Those That Sealed - Nehemiah 10:1

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the Levites said to Jehovah God, “Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that you gave unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it. And it yields much increase unto the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites and priests, seal unto it”, and in chapter ten and verse one of Nehemiah, Nehemiah named, “those that sealed” where we read,

Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,

The verse reads, “Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “now those that sealed” which means “on this account and on this behalf the people who documented, signed and ratified”, “were Nehemiah, the Tirshatha” or “were Nehemiah whose name means Jehovah comforts and was the son of Hachaliah, cupbearer to king Artaxerxes who became governor of Judah after the return from exile”. Nehemiah named himself first as he began to share the names of the people who documented, signed and ratified the “sure covenant”.

The verse continues, “... the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,” Nehemiah added the words, “the son of Hachaliah” or “the male progeny and offspring belonging to Hachaliah whose name means whom Jehovah enlightens”, “and Zidkijah”which means “and Zidkijah whose name means Jehovah is righteous. Nehemiah included his “father” whose name was “Hachaliah” and “Zidkijah” among the people of Israel who documented or signed the covenant. 

When we think through words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah about men who documented or signed the covenant with God among the people of Israel. Over and over again Nehemiah took an account of the people of Israel who returned to Jerusalem, and this time men signed their names to the covenant they made with God. “Nehemiah”, his father “Hachaliah” and “Zidkijah” were the first names that were mentioned. God knew all of them, and He knows us as well. In His New Testament covenant, God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead three days later, and when we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and sign our names in His book of life so we may live in Heaven with Him for all eternity. In other words, He signed the “covenant” with us, and He always keeps His word.

Next time Nehemiah mentions, “Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ...”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".