Love, Loans, and Lucre

O. T. #1057  "Love, Loans, and Lucre"
Sept. 8, 2017
Nehemiah 5

LET IT GLOW

Everything went smoothly as the Jewish brick layers rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem. Brick by brick they sang to the Lord, smiling, helping each other. Their families were having a blast, too.  That is a good thought, but it was not the reality of Nehemiah's situation. No, it was actually the opposite.

What should have been a time of showing and developing brotherly love wasn't. Working from sunup to sundown  resulted in problems. There was a famine in the land; a shortage of laborers in the fields to harvest the crops. Jewish workers from the outlying villages were staying in the city for their safety. These factors contributed to a serious economic and financial crisis. Three groups of Jews were being oppressed by the rich, who took advantage of the workers:

• The poor Jews did not have enough food to survive (verse 2)
• The property owners who had to mortgage their fields and homes in order to buy foods. (verse3)
•  Others had to borrow money to pay their taxes to the Persian government. (verse 4)

[Resource: The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible]

The wealthy Jews were loaning money with too much interest to their brethren. They demanded property as collateral. Their children were taken as slaves in place of the property. Leviticus 25 forbid such a thing. Brotherly love was to be the basic rule for the Jews, but it was not. These Jews either became wealthy in exile and brought it with them to Jerusalem or were the descendants of the first returnees.

Hard, selfish, and greedy hearts resulted in loving filthy lucre (money) more than those in need.

1 John 3:16 instructs us, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life forus: and we ought to lay down or lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bows of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.




LET IT GROW

These situations put an unbearable strain on the people's finances as well as their emotions. It could mean a failing nation and a wall not being completed. (Recall that Nehemiah's brother had told him that the returnees were in great trouble and distress in  Nehemiah 1:3) From whom would the Messiah come? Nehemiah had a serious matter on his hands.

How did Nehemiah react and what did he do?

• It made him very angry. and rightfully so. (verse 6) Nehemiah showed self control.
• He consulted himself. (I like that phrase.) He got alone and thought through the action needed in order to solve the problem,
• He rebuked to the nobles and officials. (verse 7)
• He told them that they were hurting their own relatives by charging interest when they borrowed money.
• Then Nehemiah called a public meeting to deal with the problem.

A famine, high taxes, inappropriate interest. Sounds familiar.

Do we have a quiet place where we can lay all the emotions of our soul before God?
Do we consult God before we face the situation head on?
Are we setting a Christ-like standard in the way we serve and lead others?

LET IT GO

Consult God and consult myself.