Nehemiah 5 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Nehemiah 5:1-8

1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, ‘We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.’

3 Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.’

4 Still others were saying, ‘We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.’

6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, ‘You are charging your own people interest!’ So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: ‘As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!’ They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

A. Find Out:

1. What was the first complaint? v.1,2
2. What were others having to do? v.3
3. What were others yet having to do? v.4
4. What had some even been pushed to do? v.5
5. Who did Nehemiah accuse of what? v.6,7
6. What did he face them with? v.8

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise the burdens that are being expressed here?
2. What does it say about the society of Jerusalem then?
3. Why do you think that might offend God?

C. Comment:

  In the midst of the rebuilding, Nehemiah is suddenly faced with a social and economic crisis. Three main complaints are made with a horrifying consequence.

  The first complaint was that there was a struggle to get enough food to live (v.1,2). This was the complaint of the ordinary people. The second complaint was by landowners who were having to mortgage their properties to buy food in a time of famine (v.3). The third complaint was that some were having to borrow money to pay the heavy taxes that were being imposed by the king (v.4)

  The awful consequence of these complaints was that people were having to sell themselves as slaves or their sons and daughters as slaves, to find the money being demanded of them (v.5).

  Although this was a common practice in those days, and the Law made provision as to how to care for the welfare of such people and how they were to be eventually released from their obligations, clearly this is an unfair and unjust situation where Jew was oppressing Jew and this angered Nehemiah (v.6). It was clear that it was people in power – the officials and noblemen (v.7a) – who were putting these burdens on their countrymen and so Nehemiah faces them with this in a public meeting he called and denounced them (v.8)

D. Application:

1. God is concerned for the poor and for their welfare.
2. Oppression of the poor and weak makes God angry.

Passage: Nehemiah  5:9-12

9 So I continued, ‘What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them – one per cent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.’

12 ‘We will give it back,’ they said. ‘And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.’ Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 

A. Find Out:    

1. What was Nehemiah’s assessment? v.9a
2. What should these people have been doing and why? v.9b
3. What example was he able to show and what did he demand? v.10
4. What did they need to do? v.11
5. What response did he get from them? v.12a
6. How did he ensure that was kept? v.12b

B. Think:

1. What spiritual encouragement did Nehemiah give these men?
2. What tangible example did he give as encouragement?
3. What specific demands did he make to push it home?

C. Comment:

  Nehemiah did not just sit back and say, “You are wrong!” He gave these offending nobles and officials (v.7) a spiritual reason, a practical example and practical directions to bring about change.

  First he is abundantly clear: what they are doing is wrong! (v.9a) If their attitudes towards God were right (v.9b) then their behaviour would be different and other peoples would see it (v.9c)

  Second, he makes clear that he is not speaking theoretically for both he and those who came with him were already sharing what they had with the people, both money and grain (v.10) and this making capital out of others must stop.

  Third, he makes very clear what needs to happen: all the land that has been taken needs to be given back and the practice of charging interest needs to be stopped (v.11).

  The good news is that he gets a positive response from these two groups of men who agree to do what he says (v.12a), but he doesn’t leave it there, he makes them swear that they will do what they have said, to ensure it happens (v.12b).

  In this process we have seen Nehemiah’s wisdom. He not only confronts the wrong that has been going on and which has just come to light, but he lays down a clear path of how to get it put right.

D. Application:

1. Don’t condemn; show a right path ahead to bring correction.
2. Look more for change than for retributi

Passage: Nehemiah 5:13-19

13 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 promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!’

At this the whole assembly said, ‘Amen,’ and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year – twelve years – neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors – those preceding me – placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.

17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

19 Remember me with favour, my God, for all I have done for these people.

A. Find Out:

1. What decree or ‘curse’ did Nehemiah then employ? v.13,b
2. What followed? v.13c
3. What did Nehemiah not do? v.14
4. What had been done before him? v.15
5. But what does Nehemiah now do and why? v.15c,16
6. What further did he do? v.17,18

B. Think:

1. So how did Nehemiah further ensure the nobles do what they said?
2. How would you describe his example in v.16?
3. How would you describe his actions of v.17,18?

C. Comment:

  Previously we saw Nehemiah ensure his clear instructions were kept by getting the nobles and officials to swear and oath. Now (v.13) he utters what is tantamount to a curse of what would happen to them if they did not follow through. The response is approval of this and obedience so the bad practices are stopped.

  Nehemiah then goes on to tell us that for twelve years he did not take any of the perks of being governor (v.14) and so unlike his predecessors (v.15) did not put any financial load on the people, and this he did in reverence for the Lord.

  Instead Nehemiah and his men devoted themselves to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (v.16). To further show his concern for the welfare of the people, in his role as governor he held a feast for 150 Jews and officials (v.17) – presumably on a rota basis or perhaps just those who were senior members of the community, we are not told. The amount of food and wine that is provided for the people is extensive and so there is nothing skimpy about this provision (v.18a). One assumes he purchased all this food and drink for he goes on to state that he did not, throughout his time as governor, demand the allowance of a governor, which would have had to have been provided by the people (v.18b). He concludes by asking for the Lord’s favour on all he did (v.19).

D. Application:

1. Are we known as those who are diligent in their work?
2. Are we known for our generosity?