Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Nehemiah chapter 10 verse 32.

We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel for the service of the

house of our God.

That verse doesn't maybe seem to stick out at first. It's in the part of Nehemiah

chapter 10 where they're basically just listing out all the ways they're going

to obey God and the word that's used there is obligation.

We take on ourselves the obligation to do this, to give yearly a third part of

a shekel for the service of the house of our God.

You get to the very end of the chapter, it says, we will not neglect the house of our God.

So they're saying we know we are obligated to provide for the services in the temple.

Now, when I read this, I think about that word obligation.

Like, are we obligation? that word obligation.

Like are we obligated to do certain things to obey God's word?

Well, yes in one sense, as his servants we are. Like when God speaks,

he's our Lord. Like when Jesus gives us a command, it's not an option for us. As followers of Jesus we obey. We obey, we're obligated to obey. This is why even

when you get to Romans chapter one, Paul talks about how he is obligated to preach the gospel not only to Jews but to

Gentiles as well

he's obligated at the same time there is joy in obligation.

Now we realize there can be lack of joy in obligation okay. I'm doing something because I have to I don't really want to but but that that's not the picture we see here in Nehemiah 10

Like they're they just finished worshiping God, rejoicing over God, so they say we're obligated

to provide for his worship. That doesn't feel like, okay, so we have to do this, That feels like a want to, but even more so,

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