Nehemiah : WK 6 - MON
Battling Ourselves
Nehemiah 5:1-11
About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.”
Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.”
And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”
When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.
At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.
Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”
When squabbling, abuse, or misbehavior arise within a team, it is almost always more harmful than an open attack by an opponent. We are more likely to quit due to infighting than as a result of an enemy. This is probably because of the deep sense of “stabbed in the back” betrayal. Trust is broken, and cohesion dissolves.
The situation in Jerusalem is quite dire. Less fortunate family members have been forced to borrow from their wealthy brothers and sisters to stay fed and alive. However, these affluent relatives have leveraged the loans to impose exorbitant interest rates, and, in some cases, children have been sold into servitude. Morale has plummeted, and Nehemiah must take action.
We don’t need to look to ancient stories to find terrible behavior that harms members of God’s community. Many of our friends and family members struggle to participate in church because of something said or done to them. The betrayal of a fellow believer feels worse than bullets from an enemy.
Poor behavior from God’s people must be met with more than handwringing and regret. Leaders need to stand up and call out the wrongs we commit. Our community must be challenged to repent, ask for forgiveness, restore those who have been wronged, and change our behavior. That’s what good leaders must do. Thankfully, Nehemiah is that kind of leader.
Nehemiah 5:1-11
About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.”
Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.”
And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”
When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.
At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.
Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”
When squabbling, abuse, or misbehavior arise within a team, it is almost always more harmful than an open attack by an opponent. We are more likely to quit due to infighting than as a result of an enemy. This is probably because of the deep sense of “stabbed in the back” betrayal. Trust is broken, and cohesion dissolves.
The situation in Jerusalem is quite dire. Less fortunate family members have been forced to borrow from their wealthy brothers and sisters to stay fed and alive. However, these affluent relatives have leveraged the loans to impose exorbitant interest rates, and, in some cases, children have been sold into servitude. Morale has plummeted, and Nehemiah must take action.
We don’t need to look to ancient stories to find terrible behavior that harms members of God’s community. Many of our friends and family members struggle to participate in church because of something said or done to them. The betrayal of a fellow believer feels worse than bullets from an enemy.
Poor behavior from God’s people must be met with more than handwringing and regret. Leaders need to stand up and call out the wrongs we commit. Our community must be challenged to repent, ask for forgiveness, restore those who have been wronged, and change our behavior. That’s what good leaders must do. Thankfully, Nehemiah is that kind of leader.
- Have you lent anything to someone recently? What was it?
- Have you witnessed behavior recently that came to mind while reading today? What was it? What steps could you take regarding it?
- Who do you know that needs to be restored to the family of God? What act of love could you offer to assist with that restoration?
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