Chapter 5

Some begin to complain.  While working on the wall, the workers had to abandon their fields.  So there was no grain harvested, they were hungry.  Also, with no crops, they couldn't pay the kings tax on their land and were having to sell their children into slavery or otherwise borrow from wealthy Jews to pay the tax.  With no income, they could not hope to redeem their children.  And, they were worn out from the labor on the wall.  Their complaints had merit, but they were looking at their own abilities, not on God's.

Nehemiah gathers the abusers together and rebukes them.  They are convicted, and agree to give back what they have "stolen" from their own people, and to stop charging interest.

2021 -

11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them." [Neh 5:11 ESV]  What principle are we to learn from this?  Perhaps that the labor of the poor should not be exploited to enrich the wealthy?  There are always more poor than wealthy.  When there's work to be done, the majority of the workers will be the poor.  If their labor is protecting you, then you need to cut them as much slack as possible, not seize the opportunity to appropriate what little they have to support themselves by charging high interest - indeed any interest!  Would that work today?  Military personnel get interest free government loans to support their families - to retain their homes and so on?  How else could this be applied?  Eviction moratoriums during covid when the whole country is trying to protect each other?

While Nehemiah is governor, he forgoes what Persian law allows him as a privilege of his position.  He can demand that the people feed him by taking a tax to cover the cost of it.  But he does not do so, because the tax is heavy.  He eats with money from his own pocket.  And he feeds 150 more from his own pocket, every day.

He prays this prayer:

19 Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people. [Neh 5:19 ESV]

He asks for credit from God for his works.  Or the writer of the book says that Nehemiah prayed this prayer.  Could have been taken from Nehemiah's diary.  Presumably, this too is an acceptable prayer. 

So we can pray God will punish our enemies, and we can pray that God will give us credit for what we do in His name.

2021 - This book is truly a guide for the proper way for public servants to behave while they are in office.  What a contrast to the government we have in this country now.