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Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
I hope you never tire of hearing me call you ‘friends’, because I really look VERY much forward to our daily times of spiritual reflection together, no matter what time of day or night, no matter where you and I meet in the world. I happen to be writing today about 1500 miles away from my home and I’m excited to dig into God’s Word with you…so let’s go!
Have you had some people in your life journey who have modeled well for you how to live, especially at critical junctures or complex circumstances in life? I sure have and I’m grateful for each of them, especially my father, now 98 years old and guess what, he’s showing me how to age well and live with dignity and integrity in old age! Thank you, Dad!
Come with me again my friends back to Jerusalem in the summer of 445bc. I left you yesterday with Mr. Nehemiah who was in an urgently called meeting with many of the Jewish leaders and respected people in Jerusalem. Nehemiah was confronting a serious GREED problem, remember? In part, because everyone was so fully engaged in building the Jerusalem wall, few people had time to run their businesses or farms, and food was getting scarce. Also, taxes had to be paid, and most people were not generating their normal income! But into this problem had stepped some Jewish ‘loan sharks’ and Nehemiah was angry that Jews were charging exorbitant interest rates to their fellow Jews especially those working so hard on the wall rebuild project!
Nehemiah, you’ve recall, had only been in Jerusalem a very short while. He had been granted some time off from his ‘cupbearer’ role in Susa and was sent by King Artaxerxes to lead this rebuilding project. The king had sent with Nehemiah some soldiers and cavalry to protect him on the long 900-mile journey, but also to show Jerusalem that the king was serious about this project, and Nehemiah was king’s ‘the man of the hour’!
It appears the king had promised Nehemiah a significant food budget and expected the royal treasury from that part of his kingdom to care for Nehemiah and those who had traveled with him. Nehemiah stood up in this meeting and said: “I and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us STOP charging interest! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses…and also the interest you are charging them…” (Nehemiah 5:10,11)
WOW! Now that’s radical! It’s inflammatory, it’s economic suicide for ‘loan sharks’! But these were Jewish people who knew they could claim that they were “God’s Chosen People” (Exodus 19:6) and this behavior of injustice and greed was an abomination to God. So, Nehemiah gives us this record of the response to his radical recommendation: “We will give it back, and we will not demand anything more from the people. We will do as you say!” (Nehemiah 5:12) Nehemiah’s radical recommendation had been used by the Spirit of God to penetrate the loan sharks’ greedy hearts, and they agreed even though it would cost them dearly!
But a promise wasn’t enough for Nehemiah. He summoned the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem, the priests, and put them to the task of calling the ‘loan sharks’ to a covenant commitment made in the name of God! Nehemiah writes: “I summoned the priests and made the nobles, and the officials take an oath before God to do what they had promised. I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, ‘In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this oath. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!’ And the whole assembly shouted ‘Amen’ and praised the LORD. And the people did as they promised.” (Nehemiah 5:12,13) Now that’s nothing short of a radical, transformational, economic upheaval in Jerusalem, would you agree? Can you imagine something like that happening in your city?
Oh, and my friends, this wasn’t just a momentary miracle in Jerusalem’s history. Listen to what Nehemiah wrote next: “Moreover, from the 20th year of King Artaxerxes [445bc] when I was appointed governor in the land of Judah, until the king’s 32nd year [433bc], 12 years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted by the king to the governor? But the earlier governors – those who preceded me – placed a heavy burden on the people…But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on the wall… I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were already heavy on these people. Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.” (Nehemiah 5:14-19) Oh my what a model of great, humble, effective leadership!
Do you notice here, my friends, that King Artaxerxes had not only given Nehemiah the project of rebuilding the wall, but evidently the king was so pleased with reports of Nehemiah’s leadership that the king expanded the scope of his assignment to become Governor of the region and prolonged his leave of absence from his important role at the royal palace in Susa to a twelve year assignment in Jerusalem!! What do you think about that my friends?
Finally, did you notice Nehemiah’s closing statement: “Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.” (Nehemiah 5:19) Oh we don’t have to worry about God paying attention to see both our actions and our motives, do we? Throughout the Bible God assures us that He doesn’t miss anything! (1 Chron. 28:9) And yes, there will be a day of reckoning for every person with God! (Hebrews 4:13; 2 Cor.5:10)
So, let’s reflect on all this my friends. Who has modeled this type of integrity for you and how does this compare to how you are handling your responsibility and resources? Here’s a worship song to help us . . .
Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 5:10-19.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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