Nehemiah 5-7
Today Nehemiah confronts a problem that is all too common: the exploitation of the weak by the powerful. The not-so-noble nobles and officials are exacting exorbitant interest on loans to the poor, driving them further and further into debt so that their only recourse is to turn over their land or even their children in payment. This scenario is nothing new, of course; the powerful are doing what the powerful everywhere tend to do, but it is not good. It is one of the great evils that the prophets rail against repeatedly and is very much a part of what got Israel and Judah sent into exile in the first place. Nehemiah himself is at the top of the local food chain and in the perfect position to exploit the situation to his own advantage. But Nehemiah fears the LORD and so instead steps into the breach, confronts the leadership, and forces them to rectify the situation as he himself foregoes the governor’s allowance to ease the burden on the people. (Wouldn’t it be great if we had more trouble imagining the problem than imagining a leader with such integrity?!)
Meanwhile, strong opposition continues from foreigners angry about the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. These enemies try to lure Nehemiah away to some secluded location where they can harm him. Failing that, they launch a smear campaign to discredit Nehemiah, hoping to bring the Persian authorities down on him. Then they hire a false prophet to trick Nehemiah into taking refuge within the Temple — a place he cannot legally enter, since he is not a priest — so as to entrap him in a violation of Torah. (Wouldn’t it be great if we could not readily point to such smear campaigns or attempts to entrap political figures in our own recent history? And wouldn’t it be great if our political leaders were so upstanding that such campaigns always looked ridiculous on their face?)
As we can see with Nehemiah, doing the right thing is rarely easy and is usually met with opposition, sometimes subtle and underhanded, but often overt and even violent. It takes real strength and courage to stand firm in the face of such opposition, and it takes integrity not to fall victim to traps baited by temptations or fears. Rooted in the fear of the LORD, Nehemiah demonstrates these qualities for us. How would we do in his place?
One more thing…
If reading Nehemiah 7:6-73 feels a bit like déjà vu, see Ezra 2:1-3:1a. I have no idea why our “Chronological” Study Bible doesn’t present these two virtually identical passages together…