January 20, 2011

Nehemiah 10

“These joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and 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 the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.” An interesting concept, should we do this? We certainly need to consider Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:33-37. There is a sense in which many people already do this to some degree. I went to a MLK Jr. celebration a few nights ago. On the wall of sanctuary was a large copy of Church Covenant. It was large enough for everyone to read it while sitting in the pew. I have seen such covenants in many churches. They used to be more common than they are today. As I read it, I thought, “Wow! If everyone did this, this would indeed be one dynamic church!” Did posting the covenant on the wall help move the church toward being dynamic? Since this is the only occasion that I have ever attended a worship service at this location, I am not in the least qualified to answer the question whether it helped the congregation that met there to be more dynamic.

Does entering into curses, oaths, covenants etc. really help us to experience the glory of God? Certainly Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes and your no, no.” So as a follower of His, when I say, “Yes I will do this,“ or, “No, I will not do this,” there should not be any difference in my behavior than if I were to take a curse, or an oath, or a covenant. But if I never say, “Yes,” or, “No,” then I probably will never do. So, at times an agreement with someone else to do something is valuable in our lives, lest procrastination set in and we never do. Personally, I think I would steer clear of curses. But sometimes radical denunciation of sin and embracing a course of seeking God are necessary.

So how does today’s passage tell us about the glory of God? Sometimes we come to the realization that we have ceased seeking the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and muchness. At those times we need to recognize our sin, confessing it and claiming forgiveness. Then we need to renew our commitment placing ourselves in a position where God may reveal His glory to us. Sometimes when we do that, it means committing together with other brothers and sisters who can help us do that. They should have permission from us to point out in our lives when we strayed from the Lord’s revealed path. It takes a tremendous amount of trust on our part to allow someone else to be so bold with us, but what are the benefits? God normally reveals Himself to those who seek Him with all they are. That means when change or repentance is needed, we are willing. But the benefit is a fresh revelation of Himself. It is in those moments where we experience His glory in life changing ways. I know I need that. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john