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Nehemiah: A Picture of the Intersection of Faith and Action... (6 of 9)
Oppression verses Generosity
Nehemiah 5:1-19
Nehemiah recounts the rebuilding the ruined walls of Jerusalem. In 52 days, they were transformed from heaps of rubble to completely restored.
Nehemiah 6:15-16 (ESV) –
“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”:
We need all of God’s Word. We don’t just need some of God’s Word or even most of God’s Word, we need all of it.
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness...”
Romans 15:4 (ESV) –
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
There were deep issues facing the people living in the Jerusalem area, issues that were far more complex than broken walls. In chapter 4 the issue was an external threat as hostile neighbors violently opposed the rebuilding of the walls. In chapter 5 the focus shifts to an internal threat.
There were serious problems within the community. We’re all sinners. The work on the wall brought to the surface serious injustices that couldn’t be ignored.
Proverbs 14:31 (ESV) –
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
Micah 6:8 (ESV) –
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Nehemiah 5:1-5 (ESV) –
“Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
1. A great outcry reaches Nehemiah.
We’re face-to-face with a troubling and sinful picture. The poor were being taken advantage of and oppressed by fellow Jewish brothers and sisters.
Nehemiah 5:1 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.”
Exodus 3:9 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.”
Nehemiah 5:3 (ESV) –
“We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.”
Nehemiah 5:5 (ESV) –
“Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
This injustice was resulting in people being sold as slaves, a great outcry!
This problem was within the community. Instead of treating financially vulnerable Jewish neighbors as brothers and sisters, the affluent were taking advantage of them.
Leviticus 25:39-43 (ESV) –
“If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.”
It’s safe to assume that the 52-day rebuilding project didn’t create these problems but it did bring these issues out into the open.
Nehemiah 5:6-13 (ESV) –
“I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.”
2. Once aware of this oppression Nehemiah became angry and after considering the situation, he boldly confronted those responsible.
Nehemiah 5:6 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.”
Nehemiah was rightly angry about this sinful combination of greed and injustice. He was angry that people were taking advantage of others hardship.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV) –
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
We ought to be upset when we see the vulnerable oppressed and taken advantage of.
An observation – Seeing something upsetting and acting hastily can be dangerous and often results in unwise and even harmful actions.
Nehemiah 5:7 (ESV) –
“I took counsel with myself...”
He didn’t lash out in anger. Nehemiah carefully considered the situation before bringing an accusation against those in the wrong.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 (ESV) –
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
Leviticus 25:35-37 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
Exodus 22:25-27 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”
The situation was not following the law’s requirements and Nehemiah courageously confronted everyone with this obvious point.
Nehemiah 5:7 (ESV) –
“You are exacting interest, each from his brother.”
Nehemiah 5:8 (ESV) –
“We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!”
Nehemiah 5:8 (ESV) –
“They were silent and could not find a word to say.”
They had brought back those who had been enslaved but now were selling their own people and this conduct led to the confusion and disgust of a watching world.
Nehemiah 5:9 (ESV) –
“The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?”
Our public conduct should bring glory to God. In this case the opposite was happening.
Nehemiah 5:10 (ESV) –
“Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest.”
Nehemiah didn’t conceal his involvement in lending to the people. This is important because often leaders point out others shortcomings while ignoring the involvement they have in the same things. When confronting the sins of others be careful to guard your own integrity!
Nehemiah 5:12 (ESV) –
“We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.”
Matthew 5:37 (ESV) –
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
James 5:12 (ESV) –
“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”
As Christians our honesty should speak for itself and nothing else should be required. If you need an oath to get people to believe you, you’re not honest.
Sometimes what is legally allowed is also wrong. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it is morally acceptable. I’m sure some of those in the wrong were telling themselves – It’s just business... Nehemiah says – No! Selfishly misusing what God has given us to oppress others instead of lovingly serving them is wrong.
Proverbs 14:31 (ESV) –
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
God cares about justice and as Christians we need to be especially sensitive to the needs of fellow Christians. Nehemiah saw the injustice and boldly confronted it with Biblical truth, he didn’t just say – I don’t like what you’re doing. His objection was grounded in Scripture!
Nehemiah 5:14-19 (ESV) –
“Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.”
3. Nehemiah’s term as governor was marked by sacrificial service.
He didn’t take advantage of some the privileges that belonged to him as governor because he feared the Lord. Previous governors burdened the people.
Nehemiah 5:15 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.”
Nehemiah 5:9 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?”
He waved much of what he was entitled to and sacrificially devoted himself to working on the wall. He worked hard at significant personal expense. The reason he was governor was to serve, not personal power and advancement!
He acted with compassion toward a heavily burdened people! Nehemiah paints a compelling example for all of us of servant leadership!
Nehemiah 5:19 (ESV) –
“Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.”
It’s natural to want to be rewarded and yet seeking praise isn’t good. Nehemiah gives it to God prayer.
Think about the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords coming and living among us and laying down His life for our salvation.
Mark 10:45 (ESV) –
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
It’s through knowing and having a relationship with Jesus Christ that our sinful selfish hearts are changed and we find ourselves enabled to love sacrificially.
1 John 3:16-17 (ESV) –
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?”
Proverbs 14:31 (ESV) –
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”