Nehemiah 5

MIT: God’s work is hindered when God’s people are divided by self-interest

INTRO

recap of ch.1-3; & ch.4 we see the oppression of jewish people and Nehemiah’s reminder “Look to the Lord”. In addition to the oppression and work of the wall, the jewish people were dealing with their own troubles and hardships…being on mission while at the same time living in and feeling stuck in a broken system with no way to get out

The people are already working together against external opposition in chapter 4. Now the crisis comes from within

ch.4 - the enemies are trying to stop the work

ch.5 - God’s people are hurting one another and threatening to stop the work themselves

Ch.5 - there is adversity form within; the jewish people are mistreating each other. And where there is mistreatment and adversity, there is division

On the surface what we see is there was a money problem to get food

description in 5:1–3 is that of a disadvantaged class which no one seems to care about. If the situation should continue, the community would be in danger of splitting apart and the work on the wall would come to a standstill.

people mortgaged their homes and livelihood not to invest to make money, but just to have money to buy food

People needed more money to pay the king’s tax, they borrowed money from their fellow nobles and officials to pay the taxes and were being charged interest (wrong according to Deut. 23:19-20**)

So to be able to make money to pay back the money borrowed and and mortgage; the jewish people were having their children be slaves to fellow jewish people (even after the jewish people had been experiencing slavery from their exile and taken into captivity by surrounding nations)

Just feels like being stuck a broken system with no way to get out

feel behind on every bill

feel like this season of suffering and restlessness just seems to never end

feels like just one thing after another is not going the way we feel it should

we feel stuck

So the jewish people cry out to Nehemiah for him to help do something for them, to be their voice

Possible implications

our world/our culture is against God’s ways.

Sure there may be some good things, but in general, we live in a post-Christian society

tolerance and acceptance, and now praising of an emotional view about genders and roles that is contrary to how God designed humans

mainstream of hyper-sexualization

the ideology that because I feel I am a victim in some way, that rational truth is oppressive

the recommendations that if an unborn baby is physically defective or too life-altering, then it can be discarded

a system set up that encourages that parents and guardians don’t know what is best for children and to leave it up to the government

the acceptance that because the suffering some experience justifies the ending of life

even the consequences to fulfill justice do not seem to bring proper justice

greed that determines the direction of justice based off of financial loss or gain or maintaining power and influence

All of these in some way if we are not vigilant will seep into and become the thoughts of the church. And the one that is easiest to come in is the one that Nehemiah addresses here in Nehemiah 5: Greed.

Read Nehemiah 5

“what is justice?”, what is injustice?

Injustice - Disregarding others in order to gain more for myself

In Nehemiah’s case, the injustice and outcry is from Jews about Jews

the workings of how other nations operated impacted the jewish people in a negative way (reword)

Just like other nations ideaology invaded the hearts and minds of the Jewish people; we have allowed what our culture says to invade the church

even the church we start to either become too political, or step back/relinquish/give up our responsibility to speak truth and lead with that truth in our culture

we get too laxed, or too overwhelmed that it is paralyzing and we are left with “what do we do? we need help…”

The church rightly defends justice when we stand firm on God’s Word and hold one another in the church accountable to it.**

And just as much as we desire to defend justice as God defines; what we see in Nehemiah 5 is that we must even more defend the unity of God’s people and against division**

Because the greatest threat to God’s people is selfishness, as it…

1. SELFISHNESS DIVIDES GOD’S PEOPLE (v.1-5)

The offenders in this chapter made a god of money; they forgotten that money (though one of life’s necessities) is not one of life’s greatest priorities**

The injustice here in this passage deals with the way that the people of God related to one another

When we are divided, the advancement and building of God’s kingdom is hindered

Sticky Statement: What opposition couldn’t stop, selfishness could threaten to destroy

Israelites are trying to rebuild the wall; they’re already facing opposition from surrounding regions; they’re working despite threats; but now the people of God are exploiting one another

the wall is being rebuilt while the community is being torn apart

Here the injustice isn’t necessarily financial, the injustice is disregarding others in order to gain more for myself

the problem isn’t simply that they were charged interest (even though that was against the law of Moses); the heart problem was that these oppressors within the jewish community felt “my gain has become more important to me than your good”

this not only happens with money; it can happen with how we live and steward even in the church

positions

recognition

ministry preferences

time

control

relationships

being “right”

getting my way

so the question for us is “Am I willing to use someone else for my own benefit?”

v.6 - Nehemiah becomes extremely angry

But note that he doesn’t immediately explode. Nehemiah isn’t angry when there was oppression, nor when He will be personally attacked; it is when God’s people are doing what is contrary to God’s work and causing division. He wasn’t most angry when God’s enemies opposed God’s work. He became angry when God’s people opposed God’s ways

Nehemiah is not controlled or ruled by his emotions

here we see that Nehemiah is very emotional and very angry; not angry because things are not going the way he felt but angry that God’s people were doing the opposite of God’s ways (angry at what angers God)

So before addressing the officials and nobles, he controlled himself

how often do we when we see something that we think is an injustice or angers us do we immediately spout off to the one in charge…or even if you don’t immediately spout off you wait a couple/few days and allow it to fester inside you

And then in v.7-8; Nehemiah doesn’t just tell them how they are wrong and how he feels they should handle something…what does he do?

He charges and addressed them specifically for breaking the Torah of Moses

forbidding Jews charging other Jews interest (Exodus 22:12-27; Deut 23:19-20)

The nobles and officials allowed themselves to act and work like those of God’s enemies…all for financial gain and control

now maybe this wasn’t their initial desire; they may have thought this was a good thing for betterment of themselves and Israel

Then in v.9-10 Nehemiah points them to Yahweh, saying “This is not what God has for us or for you”. We must turn and obey God and that starts with rightly fearing God, concerned about God’s reputation/His glory among the nations, and realign with God’s Word

2. THE FEAR OF GOD REORDERS OUR PRIORITIES (v.6-13)

Sticky Statement: When we fear God rightly, we treat people differently

this is the heart of the chapter

The nobles and officials had begun to operate to the values of the surrounding culture rather than the Word of God. They were treating their brothers and sisters as opportunities for financial gain

Nehemiah essentially says: “That’s not who God’s people are”

Israel was God’s people; set apart to testify and declare to the nations who God is and is like and Israel reflect those qualities in their lives***

Set-Apart Application

In how we live and steward the life and resources God has given us; do we fear God in the way we handle our resources? Let me rephrase: do we see God has the one in control of everything we have and in our love for Him we trust and follow Him with the resources He has given each of us?

The church should be people who operate differently because we belong to God

It is not that “Christians should be nicer”; but that the character of God should shape the way God’s people treat God’s people

W.E. Sangster - “Are some people outside the church of Jesus Christ because I am inside?

(Money Application)

Money has a remarkable ability to reveal what we fear, what we love, and where we find security

the issue isn’t what is in our bank account. The issue is what is ruling our hearts?

Matthew 6:21 “21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Our questions when it comes to money, time, resources is not “how much money do I give?” … it’s “who owns what you have?”

Psalm 24:1 “1 The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord;”

We are stewards

God gives and takes away

Giving is an act of worship

Generosity is meant to advance God’s purposes

“the Bible’s answer to greed isn’t simply, ‘Give more money’. The deeper answer is, ‘Worship God rather than money’. And when we worship God rather than money, generosity begins to make sense.”

v.11 - when we God rightly and see how we live contrary to God, repentance becomes very concrete

where we are not doing to others as we would have them do to us, where we are abusing others to benefit ourselves, where how we use our money dishonors Christ…we must repent and take action…just as Nehemiah calls the Jews oppressing their brothers to repent in v.11

Nehemiah didn’t say “Feel bad about this.”

He said “Give it back”

**Repentance produces changed behavior

“Repentance isn’t merely regretting what we’ve don; it is turning from self-interest toward obedience and love”

this means something to those of us who

is exploiting someone else for gain

is hoarding resources

is refusing generosity

have allowed money to become an idol

have contributed to division in the church in some other way

v.14-19 - This is where Nehemiah becomes the model

Nehemiah models restraint, generosity, service, and sacrifice

Here Nehemiah said: “I had every right to take advantage of my position as governor. I chose not to”

He had legitimate privileges as governor, but he voluntarily surrendered some of them because the people matter more than this personal comfort

v.16 - Nehemiah is devoted to the work of the wall

devoted to God’s work

wanted God’s name exalted and God’s people protected

He trusted God, and he loved God’s people

*Nehemiah chose not to take advantage of his people financially or with food. No one forced him to do this. He does this because he knows something is better and more lasting than money and food: love for God and His people

3. LOVE FOR GOD LEADS TO SACRIFICIAL LIVING (v.14-19)

Sticky Statement: When God is our treasure, people are no longer our means to an end.

this is precisely what the offenders had done: people became a means to make money

Nehemiah reverses it: Money becomes a means to serve people and advance God’s purposes.

He wanted to alleviate the pressure of his fellow jews by not further burdening them; but instead was generous to keep the people focused on what God had called them to do

Nehemiah is a good example, but there is one that is the greater example: Jesus

Where Nehemiah surrendered legitimate privileges for the good of God’s people.

Jesus in 2 Corinthians 8:9 “9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

This leads us to rightly view what it means to love God and live sacrificially

Christians should willingly sacrifice for and serve one another not because we are trying to earn God’s favor; but because we have already received the greatest generosity imaginable.

We do not give for our own gain just like Christ did not use us for His gain

He gave Himself for our good

People who have been transformed by the generosity of Christ should become people who gladly give themselves for the good of others.

Ultimate solution for justice - be born again, made alive, regenerated for salvation found only in Christ

*The greatest injustice that we see in our world and in the church is not moral or political issues; the greatest injustice we face is that people keep living in sin without knowing and understanding the hope in Christ, that He offers forgiveness of sins and life out of the bondage of sin.

and what hinders the proclaiming of that injustice is the injustice of division amongst God’s people that is caused by sin (personal and corporate)