“If you don’t do it excellently, don’t do it at all. Because if it’s not excellent it won’t be profitable or fun, and if you’re not in business for fun or profit, what are you doing here?”
— Robert Townsend
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” — Romans 12:1-2
Be conformed into the image of Christ. It is His way to transform us into the image of His perfection, excellence.
Summary / Thoughts
| Nehemiah 10:1-27 | The document was sealed. We mentioned the significance of a sealed document in Nehemiah 6:5 where Sanballat carried an open letter to Nehemiah.
The documents began with the leader, Nehemiah, followed by the priests, then the other Levites, their brothers, followed by the “leaders of the people.” They, in effect, “hung it out,” much like the signers of the United States Constitution. By having their names on the document, they committed themselves to it.
What about the people who kept the contract, but were not mentioned?
As we discussed last time, this puts the teeth into accountability. One person’s views are highlighted below. |
| Nehemiah 10:28-31 | All the people who were servants or had official duties are now included by function. This group includes women, men, and children who understood what they were doing, and the Law the pledged to uphold.
These were to include only Jews who were enrolled from the previous genealogies.
Why then assemble and make this oath? any reasons could doubtless be cited, one perhaps that the people until then had neglected the we ones Nehemiah listed. |
| Nehemiah 10:32-33 | Here the third shekel, (about 1/6 oz.) shows what it was used for. A bit of accountability for the priests and Levites, who had not always accounted for its use.
See 2 Kings 22:4-7 for a practice where Josiah forced the doorkeepers to use the monies collected for their intended purpose. |
| Nehemiah 10:34-39 | Yet more promises made. These were not trifling. It’s not as though the first fruits of all this agrarian economy were like a paycheck coming week to week. There was the possibility of drought, crop failure, disease, fire, or other calamities. The bringing of first fruits was a genuine step of faith. |
The Components of Accountability Paraphrased from JP McLaughlin
| 1. Know what is to be done. | If the individual does not clearly understand what he is being asked to do, then his manager cannot in fairness expect him to do the job or be accountable for it. So, we must have complete understanding of each job to be performed by the individual who is to be held accountable for an acceptable requirement. |
| 2. The person must have the capacity to do the job. | If his training is deficient, or if he doesn’t know here to get the help he needs, then he cannot be held accountable, even if that person has commitment and zeal to do the job expected. |
| 3. Know what the acceptablestandard is. | The individual assigned a job must understand and agree with his manager’s standards for an acceptable piece of work. These could be quite different from his own ideas of excellence. |
| 4. Have the needed authority to complete the job | If a person makes a commitment, or accepts responsibility for a certain result, he must not be restrained from completion of the job through inadequate authority. |
| 5. There is agreement on how accountability will be demonstrated. | This can be a report, commitment meetings, or reviews. |
Memory Verse – “We will not neglect the house of our God. Nehemiah 10:39c
Application – Commit whole heartedly to God; and avoid the expense of being double minded.