Nehemiah 5:14-19

Nehemiah 5:14–19 KJV (WS)

14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. 15 But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. 16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. 17 Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us. 18 Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. 19 Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Introduction

D.L. Moody said that, “Lighthouses blow no horns, they only shine.”

Man does Nehemiah shine.

It is shame that he goes largely unnoticed in the Bible.

What a great example of Christ-like leadership he gives us.

When we think about Jesus, we think about his sacrifice and his selflessness.

Anyone that seeks to follow Jesus’ example will need to develop a selfless attitude towards life.

Nehemiah does this.

In today’s passage we will find out how this affected his treatment of others.

We will also learn the secret for how Nehemiah did something that does not come naturally to sinful humility.

We will learn how to put others’ needs before our own.

Nehemiah inserts a later portion of his book. 14

This is a report from the very end of his first term as governor of Judah.

We will see later on that Nehemiah serves two terms as governor of Judah.

The first term evidently lasted for 12 years according to verse 14.

Much of this reads as personal journal of Nehemiah’s.

At the end of the 12 years, he sat down and made record of the manner in which he had governed the people.

Nehemiah’s administration had been a selfless one.

He led in a manner almost entirely unheard of during his day.

Why would he place this account here, when chronologically the wall was not even finished yet?

This recounting is moved up in the book because of what happened in the previous passage.

Remember, last week’s passage was all about powerful people taking advantage of others.

Nehemiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, places this account here to draw a strong distinction between good use of power and poor use of power.

Nehemiah recounts the manner in which he has led. 15-18

At the end of v14, Nehemiah states that neither he nor his brethren had eaten the bread of the governor.

The bread of the governor was supposed to be supplied by the people.

Persia did not pay their governors.

They were responsible for raising their own money through taxation.

For 12 years, he had not taken a salary because of where that salary must have come from.

Nehemiah’s sensitivity to the heavy bondage of the people caused him to drain his own personal resources rather than taxing the people.

This was a departure from previous administrations

Former governors were probably Persian, but not all of them.

In addition to provisions, Nehemiah would have been justified in taxing the people 40 shekels per person

40 shekels was per month and only came up to $360 a year.

However, this amount from every person in Judah would have been a lot of money.

Nehemiah did not use his personal expense account.

Nor did he tax the people to feed his administration.

Though he was already wealthy when he came to Jerusalem, this was still a huge sacrifice.

Nehemiah withheld himself from what everyone else was doing out of fear of God.

It’s easy to do what everyone else is doing because of laziness, cowardice, and instinctive imitation.

See with your own eyes, use your own brains, stand on your own feet.

You will stand on your own in the judgment before God.

Nehemiah understood his accountability to God for his decisions as a leader.

This caused him not only to abstain from taking from the people, but to actively participate in contributing to their work.

Nehemiah did his part of work for the wall, but not as a landowner.

He had no land in the city to protect.

Though he could have obtained some rather cheaply, he refused to take advantage of the situation.

Instead he dedicated himself to the construction of the wall.

Nehemiah and his team were not advisors that occasionally emerged from their towers.

They worked right alongside the actual inhabitants of the city.

Finally, we see that Nehemiah’s table became a gathering place for all kinds of people.

He regularly entertained 150 Jews plus outsiders from the surrounding communities.

The 150 were partly made up of the heads of the houses of Israel.

There was room for common Jews as well though.

One commentator said that Nehemiah’s table was never closed off to others.

This is especially meaningful since Nehemiah’s table was furnished at his own expense.

1 Ox, 6 sheep, and various birds.

Every ten days a fresh supply of all sorts of wine.

One commentator said that this was enough to feed 500 people.

He repeats his commitment to forego the bread of the governor.

We understand now, that he’s not just talking about feeding himself out of his own funds.

He is potentially feeding 500 people a day on his own dime.

This is a serious sacrifice.

He acts this way not just out of fear of God.

He also obviously has great faith in God.

Nehemiah prays to God. 19

This is the 4th recorded prayer of the book.

Nehemiah put serving the people above personal gain.

He did not want the kind of reward that men could give him.

He wanted his reward to come from God.

Fear of accountability and faith for a reward are two key ingredients for godly leadership.

Nehemiah demonstrated both of these throughout his time as governor.

These should not be limited to just leasers.

These are key parts of all inter-relationships.

Application

Belief in accountability should come naturally to a Christian.

We believe that there is a day of judgment.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 “36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

Paul said 1 Corinthians 3:13 “13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”

This belief ought to fill us with a healthy fear of God.

This fear should inform our treatment of others.

Faith for a reward should also be a part of the Christian’s worldview.

Think about Nehemiah’s last words in this passage.

We are so concerned with what people think about us.

Are we concerned with God’s thoughts about us?

Nehemiah cared about God thinking good of him.

It’s what motivated him to treat the people the way he did.

If we want to make a change in the way we act towards others we should care about what God thinks about us then what others think about us.

This passage pretty well agrees with the teaching of Jesus in the gospels.

Matthew 22:37–40 “37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Nehemiah had a right relationship with God.

He feared him.

He valued his reward over man’s.

This produced a right relationship with others.

I’m confident in telling you today, that if we will prioritize a right relationship with God, it will result in right relationships with others.

Will it take some sacrifice?

Of course, it did for Nehemiah.

D.L. Moody said, “A holy life will produce the deepest impression.”

Conclusion

Do we as Christians need to do a better job of loving one another, living peaceable with all men, exhorting one another?

Are you, personally where you need to be in loving your neighbor?

Will you commit this morning to loving your neighbor the way that you should by first loving God the way you should?

Develop a fear of God.

Trust him for a reward for service.

If we will accept this principle, we will see a difference in our relationships.

Whether you are leading 1 or 1000.