NOTES for Neh 10:1-39
Two visible signs testified that the Covenant had been made. The first sign was the seals affixed by the Jewish leaders and priests, who represented the entire people. The second sign was the care for the Temple and its needs shown by everyone who remained faithful to the Lord. Collecting the signature or seal of every person present would have been difficult to organize and would have taken a great deal of time, whereas everyone could care for the Temple according to their means.
Today, likewise, not everyone among us has the opportunity to take an active part in every kind of Church ministry. Not all can, for example, defend the Church’s interests before the outside world or work on complex theological questions. But any one of us can help provide for the upkeep of a church. After all, the people of the Church are all of us: pastors, primates, and lay parishioners alike. Dividing us is meaningless.