Walls Between the Builders (Nehemiah 5)

Most organizations and nations fall apart because of opposition and deterioration from within rather than from outside. An idea is conceived, gains adherence and grows to fruition. Then after it has served its purpose for a period of time, the work it took to get to that point is taken for granted and often personal aggrandizement corrupts the intended purpose. At the beginning there is sacrifice by the people, but someone usually figures out how to make money from the idea, and it is not long before that which helped people hurts people. That is what happens in .

How can economic and social differences cause problems within a church or between believers?

Why do you think many Christians are in such a deep debt that it puts strain on themselves, family, and the church?

How do you react when people within your church or fellowship group fail to live out the character of your group's shared vision—when they start to use the group for personal reasons and not for the shared vision?

MacArthur Bible Studies: Nehemiah Opening Thought

How do you feel when your church leaders exhort you to give? Or when parachurch organizations send requests for financial support?

How do you feel when church leaders or a Christian organization ask you to give?

I’d give more if I had more. But why is it that when raises or other income comes in there is no increase in giving.

The first four chapters of Nehemiah remind us that any significant work for God can expect opposition. The devil will not sit idly by and watch God’s people do great works to the glory of God. But attacks do not only come from without. Sometimes the enemy also seeks to work mischief from within.

Enemy opposition and difficult times in general had precipitated dire economic conditions. Specifically, the people were fatigued with hard labor, drained by the relentless harassment of enemies, poor and lacking the necessities of life, lacking tax money and borrowing for it, and working on the wall in the city rather than getting food from the country.

On top of these hardships came the complaint that certain wealthy Jews were exploiting their unfortunate countrymen. Rather than show compassion, these opportunists forced people to sell their homes and children, while giving them no opportunity to redeem them back. Under normal conditions, the Mosiac law offered the hope of releasing these young people through the remission of debts every seven years or in the fiftieth year of Jubilee (). This custom of redemption made it possible to “buy back” the enslaved individual at almost any time, but the desperate financial situation of Nehemiah’s times made that appear impossible.

The effect of this extortion on the morale of the returnees was worse than the enemy opposition. demonstrates the dangers of greed and selfishness. It also shows how godly leaders guide their people through explosive situations and potentially divisive times.

Nehemiah 5:1–19 ESV

1 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 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.” 3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 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.” 6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 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 8 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. 9 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? 10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11 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.” 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 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. 19 Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

List the three forms of internal opposition in that are developing against the vision of building the wall.

Read . List the three forms of internal opposition in that are developing against the vision of building the wall.

Food

Money

People being sold into slavery

People in power becoming a burden to the people

How was exacting interest a problem for the wall building effort?

consider these verses

Leviticus 25:36–37 ESV

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.

leviticus 25.36

Deuteronomy 23:19–20 ESV

“You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

deut.23

Psalm 15:5 ESV

who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Proverbs 28:8 ESV

Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

prov.28.8

Jeremiah 15:10 ESV

Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

Jer

How would you define the kind of leadership that Nehemiah exercises in dealing with this internal opposition to the wall?

How did Nehemiah respond upon hearing this news?

He got righteously angry

He exercised self-control

before he dealt with the guilty people; he stopped, cooled off, thought and prayed things through, and only then took action.

He followed the principles of biblical confrontation

He set a personal example of godliness

In what ways are leaders (spiritual or secular) today likely to assume privileges as these nobles and officials did?

Have you ever seen a leader sacrifice a privilege to live according to God’s values?

How do you determine what is culturally acceptable and what God's kingdom values are?

How well do you think Nehemiah did in fitting kingdom values and world values together?

In what ways does show Nehemiah doing all he can to not be part of this internal opposition?

Luke 22:25–27 ESV

And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

How do you determine what is culturally acceptable and what God's kingdom values are?

What did Jesus say about Leadership in Luke 22:25-27?

What evidence do you see in that Nehemiah lived out the principles of these verses?

He laid aside his rights and did not take advantage of his position and power.

He feared God and cared about people who were hurting.

He laid aside his rights and did not take advantage of his position and power.

 He feared God and cared about people who were hurting.

He was generous and ready to share.

 He was generous and ready to share.

He was committed to the work.

 He was committed to the work.

He worked for God’s approval.

 He worked for God’s approval.

He required accountability.

 He required accountability.

What kind of internal opposition could likely come up within your church or Christian group to divert you from your real objectives?

9. In what ways does show Nehemiah doing all he can to not be part of this internal opposition?

What kind of response or correction would be needed?

What kind of internal opposition could likely come up within your church or Christian group to divert you from your real objectives?

* What kind of response or correction would be needed?

“Our society replaces people with things, conversation with entertainment. By so doing, we have lost the simple joys of life, which center on relationships, the essence of Christian fellowship. Material things can pull believers away from those vital relationships with God and others.”—John MacArthur John MacArthur, Nehemiah: Experiencing the Good Hand of God, MacArthur Bible Studies (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2001), 53.

“Our society replaces people with things, conversation with entertainment. By so doing, we have lost the simple joys of life, which center on relationships, the essence of Christian fellowship. Material things can pull believers away from those vital relationships with God and others.”—John MacArthur

Thomas Merton has written, “To consider persons and events and situations only in the light of their effect upon myself is to live on the doorstep of hell.”

Consider your own track record of dealing with people. Are you (like the rich Jews of Nehemiah’s day) an opportunist who mainly thinks about material things—how you can get ahead, get more stuff, and prosper?

Or (like Nehemiah) are you a servant who uses your gifts, resources, time, and treasure to bless others and build them up? How can you be more like Nehemiah?

What needs to change in your life in the area of money, specifically giving? What financial need (of an individual or in your church) can you meet today?

Nehemiah saw a social problem, an injustice, and he became agitated enough to do something about it. What social concerns do you have today?

What is something you will commit to do this week in an attempt to effect change to the glory of God?