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 5th chapter of Nehemiah 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.
Act One: A Great Cry
(5:1-5)
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.
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
(Lev. 25:39-40).
Jewish boys and girls had to choose between starvation or servitude!
It was not unlawful for Jews to loan money to one another, but they were not to act like money lenders and charge interest (Deut 23:19-20).
They were to treat one another with love even in the matter of taking security
(Deut. 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 anyone 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.
Act 2: A Great Assembly
(5:6-13)
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.
His first response was anger (5:6).
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.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians (4.26)
"be angry yet do not sin".
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 the 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, our priorities;
and while it brings out the best in some people, it can often bring out the worst in others.
The next thing he did was he had a consultation (5:7).
"I consulted with myself" means literally "My heart consulted within me."
One man 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 captures a city" (Prov. 16:32).
If a leader can’t control himself, he will never be successful in controlling others.
Nehemiah decided to call a great assembly 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 a public rebuke and repentance.
Rebuke (5:7-11)
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.
The word "brother" is used four times in this speech.
His appeal was based solidly on the Word of God, for the Law of Moses forbade the Jews to exact interest from one another.
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.
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 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 was the fourth appeal Nehemiah presented to the guilty money lenders.
If we truly fear the Lord, then we will honor Him before those who don’t believe in Him.
In Nehemiah 5:10-11, he 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.
Nehemiah’s sixth appeal was to remind of the judgment of the Lord.
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.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 says,
"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."
The great assembly 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.
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.
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 were united in their praise to 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.
Act 3: A Great Example
(5:14-19)
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 Phil. 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 (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.
J Oswald Sanders writes,
"A cross stands in the way of spiritual leadership, 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.
Sometimes we forget that aspect and major on the fact that Paul did not ask the Corinthian church for support.
But, in that case he chose to work with his own hands and preach the Gospel to them
"without cost" (1 Cor. 9:14).
Paul did not say that every Christian worker should do this, for as he and Luke both wrote,
"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 careful not to exploit the people in any way (5:15).
The servants of previous governors had used their positions for personal gain, perhaps taking bribes from the people 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 (5:17-18).
He regularly fed over 150 guests, both residents and visitors, and he gave them a marvelous meal!
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, a wonderful expression of worship and humility.
He didn’t want praise or reward from the people; he only wanted the reward that God would give him for his sacrificial service.
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.
Those of us who are in leadership positions within the church can learn some important lessons from this chapter.
To begin with:
Expect problems to arise among the people you work with.
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.
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.
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.
Finally, see every problem as 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.
