Nehemiah 5
Notes
Transcript
Enemies Without and Within
Enemies Without and Within
When we left Nehemiah, they were defending themselves from their enemies.
Half of the workers stood guard, and everyone was armed.
And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 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.”
There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”
After having to protect themselves from outside enemies, now their having to deal with internal issues.
There apparently was a famine,
Some large families were asking the government for food.
Some had mortgaged all they had to buy food.
Others had borrowed money to pay taxes.
And guess who they borrowed money from?
Other Jews.
Today we have bankruptcy laws, but back then, family members would sell themselves to work off the debt.
And their families did not have the resources to redeem them.
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”
Then they were silenced and found nothing to say.
This did not sit well with Nehemiah.
He rebuked the nobles and rulers for exacting usury from fellow Israelites.
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 4855 מַשָּׁא
mashshaʾ /mash·shaw/
Lending at interest.
The people had been redeemed from Babylon at great cost.
Now these same people were selling their neighbors into slavery.
It was bad enough that people were dealing with a famine,
But to have their own brothers taking advantage of them in such a time!
This is exactly what Moses had taught them not to do in the law:
‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
Whenever their is an emergency, we still see people “taking advantage”.
And frequently, we see people using our aversion to “taking advantage” to take advantage of others as well.
When we see others who are in need, we are to help them.
We should do so without looking to gain.
To take advantage of someone’s situation.
And notice what Nehemiah does,
He doesn’t tsk-tsk about the situation.
He calls the leaders out, publicly.
Should we call out those in the church who are taking advantage of others?
Especially our leaders?
And the leaders were silenced.
How do you react when someone points our your mistakes?
We tend to retaliate.
But that is not what the leaders here did.
Then I said, “What 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? I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”
Not only does Nehemiah call the leaders out, he sets an example.
“I also, with my brethren and my servants, and lending them money and grain.”
Nehemiah put his money, and his grain, where his mouth was.
And he begs “Please, let us stop this usury!”
We may point out others short-comings,
But do we set examples for others?
Then Nehemiah orders that those who have taken from those in need restore it to them.
Their lands, vineyard, olive groves, and houses.
Plus, one hundredth, one percent, of the interest they had been charged.
I’m not sure why Nehemiah didn’t require they return all that they had charged.
Or even a larger percentage.
But that is what Nehemiah did.
So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”
Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”
And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.
The leaders agreed.
But then Nehemiah required they pledge an oath.
That they promise before God to do what they have said.
Then Nehemiah makes an interesting gesture.
He shook out the folds of his garment.
And he asks God to shake out each man who does not fulfill his oath.
Shake him from his house and his property.
Remind you of anything?
And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
The point Nehemiah is making is that, if the nobles, their leaders do not do what they have promised,
Not only will Nehemiah have nothing to do with them,
He will pray that God will do the same...
Literally, treat them like dirt.
And everyone agrees.
Amen = So be it.
Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. 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. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
As the appointed governor of the land, Nehemiah was due the “governor’s provisions”.
Like taxes, people were to bring not just money, but food and other provisions for the governor’s household.
The previous governors had done this, but not Nehemiah.
Even the servants of the governor had ruled over the people, but not Nehemiah.
Why didn’t Nehemiah collect what was his due?
Because he feared God.
He was more worried about offending God than getting his due.
Nehemiah wasn’t doing this job to get rich, or even to provide for himself and his family.
He was doing this to serve God.
So he did not lay on the people the burden he was legally allowed to.
But Nehemiah went even farther:
And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
Every day, Nehemiah fed 150 of the people and the rulers, besides those who visited from other nations.
He personally, paid to prepare an ox, six sheep, and birds for everyone to eat.
And every 10 days, all kinds of wine.
Despite all this,
Not only providing for himself and his family,
Providing for the rulers and other Jews,
Feeding foreign dignitaries,
Nehemiah did not collect the governor’s provisions he was due.
Why?
Because the burden on the people was heavy.
He didn’t want to add to their burden.
Because he feared God.
Again, he was more worried about offending God that what he was due.
He truly loved his neighbor.
Why do we do things for others?
Is it because we fear God, or because we want the good opinion of others?
Do we love our neighbors or our reputation?
Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
Nehemiah wasn’t looking for earthly rewards,
He wasn’t even looking for earthly recognition,
He wanted God to remember the good that he had done for His people.
Conclusion
Conclusion
It seems we’re always looking for an angle, an edge to get ahead.
The opportunity to make something better for ourselves.
But we always seem to be focusing on something better here, rather than in heaven.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We should be much more worried about our treasure in heaven than the one on earth.
That does not mean we have to live the life of poverty here,
It does mean we need to make sure our heart is in heaven.
We do that by placing our treasures in heaven.
How do we place our treasures in heaven?
Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.”
So they brought Him a denarius.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
I wish they had asked what things are God’s.
I believe Jesus would have asked, “Whose image is on you? ”
How do we place our treasure in heaven
By placing more value on the people made in the image of God than in money made with the image of a man.
Have you had the opportunity to help those in need?
Have you done so “at interest”?
If you have, then your treasure is here.
If not, then your treasure is in heaven.
Whether pandemic, tornado, or economic upheaval, where are you placing your treasure?