Nehemiah 5: “The Attack From Within: The Rich Are Taking Advantage Of The Poor And Their Unfortunate Circumstances”
By
1. TIMELINE:
These graphs depict the timeline of the Old Testament, and note that the book of Nehemiah is written about a period of history after the Babylonian captivity and beginning in 445 BC.
Graph of Persian kings & Jewish companies sent out by them to Judea:
1.1. In our last study, we looked at chapter 4 of the book of Nehemiah.
1.1.1. We have seen in our study that in 445 BC that Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I, heard that the people in Jerusalem were in great distress and reproach, and the city wall was still broken down and its gates burned. This caused him to mourn, pray, and fast for four months that God might move the king’s heart and allow him to go and to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. Finally, the Lord prepared the king’s heart for a conversation with Nehemiah, and when the king noticed that Nehemiah’s countenance was sad, he asked Nehemiah why he was sad in heart. The king then heard Nehemiah’s request and allowed him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s wall. The king gave Nehemiah all that he requested to successfully complete the job: official papers to give to the governors along the way, official paperwork to get all of the wood for building the gates, and an armed escort to assure a safe trip.
1.1.2. We saw that as the people continued to work on the wall that challenge after challenge was presented to them by their enemies, and without a great leader in Nehemiah they would have become discouraged and given up on building the wall.
1.1.3. We saw that Sanballat and Tobiah, the enemies of the Judeans, originally laughed at the Israelites who had come to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. However, as the work on the wall progressed, so their anger and opposition against the Judeans increased as well. Judea’s enemies begin to mock and ridicule, next openly oppose Judea, and then when the wall was built to ½ height they began to conspire to organize a plot to attack Jerusalem and the builders.
1.1.4. We saw how major discouragement hits the Judeans when they got the wall built ½ height and realized how much work they had to get done, plus heard of how an attack by their enemies had been plotted. We saw how their leader Nehemiah dealt with the increasing warfare from their adversaries. They had to work with a weapon in one hand or strapped to their side, and half the people had to guard while the other half worked, and, some had to guard even in the evening.
1.1.5. We considered principles of spiritual warfare in our study, for the enemies that Nehemiah and the Judeans faced were only being motivated by the real enemy of our souls.
1.1.6. So far in our study of Nehemiah, we have observed several principles for effective leadership in Nehemiah’s life, including that an effective leader:
1.1.6.1.He gets people to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise, and enjoy doing it.
1.1.6.2.He understands people’s needs and recognizes problems.
1.1.6.3.He does not rush into action.
1.1.6.4.He goes to the Lord first about problems.
1.1.6.5.He is willing to be a solution to problems.
1.1.6.6.He waits on God to open doors, move in people’s hearts, and give the vision God has for them.
1.1.6.7.He keeps his emotions under control.
1.1.6.8.He plans.
1.1.6.9.He is discreet, keeps some things confidential, and tells others his plans at the proper time.
1.1.6.10.He is one who has gotten a proper balance of human responsibility and divine initiative, as he prays but plans.
1.1.6.11.He uses a combination of methods to motivate people but utilizes internal motivating factors more than external ones.
1.1.6.12.He is one who knows how to divide up a large project into a number of small projects that can be delegated to others to complete.
1.1.6.13.He is one who allows those under his leadership to have significant say in the things that they do.
1.1.6.14.He is one who has an understanding that timing is important. Important tasks must be done first, as with those tasks upon which other tasks depend.
1.1.6.15.He is one who leads God’s people to deal with the enemies and problems that do exist not those that are imaginary or could perhaps exist.
1.1.6.16.He is one who does not retaliate against those who are threatening him and giving him a hard time, but leaves all vengeance to the Lord
1.1.6.17.He is one who encourages people by causing them to take their eyes off of their circumstances and put them on the Lord
1.1.6.18.He is one who is enthusiastic about what God is doing and maintains a positive mental attitude.
1.1.6.19.He is one who leads people to work together in unity as one and look out for each other as for their own families.
1.1.6.20.He is one who keeps a proper balance between faith and action.
1.1.6.21.He lives his own life as a servant leader.
1.2. In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 5 of the book.
1.2.1. We have seen in our previous studies of the first four chapters of the book of Nehemiah that the Judeans were faced with incredible opposition by external foes in Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and the Arabs, and the Ashdodites. However, there is a principle that is always at work whenever God’s people truly try to live for the Lord and be used by Him. Satan will first try to oppose from without, however when that fails he will try to oppose from enemies that crop up within God’s people. Chapter 5 begins to unfold for us the internal opposition that arises amongst the Judeans and almost totally derails the project of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. In fact, the internal opposition will turn out to be much more threatening to the work of God than the external opposition.
1.2.2. What we see in this chapter is that famine had hit Judea and with the influx of people that came to rebuild the wall, there was not enough food for all eat. The fact that so many had come with Nehemiah to help rebuild the wall had caused their to become a shortage of food.
1.2.3. In rebellion against the Law of Moses, three different things that the rich were doing was resulting in strife amongst the Judeans:
1.2.3.1.Those who were rich were lending money to the rest to buy food, and they were charging interest for the money that was being loaned.
1.2.3.1.1.We will look at what the Law of Moses states about Jews lending to Jews.
1.2.3.2.Those who could not repay what was loaned had their property and thus inheritance in Israel taken away.
1.2.3.3.Some of the rich had even taken for slaves the children of those who could not repay.
1.2.4. As was mentioned, when the Devil has first tried to oppose you using external enemies, and that has failed, he will raise up internal enemies to join you, and these enemies are actually a much greater concern to the church than the external ones. The thing that causes so many churches to split and many to have a revolving door is the fact that people in the church simply do not get along with each other. Rather than realizing the importance of setting aside all selfish concerns for the better of the whole, and sticking it out together with the Body of Christ, many will just leave and go down the street to the next church, or leave and try to take as many with them as they can.
1.2.5. There is no excuse in the body of Christ for people to not loving each other and getting along, and there is no excuse for claiming that you can’t get along because of personality conflicts, or whatever. We in the body of Christ must be willing to maintain the same love for everyone in the body of Christ. The church body is a family and we need to be committed to each other as family. There are many passages in the New Testament that teach this, including Philippians 2:2-3: “2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
1.2.6. After calling an assembly, Nehemiah will make a couple of corrective actions towards the nobles and rulers of the Judeans, telling them:
1.2.6.1.Stop charging interest to their brothers and sisters when they loan.
1.2.6.2.Give back all of the land that has been taken away.
1.2.6.3.Release all of those who have been taken as slaves of the Judeans.
1.2.7. Finally, we will see how that Nehemiah did not abuse his privileges and authority for the twelve years after this in which King Artaxerxes had appointed him to be the governor over the land of Judea.
2. VS 5:1-5 - “1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live.” 3 There were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine.” 4 Also there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 “Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”” - A great outcry of the people in Judea occurs, brother against brother, because of the rich who were oppressing the poor charging them interest for money loaned, taking the property of those who could not repay what they had borrowed, and taking as slaves the children of those who could not repay
2.1. As was mentioned, this internal crisis that arises is much worse even than the opposition by the external enemies of Judea. The strife quickly rises here and the people quit working on the wall.
2.2. There were two statutes of the Mosaic Law that the Judeans were disobeying by these things they were doing to each other:
2.2.1. Though they could charge interest to Gentiles that they loaned to, they were not to charge interest to their fellow Israelites when they loaned to them: Deuteronomy 23:19-20, “19 You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. 20 You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess.”
2.2.2. Unlike how Gentiles were to be treated, if an Israelite brother could not repay a loan, then he was not to be taken and treated as a slave, but rather would become your workman: Leviticus 25:39-40, “39 If a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave’s service. 40 He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.”
2.3. The underlying sin in all of this was that of “greed.” The rich were taking advantage of those who had become poor due to unfortunate circumstances beyond everyone’s control.
2.4. Because of the exploitation of the rich, the people in Judea had lost all hope and now quit building the wall because they realized that without having their own homes, and without having their own sons and daughters living with them, there was no use in proceeding on.
3. VS 5:6-8 - “6 Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. 7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, “You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. 8 I said to them, “We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.” - Nehemiah gets angry, then he consults with himself about how to react, he confronts the nobles and rulers about what they had done, then he holds an assembly and accuses the nobles and rulers about their actions, for which they can say nothing
3.1. There is a time for anger. Even Jesus had righteous anger against the Pharisees for the using their power and authority for their own personal gain, and at the expense of the people they were supposed to be serving. Nehemiah is angry because the nobles and rulers were disobeying the Law of Moses by taking advantage of their brethren for the purposes of greed.
3.2. Most of our anger as people is not righteous anger, and therefore it is not pleasing to God. Eph. 4:26 tells to “Be angry yet do not sin.’ Make sure your angry is truly righteous anger if you are angry, and then be careful how you express yourself. Proverbs 16:32 tells us to be slow to anger: “32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”
3.3. In fact, Eph. 4:25-32 gives us several admonitions concerning how we as God’s people are to treat each other: “25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
3.4. Notice that before he acts that Nehemiah says, ‘I consulted with myself.’ This Hebrew word used here means “to counsel oneself or give one’s self advice.’ We are wise as people if we will talk to ourselves and remind ourselves about what God’s Word says, as well as what we have determined for ourselves about our lives and our commitment to serve Christ, no matter what He may require of us.
3.5. As an example of an effective leader, Nehemiah thinks before he acts.
3.6. Nehemiah follows the same process that Jesus told His disciples to following in Matt. 18 in dealing with a matter. He first goes to the nobles and rulers in private and confronts them with their injustices towards their Judean brothers and sisters. However, because these men refuse to admit their sin and repent of it, he next takes it before the assembly and accuses them publicly for these things.
3.7. Nehemiah could have told everyone to get back to work, however wisely he realized that unless he dealt with this problem and removed it, the work on the wall around Jerusalem would never be completed and the work of God with the nation of Israel in Jerusalem could never be restored.
3.8. As an example of an effective leader, Nehemiah realized that you have to also deal with internal problems among those whom you are leading.
3.9. At the assembly that Nehemiah calls, he reasons with the people asking them how they could come to Jerusalem in order to redeem their brothers out of slavery to Babylon, and then turn around and enslave their brothers once they get to Jerusalem? To this accusation, the nobles and rulers are so convicted and exposed before the people that they are speechless and cannot even say anything in their defense.
4. VS 5:9 - “9 Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?” - Nehemiah implores the Judeans to walk in the fear of God because of the reproach of the nations
4.1. Nehemiah tells the nobles and rulers in Judea that ‘the thing which [they] are doing is not good.’ They were breaking the Law of Moses and exploiting the poor among them because of their own greed, all while ostensibly attempting to rebuild the wall and work of God in Jerusalem.
4.2. Nehemiah admonishes the nobles and rulers to ‘walk in the fear of God.’ They should seek to honor God and be good witnesses for Him in all that they do.
4.3. The reason that Nehemiah tells the nobles and rulers that they ought to walk in the fear of God (by not exploiting their brothers or disobeying the Law of Moses) is ‘because of the reproach of the nations.’ In other words, he tells them that they ought to not give the enemies of Judea reasons to criticize and condemn the Judeans.
4.3.1. It is tragic when we Christians have our testimony and witness for Christ abrogated by our own sins and foolish actions.
4.3.2. The mainstream church in America today is largely lukewarm and ineffective for the Lord. Likewise, we as a nation have experienced an incredible amount of affluence and prosperity, and this has also come into the church to a degree. In fact, there is even a very popular “Prosperity Gospel” teaching in many churches in America today, and it encourages greed and materialism by saying that if one truly has faith that he will be rich and affluent. But, when the Lord gives us riches He expects us to use them for His kingdom and glory. If you are rich you need to give a whole lot more of your possession than those who have less.
5. VS 5:10 - “10 “And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.” - Nehemiah tells the people that he and his brothers are also lending to others money and grain, but then he tells them to quit charging ‘usury’
5.1. In this chapter, Nehemiah uses his own life as an example. Nehemiah would not ask anyone to do anything that he himself was not doing.
5.2. Nehemiah tells the people that he himself, and his brothers, were also lending money and grain to those who were in need. However, in obedience to the Law of Moses, they were not charging anyone any interest (‘usury’).
5.3. Nehemiah’s first corrective is that he tells the people to stop charging interest of their brothers and sisters.
6. VS 5:11 - “11 “Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.”” - Nehemiah tells the nobles and rulers of the Judeans to give back to the people all of the land and properties that they have taken from them due to their inability to repay loans
6.1. The second corrective that Nehemiah requires the nobles and rulers to make is to give back all of the lands and properties that they have taken from their countrymen, including:
6.1.1. ‘Their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses.’
6.1.2. The interest in goods that had been “exacted” from the poor: ‘the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil’ (the ‘hundredth part’ was probably one percent per month or 12% apr).
6.2. The third corrective that Nehemiah requires of the nobles and rulers involves returning of those Judeans who had been taken as slaves because of the inability to repay loans. This corrective is not specifically included but is assumed in this chapter.
7. VS 5:12-13 - “12 Then they said, “We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.” - The nobles and rulers agree to carry out Nehemiah’s correctives, and Nehemiah makes them take an oath to do so, and, he shakes out the front of his garment as a ritual saying that God will shake out anyone who does not keep this promise
7.1. Nehemiah is very persuasive to the nobles and rulers at this public assembly, and they agree that they will do ‘exactly’ as he has said.
7.2. To make sure that the people keep their word Nehemiah makes them take oath that they will keep it exactly as he stated.
7.3. Much like the shaking off the dust from your shoes that Jesus told His disciples to do when they went to a city and they were not received, Nehemiah shakes out the front of his garment. Then, Nehemiah tells them that if they violate this oath they have made that the Lord is going to shake them out.
7.4. The response to Nehemiah’s corrective admonitions was that ‘all the assembly said, “Amen!” ’
7.5. We are told that the people of Judea carried out their oath they made here before the Lord: ‘they did according to this promise.’
8. VS 5:14-19 - “14 Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. 16 I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people. 19 Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.” - Nehemiah recounts the many ways that he did not abuse his privileges and authority for the twelve years in which King Artaxerxes I had made him governor over the land of Judea
8.1. Here we learn about the fact that after the wall around Jerusalem was built that King Artaxerxes I of Persia made Nehemiah to be the governor of Judea, in which capacity he served for twelve years.
8.2. It has been said that it is much more difficult to properly deal with promotion than it is with adversity. Along with promotion comes many temptations and difficulties. When God blesses a person’s ministry and work for the Lord, it is imperative that they do everything that they can to be sure that they do not end up using their new power, authority, and privileges for their own personal advancement, and that they do not begin to build their own kingdom instead of the Lord’s.
8.3. One person has remarked that for every person who is properly able to handle promotion, there are ninety-nine who can properly handle adversity.
8.4. As an example of an effective leader, Nehemiah did not use his status and promotions for his own personal advancement, nor to build his own kingdom.
8.5. Here are the many ways that Nehemiah lists showing how that for the twelve years he was governor of Judea that he never abused his privileges and authority:
8.5.1. As governor, Nehemiah was given some sort of a per diem food allowance, however he writes that ‘neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance.’
8.5.1.1.Nehemiah writes that ‘the former governors’ made full use of this allowance, and the allowance that was allowed as governor of the land was extracted from the people of the land.
8.5.1.2.Nehemiah states that even the servants of the former governors abused these privileges and ‘domineered the people.’
8.5.1.3.The reason why Nehemiah did not use this food allowance that he was allowed to collect was because he feared the Lord, and thus wanted to be faithful to the Lord
8.5.2. While the wall was being restored, Nehemiah applied himself to the work on the wall, and thus he didn’t even bother to buy land in Judea. Nehemiah also made his servants work on the wall.
8.5.3. At his own expense, Nehemiah writes that daily he fed a huge entourage at his own table: ‘there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance.’
8.6. Nehemiah recognized the fact that the people of Judea had sacrificed greatly to come to the land of Judea and rebuild the wall around Jerusalem: ‘the servitude was heavy on this people.’ Thus, out of conscience he felt that he could not put any kind of a burden upon them.
8.7. Nehemiah asks the Lord to remember his service for the Lord and sacrifice, and thus provide for him and his family. There is nothing wrong with honestly asking God to remember the good work that we have done for the Lord.
8.8. Many Christians are terrified of being promoted because of the temptations which it brings, but I don’t think this is a proper response for a believer. Don’t refuse to seek promotion, because the Lord can work through your life in a great way if you are promoted. But, be ever more prepared for how you will handle promotion and advancement if the Lord happens to bring it into your life.
9. CONCLUSIONS:
9.1. I mentioned when we were first beginning this study of Nehemiah that all of us to some extent are called to be leaders, even if we are leading just one person. But also, we must realize that all of us are called to be followers to some extent, and as such we are to be in submission to the authorities over our lives. In the church, we need to always make sure that we are not walking in rebellion against the leadership and are thus part of the problem. We are to be faithful leaders but also submissive followers in that place God has placed us.
9.1.1. Someone once said that any project or work of God can be completed with a nominal leader, as long as there are great followers. However, without good followers, a project or a work of God cannot be completed no matter how good of a leader you have.
9.2. Don’t exploit those in the body of Christ for your own personal gain, as the nobles and rulers did. God wants you to be a blessing and an encouragement to your brothers and sisters not use their misfortune for your gain.
9.3. Be angry but do not sin, or make sure that your anger is truly righteous anger if you are angry.
9.4. Consult with yourself (and pray of course) before you act and react.
9.5. Realize the huge temptations that promotion brings, and if promotion is within your possibilities don’t be afraid of it, but only as you are prepared to handle those temptations.