Recommitment to the Covenant
Nehemiah 9:38—10:39

Nehemiah 9:38 is the first verse of Chapter 10 in the Hebrew Bible. It provides the transition between the penitent prayer of Chapter 9 to the recommitment to the covenant in Chapter 10.

The desire to make a fresh commitment to obey God came about as the result of the things they expressed in Chapter 9. Nehemiah 10:1-27 records the names of those who signed and sealed the agreement. Along with those mentioned in verses 1-27 were many others (see verse 28).

According to Nehemiah 10:29, the people made provision to be held accountable for their obedience to God’s Word by “taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law.” This indicated their earnest desire to live their lives in accordance with God’s Word.

The details of the agreement are recorded in Nehemiah 10:30-39. The people had pledged themselves to make the observance of God’s law a priority in their lives. They had truly experienced a “back to the Bible” revival!