The Covenant Document
The confession of chapter nine now becomes commitment. Israel has named their history—centuries of rebellion met by centuries of mercy—and in chapter ten, the people step into covenant again. The prayer ends with a plea for grace; the response begins with signatures. Leaders, priests, Levites, and families bind themselves to Yahweh in a sealed document, choosing obedience where their ancestors chose defiance. The threat is no longer ignorance or grief but relapse: returning to the sins they just confessed. So they write their names, take an oath, and lay out stipulations to guard their future.
The Signing of the Covenant Document (1-27)
The prayer of the leaders in chapter nine possesses an obvious theme, the gospel. Over and over again, Yahweh had been gracious, merciful, forgiving, and faithful to keep His word, no matter how Israel acted. Conversely, Israel had been faithless and sinful, never keeping their covenant with Yahweh. Here in chapter 10, Nehemiah leads the charge of bringing the Jews back into covenant with Yahweh, signing a sealed document committing to following Yahweh exclusively, and renouncing the former rebellious ways of following other gods along with Yahweh.
Following Nehemiah’s name is Zedekiah, Nehemiah’s vice-president, so to speak, the one who assisted him with civil authority. Third is the family of Seraiah, who would have been the head of the family of Ezra (Ezra 7:1), and then of the following 20 priestly names, 15 are the names of family heads.
After Nehemiah, Zedekiah, and the 21 priestly names (1-8) come 17 Levites (9-13) and then 44 leaders of the people; all of these signed names are a combination of individual and family names (1-27).
The Taking of the Oath (28-29)
After the signing of the covenant document, the whole nation gathered to take the oath of covenant. They were gathered in the order of their community and culture, from the priests to the Levites, to the gatekeepers, and then to the worshipers and temple servants—all wholly dedicated to serving Yahweh. This included their wives and families, all who were old enough to understand what they were doing (28). Those dedicated to sacred service then were joined by the rulers and the rest of the nation, who took the oath together. In the oath, they committed to take upon themselves the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience to God’s Word (29).
The Seven Stipulations (30-39)
Then they began to lay out seven stipulations of the Law they considered most important after three weeks of daily studying it. They would:
not intermarry with foreigners (30)
keep the Sabbath
keep the Sabbath of Years, resting the land every seventh year (31)
contribute to the Temple’s care, maintenance, and service (the shewbread, offerings, and feasts) (32-33)
provide the wood continually for offerings at the Temple (34)
bring the first fruits and the tithe to the House of God (35-38)
not neglect the House of God (39)
The greatest attention in the seven stipulations was given to the tithe and the first fruits to be brought to God’s house.
The firstfruits and tithing stipulations were laid out in three categories:
The first yield from the ground and the tree (35)
The price of redeeming (Exodus 13:13; 34:20) their firstborn with (36)
The tithe of the land (37-39)
The firstborn-redemption money, the firstfruits, and the Levites’ tithe took care of the priests who served the temple, while the tithes of the people (Numbers 18:21) were distributed from the temple to the rural areas to provide for the Levites (37-38).
Christ Is Seen
Jesus would have read Nehemiah 10 as the moment Israel tries to bind itself back to faithfulness—a covenant sealed by human signatures that cannot cure the human heart. He would see the longing behind the document: a people desperate to obey but unable to sustain obedience. Christ is the greater covenant‑keeper, the One who fulfills every stipulation not by vow but by giving Himself. Where Israel signs a scroll, Jesus seals a new covenant in His blood, securing the obedience they cannot produce.
Psalms 120-134 are all “Pilgrimage Songs” and were written to be sung by the Jews on their way up to Jerusalem for the three feasts held there each year [the feasts: Passover, Pentecost, Booths]. Ten of the Psalms are anonymous, four are attributed to David (122, 124,131,133), and one to Solomon (127)].
I have written these chapter devotionals as Jesus would have sung them and heard them as He was going to Jerusalem to celebrate feasts as a Boy, as a Man, and then ultimately in His final ascent to Jerusalem as the Passover culminated at Calvary. I will especially let these Psalms flow from Jesus’ own lips as we imagine a bit of what might have been going through His mind as He walked His disciples to that city 3,800 feet above sea level—the city in these Psalms referred to as Jerusalem and Zion.
Some imagine these Psalms were written for Solomon's Temple, each Psalm written for the fifteen steps leading up to the inner court—one Psalm at a time sung by the Levitical choirs accompanied by musicians as the priest made his way up each step.
Others imagine the Psalms were written for the exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem. Still others place them at 445 B.C. during Nehemiah's time, after the walls were built, when the Jews ascended to the temple for the Feast of Tabernacles.
Whenever these Psalms were written, they became songs sung by Pilgrims moving toward Jerusalem for one of the three feasts of Israel.
Psalm 121
The Psalm of Yahweh, our Keeper
This was the second Psalm sung as the Pilgrims made their journey to Jerusalem. Their eyes were on the temple as they anticipated the feasts of Yahweh.
Like the Psalm before Jesus, the Psalmist Singer imagined Himself among a people not sympathetic to Yahweh, His Son, or His worshipers. Surrounded by pagan voices and opposition, Jesus, the Psalmist Singer, raised up His voice and sang. As Jesus neared the city, He felt the resistance choking in on Him.
First, the Psalmist cried out to Yahweh, His Helper (1-2), then the Psalmist cried out to Yahweh, His Keeper (3-8).
Yahweh, the Psalmist's Helper (1-2)
Imagine Jesus as He journeyed up toward the temple, up toward Zion where He saw the hills on which Jerusalem was built. There, at the temple site is where Jews believed Heaven touched earth. There on those hills, Jews believed the throne of sovereign Yahweh sat and ruled. Jesus, the Psalmist Singer, cried out the question in tune, “From where does My help come from?” The question here was not asked because the Psalmist did not know the answer; this was a question asked to introduce and frame the grand solution (1).
You can hear Jesus, the Psalmist Singer, sing and announce to all, “Where does My help come from?”
Those with Jesus would listen as Jesus continued to sing, “My help comes from Yahweh!” Jesus would be warning those with Him: “Hear, hear what I am singing. My help comes from Yahweh. My help does not come from a temple nor a mountain nor those who have charge of this mountain. My help comes from Yahweh, the Creator of Heaven and earth” (2).
This Psalm was written to be sung antiphonally, meaning one person singing to another and the other or others answering. So Jesus, the Psalmist Singer, sang to those with Him, wanting them to drink in the answer in the Psalm.
Yahweh, the Psalmist's Keeper (3-8)
Those with Jesus who knew the Psalm would join in and sing the response: “If help is from Yahweh, then Your foot will not be moved. For whatever purpose, You are going to Jerusalem, and Your footing will be sure. You will get to the place You have been sent. Your strength will be preserved to get to where Yahweh is directing You.”
The word “keep” is used six times in this Psalm, and it means “preserved.” Jesus was preserved because the eyes of Yahweh are never shut, and the mind of Yahweh never needs re-oxygenation. Yahweh is not some bone-weary night watchman who gets drowsy and whose eyelids grow heavy (3-4).
Those with Jesus continued to sing the song, “Yahweh will preserve you. Yahweh will cast the shadow of the wings of the cherubim over you. The cherubim's sword will not be raised over you yet. Their wings will protect you all the way to your destination.
Neither will the weariness of heat stop You, the center of God's presence (5). Nightly fears will not scare and wither Your determination. You will be preserved and reach the destination of Your travels (6).
Yahweh, as before, will deliver You, Jesus, from the evil one who has sought to deter You from Your mission. You have a rendezvous with sacrifice; Your mission involves suffering, but the evil one will not keep You from God's destiny. Yahweh will protect You, and You will arrive at the cause for which You were born (7).
Jesus, Yahweh will preserve You when You go out from this life and when You come into this creation as the New First Born Creation of God, and He will sustain Your resurrection Body forever (8).”