Nehemiah: Rebuilding the Wallsنموونە

As well as opposition and attacks from surrounding nations, Nehemiah had to deal with problems inside the city of Jerusalem. Many of the people living in the city were living in great poverty and were going hungry. Perhaps the tasks of rebuilding the walls and defending the city from its enemies meant that work in the fields had been neglected. Perhaps those enemies had destroyed crops in their attempts to stop the rebuilding. A tax owed to the King of Persia added to the financial pressure. But the biggest problem, and the one that made Nehemiah angry, was that the wealthy nobles and officials of the city were acting unjustly, taking advantage of the situation to make themselves even richer by charging unfair interest on loans and enslaving their own people.

Nehemiah heard their outcry but once again was aware of the dangers of reacting too quickly, especially of reacting in anger. He took time to ‘ponder’ and presumably to seek God in prayer. Then, he called a meeting of the wealthy nobles and officials and challenged them to change their behavior and give back what they had taken unfairly. He reminded them that they were called to follow God’s law, to ‘walk in the fear of God’. He also included himself in the challenge; as one of the wealthy members of the community, he made a commitment to charge no interest on loans that he made. As Nehemiah gained power and influence, even becoming governor of Judah, he continued to act justly and generously, refusing to overtax the people, sharing his food, and not demanding all that was rightly owed to him as governor.

Conflicts and injustice within our communities, even within our churches or ministry teams, can threaten to derail the work that God has called us to do. Like Nehemiah, we may find ourselves dealing with situations that weren’t part of our plans, and that can be very painful. We can follow Nehemiah’s example by not reacting in anger, by reminding people of God’s laws and commandments, drawing them back to obedience to God, and by setting an example in how we choose to live.