Introduction:
A. Today, I want us to begin this sermon by looking at a couple of cartoons to get us thinking about “conflict resolution.”
1. Cartoon #1 – Here we have a typical church committee meeting…
a. Someone makes the proposal – “I think the church needs a conflict management plan…”
b. Someone else responds, “Rubbish!”
c. Someone else responds, “That’s a great idea!”
d. To which another responds, “Oh, what would you know, you silly old fool!”
e. To which another responds, “Leave him alone you dictator!!”
f. The last person says, “Could we talk about something else?”
g. Have you ever been in that kind of conflictual conversation? I certainly have!
2. Cartoon #2 – “We need to form a conflict-resolution team to settle the dispute over who should be chosen for our conflict-resolution team.”
B. Anyone who has been in a leadership position has had to wrestle with conflict resolution.
1. That’s true whether you are a CEO, president, church leader, parent or spouse.
2. In reality, whenever you have two or more people involved, disagreements are inevitable.
3. If your experience is like mine, then you know that some conflicts are easy to resolve, other conflicts are complex and difficult to resolve, and unfortunately, some conflicts are unresolvable.
4. One thing is certain, if at all possible, conflicts must be resolved.
5. If we don’t make every effort to resolve conflicts, then organizational efficiency and productivity will suffer, churches may split, and families and marriages may come apart.
C. As we return today to our study of Nehemiah, we will see that he faced an internal problem that needed resolution.
1. In the midst of Nehemiah’s incredible challenge to defeat the opposition of his enemies while at the same time to keep rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, he was hit with an internal problem.
2. As with all internal conflicts, they must be resolved – and as soon as possible.
3. If they’re not, then they’ll get worse.
4. In this case, if Nehemiah had not faced this problem head-on, it could have derailed the whole building project which would have spelled victory for Israel’s enemies, and worse yet, it would have brought reproach on the name of the Lord.
D. So let’s investigate the problem that needed resolving and learn some lessons about conflict resolution.
I. The Problem
A. Let’s pick up our story in Nehemiah 5:1-5: 1 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.” (Neh. 5:1-5)
1. The conflict that Nehemiah faced in Israel was so severe that “there was a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.”
2. This was no minor problem. It was complex and had been brewing for a long time.
3. So what was the problem?
a. First, Verse 2 tells us that some people were running out of food.
b. Second, Verse 3 tells us that many who had enough to eat were putting food on their tables by mortgaging their fields, vineyards and homes.
c. Third, Verse 4 tells us that others, in order to keep their property, were borrowing money from their Jewish brothers to pay taxes to the king. The problem was compounded by the exorbitant interest rates their Jewish brothers were charging them.
d. Finally, and worst of all, verse 5 tells us that when their crops failed, their creditors took away their property and sold their children into slavery.
e. They were left in a hopeless and powerless state.
B. Those who worked on the wall of Jerusalem no doubt derived profound satisfaction from watching the progress on the wall.
1. But the harsh reality was – they couldn’t eat the walls!
2. They and their families needed food, and time spent on building was taken from their time to work in the fields and other work.
3. And, as is so often the case, those who gave themselves to work on the wall were mostly those who could least afford to do so.
4. Add to that the fact that a famine was being experienced which certainly complicated matters.
C. So, how did Nehemiah respond to the problem?
1. Verse 6 tells us: 6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. (Neh. 5:6)
2. So Nehemiah was angry.
a. Was that the right reaction for him to have?
b. Is it possible to be both godly and angry at the same time? Yes, indeed.
c. God is certainly able to be godly and angry at the same time.
3. Unfortunately, most of the time our anger arises from sin as it comes from our insecurity, frustration, and self-centeredness.
4. But Nehemiah’s anger was a righteous anger – he was angry because people were hurting and suffering, and those who should have been helping were guilty of exploitation.
5. So Nehemiah’s anger was directed at selfishness, greed, insensitivity, and disobedience to God’s commands.
6. As a spiritual leader, Nehemiah knew that these folks were breaking the law of God.
a. Many years earlier, God had spoken to Israel from Mount Sinai and said, “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.” (Ex. 22:25)
b. Furthermore, no Jew was ever to enslave another Jew, this was clear from another OT text: 39 “ ‘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. 41 Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers.’ ” (Lev. 25:39-41)
7. So Nehemiah knew that his fellow Jews were exploiting their brothers and this was a violation of God’s commands and both those things made Nehemiah angry.
D. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians about anger, he said, “In your anger do not sin…” (Eph. 4:26).
1. God wants us to learn to express our anger in appropriate and sinless ways.
2. And that’s what Nehemiah did.
3. How was he able to channel his anger appropriately? The answer is found in verse 7, “I pondered them in my mind…” (Neh. 5:7)
a. The NASB translates verse 7 as: “I consulted with myself.”
4. In spite of Nehemiah’s intense anger, he did not take immediate action.
a. He backed off, got control of himself, and did some careful and series thinking (Based on Nehemiah’s pattern and character, I assume he also prayed about it.)
b. In those moments of self-consultation, God is able to speak to us if we will listen.
5. Self-control is a virtue every leader cannot afford to be without.
a. Nehemiah got mad, but he thought before he spoke or acted.
b. He allowed himself to cool down by consulting with himself and listening to God.
II. The Resolution
A. But once he had considered the issue and came up with the right solution, he wasted no time in addressing it.
1. As a spiritual leader in Israel, he had no choice if he wanted to be in the will of God himself.
2. If all of us would handle problems and conflicts as Nehemiah did, many of the problems and conflicts we face could be quickly settled.
3. The first thing Nehemiah did was to go to those responsible for the wrongdoing.
a. Verse 7 says: 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!” (Neh. 5:7a)
4. Clearly he would need to deal with the matter publicly, but first he needed to approach them privately.
a. He let them know that what they were doing was wrong.
b. Although the text doesn’t say what their reaction was, I assume that they reacted appropriately in private.
B. After Nehemiah dealt with them privately, he then dealt with the matter publicly.
1. Because the issue was a public and widespread one, it needed to be dealt with publicly.
2. So the Bible says: 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?” (Neh. 5:7b-9)
3. In essence, Nehemiah made it clear that he and others had been paying money out of their own pockets to free Jewish people from their pagan masters in the exile, and now their own Jewish brothers were selling them again so that they would have to be redeemed a second time.
4. Then Nehemiah asked them a poignant question: “Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?” That is a good question for all of us!
a. With that question, Nehemiah showed that God’s name and reputation were at stake.
C. Nehemiah’s final point was intensely personal.
1. In verse 10, Nehemiah said: 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!” (Neh. 5:10)
2. He referred to his own example and that of others who were helping those in need.
3. In so many words, he said: “Look, my brothers and I and our servants are actually lending them money and grain – and without interest. Won’t you do the same?”
4. True to his convictions, Nehemiah didn’t ask anyone to do something that he himself was not already doing.
5. That’s why Nehemiah was an outstanding spiritual leader and a man of character.
D. Nehemiah concluded his message saying: 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.” (Neh. 5:11)
1. Did you notice the sense of urgency that Nehemiah conveyed?
2. He didn’t ask them to go home and think about what they had done and consider how they might rectify the situation.
3. He didn’t even ask them to spend time in prayer.
4. Rather he called on them to immediately repent and restore what they had taken.
E. How did the people respond to this confrontation?
1. The guilty persons said, 12 “We will give it back. And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” (Neh. 5:12a)
2. Can you imagine the joy and relief Nehemiah must have felt when the people responded positively to his exhortations?
3. Even greater than Nehemiah’s joy must have been the joy of those who had been wronged and were about to be blessed by the restitution! They would receive back their money, property, and children!
F. But Nehemiah didn’t stop there, he took one final step.
1. Nehemiah asked them to promise in the presence of the spiritual leaders of Israel that they would actually do what they said they would do.
2. The Bible says: 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. (Neh. 5:12b-13)
3. Nehemiah knew that words are cheap and are easy to utter on the spur of the moment, particularly under public pressure.
4. That’s why he asked them to take a public oath.
5. To seal that oath, he graphically visualized for them the grave consequences that could come if they lied to God.
a. He used his own garment as a visual demonstration by shaking it out.
b. Nehemiah called upon God to punish anyone who did not fulfill his promise.
6. Thankfully, we are told that everyone did as they had promised.
G. Nehemiah ends the chapter by clearing up any doubts about his own financial dealings.
1. The Bible says: 14 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. (Neh. 5:14-19)
2. We learn that Nehemiah’s charge to build Jerusalem’s wall was accompanied by an appointment as Jerusalem’s governor.
a. His first term as governor lasted 12 years.
b. His post entitled him to levy certain taxes to cover his expenses.
c. But Nehemiah refused to do so.
3. Instead of lining his own pockets and living high off the people, Nehemiah served and shared.
a. He fed a lot of people every day, and he paid for it out of personal funds or out of an allowance he received from Susa.
b. He made it clear that he and his staff were there to work and to not enrich themselves through their leadership positions.
4. Nehemiah is a great example of a servant leader.
5. The only reward he wanted would come from God.
III. The Application
A. What lessons can we apply to our lives from today’s sermon?
B. First of all, we must realize that there is no way to live a conflict-free life – conflict is inevitable.
1. Wherever you have people living in close association – even Christian people – problems and conflicts are going to arise.
2. There are no perfect people, no perfect friendships, no perfect marriages or families, and no perfect churches.
3. Conflict is inevitable…and Satan will make sure of it.
4. We only set ourselves up for disappointment and disillusionment if we think we can have a conflict-free life – so expect conflict and problems…they are inevitable.
C. Second, we must learn to address conflict and work toward resolution.
1. Conflict must not be ignored – just like a sliver in our finger, it will only fester and get worse.
2. As Christians, we have at our disposal all the divine resources we need to face problems and conflicts and resolve them.
3. If we will simply obey God’s Word and seek to employ God’s power and the fruit of the Spirit, then most interpersonal problems and conflicts can have a peaceful resolution.
4. Imagine how helpful this kind of instruction from God would be in conflict: 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph. 4:31-32)
5. Another helpful Word of God in conflict is our Scripture Reading for today: 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Rom. 12:17-18)
6. A verse that I’ve tried to embrace is Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
D. Third, from Nehemiah, we learn that in resolving conflicts among people, we must lead by example.
1. One of the things that helped Nehemiah lead God’s people through all kinds of challenges was that he exemplified with his own life what he asked others to do.
a. If we want others to be at peace with us, we must first be at peace with them.
b. If we want others to treat us with love and respect, we must first treat them that way.
2. Nehemiah certainly practiced what he preached… he did not employ the old adage: “Do as I say, not as I do.”
a. When Nehemiah asked them to rebuild the walls, he worked alongside them.
b. When Nehemiah asked them to pray, he prayed.
c. When Nehemiah asked them to trust God, he trusted God.
d. When he asked them to work night and day in the face of danger, that’s what he did.
e. And in today’s instance, when Nehemiah asked them to help the poor, he was already helping the poor.
3. Being an example is fundamental to being an effective leader, parent, and Christian.
4. The apostle Paul exemplified this in his own life when he wrote to the Corinthians: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1)
E. When we find ourselves in conflict, which will often be the case, we must do all we can with God’s help to resolve it with courage, wisdom, self-control and lots of love.
Resources:
Nehemiah, by Gene Getz, Broadman & Holman, 1995.
Excellence in Leadership, by John White, InterVarsity Press, 1986.
Hand Me Another Brick, by Charles Swindoll, Word, 2006.
