*Nehemiah 5:1-19
Nehemiah confronts wealthy Israelites who are exploiting the poor by demanding heavy repayments of loans and seizing property.
- Complaints of Oppression:
- In the midst of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, a great outcry arises among the people, as some of the Jews complain against their fellow Jews.
- The complaints center on economic oppression, with some Jews being unable to provide for their families due to high taxes, famine, and debt.
- Famine and Debt:
- The people lament that they are unable to buy grain to eat because of the famine, and they have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on their fields and vineyards.
- As a result, they have mortgaged their fields, vineyards, and houses to obtain grain during the famine, leading to indebtedness and the loss of their land and property.
- Nehemiah’s Response:
- Nehemiah, upon hearing the complaints of the people, becomes angry and indignant at the injustice and oppression that his fellow Jews are experiencing.
- He confronts the nobles and officials, rebuking them for taking advantage of their own people and exacting interest from their brothers, which violates the law of Moses.
- Rectification of the Situation:
- Nehemiah calls a great assembly of the people to address the issue of economic oppression and exploitation, seeking to restore justice and righteousness among them.
- He exhorts the nobles and officials to return to the people their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the interest they have charged them.
- The People’s Response:
- The nobles and officials agree to Nehemiah’s proposal and promise to restore what they have taken from their fellow Jews, acknowledging their wrongdoing and repenting of their actions.
- The people respond with joy and praise to the Lord, recognizing Nehemiah’s intervention as an act of God’s justice and mercy on their behalf.
- Nehemiah’s Example:
- Nehemiah sets an example of leadership and integrity by not taking the food allowance granted to governors but instead providing for himself and his servants from his own resources.
- He commits himself to the work on the wall, not seeking personal gain or advantage, but serving the people with humility and devotion.
Nehemiah 5:1-19 teaches us to care for others and do what is right, even when it’s not easy. Nehemiah saw that some people were being treated unfairly, so he stood up for them and made sure everyone was treated with kindness and fairness. This reminds us to be generous, help those in need, and use whatever power or influence we have to make things better for others. Like Nehemiah, we should lead by example, choosing to act with honesty, compassion, and a heart that honors God.
Nehemiah 5:1-19 (WEB)
5:1 Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews. 2 For there were some who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.” 3 There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of the famine.” 4 There were also some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards.”6 I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. 7 Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them. 8 I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say. 9 Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury. 11 Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you are charging them.”12 Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say.”Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise. 13 Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform this promise; even may he be shaken out and emptied like this.”All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. 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 to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor. 15 But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people, but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall. We didn’t buy any land. All my servants were gathered there to the work. 17 Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, in addition to those who came to us from among the nations that were around us. 18 Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I didn’t demand the governor’s pay, because the bondage was heavy on this people. 19 Remember me, my God, for all the good that I have done for this people.