The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 10:28-33, “Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding,

29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of our Lord God, and His ordinances and His statutes;

30 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.

31 As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

32 We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:

33 for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God.”

One thing that could be said of the Prophet Nehemiah is that he was not sinless. That’s a factor common to all of us! Nevertheless, Nehemiah was a true and tested leader. The people, regardless of their positions, had “separated themselves from the peoples of the land” where they were living. We would do well to do the same.

Appointed by the LORD to lead the people, Nehemiah declared, “We will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day.” I can remember when we refused to buy or sell on Sunday because it was the LORD’s Day! Some shops closed on Sundays out of respect for religious tradition. So much for negatives! Nehemiah “placed (the people) under obligation” to support the House and service of the LORD by the annual contribution of a shekel “for the sin offerings…and all the work of the house of our God.”

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom