Today’s passage: Nehemiah 5
Helpful thoughts:
- The Jews were not only dealing with challenges from without, but also challenges and injustice from within during a difficult economic time.
- The Jewish nobles (Who had also refused to help with the building and allied themselves with Sanballat and Tobiah) took advantage of their people’s struggles. Charging high interest for loans and taking their people’s land and even children as slaves when they couldn’t pay the debt back. (Leviticus 25:36-37)
- In contrast, Nehemiah did not take the same taxes from the people during his time as governor and helped feed 150 on a regular basis from his own resources. As the leader of the people, he set the tone and set an example which he could then expect from others in leadership as well.
Questions to consider:
- What kinds of desires began to prevail in the nobility that threatened to derail the building process? Who were they fighting for and trying to benefit?
- What does a desire to please self (Self-centeredness) do in any community of people? How can it negatively impact the church?
- How has Christ’s love set the tone for the church (1 John 4:19)? How can you give of yourself for the benefit of others in our church and the your community today?