Money Matters
Nehemiah 5
Handling money properly is a basic task every leader must learn. There are very few projects that a church or business will undertake that do not involved some outlay of cash. Even Jesus addressed the importance of financial planning.
Luke 14:28-30 TLB
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost.[a] For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if he has enough money to pay the bills? 29 Otherwise he might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh! 30 “‘See that fellow there?’ they would mock. ‘He started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’
For leaders careful money management is not an option. Because if you fail in this area you will never be a successful leader. The book of Nehemiah focuses on almost every major principle of leadership.
• Teamwork
• Planning
• Character
So we should not be surprised that Nehemiah had to face the money issue. In Fact it sounds just like what we face today.
Verses 1-5. So we figure out immediately that there is a financial crunch taking place. Ever had one? YOU look at your bills – you look at your bank account –you look at the calendar and you say hmmm I’ve got more month than I have money. How am I gonna make it? There were 3 reasons this happened.
1. There was a famine. V. 3 “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine. So why was there a problem? Well hundreds of new people had now come to Jerusalem to work on the wall. There may have been a drought and there simply was not enough food to feed everyone.
2. There were too many taxes. V.4. The King wanted too much of the people’s money. Sound familiar? V. 4 says we have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and on our vineyards. You see Artaxeres controlled it all. Even though the workers actually lived 1000 miles away they paid taxes right there in Jerusalem. And as always there was those who were taking more than they should. Tax collectors in the day of scripture had a very bad reputation. This continues into the NT days of course. It is one of the reasons Judas had such a bad reputation. Not only did Judas betray Jesus but he also stole money from the treasury the disciples had set aside. It happens. And it only made matters worse.
3. High interest rates. V. 5 According to some financial planners we will be seeing this same thing happen in the next few years. Look at v.5. Their interest rates had gotten so high that they were selling their families into slavery. So for payment their creditors like our banks were taking their land as payment. And when they ran out of land they took their children. So the work has come to a halt. You think the Bible is outdated. Irrelevant? Look at this ….
• Overpopulation
• Famine
• High taxes
• Soaring interest rates
The first 5 verses could come right out of the Wall Street journal. Look at how Nehemiah responds to all of this. V. 6. What is a leader supposed to do when those who are following start complaining? You might hope you would see some compassion. But what you get is anger. And sometimes anger is the right response. When Jesus came into the temple and they were selling sacrifices to the people (at very high prices btw) Jesus became angry – so angry he turned the tables over. So angry he fashioned some cords into a whip and started swinging it in the temple. Jesus was angry. He said, this is a house of prayer but you’ve made it into a den of thieves!
Now here Nehemiah was angry because the people had forgotten the law. Our view of the law of that day --- because operate by grace – our view of the law is usually negative. But the law was actually good. Think of the law as being like a set of train tracks -- they are there to keep the train on course – to help the train get to its proper destination.
In 2018 we would do well to pay attention to this. And to the guidelines that are here. Exodus 22:25.
He says when you lend money to someone who is in a difficult situation lend it without interest. Now look at Deuteronomy 23:19-20. This is why God gives these restrictions. V. 20. So that the Lord your God may blessed you in all you undertake. Here is the principle. Obey God. God provides. Don’t charge interest. Don’t be greedy. God provides. Now to those who were looking on, that would be odd. Foreigners would think how in the world are they surviving without charging interest?
Now look at the next verse. V. 7. I love this. “And I consulted with myself.” Ever do that? Self, you gotta get it together, self you need to calm down, self, what are you thinking? Here’s a note to self: think before you speak. Especially in important matters. It’s called self-control. When you’re angry you have to find a way to cool off – to calm down. Nehemiah consulted with himself. It means to give yourself some advice. To counsel yourself. It is possibly the very best thing you can do when you get mad. It’s possibly the best thing you can do when you get mad. And here is the great thing about it. Nobody hears it except God.
But he also did another thing. He consulted with himself and then faced the situation head –on. NO reason to dance around it. He went right to the source. He went to the people with the money. And he confronted them. Basically he says look you guys are over here making a bundle and those guys are watching and they’re saying, hmm, God’s people are just like everybody else – no different – in fact this whole project is a joke. And this would have thrilled the others if they could hut this job down. When a church shuts down or splits or something difficult happens, you know who is the happiest? Satan. Unbelievers. I knew it. I knew they wouldn’t make it.
When Nehemiah confronted them, ”then they were silent and could not find a word to say.” V. 8. No excuses here. They were guilty. But then he goes a step further to correct the problem. When there is sin we must deal with it. Several steps to take.
1. Determine to stop it. v. 10. If anyone ever asks what to do when they’re convicted of sin the answer is simple. Stop it! Get rid of it! When? Now.
2. Correct the situation as quickly as possible. V. 11. Deal with it and do it now. And make plans to correct it. You stole something. Give it back. You said words you regret. Apologize. You lied. Tell the truth. You owe someone money. Pay them. When Zacchaeus came to Christ he was a tax collector. Immediately upon making a commitment to Jesus he gave ½ of all he had to the Lord and said to anyone I have cheated, I will pay back 4 times the amount.
3. Declare your plans to God and then, keep your promise. Tell God what you plan to do and ask for his help. I would suspect many of us have found ourselves in different situations and then it’s like God, if you will get me out of this situation I will ____________. Make a promise. God gets you out and then you forget about it. A promise. A vow is serious. Keep your promises. V. 13.
“Once they resolved it they were able to praise the Lord and worship.” V. 13.
Now here is what this passage says to the church today. First let me remind you of an important principle.
God is pleased when we handle our money wisely.
Leaders may be good in many areas but if they cannot handle money wisely then the rest likely will not matter. Money matters. The way we ….
• Earn it, the way we
• Save it, the way we
• Invest it, the way we
• Spend it.
It matters. If you don’t have financial peace it will affect every area of your life.
Now notice in these verses not one time is the building of the wall mentioned. Nothing was going on. The project had come to a halt because the giving had stopped. One more lesson we learn here. The best time to correct a problem is immediately. Because typically things only get worse. If we have sin in our lives we often:
• We excuse it. nobody’s perfect. That’s just the way I am.
• I have an anger issue. So did my Dad. That’s just the way it is.
• I like to drink. You know. So did my parents.
• I like to gossip. It’s fun to talk about people. But others do it too.
But here’s the deal. It’s sin. Stop excusing it. End it before it puts an end to you.
Back in 1958 a small community in NE Pennsylvania built a little red brick building that was to be their police department, their fire department and city hall. They were proud of that building; it was a result of sacrificial giving and careful planning. When the building was completed, they had a ribbon cutting ceremony and more than 6000 people showed up. Biggest event of the year. Within two months, they began to notice some cracks on the side of this red brick building. Sometime later, it was noticed that the windows would not shut all the way. Then it was discovered the doors wouldn’t close properly. Eventually the floor shifted and left gaps in the floor covering. The roof then began to leak and within a few months the building had to be evacuated.
A firm was hired to do an analysis to find out what happened and they found that blasts were taking place from a nearby mining town and it was slowly but surely destroying the building. Beneath the foundation there were small shifts and changes taking place that caused the entire foundation to crack. No one could see it on the surface but it was all taking place beneath. A city official finally had to write across the door of that building, “Condemned, not fit for public use.” The building had to be demolished.
Typically building do not fall apart overnight. It’s gradual. A crack here and there and suddenly it’s ruined. Condemned. Same way in our personal lives. Typically we do not fall apart overnight. Sin takes place here and there but because we don’t get a handle on it our lives fall apart. It’s that gradual erosion. Slow process but nonetheless it’s happening. And it could be happening in your life right now. The foundation is starting to crack. Finances are coming apart. Perhaps even an addiction is developing in your life that you need to get hold of right now. You can paint over it. Gloss it over. Cover it up. But you just need to stop everything and deal with it. Today.
