reader finds an extraordinary depth of conviction of sin 36 "As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our demonstrated by the people of God after a 6 hour worship service (3 hours sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our hearing the Word of God read to them, 3 hours in prayers of confession). Even God, to the priests ministering there. greater evidence of penitence in is on show at the end of chapter 9 37 "Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our where attitude transformed into action. The people promised to amend their God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our offerings, of the lives and signed an agreement. fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and oil. And we will bring a of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the :38, 10:28-39 in all the towns where we work. Get serious 38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when 38 "In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. to it." 39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their Chapter 10: 1-39 contributions of grain, new wine and oil to the storerooms where the (Verses 1-27 have a list of names of those who signed the agreement) articles for the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the All for one gatekeepers and the singers stay. "We will not neglect the house of our 28 "The rest of the people-- priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple God."

servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for Learning from the past the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and On August 11, 1755, John Wesley refers to an occasion when he daughters who are able to understand-- conducted a service that provided opportunity for persons to make or 29 all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with renew that covenant with God. Listen to this account from his daily 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 journal: decrees of the LORD our Lord. "I mentioned to the congregation another means of increasing Right your relationships serious religion, which had been frequently practiced by our 30 "We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples ancestors, namely, the joining in a covenant to serve God with all around us or take their daughters for our sons. our heart and with all our soul. Put God first I explained this for several mornings and on Friday many of us 31 "When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on kept a fast to the Lord, beseeching him to give us wisdom and the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy strength, to make a promise unto the Lord our God and keep it. day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all On Monday, August 11, I explained once more the nature of such debts. an engagement, and the manner of doing it acceptably to God. Put God’s work first At six in the evening we met for that purpose. After I had recited 32 "We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a the tenor of the covenant proposed all those who desired to give third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: testimony of their entrance into this covenant stood up, to the 33 for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and number of about 1,800 persons. burnt offerings; for the offerings on the , New Moon festivals and Such a night I scarce ever saw before. Surely the fruit of it shall appointed feasts; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement remain forever." for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God. 34 "We-- the priests, the Levites and the people-- have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at Background Reading (optional) set times each year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the 1-6; -2; 2 Chronicles 36; Daniel; Jeremiah 21-52; LORD our God, as it is written in the Law. Ezekiel 26-30; ; Zechariah.