At the end of chapter 4, there was a cry of victory. Every person was doing God's work through His enabling power. However, in chapter 5, the tone changes, and there begins to be strife among God's people.
1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 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 also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine."
4 There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards."
Bad juju. After a rough harvest season (Haggai 1:6-11), many Israelites were desperately poor. They mortgaged their land, vineyards, and houses so that they could feed their families. Unfortunately, the rich were taking advantage of this "investment opportunity" and going to the extreme.
I read David Guzik on Nehemiah 5, and several points he made spoke to my own heart.
i. It isn't unusual for money problems to create strife and completely disrupt what God wants to do. If Nehemiah and his people did not find a way to do what God wanted them to do with their money and money problems, the work of God would be stopped - without a single arrow being fired by the enemies of God.
ii. We sometimes want to separate what we do with our money from our walk with God. This is a huge deception from Satan. Buying a house is a spiritual decision, not just a financial one. Taking a job, choosing a career, deciding how much money you should make - all these are matters that will directly affect your walk with God, both now and in the future.
iii. If we don't handle our money with the right heart, and make financial decisions with an eye to eternity, we can make mistakes that will affect the work of God in our lives for years and years.
iv. Essential to handling our money with the right heart before God is being a giver. Being a giver to the work of the Lord helps us always remember that God and His kingdom come first. The New Testament tells us our giving should be regular, thoughtful, proportional, and private (1 Corinthians 16:1-4); that it must be generous, freely given, and cheerful (2 Corinthians 9).
6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother." So I called a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?" Then they were silenced and found nothing to say.
The King James Version of verse 7 says, "Then I consulted with myself" instead of "after serious thought." In reading this, I thought of how deceitfully wicked our heart is (Jeremiah 17:19) and that consulting with ourselves usually leads to tragedy. However, if you look up the Hebrew meaning of the word "consulted," one definition is "ascend the throne." Nehemiah knew better than to spout off words of fury; instead, he was cautious in what he would say and how to approach the situation. May we "ascend the throne" of God before we open our mouths!
Someone needed to call out the sins of the nobles and rulers, and Nehemiah was the man to do it. The leadership of the city was corrupt, and justice was necessary. As Matthew Henry puts it, "Let no man imagine that his dignity sets him above reproof."
9 Then I said, "What 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? 10 I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them."
12 So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say."
Nehemiah knew what needed to happen because Nehemiah was already an example. In verse 10, he stated he was lending money and grain, but he did not take advantage of their situation. Praise God that He is in the restoration business! Galatians 6:1 tells us, "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." Meaning, we must be gentle in our correction when someone is going in the wrong direction, just as Nehemiah was. When we come down harsh and with words of frustration, it only exposes our own lives to sinful practices. Be an example of Christ and correct others in humility (not because you believe yourself to be better than them).
The response of the nobles and rulers was not of rebellion and denial but acceptance, much like David's response to Nathan and God in 2 Samuel 12:13 over the sin of Bathsheba.
Correction can be so difficult to receive at times. Our hearts must be receptive to the reproach of godly individuals. If you're at a place where your godly guardrails are gently correcting you – ask yourself whether you are genuinely receiving that correction or if you are "justifying" your actions in your mind.
12 Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied."
Once the guilty confessed, Nehemiah held them accountable. He used the visual of shaking out his garment to communicate how God would shake out each man who did not live out his word. I like visuals – they seem to help sear things into my brain better. When I read these verses, it reminded me of the movie Kingdom of Heaven when Balian was deemed a knight. Godfrey of Ibelin told Balian (Orlando Bloom) this:
"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath." Then, Godfrey of Ibeline backhands Balian right across the face and says, "And that's so you remember it!"
Although Nehemiah doesn't use a firm backhand literally, he physically shakes out his garment to further impress upon their hearts the seriousness of not obeying.
13 And all the assembly said, "Amen!" and praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. 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. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
It's easy to justify something whenever everyone else is doing it that way too. Here, Nehemiah tells of how he didn't succumb to the ways of the world by laying burdens on the Israelites. He knew his purpose was to serve the people, not the other way around. Nehemiah didn't steal bread, wine, and money. He didn't watch other people work on the wall while he sat idly by. Nor did he "settle" in and buy land for houses and vineyards. Nehemiah knew his purpose was only to carry out the assignment God gave him – not to become comfortable and cozy. Christ provided the same example, like in John 13 when he washed the feet of His disciples. Jesus said in Matthew 8:20, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." What a great reminder to not become overly concerned with the temporal matters of this world; but to always keep our eyes fixed on the true and eternal purpose.
17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
Not only did Nehemiah feed himself, but he also fed others at his own expense. Nehemiah had prepared a set amount of food each day and was not greedy in keeping it all for himself. Like the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, Nehemiah invited others to participate in the excellent portion God had provided. As believers, we all have a feast laid before us. It is to be shared, not hoarded. Beloved:
Be like Nehemiah! Share the goodness of God with others! Raise your eyes to Him and thank Him for all His provisions. Amen.