Nehemiah has resisted outward attacks, but now there’s corruption within. It’s been said that, “No test of leadership is more revealing than the test of opposition” (Boice). Nehemiah wasn’t expecting opposition from his own people. The outcry of the poor reached his ears, and as governor of Judah, he has to set policy and correct this injustice.
The gap between rich and poor has always existed, even in Jerusalem after the exile. Many of those who returned from Babylon were well off. Even in captivity the Jews were free to work, and many did well. They returned with considerable assets. Others weren’t so prosperous. The resulting class struggle was threatening progress on the wall and Jerusalem’s security.
Conditions were hardly favorable for the poor. Insufficient rain caused crop failure and famine. And work to restore the wall was keeping people from tending their fields. On top of this were high property taxes owed to Persia, money which was not going back to benefit Israel. It was worse than living in “Taxachusetts”! And since Israel was cut off from their hostile neighbors, no trade agreements were in place to help the economy.
Many people were forced to borrow money, so the greedy rich saw an opportunity here, and were all too willing to exploit the poor for personal gain, charging high interest rates for loans. This was morally unacceptable. Resources were quickly depleted. People were going into debt, just to eat. The resulting financial crisis was having a damaging effect on the overall economy and particularly among poor, desperate farmers who had to mortgage their fields and send their children into indentured servitude, a kind of temporary slavery to pay off debts and survive. The returning exiles went from one form of bondage to another! Some outright lost their land and were faced with having no inheritance to pass on to their children. It was a desperate situation.
While our economy is not exactly in great shape, things were grim in Israel. There were shortages caused by the influx of people who’d come to work on the wall, that outpaced the ability to supply food for everyone. Yet notice the complaint of the poor was not leveled at Nehemiah; they understood the necessity of rebuilding the wall. Their criticism concerned the wealthy who shamefully misused their power.
God cares for the poor and oppressed; one of the most prominent themes in the Bible is our response toward the poor. It is the duty of God’s people to provide for those in need as best as we can with compassion. While society cannot remedy the plight of the poor or resolve all matters of social injustice, a nation’s integrity is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. This is why we operate a food pantry; we choose to be part of the solution, out of concern for those in need.
The plight of the poor was brought to Nehemiah’s attention. In verse 6, he admits, “I was very angry.” Some translations try to soften the language, but there is a time for anger. He was enraged; yet he didn’t just fume; he took action. He set out to correct this injustice. He directed his anger toward fixing the abuse.
He decided to confront the offenders privately, to give them an opportunity to make things right. The Hebrew Scriptures condemn usury--the charging of interest when loaning money--particularly to fellow Jews. For example, Exodus 22:25: “If you lend money to a fellow Hebrew in need, be not like a moneylender, charging interest.” The wealthy were exploiting the helpless poor with this practice. These “loan sharks” were taking advantage of their countrymen’s troubles, getting rich at their expense. And they were setting Israel up for reproach from her ungodly neighbors, a poor testimony indeed.
Nehemiah urged (and warned) them in verse 9 to “walk in the fear of the Lord.” Fleming Rutledge observes, “If we insist on removing the Bible passages about the ‘fear of the Lord’ we will have a wishy-washy god of our own construction, who will not, in the end, be the real God at all. Only a God of fearful power is strong enough to overcome evil.”
Nehemiah apparently didn’t succeed by meeting privately with these lenders, so he went public with it. He summoned the elders. All the while, the wall repair was continuing, yet this was a necessary distraction. Some of the elders had to stop working temporarily to deal with this internal matter…because people were more important than projects. The real project was not the wall; the real project was building a community. Nehemiah was a people-builder.
After openly exposing this injustice, and shaming the wealthy offenders, they repented. They took oaths, agreeing to refund the interest charged and stop their practice of usury. No nation can survive without correcting moral corruption within. So can we repent without taking action, without doing something? Repentance isn’t passive; it always involves action. It is a radical change of mind and behavior.
Verse 13 is both a symbolic act, and a curse. Nehemiah shook out his garment. People kept personal belongings in the folds of their robes. Those who oppressed the poor promised to make amends…but if they go back on their word, they will be shaken down by God. They will lose their prosperity.
Verses 14-16 show Nehemiah’s style of governance. He directed the reconstruction work, but did his share of the heavy-lifting. He led by example. More notably, he didn’t take advantage all the normal monetary perks and privileges of his office. He refused to add to the financial burdens of the people; he picked up the tab himself. We’ve known a few public officials who’ve declined a salary. Nehemiah waived his rights which enabled him to more freely speak out against the greed of others. He fed guests out of his own pocket. His motivation was devotion to God and compassion for his countrymen. Their welfare and God’s cause were a labor of love.
When we think of defending the poor, our thoughts may go to people like Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She noted how Jesus appears in the “distressing disguise” of the poor. We may conclude that ministry to the poor is the work of saints. It is not; it is work for everyday believers. It wasn’t easy for Mother Teresa to help the poor. She admittedly struggled with this demanding work. We may prefer to think she spent every day in mystical union with God, so that we ordinary Christians might be excused from assisting the poor. Yet according to her correspondence, she was like us…so we’re not off the hook.
The Bible asks 3 main questions about money:
1. How did you get it? Justly or exploitatively?
2. What are you doing with it? Indulging in luxuries or helping the needy?
3. What is it doing to you? (Bill Leslie).
The rich of Jerusalem finally stopped looking at fellow-Jews as a source of personal income. I wonder--are we honoring God in everything we use our money for? Are we content, or filled with greed and envy? Money can easily become an idol.
People in high positions say “it’s lonely at the top.” I’ve worked for several Generals and at my pastoral visits it seemed I was the only staff office without an agenda. Nehemiah closes the chapter with a brief prayer for God to remember his work. Public acclaim means nothing without God’s approval. May God approve of us.
