Don't Quit Attacks from the Inside

Colten come up and help me this morning.

(Explain what Colten will be doing for us this morning)

Nehemiah 5 Is where we are today

Imagine with me for just a moment

Nehemiah is called

Nehemiah leaves a great job and position to go restore a city

Nehemiah had it made

He lived in the palace of the King

He ate the King’s food

He was greatly respected

The Lord calls him. Nehemiah’s heart is broken

He risk his life to go help his people the Jews

He arrives

He surveys the walls

He gets organized

He has a plan

Work Begins

The rebuilding of the wall progresses rapidly

They have great success

Things are moving quickly

Opposition from the outside happens

Sanballet and Tobiah start mocking the rebuilding of the wall

Their response is to defend and build

So they do they have a sword in one hand and they are rebuilding with the other hand

They have survived all this.

After all this, they are now experiencing a famine

Does this Sound familiar?

I feel the pain of the Jews here leading up to Nehemiah 5

Before this September, March of 2020 was the last time we ran our buses.

Remind you that today is September 26, 2021

March, April and May we were trying to figure out do we meet in person or not.

Do we touch gas pumps or not

Can the virus travel of boxes?

Do we open or close businesses

It progressed from there...

Do we mask or not mask?

Throw in a presidential election

Do we vax or not vax?

Is prophecy being fulfilled and what the meaning of everything is?

Afganistan

News media

I am sure I left some out but you get the point.

We have all worked through each of this and survived.

At times if felt like we had a sword in one hand and building with the other.

We were building and defending.

We survived all this and then things like the city water system having to be shut down for two days happens.

I feel you Nehemiah. Watch what happens next.

Insult to Injury

Nehemiah 5:1–5 HCSB

1 There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. 2 Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.” 4 Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

Group 1: Don’t have food or land

Let us get grain so that we can eat and live

Group 2: Has lands but they are mortgaging their land, vineyards and homes to get food.

v3

Group 3: Has land but is borrowing money to pay taxes on fields

v4

Group 4: They have sold their children into slavery

Jewish boys and girls hat to choose between starvation or slavery.

Who was doing all this?

Jews are harming Jews

Attacks are from within

Nehemiah’s response

Nehemiah 5:6–7 HCSB

6 I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 7 After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, “Each of you is charging his countrymen interest.” So I called a large assembly against them

I became angry

Nehemiah 5:7 ESV

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

Be Determined Chapter Five: Stop! Thief! (Nehemiah 5)

“I consulted with myself” means literally “My heart consulted within me.” A friend of mine calls this “putting my heads together.” Actually, Nehemiah put his heart and his head together as he pondered the problem and sought God’s direction. He got control of his feelings and his thoughts so that he could give constructive leadership to the people.

Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Nehemiah 5:8–9 HCSB

8 and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back.” They remained silent and could not say a word. 9 Then I said, “What you are doing isn’t right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God and not invite the reproach of our foreign enemies?

Be Determined Chapter Five: Stop! Thief! (Nehemiah 5)

If we truly fear the Lord, then we will want to honor Him before those who don’t believe in Him.

1 Corinthians 6:1 HCSB

1 If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

Be Determined Chapter Five: Stop! Thief! (Nehemiah 5)

Far better to lose money than lose the privilege of your witness to the lost. You can always earn more money, but how do you restore a damaged testimony?

To Fear the Lord

Loving respect of a child toward a parent

Means to seek to Glorify the Lord in everything we do

Means listening to his word, honoring it and obeying it

Be Determined Chapter Five: Stop! Thief! (Nehemiah 5)

“The remarkable thing about fearing God,” wrote Oswald Chambers, “is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

Be Determined Chapter Five: Stop! Thief! (Nehemiah 5)

To walk in the fear of God, of course, means to walk by faith, trusting God to deal with your enemies and one day balance the accounts. It means claiming

Matthew 6:33 HCSB

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Proverbs 19:23 HCSB

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger.

Nehemiah 5:10–11 HCSB

10 Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop charging this interest. 11 Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and olive oil that you have been assessing them.”

Nehemiah 5:12–13 HCSB

12 They responded: “We will return these things and require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this. 13 I also shook the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn’t keep this promise. May he be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.

They have a Worship service

Nehemiah Practices what he Preaches

Nehemiah 5:14–19 HCSB

14 Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth year until his thirty-second year, 12 years —I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor. 15 The governors who preceded me had heavily burdened the people, taking food and wine from them, as well as a pound of silver. Their subordinates also oppressed the people, but I didn’t do this, because of the fear of God. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my subordinates were gathered there for the work. We didn’t buy any land. 17 There were 150 Jews and officials, as well as guests from the surrounding nations at my table. 18 Each day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me. An abundance of all kinds of wine was provided every 10 days. But I didn’t demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy. 19 Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people.