The number of good things people can take for granted demonstrate the advanced stage of community. To whom much has been given, much can be assumed. So it’s not good to take anything for granted. But the fact that some of the descriptive virtues of leadership in Nehemiah 5 seem obvious to us is a sign of blessing.

For building purposes, chapters 4-6 show that opposition shouldn’t surprise us. In chapters 4 and 6, enemies heap condescension onto already calloused hands. As if it weren’t hard enough to clear the ground and construct a wall around the city, outsiders on every side wanted the project to fail. Enemies mustered to insult, maybe even to injure. They caused heartburn. Nehemiah regrouped and reassigned some to build and others to battle and rallied all of them to be ready. He also stopped any commuting from villages outside the walls for sake of focus and fortification.

This last policy was apparently not resisted or resented, but it also ended up being the catalyst to expose a big problem. The problem wasn’t only an external military threat but also an internal economic threat. People were hungry, some were even selling their kids as debt slaves. The oppression was coming from inside the walls. Brothers exploited brothers. It was an inside jab.

Nehemiah’s response includes: not covering up the problem, calling out the guys who should have known better, getting them to agree to change in public, distinguishing between normal conditions and unique ones, and providing and example of paying out of pocket instead of grabbing at others’ expense. These are leadership qualities/practices that we might take for granted but that the Lord remembers for good.

We could divide the chapter between the present problem in verses 1-13 and Nehemiah’s governing pattern in verses 14-19. But we’ll work through the three paragraphs. Verses 1-5 are the problem, verses 6-13 are the response, and verses 14-19 are a summary of Nehemiah’s approach to using his authority.

The Problem: Economic Exploitation (verses 1-5)

We’re expecting trouble from Sanballat and Tobiah, but your own brothers?

Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. (Nehemiah 5:1 ESV)

The great outcry came between the wall being half-height (4:6) and being finished (6:15). The problems didn’t originate during the 52 days (see also 6:15), but the timing of this season of wall building hit during harvest (Elul 25, around our August/September). There was not a lot to harvest. The men were busy not working in their fields, and their loan payments were coming due. The wives were picking up the slack on the home front.

There were at least three groups facing shortfalls.

For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. (Nehemiah 5:2–4 ESV)

There were those in verse 2 whose large families were out of food; they didn’t have land, they got paid for labor, and they weren’t getting paid for the wall labor. There were those in verse 3 who had to mortgage their assets to buy food, meaning they were putting up their property to borrow against. And there were those in verse 4 who had to borrow money to pay their property taxes.

Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.” (Nehemiah 5:5 ESV)

They’re saying, “We thought we were all in this together. We are a community, we have mutual obligations. But some are taking advantage. We are even selling our kids as slaves.” The daughters (who are referenced twice) are particular vulnerable.

The Proposal: Debt Forgiveness (verses 6-13)

It doesn’t explicitly say that Nehemiah was surprised, but this wasn’t like oil on his beard (see Psalm 133:2). I think just as Sanballat’s anger was rooted in insecurity, Nehemiah’s anger is rooted in “Come on, guys, are you for real?!” He would have assumed that a community fighting together would not be fighting each other. But it was true. Co-laborers were jabbing each other for money.

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. (Nehemiah 5:6 ESV)

So I took counsel with myself. He talked himself off the ledge of wanting to grab their throats and shake some sense into them. He composed himself and put his thoughts into a plan. It was bold, and it worked.

I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” (Nehemiah 5:7–11 ESV)

This charge is in public, which was a risk. It could have ruined his relationship with the moneyed class. But Nehemiah points out that 1) we’ve already spent money to free/redeem our brothers from the nations, why treat them this way in our own nation? 2) they are brothers. 3) how we treat one another affects how other people view God. 4) we can do better than this. Now is a season for gifts not loans, let alone high interest loans.

It was an inside jab. The taunts of the outsiders were plausible, credible. We tend to think our witness is one-to-one (which it is), but it is also group-to-group.

There are times for better terms. Loans, contra Dave Ramsey, aren’t unbiblical (for one example see Exodus 22:25-27; and there were times and rules for working off debt as a slave according to Exodus 21:1-11). But these conditions weren’t normal. At this point in their identity as those who fear God the wall was more important than individual bank accounts. Nehemiah must have been one of the loaners, and he said he was going to return ownership and forgiving the interest.

Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. (Nehemiah 5:12–13 ESV)

The brothers agree, Amen, so let it be. Nehemiah gets them to commit on camera, so to speak. He even brought priests in as witnesses. Going back on this agreement would be unrighteousness.

The symbolism of I shook out the fold of my garment is like turning out one’s pockets. God’s judgment would be making them empty if they did not keep this promise.

The Pattern: Generous Hospitality (verses 14-19)

This final paragraph shows that how Nehemiah handled this crisis fit with his use of his authority overall. These verses look back after the fact, and give us some new information prior to another round with Sanballat and Tobiah in chapter 6.

For twelve years Nehemiah governed in Jerusalem. At no time did he support himself from the people even though he had authority to do so (verse 14).

In fact, previous governors had made it tough on the people (verse 15). Even the servants of the authorities took for themselves. This explains a pattern of economic hardship that lead to this crisis. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.

He also wasn’t asking others to do what he wasn’t willing to do. His risks, his resources, were dedicated to the project (verse 16).

This was all true, and costly. He still had official and extra hospitality responsibilities to fulfill.

Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. (Nehemiah 5:17–18 ESV)

Not quite the same as Solomon’s daily allotment (compare 1 Kings 4:22-23: Nehemiah had 1 ox, 6 sheep, plus birds, and Solomon had 10 fat oxen, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, plus more), but this was in rebuild times. Nehemiah had visiting dignitaries to feed, plus his own household.

Nehemiah wrote verse 19 as a private prayer, not as his Twitter bio. He was doing all this in integrity, and for God’s reward.

Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people. (Nehemiah 5:19 ESV)

The same quick prayer-plea occurs again (13:14, 22, 31).

Conclusion

They weren’t acting like Christians, because of course they weren’t “Christians.” But they at least should’ve been acting like they were on the same team. Nehemiah urges them to remember their duties to each other. He calls them not just to build up the walls but to build up the community. Don’t give the outsiders plausible reasons to taunt. (At least make them make something up.)

In terms of Nehemiah’s example, he shows that authority leads, it confronts wrong, it goes first, it doesn’t demand without skin in the game, it shows costly hospitality, it does more than it expects of others.

God kept blessing Nehemiah, and giving him wisdom. Fear of the Lord solves a lot, actually. Remember for our good, O our God, all that we have done for one another.

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Charge

It is GOOD to want to be remembered. Of course, it does matter: remembered by whom and for what. The Lord sees. The Lord looks. He forgets our sins but never our sacrifices. Do all to the glory of God. Do your work this week so that He will remember for your good.

Benediction:

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. (2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV)