Internal threat and solution

Attacks continue

Attacks from the outside, from the Horonites, Samaritans, Ammonites, and Arabs were held at bay by the work of God through Nehemiah.

Even discouragement, dismay, weariness from Judah

(Transition) Tonight we will see that the enemy will come with a strong weapon, money, greed, selfishness from within to stop the work.

This is a chapter played out in three parts:

A great cry (Neh5:1-5)

A great assembly (Neh5:6-13)

A great example (Neh5:14-19)

A great cry

Nehemiah 5:1–2 NASB95

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.”

Nehemiah 5:3–4 NASB95

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.

Nehemiah 5:5 NASB95

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.”

What do you see as the “cry” (complaint) of the people here?

Did anything else stick out to you in these verses?

Who is crying against whom (v.1)?

People, and wives against Jewish brothers.

What is the cry for (v.2)?

Grain! So can eat, live

What can you learn about the people noted in (vv.3-4)?

Homeowners, borrowed, mortgaged to get grain

Others borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on the fields

What are the people being forced to do (v.5)?

Force children into slavery, bondage.

“In the midst of a great work (4:19) for a great God (1:5), a great cry comes (5:1).”

There is a famine in the land, there is need for food, and in our passage we see several groups of people.

The people who owned nothing, but were needing food (v.2).

With increasing population, demand for food was greater and the people turn to Nehemiah for solution

The landowners who mortgaged property to buy food (v.3).

Prices for goods was increasing, inflation in those days, people had to borrow just to make ends meet. Borrow at exorbitant rates.

Those who had to borrow to pay their taxes (v.4).

People were not able to pay the king’s taxes and they would lose property if not paid, so they had to borrow to pay the taxes.

They are not saying they did not owe taxes, the complaint was they had to borrow to pay them.

The wealthy Jews who were exploiting their own brothers (v.5).

Rich people exploiting their own brothers/sisters by loaning them money and taking their lands and their children for collateral.

Parents had to choice starvation or servitude

Leviticus 25:39–40 NASB95

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.

It was lawful to loan money to your brethren, but were not to charge interest (Deut23:19-20)

Deuteronomy 23:19–20 NASB95

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.

They were to treat with love, even the ones who became indentured servants.

What was happening is greed, selfishness was rearing its ugly head, exploiting the poor in order to make themselves rich.

God has a concern for the poor and will not hold those guiltless who take advantage of them. The sin of greed was one of the things the prophets spoke of before captivity (Isa56:9-12; Jer22:13-19; Amo2:6-7).

A Great Assembly

Nehemiah 5:6–7 NASB95

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.

Nehemiah 5:8–9 NASB95

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. 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 5:10–11 NASB95

10 “And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. 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 5:12–13 NASB95

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.

What do you notice in this passage?

After hearing the cry of the people, how did Nehemiah feel (v.6)?

He was very angry

How was Nehemiah going to deal with the issue (v.7)?

Hold a great assembly against them.

What was Nehemiah’s rebuke of the people (vv.8-9)?

They were selling their own brethren

And it was not good, they should be walking in the fear of God.

Nehemiah makes personal statement about he and his brothers, and a demand of those exacting, doing usury against others, what is it (vv.10-11)?

Nehemiah was loaning, but not exacting interest

Demands they “give back” to the people

What illustration does Nehemiah give in (v.13)?

Shaking out the front of his garment.

I think you may agree with me that if you need to confront someone on something it would rather be someone you do not live with, right? Nehemiah never stayed away from confrontation when needed.

We know Nehemiah was angry (v.6), but not a sinful anger (Eph4:26; Ps4:4).

I like another thing that Wiersbe said.

“Nehemiah was not a politician who asked ‘What is popular?’ or a diplomat who asked what is safe?’ but a true leader who asked what is right?.”

Nehemiah has a holy anger against sin (selfishness, usury) and knew he had the law behind him.

Nehemiah consulted and contended with himself, so not to act from anger, but to respond appropriately.

He put his heart and head together before engaging his mouth for he knew it was better to be slow to anger (Pro16:32) for that would make him a weak leader.

Side note: The building of the wall did not create the problem with the money, it revealed a problem already there. Selfishness, misplaced priorities. God, and love, were not in first place.

Nehemiah’s rebuke

Appealed to their love

Appealed by word of God

Appealed by reminding of God’s redemptive purpose for Israel

Appealed to them as a witness to the Gentiles

Appealed by his own life examples

Finally, appealed to them of judgment of the Lord.

They were making an oath, a promise to God that was to be kept or suffer the consequences of breaking the oath and bringing condemnation on themselves.

Nehemiah’s illustration:

Shook out folds of robe, symbolic of what God would do with the money lenders if they did not keep their oath.

This is similar to shaking the dust off your feet (Mt10:14; Act13:51)

The response was a hearty “Amen”

Followed by united in praise to God

The amen, the praise, was followed by action! Keeping the oath.

A Great Example

Nehemiah 5:14–15 NASB95

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.

Nehemiah 5:16–17 NASB95

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.

Nehemiah 5:18–19 NASB95

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.

Anything stick out, catch your eye in this passage?

Staying to the facts what facts do you see in (vv.14-15)?

Nehemiah was governor in Judah from 20th-32nd year of Artaxerxes.

For the twelve years he nor his kinsmen partake of the governor’s food allowance

While the former governors did. They did not because of the fear of God.

In (vv.16-17) you start to see Nehemiah’s example, what do you see?

He applied himself to the work, as did his servants

He feed 150 Jews as well as visitors from other countries from his own governors food allowance.

In (v.18) you get more details on the provision provided, but in (v.19) what does Nehemiah do, as is his habit?

He stop and prayed!

Asked God to remember him and his works. He was not looking for the applause of man, but the glory of God for the work he had been doing.

Nehemiah was an example in that he paid his own way.

Nehemiah was an example in that he took nothing from no one, exacted no payment, much like Paul in Corinth.

Nehemiah participated in the rebuilding of the wall.

Nehemiah only did what he believed would please the Lord.

WE cannot avoid problems in ministry, we cannot avoid conflicts as much as we want to, but we can learn to deal with them as Nehemiah did.

Expect problems and be ready to address them face on, boldly, with love.

Confront problems courageously, do not ignore problems expecting them to go away.

Be sure your integrity in tact, lead by example!

Finally every problem is an opportunity for the Lord to work.

Wiersbe said: “Solving problems in ministry is not an intellectual exercise but a spiritual experience. If we depend on the wisdom of the world, we will get what the world can do; but if we depend on the wisdom of God, we will get what God can do.”

(closing) - the work may have stopped while the assembly was called to confront the problem before them, but the people were now ready to get back to work on the wall!