Nehemiah 5:1-19

And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. ² For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live. ³ Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. ⁴ There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. ⁵ Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. ⁶ And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. ⁷ Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. ⁸ And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. ⁹ Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? ¹⁰ I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. ¹¹ Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. ¹² Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. ¹³ Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. 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.

If an enemy fails to successfully defeat an opponent by attacking them from the outside, they must either give up or find a way to destroy the opponent from the inside. As the work of the wall commenced and progressed, the enemies of Israel took notice. In Nehemiah 4 we read about the mocking, threatening, and discouragement brought on by Sanballat, Tobiah, and their allies. After a brief period of fear and discouragement, Nehemiah was able to rally the people by reminding them of God’s will and promises. Because the people “had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6), half of the wall was completed in no time. After Sanballat and Tobiah failed to thwart the people of God from the outside, issues began to arise on the inside in Nehemiah 5. How do we respond to and overcome inner turmoil while being obedient to God? Nehemiah 5 provides three answers.

First, we must always be open to help those in need. Sometimes inner turmoil arises from the genuine needs of people that put strains on relationships. Inevitably, when you bring a group of people together, problems arise. In Nehemiah 5:1-5, there are four things that arose among the people from the circumstances they found themselves in. First, there were farmers providing corn for the people (v. 2). Second, there were landowners who had sold land to buy corn from the farmers because of a famine in their lands (v. 3). Thirdly, there were those who could not afford taxes to the Persian king and borrowed with their lands as collateral (v. 4). Lastly, there were those taking advantage of the situation to take children and families as collateral for payments that could never be realistically met. The issues all arose from a famine in the land that made corn and crops scarce to the point where the people were making rash decisions just to get food to survive. The law actually forbid taking advantage of Jewish brethren during such times by charging interest on loans that made the loans hard to pay back (Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 23:19-20). It also certainly forbid taking slaves to pay debts (Leviticus 25:39-45). Rather than loving their neighbors as themselves (Leviticus 19:18), the Jewish people used the situation to take advantage of one another. For a people who had struggled in captivity and in a resettled, devastated land, they certainly lacked the sympathy and compassion that should be expected of the people of God. Problems arise in the body of Christ whenever personal issues and struggles like this weigh on His people. God has given us the body for the purpose of helping one another bearing each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). We are naturally prone to live our lives with a selfish mentality to put our own concerns as the first or only priorities in our lives. As a part of the body of Christ, we are called to “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” and “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). We must be open to help others around us and thus overcome the turmoil that difficulties can bring.

Next, we must respond appropriately to situations without sinning. Nehemiah’s reaction to hearing of the issues surrounding the famine was anger. Anger is not necessarily sinful. It depends on the motives behind our anger and whether or not we control our anger. Ephesians 4:26 instructs us to “Be ye angry, and sin not.” It is important to understand that Nehemiah’s anger is justified, righteous anger. His anger is in regards to the sins of the people and how they were handling their difficulties brought on by the famine. The people were guilty of disregarding the Word of God and acting selfishly toward their brothers. Virtually all sin in the body of Christ stems from these two things. Division occurs when people disregard God’s Word and/or when they are driven by selfish motives. James 3:16 tells us, “For where envying [jealousy] and strife [selfish ambition] is, there is confusion and every evil work.” Oftentimes personal sin or sin against others will manifest itself while people are engaging in the work of God. The building of the wall was not the problem here, it simply revealed the problems that already existed in the people’s hearts and relationships. There is something about doing God’s work with other people that exposes sin. Verse 7 tells us that Nehemiah “consulted” with himself before rebuking the leaders of the people. That means that he didn’t allow his anger to drive him to rash action. Instead, he gathered himself before acting. Proverbs 16:32 tells us, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” In verses 7-11 Nehemiah brings the correction that is needed to the people. He tells them to stop taking advantage of one another and to restore all of the lands and properties that they have seized. He also tells them to stop charging interest on their loans to their brothers. He appeals to them on the basis of redemption. He uses the term to describe God restoring His people in the land after the captivity and essentially tells them that it is no good if they have been freed from captivity, but then put right back in bondage because of debt to their own countrymen. He calls them to undo what they have done, the people agree, and they follow through on their repentance. When it comes to repentance, it is not repentance to simply pretend we haven’t wronged someone and then just vow never to do it again. If we have lied about someone, slandered someone, or harmed someone in anyway, we must make it right. If we have lied, that may mean telling the truth to or about the person we lied about. Until we have done so, we cannot claim to be right with God or serving God and His purposes. If I know my words have harmed someone, it is not repentance to just start being nice to the person. I must go and reconcile with the person that my words have harmed. Nehemiah handles the situation without sinning. He does so by being motivated by honoring God and helping God’s people. He does so by pointing people to obedience to God.

Lastly, we must always recognize that our responses and handling of situations goes beyond us and the situation, so we must always be faithful to set the right example. The greatest mark of Christian maturity is humility. It is only when we are humble that Christ is shown from our lives. D. L. Moody once said, “A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.” What we find in the final verses of this chapter are Nehemiah’s personal sacrifices to help his people all while leading them to build the wall. Nehemiah did all that he did “because of the fear of the Lord.” What made Nehemiah a great leader is that he was continually humble before God. He wasn’t concerned with personal recognition or gain. He was only concerned with their good and God’s glory. Warren Wiersbe once wrote, “Solving problems in ministry is not an intellectual exercise but a spiritual experience. If we depend on the wisdom of the world, we will get what the world can do; but if we depend on the wisdom of God, we will get what God can do. All that we say and do must be motivated by love, controlled by truth, and done to the glory of God.” Nehemiah entrusted the results and the recognition to God praying, “Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.” He set the right example for the people. If everyone in Israel had remained humble like him, made the personal sacrifices of time and resources that he made, and just kept their hands to the work like he did, then none of the issues of Nehemiah 5 would have ever arisen. Imagine if everyone in the church adopted our personal motivations, sacrifices, and priorities. What would the church be like?

An openness to help meet true needs, faithfully responding to situations without sin, and being faithful to set a right example when we respond are critical to handling all forms of inner turmoil in our Christian lives. Sin affects and infects everything. It will inevitably touch and strain even the closest of relationships and holiest of causes, so we must be ready at all times by being armed with God’s Word and ready to faithfully represent Him rather than seek our own interests. Is there someone you are at odds with in the body of Christ? Perhaps someone has sinned against you and in need of grace and forgiveness. Perhaps you have been a stumbling block to someone else with your actions and words. Maybe you recognize that there is someone in true need of your helping hand. Be open, be responsive, and be faithful.