Nehemiah 10:32 - Meaning and Application

After they had promised to turn away from the sins they had committed, they also bound themselves to return to the duties they had neglected. We must not only stop doing evil, but also learn to do what is good.

In general, they agreed that the temple service should be carefully maintained, and that the work of the house of their God should be done at the proper time, according to the law (Neh 10:33). No people should expect God’s blessing if they do not take his ordinances seriously and keep up public worship. Things are likely to go well in our homes when care is taken that God’s house is in good order. They also agreed that they would never abandon the house of their God (Neh 10:39), as they and their fathers had done before. They would not leave it for some other god’s shrine, as idolaters did, or neglect it for their farms and business, as people do who live without reverence for God. Those who forsake God’s worship are forsaking God himself.

They also resolved to support the temple service generously, so that it would not fail from lack of supplies. The priests were ready to do their part in the work of God’s house, if the people would do theirs by providing what was needed. So they agreed on several things. First, they would raise a fund to supply God’s table and altar fully. In the past, there had been treasures in the house of the Lord for this purpose, but those were gone, and there was no fixed source of support. The cost was ongoing, because they had to provide showbread, two lambs for the daily sacrifices, four for the Sabbaths, and more costly offerings for the feast days, along with sin offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings. They did not have a rich king like Hezekiah to provide these things, and the priests could not afford them because their support was so small. So the people agreed to give each year a third of a shekel each, about ten pence, to cover the expense. When everyone gives a little toward a good work, the total becomes large. This tax was not forced on them by the governor, but the people made it a rule for themselves and accepted the burden willingly (Neh 10:32, Neh 10:33).

Second, they took special care to provide wood for the altar, so the fire could always be kept burning and the peace offerings could be boiled. Priests, Levites, and people all agreed to bring their share, and they cast lots to decide the order in which each family would bring it, so there would be a steady supply and no shortage at one time and excess at another (Neh 10:34). In this way they provided both the fire and the wood, as well as the lambs for the burnt offerings.

Third, they agreed that all the things the law required for the support of the priests and Levites should be paid faithfully. This would encourage them in their work and keep them from being tempted to neglect it in order to provide for their own families. The work of God’s house is most likely to go forward when those who serve at the altar can live, and live well, from the altar. In those days, the main sources of income for the ministers were the firstfruits and the tithes.

So they resolved to bring in the firstfruits rightly, the firstfruits of their ground and trees (Exo 23:19; Lev 19:23), the firstborn of their children, meaning the money used to redeem them, and the firstborn of their cattle (Exo 13:2, Exo 13:11, Exo 13:12), which was given to the priests (Num 18:15, Num 18:16). They would also bring the first of their dough (Num 15:21), which was later given special instruction in the prophecy about the second temple (Eze 44:30). They also resolved to bring in their tithes, that is, a tenth part, which belonged to the Levites (Neh 10:37), and then a tenth of those tithes to the priests (Neh 10:38). This was the law (Num 18:21-28), but these gifts had been neglected. Because of that, God later accused them, through the prophet, of robbing him (Mal 3:8, Mal 3:9). At the same time, he called them to be more faithful and promised that if they brought the tithes into the storehouse, he would pour out blessing on them (Neh 10:10).

They wanted there to be enough food in God’s house and plenty in the temple store rooms, where the sacred vessels were kept (Neh 10:39). “We will do this,” they said, “in all the towns where we farm” (Neh 10:37). The Septuagint renders it, “in all the towns of our service,” because they were servants in their own land (Neh 9:36). But, as Mr. Poole rightly notes, even though they paid heavy taxes to the kings of Persia and suffered much hardship, they would not use that as an excuse to withhold their tithes. They would give to God what belonged to him, just as they gave to Caesar what belonged to Caesar. We should keep doing works of worship and charity, even while paying the taxes laid on us by government, and faithfully do our duty to God in times of hardship. That is the surest path to relief and freedom in God’s time.