One of the worst situations in the life of any community is when brethren exploit each other. So when Nehemiah heard of their usury among the Jews and how the rich among them were exploiting the poor, he was angry. After thinking through the issue he consulted with the nobles and leaders and confronted them on their selfishness and insensitivity to the poorer brethren. Among the community members, he expected compassion and not exploitation. What the poor needed at a time like this was a gift and not added burden.
Having confronted the nobles and the
leaders, Nehemiah then proceeded to call an assembly of people. Primarily, the purpose
was to deal with those who were practicing such uncharitable acts. He took the time to explain to them that much
effort had been taken to redeem the Jews from the bondage of the foreigners. But
unfortunately, those nobles were putting them under their bondage due to a lack
of compassion on their part. What he pointed out to the nobles left them with
no excuse to make. They were blatantly committing usury. He told them in no uncertain
terms that what they were doing was not good. Shouldn’t they be model people who
walk in the fear of the Lord? They shouldn’t cause their nation to be a
reproach to the surrounding nations. He was calling on them to
release the debt owed to them.
Nehemiah did not deny that he and his
associates were also guilty of lending money and grains to the poor. As he made up his mind to free the people from the obligation
to return, he also pled with his associates and the nobles to do the
same. He told them to return the goods and property saying, “Please, give back
to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and
their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the
grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.”
The nobles all agreed to return the properties
to their rightful owners as well as cancel all debts owed to them. Wisely,
Nehemiah quickly took action and turn their agreement into an oath. Verse 12 said
that he then “called the priests and took an oath from them that they
would do according to this promise.” Symbolically, Nehemiah “also shook
out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man
from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise;
even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said,
“Amen!” And they praised the Lord.
What wonderful is o read that “the people did according to this promise.”
Brotherly kindness demands that we don’t
exploit the needy. One thing we should seek to do is to support them as the Lord
enables us. We should never take advantage of the poor and make their burden heavier.
If we are leaders, even more so must we set the pace and be good models. Remember God
is no man’s debtor, whatever we do to one of the least of the brethren, we have
done it to the Lord.
Hear what 1 John 3:17 says, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and
closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” How can we say that we
love God whom our eyes cannot see and yet not lift a finger to help meet the need of
a brother whom our eyes can see?
No comments:
Post a Comment