The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, musicians, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand — all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord. (Nehemiah 10:1-29)

3 Areas of Recommitment
The people of Israel make their rededication to God around 3 major areas:

1. Recommitment of their Children – the people promise to not surrender their children, daughters and sons, in marriage to those outside their faith community:

We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the people around us or take their daughters for our sons. (Nehemiah 10:30)

2. Recommitment to God’s Precepts – the people promise to not work on the Sabbath and to reinstitute God’s lending laws:

When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts. (Nehemiah 10:31)

3. Recommitment of their Resources – the people promise to financially support the service of the house of God with even the firstfruits of their crops, a “redemptive” tax on their firstborn sons, and sacrifice of their firstborn cattle herds and flocks, and a tithe of their crops to the priests:

We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God…. We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree. As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there. Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites… We will not neglect the house of our God.” (Nehemiah 10:32-39)

Family, Worship, and Money
While this might be misunderstood to be about religious legalism, there is actually a practical application here for all of us, even us non-Jewish Gentiles.

First, be clear that the Jewish people were being reminded of the Law of God that was passed on to them. And only them. Jewish Law has no required application outside of what God was doing with His Chosen People, whom He was setting aside to teach, as well as teach the world, about Himself and to bring about the redemption of the entire world through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the atonement for the world, was to come through this historic line of Jewish people (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David), as the fulfillment of the promised blessing given to Abraham way back in Genesis chapter 12.

This is not to say that we, outside the Jewish community of Nehemiah’s day, derive no value ourselves through an understanding of the Law. Through God’s law, we see our waywardness, we see God’s purity, His ways, His wisdom, His love, His values, His priorities, His directed intentions and plans.

And in Nehemiah 10, through this renewal of their commitment as God’s people, we can see the importance of God’s perspective view on:

1. The raising of our family. Raise children to not dilute knowledge and understanding of the One True God. 
2. The priority of worship. Perpetually honor God with an ongoing portion of our time and life in submission to His Lordship
3. The surrender of our money. A not insignificant amount of our monetary resources and possessions are submitted to support and recognition of God as our ultimate source of provision.

And in the final chapters we will see how Nehemiah (and the Holy Spirit) holds the people (and us) accountable, even as they (and us) vow and break commitments.