His Work, His Way, For His Glory: The Story of Nehemiah
Nehemiah 5
“Sharing God’s Mercy”
Introduction: Good morning! I want to invite you to open your bibles to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, let’s pray…
Nehemiah’s historic place in history
586 – Jews taken into exile
539 – Cyrus defeats Babylon and establishes the great Persian Empire
538 – Cyrus makes a decree for the Jews to come back to their homeland
516 – Temple was reconstructed under the guidance of Zerubbabel and Jeshua
458 – Ezra the Priest goes to Jerusalem to help spiritually lead the community
445 – Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem to help rebuild the walls
History: Why hadn’t the walls been rebuilt yet?
Last week I shared with you about the prophecy Moses makes in Deuteronomy 30 (one of the most important chapters in the Bible!) about the return of the people to the land following their repentance. Moses predicts that they will have circumcised hearts by the Spirit of God and live under a new covenant. This prophecy is later fleshed out in more detail by the prophet Jeremiah (31) and Ezekiel (36-37). So, what Nehemiah is looking for is the sign of the prophets.
Now, the people had returned from exile and were initially overwhelmed by the task of rebuilding the ruins of Jerusalem that lay before them. God sends the prophet Haggai, and the godly governor Zerrebrubal and the priest Joshua to help encourage the people to the work. However, by the time of Nehemiah, though the temple was rebuilt, the walls were still broken down. I shared last week that the broken walls were a sign of the spiritual condition of the people. There was an apathy, a complacency, and a lack of concern to pursue God’s purposes for them. They seemed to be content with just trying to survive and get by the best they could. There weren’t idolaters like the previous generation, they were orthodox in their beliefs – it’s almost as if they were saying: we’ve done enough! We have restored the temple, repopulated the land, and maybe a future generation will see the Davidic king, and the promises Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel lay out; this is our time to simply catch our breath and enjoy the small beginnings the Lord has given us.
However, as we will see in Nehemiah, the service to the temple was slack (not giving their tithes to keep it in proper operation), the people were intermarrying the local populations around them, and there was continued economic disparity that violated the law of Moses. Worst of all, the temple had not been visited by God the way it had under Solomon. In short, the people who were supposed to be preparing for the way of the Lord were complacent, and lukewarm. And the fact that almost a hundred years had gone by with no one attending to the walls was a sign of this. And so, Nehemiah comes to share God’s vision with the people and remind them of God’s great purposes for them as a nation. Those purposes can be summarized by the prophet Malachi (a near contemporary of Nehemiah). Malachi 3:11
Exposition of Nehemiah 5
Last week in chapters 3-4 we saw how the work of rebuilding the walls commences, with Nehemiah recording all of those involved. We also found that God’s work being doing God’s way will invariably attract God’s enemies. We saw how the unholy trinity of Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gesham opposed Nehemiah and the building of the walls, and how Nehemiah responded to spiritual opposition. Today, we will see how Nehemiah responds to the internal problems of the community caused by greed and oppression.
The Poor and Oppressed Cry Out – Nehemiah 5:1-5
So, what’s going on here? Nehemiah records three challenges. First, there had been a bad harvest, so food supply was limited. Second, despite having been brought back to the land, the Persian empire was still levying heavy taxes on the people and so people were in debt. Third, those in debt were borrowing from their fellow Jews – and the wealthy nobles and officials – who were adding interest to these debts. So, as important as the wall project was, people were complaining that it wasn’t going to be economically sustainable when they still had families to feed. So, we have the external crisis and now the internal crisis. How will Nehemiah respond?
Nehemiah Confronts the Nobles and Officials – Nehemiah 5:6-9
Nehemiah is outraged when he hears this news; but notice what he does first: takes counsel with himself. In other words, he steps back, doesn’t react out of emotion or on impulse but rather prays over the situation. His counsel, as we will see, is with the Lord, and asking God for wisdom for a solution. But you will also notice that Nehemiah is going to personally sacrifice, and in doing so, set an example for those around him. Next, he confronts the nobles and officials for breaking the law of Moses. Under Mosaic law it was prohibitable to borrow and lend but taking an interest from a fellow Israelite who was in need was prohibited (see Deuteronomy 23:19-20). Notice the reaction of the nobles and officials – shamefaced and saying nothing, because they know what they are doing is wrong. My guess is that they justified their practice because everyone was struggling. Now watch what happens:
Nehemiah 5:10 – Nehemiah implicates himself, and his team! They probably weren’t exacting interest, but they were involved in lending also, all of which was putting hardships on the people. So, what is the solution here?
Nehemiah 5:11-13 – Everybody gets all of their things back. In the Old Testament, there is a law called the year of Jubilee, in which every 7th year all debts are cancelled and all property is returned. The reason they had the Jubilee was because God commanded that there would be no poor in the land – meaning, no one was going to be destitute. In other words, God’s standard for his people would be different than the other nations. His people were to be characterized by justice, fairness, and provision. However, there is no record of a Jubilee actually being done. Worse, the prophets continually point out how far short the people fall in oppressing their neighbors and not carrying out their duty of justice towards each other. But right here in Nehemiah, you find him doing basically a form of Jubilee, with property being returned and debts being cancelled. And what’s even more amazing is that everyone goes along with it, and they covenant together to keep this commitment lest they themselves be shaken out (which is what the shaking of the garments symbolized). The bottom-line: in order for the community to not only survive, but also spiritually thrive and become renewed and be built back up again, everyone had to sacrifice and consider not only their own needs but the needs and good of their neighbors. But Nehemiah is not done yet…
Nehemiah’s Sacrificial Leadership – Nehemiah 5:14-19
No surprise, Nehemiah becomes the governor (most likely by the will of the people), as he is now the dominant spiritual leader/personality in Jerusalem. But notice how he governs:
- Nehemiah did not take any land for himself
- Nehemiah did not require a “governor’s tax” on the people
- Nehemiah entertained his guests at his own expense
- Nehemiah stayed focus on rebuilding the wall
What was Nehemiah’s motive in doing all of this? Well, he tells us: the fear of God. What does this mean? Well, I will tell you what it cannot mean: that Nehemiah was afraid of God and was doing all of this out of a kind of duty, obligation, and resentment. We have seen so far that Nehemiah’s spiritual life is vibrant, full, and he enjoys a relationship with God that is built on trust, devotion, and grace. So, Nehemiah’s fear of God was born out of love – and his “fear” was that he didn’t want to do anything that would bring God’s name, reputation into disrepute or anything that might hinder God’s work among the people. Nehemiah takes his relationship with God and his calling under God with the utmost seriousness!
But notice also what he says on this last line of chapter 5 – he asks God to “remember him for all the good he has done for the people.” In other words, he is saying, “Lord, as I have sought to honor you, serve you, for the good of your people, I am doing so in faith that you are the rewarder of those who seek you by faith, and that your blessings and mercy will return to me as I pour out myself to you.” One Psalm, which Nehemiah would have undoubtedly known, comes to mind – and I would venture that this might have been a Psalm Nehemiah regularly mediated on is Psalm 18:20-24.
This isn’t arrogance or presumption or thinking he is sinless – it is trusting in the reward/blessing of God as we respond to His commandments and His promises. Awesome man, with an awesome faith, and a truly awesome God.
Main Idea: God’s people share His mercy by sacrificing for the good of others and looking to Him for divine rewards.
Application: Sharing God’s Mercy Today by Cultivating the “Mind of Christ”
So, what might Nehemiah’s example and devotion and actions mean for us today, on this side of the cross and under the authority of Christ and the New Testament writers? Well, I hope that some of the parallels between Nehemiah and what Christ calls us to are already apparent, but I want to draw lessons from the teachings of Jesus for us to ponder together. The final night Jesus had with his disciples, following their Passover meal together, Jesus knelt down and took up a towel and basin to wash the feet of his disciples (which only the lowliest of servants did in the first century). Afterwards, here is what Jesus said: John 13:12-17. It wasn’t about washing feet per say, but about being willing to take the lowliest position for the good of others, it was cultivating a way of thinking and living in accordance to what Paul calls the “mind of Christ”. If you have been taking my Sunday School class on Christ and Culture, you will recognize the term I am about to introduce to you:
Cultivating the “mind of Christ” through cruciform living
Paul describes this kind of life-pattern in Philippians 2:3-11: Do you see the pattern? Jesus does not consider equality something to be grasped or taken for himself; instead, he goes the way of the suffering servant, for the salvation of His people, knowing that this is God’s path to the reward, which is His exaltation. Now, in doing this, he doesn’t do something out of character; self-giving is His character, as it’s also the character of God the Father and the Spirit. The triune God is perpetually self-giving for the sake and good of the other. And we who are united to the Lord Jesus by faith and sealed by the Spirit, who also share in this love between the Father and the Son – this kind of self-giving love, this cruciform life that we see in Nehemiah is to be ours as well. So, here is my question for us: If this is the way of blessing, are being blessed?
“Fleshly” Obstacles that keep us from the “Mind of Christ”:
Need for recognition/appreciation/significance
Need for control/power in relationships
Need to always be “first”
Here is a Christ-centered, cruciform, motto to live by: “My life for yours”
Main Idea: God’s people share His mercy by sacrificing for the good of others and looking to Him for divine rewards.
Exposition of Nehemiah 5
The Poor and Oppressed Cry Out
Nehemiah 5:1-5
Nehemiah Confronts the Nobles and Officials
Nehemiah 5:6-13
Nehemiah’s Sacrificial Leadership
Nehemiah 5:14-19
Application: Sharing God’s Mercy Today by Cultivating the “Mind of Christ”
John 13:12-17
Philippians 2:3-11
“My life for yours”
Questions for Small Groups:
- Why was Nehemiah so upset about the economic situation in Jerusalem?
- What was Nehemiah’s solution?
- What impresses you most about how Nehemiah handles the situation in chapter 5?
- How is Nehemiah’s leadership similar to Christ’s example in John 13?
- How are you cultivating the “mind of Christ” (Phil. 2:1-11) in your life?