September 29

Nehemiah 8-10
The people came together and petitioned the Lord as one.  They went over the history of Israel, recounting her wickedness and God’s unfailing faithfulness, as he restored them time and again when they would cry out to Him in their distress.  And then they wrote out a covenant to God, promising to keep His commandments and to not neglect the house of the Lord.  Having produced this written document, they then set about to sign it in agreement.  As I read this, I was reminded of the movie, Courageous.  The fathers made a covenant before God to be godly fathers, fulfilling the spiritual leadership of their homes.  They took the written covenant that had been signed, framed it, and hung it on the wall to be a constant reminder of what they had promised to do.  Not a bad idea!  Perhaps we would do well to follow their example, providing some visual aide to help us remember whom we have covenanted with, and why.