Nehemiah 10 is the chapter where the returned exiles put their names to a written covenant, promising to live by God’s law in their households, their worship and their money. These questions are for small groups, Sunday classes and personal study, and they move from what the text says, to what it means, to how it shapes daily life.
Nehemiah 10 at a Glance
The chapter opens with a long list of those who sealed the agreement: Nehemiah himself, then priests, Levites and the leading families. Once the names are read, the focus shifts to the content of the pledge, which covers marriage with outsiders, Sabbath observance, the care of the temple, and the regular giving of offerings, firstfruits and tithes.
Taken together, the chapter shows a community deciding that renewal must be practical. The promises are specific, not vague, and they bind every level of the people, from the governor down to the temple servants.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the exact words of the text, and resist the urge to explain until the facts are on the table.
Nehemiah 10:29
They joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes…
(WEB)
This verse states the heart of the covenant, the decision to enter an oath and walk in God’s law. Reading it aloud early in the session sets the purpose for every question that follows.
Nehemiah 10:31
And if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.
(WEB)
Here the general vow becomes concrete in matters of Sabbath, trade and debt. Hearing it read helps the group feel how specific faithfulness can be.
Nehemiah 10:32-33
32 Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God; 33 for the show bread, for the continual meal offering, for the continual burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
(WEB)
These verses describe the yearly temple payment and what it supports. Reading them together lets the group discuss giving as an ordered, ongoing responsibility rather than an afterthought.
Nehemiah 10:35-37
35 And to bring the first fruits of our ground, and the first fruits of all fruit of all kinds of trees, year by year, to the LORD’s house; 36 also the firstborn of our sons, and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; 37 and that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, our wave offerings, the fruit of all kinds of trees, and the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
(WEB)
This passage names the firstfruits, firstborn and tithes the people agreed to bring. Reading it aloud reminds the group that the covenant touched fields, flocks and family life alike.
Nehemiah 10:39
For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the wave offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the rooms, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, and the priests who minister, with the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not forsake the house of our God.
(WEB)
The chapter closes with a vow of loyalty to the house of God. Ending the reading here gives the group a clear statement of commitment to carry into discussion and prayer.
Memory Verse for Nehemiah 10
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you as people who have made promises we often struggle to keep. Like the people of Nehemiah’s day, we want our words about faith to become real in our homes, our spending and our rest. Give us honest hearts that name our commitments clearly and humble hearts that depend on your grace to keep them. Shape our giving, our choices and our Sabbaths so that they reflect your faithfulness to us. Keep us from forsaking your house and your people, and make our fellowship a place where we encourage one another to walk in your ways. Amen.
