A man heard his daughter and some of her friends arguing loudly in the back yard. He went out and reprimanded her. “But Daddy,” she protested, “we were just playing church.”

Ouch! It’s sad, but true, that the church of Jesus Christ has often been marked more by factions than by fellowship. There is even a book titled Great Church Fights. I haven’t read it, but it sounds interesting. J. Vernon McGee (Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther [Thru the Bible Books], p. 117) observes, “In the history of the church we have seen that when the devil could not destroy the church by persecution, the next thing he did was to join it!” If you have been a Christian for very long, you have probably been in a church that went through a split.

In this fallen world, some splits are inevitable if we are committed to sound doctrine and godly standards. There have always been and always will be those who bring in destructive heresies (2 Pet. 2:1) and/or evil behavior (2 Pet. 2:13–14, 18–19). If church leaders are obedient to God, they must confront serious error and sinful behavior (Titus 1:9–16). But when they do so, even if they follow Scripture and act in love, there are always some who will react negatively and leave.

No matter what the cause of the disunity, we should work at resolving conflicts in the church in a biblical manner. Paul exhorts us to be diligent “to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). We should “pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Rom. 14:19). If we want God’s blessing, Peter says that we “must seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet. 3:11b). Passivity is not adequate. We must pursue peace in a godly manner without compromising truth or holiness.

As we saw last week, Nehemiah did not have smooth sailing in trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, as chapter 3 by itself might lead us to believe. Chapters 4 & 6 show how he had to face opposition from without. Chapter 5 shows how he had to deal with conflict from within. Some scholars argue that these events must have taken place after the wall was completed, since Nehemiah would not have taken the time for an assembly of the whole populace (5:7) in the middle of the project. But my understanding is that he did have to take the time in the middle of the project to deal with this internal problem that threatened to sabotage the work.

The problem (5:1–5) centered on the complaints of the poorer Jews against the wealthy Jews who were either ignoring their desperate needs or were actually making those needs worse through exploiting them. Things were made worse by a famine, so that those who owned property were forced to mortgage their fields, vineyards, and houses in order to get food. Others had to borrow in order to pay the king’s tax on their lands. Some were even forced to sell their children into slavery to their fellow Jews in order to pay their bills.

In disregard of the Mosaic law that forbade a Jew from loaning money at interest to a fellow Jew in need (Exod. 22:25; Deut. 23:19), the wealthier Jews were not only charging interest (“the hundredth part” [5:11] means 1% per month, or 12% per year), but also they were taking Jewish children as slaves as collateral for the loans.

They were operating as heartless businessmen, putting their own financial gain as foremost, without regard for how it hurt their poorer brethren and their families. Nehemiah saw these problems as serious enough to stop the work on the wall long enough to get them resolved. The way he dealt with things and the people’s response show us some biblical principles for resolving conflicts in the church.

In order to do the Lord’s work, we must resolve conflicts in the church in a biblical manner.

The opening chapters of the book of Nehemiah are about the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. It had lain in ruins for more than two generations of exiles who had returned from captivity. They were a beaten lot, and their city was broken because their hearts were broken. They had stopped believing that God could change anything of significance. If they could survive in quiet desperation, that seemed about all that anyone could hope.

The Lord stirred Nehemiah, a man of leadership and vision and godliness, (AN OUTSIDER) to go to Jerusalem from the capital of Persia and speak to his people again of what God could do. The project of rebuilding the walls began. In Nehemiah 4:6, the walls were described as halfway built. In 6:15, the project was completed: So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

One of the reasons to study this ancient city’s restoration is that restoration and new construction are what God is doing in every generation. Many of us know what it’s like to live with a broken life that has a great deal of rubble from the past. It is good to remember that God can bring restoration from wreckage or build something beautiful and substantial where nothing existed before.

Again, by analogy, we might note that Jerusalem was built on a hill to be sought out by those who had needs. Remember Jesus’ words about our responsibility to reach out to those who don’t know the truth. He said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14.) A city built on a hill, its lights beaming to the countryside around, attracts the lonely and vulnerable. Christian communities are cities set on a hill, places where unbelievers can find their way home.

In the last message we noted a well-organized and intrepid opposition. On all sides were gathered those who opposed the success of the Hebrews in rebuilding their city. They harassed, threatened, and ridiculed. Time and again they tried to intimidate the people who were doing the work. Nehemiah and the others who gave leadership, as we discovered in the last message, had to draw the people together in order to deal with the threat. None of us can deal with threats by ourselves. We need each other. When one is standing guard, the other can sleep, and when one holds a weapon, the other can hold a tool.

In chapters 4 and 5, the problems concerned external enemies. The next set of problems that Nehemiah and others in the project encounter is inflicted from within the community itself-squabbling and difficulty, hurt and accusation.

When the enemy fails in his attacks from the outside, he then begins to attack from within; and one of his favorite weapons is selfishness. If he can get us thinking only about ourselves and what we want, then he will win the victory before we realize that he is even at work.

Selfishness means putting myself at the center of everything and insisting on getting what I want when I want it. It means exploiting others so I can be happy and taking advantage of them just so I can have my own way. It is not only wanting my own way but expecting everybody else to want my way too. Why are selfish people so miserable? I think Thomas Merton said it best: “To consider persons and events and situations only in the light of their effect upon myself is to live on the doorstep of hell.”

This chapter reveals to us the depths of sin in the human heart and how each of us must learn to love our neighbors as ourselves. This moving drama has three acts.

A great cry (Neh. 5:1-5)

(Nehemiah 5:1-5)  “Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. {2} Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” {3} Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” {4} Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. {5} Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.””

 There are some interpretive uncertainties with this passage, but the general thrust is clear. The building of the wall took most of two months. Many involved had to leave their homes and their farms and other labor to go work on the wall. They had to contribute whatever money was needed to get the necessary materials. All of that had worsened an already difficult economic situation. Apparently there was a local famine. And always there were taxes from the world empire that controlled the region. So now people who were previously near the edge financially felt overwhelmed.

In the midst of a “great work” (4:19) for a “great God” (1:5), a “great cry” (5:1) was heard among the Jews. They were not crying out against the Samaritans, the Ammonites, or the Arabs, but against their own people! Jew was exploiting Jew, and the economic situation had become so desperate that even the wives (who usually kept silent) were joining in the protest.

Verse 2 alludes to another problem: “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” There was no such thing as family planning in the ancient world, or inclination toward it. The larger the family, the better. So whether rich or poor, families would have been roughly the same size. Those whose children were numerous, I think, were those whose families were young. The younger parents who still had many dependents at home, whose children were not grown and on their own, were saying to the older generation, “We’re still responsible for many mouths to feed. Those of you who no longer have children at home aren’t concerned about how hard it is for us to make it.”

That ought to sound familiar in our time and place. Those who have owned property a long time or who have raised their families or who have investments that are maturing and so on, live a very different life from the young families in this area who are trying to raise children and make ends meet. How much should they work to survive in this culture? And if both husband and wife work to gain enough income, then what about the quality of their lives and the kind of parenting they’re providing?

In Nehemiah’s day, those on the edge of economic difficulty were crying out for help. The wealthy people of Jerusalem, on the other hand, could get through the rebuilding project fairly easily. It would be bad enough if it were just that some had wealth and some didn’t. But it was much worse than that. Those who were wealthy were taking advantage of and preying on those who weren’t.

Four different groups of people were involved in this crisis. First, there were the people who owned no land but who needed food (v. 2). The population was increasing; there was a famine (v. 3); and the people were hungry. These people could not help themselves so they cried out to Nehemiah for help.

The second group was composed of landowners who had mortgaged their property in order to buy food (v. 3). Apparently inflation was on the rise, and prices were going higher. The combination of debt and inflation is enough to wipe out a person’s equity very quickly.

The third group complained because the taxes were too high, and they were forced to borrow money to pay them (v. 4). In order to borrow the money, they had to give security; and this meant eventually losing their property. The Persian king received a fortune in annual tribute, very little of which ever benefited the local provinces. Unlike our situation today, the taxes did not support local services; they only supported the king.

The fourth group was made up of wealthy Jews who were exploiting their own brothers and sisters by loaning them money and taking their lands and their children for collateral (Leviticus 25:39-40) 

“”‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. {40} He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee.”

Jewish boys and girls had to choose between starvation or servitude!

Let me quickly review economic responsibility as provided for in the law.

 First, Hebrews were allowed to make financial arrangements with Gentiles in which there was an expected return.

Everybody, both Jew and Gentile, had a tribe to which they belonged. If there was some leftover capital, it could be invested with hope of return. If, however, family members were in extremity, if they got sick and couldn’t plant their crops, or if some other tragedy occurred, it was the responsibility of their tribe to rally around and take care of them.

What was not allowed was for an Israelite to charge interest on a loan to fellow Israelites. The law strictly forbade it:

(Exodus 22:25)  “”If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.”

 (Deuteronomy 23:19-20)  “Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. {20} You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.”

They couldn’t use the knowledge of someone else’s hard times as a way of making a profit.

Imagine yourself in a similar situation. Your great-aunt, let’s say, is newly widowed. She’s too old to work and she’s frightened, yet she has some property. So she is vulnerable. It is wrong to take economic advantage of the vulnerable, especially family members who are likely to be trusting.

Second, there was an arrangement whereby the Hebrews could indenture themselves. That is the reference to slavery in Nehemiah 5:5. It wasn’t racially based slavery of the type we’ve been used to in our country. It was indentured servitude.

(Exodus 21:1-3)  “”These are the laws you are to set before them: {2} “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. {3} If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him.”

The law (Exodus 21:1-3) provided for seven-year cycles, and at the end of every seventh year, all contracts of indenture had to end. Suppose a family fell into hard times, and they had strong sons and energetic daughters. They might go to someone and say, “My son will come to work for you. It’s the third of the seven years, so my son will be indentured to work for you for four years.”

However, the arrangement wasn’t open-ended. Within the tribe no one was permitted to use other people’s struggles to permanently create an underclass.

There is great wisdom in this. Modern economics operate with different premises, of course. But the wisdom does overlap. If we’re going to protect each other, if we’re going to answer the call when someone is hurt, if we’re going to build a wall or do anything else that’s worth doing together, it will require vulnerability. I have to tell you what I’m afraid of. I have to alert you when I’m hurt. And I have to be willing to hear what’s hard for you. But we won’t create those kind of relationships if we think we’re going to be taken advantage of. If vulnerability leads to being used, then it will always break down.

It was not unlawful for Jews to loan money to one another, but they were not to act like money lenders and charge interest:

(Deuteronomy 23:19-20)  “Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. {20} You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.”

They were to treat one another with love even in the matter of taking security (24:10-13; Ex. 22:25-27) or making a brother a servant (Lev. 25:35-46). Both the people and the land belonged to the Lord, and He would not have anybody using either one for personal gain.

One reason for the “Year of Jubilee” (Lev. 25) was to balance the economic system in Israel so that the rich could not get richer as the poor became poorer. All debts had to be forgiven in the fiftieth year, all land restored to its original owners, and all servants set free.

These wealthy businessmen were selfishly exploiting the poor in order to make themselves rich. They were using their power to rob some and to put others into bondage. Greed was one of the sins the prophets had denounced before the Babylonian Captivity (Isa. 56:9-12; Jer. 22:13-19; Amos 2:6-7; 5:11-12). God has a special concern for the poor and will not hold those guiltless who take advantage of them.

A great assembly (Neh. 5:6-13)

(Nehemiah 5:6-13)  “When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. {7} I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them {8} and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. {9} So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? {10} I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! {11} Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them–the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.” {12} “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

 Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. {13} I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.”

 It is one thing to confront foreign enemies and quite something else to deal with your own people when they fight one another. Young Moses learned that it was easier to dispose of an Egyptian master than to reconcile two Jewish brothers (Ex. 2:11-15). Nehemiah showed true leadership in his responses to the problem.

 Anger (Neh. 5:6).

“When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

 This was not the flaring up of a sinful temper but the expression of righteous indignation at the way the businessmen were oppressing their brothers and sisters. “In your anger do not sin” (Eph. 4:26, niv; see Ps. 4:4). Nehemiah was not a politician who asked, “What is popular?” or a diplomat who asked, “What is safe?” but a true leader who asked, “What is right?” His was a holy anger against sin, and he knew he had the Law of God behind him. Moses expressed this kind of holy anger when he broke the stone tables of Law (Ex. 32), and so did Jesus when He saw the hardening of the Pharisees’ hearts (Mark 3:5).

Why didn’t Nehemiah know about this scandalous economic problem sooner? Probably because he was so immersed in the one thing he came to do—the rebuilding of the walls—that he had no time to get involved in the internal affairs of the community. His commission as governor was to repair the walls and restore the gates, not to reform the community. Furthermore, Nehemiah had not been in the city long enough to learn all that was going on.

It is important to note that the building of the wall did not create these problems; it revealed them. Often when a church enters into a building program, all sorts of problems start to surface that people didn’t even know were there. A building program is a demanding thing that tests our faith, our patience, and our priorities; and while it brings out the best in some people, it can often bring out the worst in others.

 Consultation (Neh. 5:7).

I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!”

“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. “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32, nkjv). If a leader can’t control himself, he will never be successful in controlling others.

assembly (Neh. 5:7) and publicly confront the people whose selfishness had created this difficult and painful situation. Theirs was a grievous public sin, involving the whole nation; and it demanded public rebuke and repentance.

 Rebuke (Neh. 5:7-11).

I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them {8} and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. {9} So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? {10} I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! {11} Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them–the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.”

 That’s why Nehemiah was so outraged. They couldn’t ever be anything God intended them to be if they were going to abuse one another economically. Money is a subtle and powerful siren song for many, and unless we pay close attention, very often greed can get in the way of what God wants in relationships.

Look at verses 7-8 quickly. “When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.” Then he got the nobles and officials together, the people who were taking advantage (a private talk first). “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” he accused. Probably the interest was so high that it would be impossible to ever pay back the loan. It undermined their ability to work together, and it was forbidden by God.

Verse 8 is more difficult to understand. The poorest people had had to indenture themselves and sell their property. Nehemiah said, “When we came back from exile, we went out and bought our brothers back from their slavery to the Gentiles. But look at what you’re doing now: You’re arranging for them to be sold again to the Gentiles, who can ignore the Jewish cycles of seven years. Then you’re buying the contracts back again as a way of avoiding the legal requirement to keep periods of indentured service short.”

Jesus similarly challenged the Pharisees who tried to get around the responsibility of caring for their parents. Recall the Pharisees’ Corban tradition in the New Testament. Jesus told them, “But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God)….” (Mark 7:11). It was a loophole, a way around God’s command to take care of one’s family. God was getting in the way of their using their assets the way they wanted to.

Nehemiah’s rebuke of the exploiters consisted of six different appeals. First, he appealed to their love by reminding them that they were robbing their own fellow Jews, not the Gentiles (v. 7).

The word “brother” is used four times in this speech. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1) “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me,” Abraham said to Lot, “for we are brothers” (Gen. 13:8, niv).

His appeal was based solidly on the Word of God, for the Law of Moses forbade Jews to exact interest from one another.

The Jewish nation went into Babylonian Captivity an agricultural people, but some of them came out a mercantile people, having learned how to use money to make money. There is certainly nothing wrong with lending money (Matt. 25:27), providing you don’t violate God’s Word and exploit those who are helpless.

It is remarkable how much the Bible has to say about the right and wrong use of money. It is also remarkable how many professed believers ignore these truths and use their resources without consulting the Lord. They think that because they tithe, or give offerings to the Lord, they can do what they please with the rest of their income. They forget that we are stewards of all that God gives us, not just of what we give Him; and that He will hold us accountable for our stewardship.

In his third appeal, Nehemiah reminded them of God’s redemptive purpose for Israel (Neh. 5:8).

In the past, God redeemed Israel from Egypt; and more recently, He had redeemed them from Captivity in Babylon. But this verse informs us that Nehemiah and others of the leading Jews had helped redeem some of their people, and now their fellow Jews were putting people into bondage just to make money. These selfish money lenders were tearing down everything that God and Nehemiah were trying to build up.

What is freedom? It is life governed by truth and motivated by love. But the Jewish brokers were motivated by greed and ignoring the truth of God’s Word. Their selfishness put both themselves and their creditors into bondage.

 Israel’s witness to their Gentile neighbors (v. 9) was the fourth appeal Nehemiah presented to the guilty money lenders.

God called Israel to be a “light to the Gentiles” (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), but their conduct was certainly anything but a witness to their pagan neighbors. How could some of the Jewish citizens build the city wall on the one hand but enslave their neighbors on the other hand? If we truly fear the Lord, then we will want to honor Him before those who don’t believe in Him.

Paul used a similar approach when he censured the Corinthian Christians for taking one another to court. “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? … But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!” (1 Cor. 6:1, 6, nkjv) 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?

“The fear of our God” is not the servile dread of a slave toward a master but the loving respect of a child toward a parent. To fear the Lord means to seek to glorify God in everything we do. It means listening to His Word, honoring it, and obeying it. “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.” Because Nehemiah’s life was motivated by the fear of the Lord (Neh. 5:15), he did not fear what the enemy might do (vv. 14, 19). The fear of the Lord moved Nehemiah to be a faithful servant of the Lord.

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 and having the right priorities in life. “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil” (Prov. 19:23, nkjv).

In Nehemiah 5:10-11, Nehemiah appealed to his own personal practice. He was lending money to the needy, but he was not charging interest or robbing them of their security (Ex. 22:25). Unlike some leaders, Nehemiah was not saying, “Do what I say, not what I do!” He was not a hypocrite; he practiced what he preached. In fact, this chapter will conclude with Nehemiah pointing out all that God had enabled him to do for his people (Neh. 5:14-19). He was a good example as a believer and as a leader.

“The hundredth part” in verse 11 was the interest charged for the money, probably applied monthly, making a total of 12 percent interest a year. This practice had been going on before Nehemiah arrived on the scene and now the people were in despair as they tried to balance the family budget.

A man of action, Nehemiah told the brokers to restore both the interest and the security they had taken from their fellow Jews, as well as the property they had claimed in foreclosure. This drastic step of faith and love would not immediately solve all the economic problems of the people, but it would at least keep the problems from getting worse. It would also give the suffering people opportunity to make a fresh new start.

Nehemiah’s sixth appeal was to remind them of the judgment of the Lord (vv. 12-13). The brokers promised to obey, so Nehemiah had them take an oath in the presence of the priests and the other officers of the city. This meant that their promise was not only between them and their neighbors, but between them and the Lord; and this was a serious thing. “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it” (Ecc. 5:4-5, niv).

When he challenged them about their usury and wrongful use of the labor of others, his specific challenge was, “Shouldn’t you fear God more than you love the short-term benefit? Shouldn’t you want rewards that come from God, not from money? Aren’t you concerned about the reputation of our God and his law and his presence in the eyes of other people? For some greedy, short-term advantage, why are you denying all that?”

And in verse 12, the nobles who had been doing these inappropriate things responded, saying in effect, “It’s terrible what we’ve done. But we’re going to quit right now. We’re sorry. We agree with you that we shouldn’t have done what we did.”

But Nehemiah was wise enough to know that the seductiveness of the power that comes with money is so great that it wasn’t enough to just feel bad about what they had done and determine on their own to change. So he called the priests in, and the nobles and officials were made to swear, in the presence of the priests, that they would act on their oaths.

Then even that wasn’t enough. Nehemiah took off his coat and shook it and said, “This is what God is going to do to you if you fail to keep your oath. God will shake you in this way.”

The great assembly was concluded with three actions that emphasized the seriousness of the occasion. First, Nehemiah shook out the folds of his robe, symbolic of what God would do with the money lenders if they didn’t fulfill their vow. Shaking your robe or the dust off your feet was a typically Jewish act of condemnation (Acts 13:51; 18:6; Matt. 10:14).

Then the congregation responded with a collective “Amen,” which was much more than a Jewish ritual. It was their solemn assent to what had been said and done at the assembly (see Neh. 8:6 and Deut. 27:14ff). The word amen means “so be it”; in other words, “May the Lord do all that you said!” It was an act of worship that made the entire assembly a part of the decisions that were made.

Then the congregation unitedly praised the Lord. Why? Because God had enabled Nehemiah to help them begin to solve their problems, and he had directed the money lenders to acknowledge their sins and make restitution. This great assembly was not an “economic summit”; it was a worship service where Nehemiah had lifted a financial problem to the highest possible level. God’s people need to follow his example and deal with every problem in the light of the will of God as declared in the Word of God.

3. A great example (Neh. 5:14-19)

(Nehemiah 5:14-19)  “Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year–twelve years–neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. {15} But the earlier governors–those preceding me–placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. {16} Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land. {17} Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. {18} Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people. {19} Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.”

 Nehemiah had a right as the governor to exact his own tax to provide for himself and his retinue. He not only refused to do so, but he didn’t acquire land or speculate during all this change that was going on in Jerusalem. Moreover, he fed at least 150 people a day. The implication here is that he paid for these things out of his own pocket. Verse 18a goes on to tell how many oxen and sheep and poultry and so on had to be prepared to do this.

Remember, when Nehemiah accused these unrighteous men of charging usury for loans, he said, “I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain.” Making loans was legitimate; in fact it was expected that those who had something should go to the poor and say, “You’re having hard times. You’re a hard worker, and a good person, and I know you’re going to get back on your feet someday. Here’s a loan to tide you over. When you get back on your feet and have the money, pay me back. No interest is required.” That was what Nehemiah did.

But in addition, he was generous. He not only did the proper thing, but he paid for the expenses of the governing that he had to do there. He went beyond what was required of him and did more. He essentially gave them a great gift by running the government at his own expense.

Nehemiah concludes with another of the short prayers with which the book is filled: “Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.” He wanted a reward from God, not some short-term benefit that would burn up someday.

“Shouldn’t you fear God?” Nehemiah asked. He himself did what he advocated for others, and that’s what made him such a powerful leader. That’s one of the most important lessons to take from this. That was the reason he could go to the nobles, propelled by righteous anger, and say, “Stop exacting usury. Stop taking advantage of people. Stop making it impossible for us to love each other because of the fear that we’ll get hurt if we do. Give back what you’ve stolen to the hundredth part [the final cent]. Take an oath, and God is going to hold you to the oath that you’ve taken.” The reason he could say all that was that he was willing to do right in God’s sight himself. He wasn’t calling for them to act in ways that he wouldn’t act.

We’re living through a terrible experiment in this country concerning whether leaders who have a significant commitment to immorality can call on the people in the country to live sacrificially, to live to high purpose, to live lives that are contributory and honorable. Can leaders who are compromised in their honesty ask the citizenry to live differently? It ultimately doesn’t work.

That’s an important lesson for parents, for those who have a management position at work, for those who have any other position of responsibility-elders in the church, heads of home groups, Sunday School teachers. They need to be able to say what others should know and think and do because it’s an experience they have had themselves, because they have been willing to trust God themselves.

D.L. Moody said, “A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.” In our day of public scandals in almost every area of life, especially the political, how refreshing it is to meet a man like Nehemiah who put serving the people ahead of getting gain for himself.

Nehemiah never read Philippians 2:1-13, but he certainly practiced it. During his first term of twelve years as governor, and then during his second term of office (Neh. 13:6-7), he used his privileges for helping the people; he did not use the people to build a kingdom for himself.

In that day, most officials exercised their authority in order to promote themselves and protect their personal interests. They had very little concern for the needs of the people. As children of God, our example is Jesus Christ and not the leaders of this world (Luke 22:23-30). “A cross stands in the way of spiritual leadership,” writes J. Oswald Sanders, “a cross upon which the leader must consent to be impaled” (Spiritual Leadership, Moody Press, 1976; p. 105).

In what ways are these men examples to us? To begin with, Nehemiah and his assistants did not use the official expense account for their household expenses, nor did they tax the people in order to have something to eat.

They paid their expenses out of their own pockets and didn’t ask to be reimbursed.

The Apostle Paul followed a similar policy with the church at Corinth. He could have accepted support from them, as he did from other churches; but he chose to work with his own hands and preach the Gospel to them “without cost” (1 Cor. 9). Paul did not say that every Christian worker should do this, for “the laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:14). But every Christian should follow Paul’s example in having a balanced spiritual attitude toward wealth and ministry. We must be willing to sacrifice personal gain for the spiritual good of others (see Acts 20:33-35 and 1 Sam. 12:3).

It has been said that leaders are people who accept more of the blame and less of the credit, but they are also people who quietly sacrifice so that others might have more.

Nehemiah and his associates not only paid their own bills, but they were also careful not to exploit the people in any way (Neh. 5:15).

The servants of previous governors had used their positions for personal gain, perhaps taking bribes from the people and promising to represent them before the governor. For people in places of authority, the temptation to increase wealth and power is always present; but Nehemiah and his friends walked in the fear of the Lord and served honestly.

They were examples in a third way: They all participated in the rebuilding of the wall (v. 16).

They were not advisors who occasionally emerged from their ivory towers, but workers who stood with the people in the construction and defense of the city. Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27, niv); and Nehemiah and his aides had that same attitude.

Nehemiah was an example in another way: He not only paid for his own food, but he shared what he had with others (Neh. 5:17-18).

He regularly fed over 150 guests, both residents and visitors, and he gave them a marvelous meal! (See 1 Kings 4:22-23 for Solomon’s daily fare.) It is estimated that this amount of food would meet the needs of over 500 guests, so Nehemiah must have kept “open house” constantly. Or perhaps he shared what was left with the people working on the wall. At any rate, he was generous to others and asked for no reward.

Nehemiah 5:19 indicates perhaps the greatest thing about Nehemiah’s service: He did what he did only to please the Lord. This is the fourth of his prayers (1:5ff; 2:5; 4:4), a wonderful expression of worship and humility. He didn’t want praise or reward from the people; he wanted only the reward God would give him for his sacrificial service (see 13:14). Some of the people may not have appreciated their leaders as they should, but that didn’t upset Nehemiah. He knew that the final assessment would come from the Lord, and he was willing to wait (1 Cor. 4:1-5).

If you are in a position of spiritual leadership, this chapter has some important lessons for you.

4. To begin with, expect problems to arise among your people. Wherever you have people, you have the potential for problems. Whenever God’s work is prospering, the enemy sees to it that trouble begins. Don’t be surprised when your people can’t always get along with each other.
5. Second, confront the problems courageously. “There is no problem so great that you can’t ignore it” might be a good philosophy for a character in a comic strip, but it won’t work in the Lord’s service. Every problem that you ignore will only go underground, grow deeper roots, and bear bitter fruits. Pray for God’s help and tackle the problem as soon as possible.
6. Third, be sure that your own integrity is intact. A guilty conscience will rob you of the spiritual authority you need to give proper leadership, but every sacrifice you have made will give you the extra strength you need to defeat the enemy.
7. Finally, see in every problem an opportunity for the Lord to work. 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.

The work had been interrupted by the calling of the assembly and the solving of the economic problems, and now it was time for everybody to get back to his or her place on the wall. But Nehemiah’s enemies would also be busy. This time they would aim their ammunition especially at Nehemiah and try to defeat him with four devilish devices.

House, H. W. 1999. Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary . T. Nelson Publishers: Nashville