If it isn’t one thing then it is another. In chapter four it was one thing, dealing with criticism and threats from outside the city. In chapter five it was another thing, dealing with contention and strife within the city. The chapter begins with the people crying out about the things they were facing. Their complaints reveal three specific problems that the people were facing at the same time that they were trying to build the wall. The first problem was that the people had large families that they had to feed. The second problem, which compounds the first, was that there was a famine. The third problem was that the people could not afford to pay their taxes. It is difficult to feed a large family but it is very difficult to feed a large family during a famine. Then they had to bear the tax burden. This sounds like a major issue but the real problem is revealed in verses six and seven. The people were being charged usury by the nobles and rulers within. When the people couldn’t afford to feed their families then they borrowed money from the nobles. As a result the nobles were collecting on these debts plus interest by taking the people’s property and forcing them to sell their children into slavery. Remember from chapter three that these nobles were also not supporting the work. Also, remember from chapter three that Nehemiah did not take any action toward the nobles for not helping out. He just seemed to ignore the fact that they were not supportive. Now we see a very different response. It was okay for them to not be supportive but now they were being destructive. Nehemiah got angry and he took action. He confronted the issues with the nobles in front of the people. The nobles agreed to return the property. There are a couple of lessons to learn from this.
The first thing that I notice is that when the threats were coming from the outside that Nehemiah armed the people and sent them back to work. When the threats came from the inside he stopped the work to have an assembly. As I read and re-read this I asked myself why he would stop the work for this issue. He didn’t stop the work when the people’s lives were in danger but now that they have a financial issue from inside the camp he stops the work? Then a couple of things occurred to me. First and foremost the problem was internal. External problems have a way of uniting members. I don’t care how dysfunctional your family may have been. When someone from outside the family starts to make threats the family comes together. Our bodies are the same way. When something from the outside attacks our body all of our internal systems start working together to defend us. It is the internal problems that destroy us. Families are torn apart from the inside. I know that some would argue that their family was torn apart by people or problems from the outside and a few may be correct. For most, though, I would argue that if you looked closely enough you would see that it was an internal problem that ultimately allowed the external problem to become the straw that broke the camel’s back. Our bodies suffer the most damage when we have internal problems because of a disease, deficiency, or system failure. Nehemiah understood that the people could face the external problems with minimal discomfort but an internal problem had the potential to destroy everything that they were working for. If you are facing any kind of internal problem I encourage you to take care of it post haste. The second thing that I see is that there is a difference between the external threat and the financial problem. I think it is safe to say that if you have any life experience then you have experienced external problems and financial problems. I think it is also safe to say that external problems are much easier to get through than financial problems. Financial problems are always there in the back of your mind. You can’t shut them out when you go home. You can’t just forget about them when you go to bed. They nag at you. People will do crazy things when it comes to financial problems. Nehemiah understood this so he took action. If you are having financial problems then please seek out some help. I have a degree in finance and I am always researching and studying ways to deal with finances. Money is a lot like relationships. There is no clear cut way to do things. If you have financial problems then I urge you to sit down with someone who is smarter than you in that area and get their advice. You have to take care of the financial problems as quickly as you can because they will just grow out of control until you are driven to do something radical to escape the pressure. People can become irrational when the financial pressures get too great. They may go to payday loan places and pay 300% interest. They might turn to crime. They could choose to find ways of escaping reality through drugs, alcohol, or even suicide. The people in Nehemiah’s time were selling their children into slavery. Don't let it get this far. I am an engineer so I know that there is a solution to every problem. The solution may not be pretty but it is a solution.
The second lesson is revealed later in the chapter. Nehemiah points out that at some point he was made governor and because of that he was entitled to a posh life with choice foods. What did he do with this? He shared it. Freely he received and freely he gave. He fed hundreds of people with what was rightfully his. How could the nobles argue with his example? Besides the fact that they were in front of an assembly of very upset people they were faced with Nehemiah’s example. The food was rightfully his yet he shared it with hundreds of people. The interest that the nobles were charging was in reality against the Jewish law of the time. Nehemiah saw a need and did what he could to meet it. The nobles saw a need and did what they could to exploit it. We have all come across people with a legitimate need. These people were hungry. That is legitimate. How do we respond? Do we give freely? Do we exploit? Do we give just because we can? Do we give expecting something in return? Do we give at all? I am not just talking about money. Does your wife need you to show her that you still love her? Does your husband need to know that you still see him as the stud that you dated? Does your child need to have some time with you? Does someone at school need to feel understood and accepted? Does someone at work need to know that they are valued as a person and not just an employee? These are all legitimate needs. Will you meet them? Will you meet just one? Nehemiah changed the lives of the people with his actions. Will you change someone’s life with yours?
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