Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 184 - Nehemiah, God's Builder - Part 6 (Nehemiah 5:2-19 NKJV) 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." {3} There were also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine." {4} There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our lands and vineyards. {5} "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." {6} And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. {7} 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. The returning Jews had devoured one another with oppressive economic practices. People had no food to eat, were selling their children into slavery and paying interest and usury on borrowed money. Nehemiah summarizes this key sin neatly: "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother." Christians are not to economically oppress one another. Have you loaned money to a poor person who cannot repay? Then forgive the debt. Christians are forbidden from taking one another to court over such matters (see 1 Corinthians 6) and we should show grace and mercy. For the merciful will be shown mercy - but to unmerciful the Scripture promises judgment: (James 2:13 NKJV) For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Judging interest was forbidden among Jews. Jews could charge interest only to Gentiles. To charge interest on a loan is to exploit an economically disadvantaged person for your own profit. Charging interest to fellow-Jews was seen as iniquity of the first order even though interest rates were often as low as three percent per annum. (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:36,37; Deuteronomy 23:19,20; Psalm 15:5, Proverbs 28:7, Ezekiel 18:13) Christians should NEVER charge interest on loans to one another. Nehemiah continued: {8} 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. {9} 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?" {10} "I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! {11} "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." The lenders had seized the collateral of the debtors and taken control of their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses. They were to restore the collateral and also part of the interest that been charged. Nehemiah was showing an example by freely lending money and grain to those in need, leading the way in kindness to the poor. There were three reasons Nehemiah used a) Charging interest is against the national interest(v.8) (b) is an indication they are not fearing God (v.9) and (c) gives cause for their enemies to reproach them over such unjust behavior. {12} 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. {13} 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. Nehemiah knew people might be tempted to go back on their word so he made them swear an oath and also did a prophetic action invoking a curse on the prosperity of anyone who was disobedient: "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." Nehemiah continues by showing how he did not lay burdens on the people, but rather bore them instead. As a true leader and builder he cared for the flock: {14} 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. {15} 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. Also Nehemiah did not take advantage of his position to buy land and personally supplied the food to keep the extensive governors household going: {16} 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. {17} And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. {18} 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. {19} Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. Nehemiah was someone who thought about the burdens he placed on others, a kind and considerate leaders who understood the stress that people were under: "because the bondage was heavy on this people" (v. 18). He did not want the people in bondage to one another, or to him, rather he wanted all people to be happy, free, prosperous and unburdened. Self-sacrificing, considerate leaders like Nehemiah are rare. What was Nehemiah's motivation for twelve years of economic burden? The approval and blessing of God: "Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." Nehemiah had caught the principle that God treats us as we treat others. That He is merciful to those who are merciful, pure to those who are pure and shrewd with those who are corrupt (Psalm 18) Perhaps Nehemiah remembered a saying of Isaiah the prophet: (Isaiah 32:8 NASB) But the noble man devises noble plans; And by noble plans he stands. Blessings, John Edmiston Were you blessed by Eternity Daily Bible Study? To subscribe just send a blank email to: eternity-dbs-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org Visit the Eternity Daily Bible Study Archives - http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ Study at the Asian Internet Bible Institute- Free online non-formal, in-service, bible and ministry training: http://www.aibi.ph