Nehemiah 10:29 Commentary and Bible Study

They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an oath. Perhaps we would mention those things the other way round to grasp the significance – entered into an oath with a curse attached. That means something like this: ‘We solemnly undertake to be loyal, oh Lord, and we understand that if we are not, we will deserve the curse or punishment.’ It is an acknowledgement that there could be severe loss if they do not keep the covenant and take it seriously, and strive in it.Then follow a number of specific pledges which have special relevance to their current situation. They are surrounded by pagan people, and there will be pressure on them to mix with them and not to remain separate. Those neighbours will want to dilute their distinctiveness in various ways. They will want to intermarry, knowing that through this closest of human relationships one group can be assimilated into another. We marry in the Lord because unless there is agreement on the most important things of all, it will be difficult to walk together. Scripture gives instruction on how to proceed if the Lord calls us when we are already in such a union, but it should never be one we enter voluntarily.Then too Judah must not allow its most important religious institutions to be broken down by the unbelieving people around. The message is loud and clear: there is to be no cultural compromise. But the nobles and the rich said, ‘We have got to open the gates on the sabbath, because the people we trade with – don't you understand – are pagans, and they don't have the sabbath, and we are losing money if we don't trade with them. To be sure, we won't buy and sell from each other, but if those pagans come into the city gates to buy our wares, we have got to yield to their culture and acknowledge it.’ No, is the rule. You do that, and that is a breach of the covenant; that’s a terrible thing. There must be no buying and selling, not even to the Canaanites on the sabbath; no cultural adaptation. The surrounding nations must understand that if they want to trade with her, they must do so on her terms, not on theirs. The Sabbath day will be guarded, and not eroded away in the interests of material gain through trade. If traders come to them on the Sabbath day or on any other feast day, they will be turned away. Personal gain will not outweigh adherence to the law of God. In this way, the standards by which Judah lives will affect even those who are outside of her walls. They would also observe the laws also which required them to let the land rest fallow every seven years (Exodus 23:10-11), and to cancel debts (Deuteronomy 15:1-4).