Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,
Nehemiah 10:1 belongs to the account of Babylonian life and of the Jewish reformation after the return from Babylonian captivity in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, covering about 446-408, the last reform on his return to Jerusalem. The book stands as written by Nehemiah, a governor appointed of the Lord and given the burden of restoring Jerusalem. The verse names Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah among those who sealed the covenant made by the returned remnant in Jerusalem to keep the law of Moses. That covenant recorded in Nehemiah 8-10 marks the establishment of the Pentateuch as the Jews' authoritative canonical book.
The reformation centered on bringing the people back to strict observance of the law and the Sabbath, closing with a reform for the better observance of the Sabbath. Nehemiah's work was done always with the highest good of Jerusalem in mind, for he was there for God, the city was the Lord's city, and the people were the Lord's people. He was impatient toward the people because of their slackness in doing the work of God, and indignant toward those sinning against God in uniting with the heathen peoples, even bringing them into the very temple itself; the zealous reformer's manner is not always one to copy, yet with all the circumstances surrounding him he is not to be condemned. The story of ups and downs, battles and conflicts, defeats and victories of the Jews at Jerusalem under the last reformation is typical of God's work in other ages, especially in the last days, in which adversaries put forth every effort to hinder the work but God carries it to glorious success. The verse is part of the lists of names in Ezra and Nehemiah of leading ones who went up from the captivity, and it is simply names of persons, not an expressed precious promise to God's people, proving that not every verse in the Bible is a promise and that verses of names must be subtracted from the total count of verses when counting promises.
Nehemiah 10:1 belongs to the account of Babylonian life and of the Jewish reformation after the return from Babylonian captivity in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, covering about 446-408, the last reform on his return to Jerusalem. The book stands as written by Nehemiah, a governor appointed of the Lord and given the burden of restoring Jerusalem. The verse names Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah among those who sealed the covenant made by the returned remnant in Jerusalem to keep the law of Moses. That covenant recorded in Nehemiah 8-10 marks the establishment of the Pentateuch as the Jews' authoritative canonical book.
The reformation centered on bringing the people back to strict observance of the law and the Sabbath, closing with a reform for the better observance of the Sabbath. Nehemiah's work was done always with the highest good of Jerusalem in mind, for he was there for God, the city was the Lord's city, and the people were the Lord's people. He was impatient toward the people because of their slackness in doing the work of God, and indignant toward those sinning against God in uniting with the heathen peoples, even bringing them into the very temple itself; the zealous reformer's manner is not always one to copy, yet with all the circumstances surrounding him he is not to be condemned. The story of ups and downs, battles and conflicts, defeats and victories of the Jews at Jerusalem under the last reformation is typical of God's work in other ages, especially in the last days, in which adversaries put forth every effort to hinder the work but God carries it to glorious success. The verse is part of the lists of names in Ezra and Nehemiah of leading ones who went up from the captivity, and it is simply names of persons, not an expressed precious promise to God's people, proving that not every verse in the Bible is a promise and that verses of names must be subtracted from the total count of verses when counting promises.