Nehemiah saw something that was broken. God called him to rebuild. He did… and blessed the lives of others. This is always true. God’s leaders bless the lives of people. But I’m betting that you been around leaders who made life harder, not easier.
In verse 15 will see this phrase, “The former governors laid burdens on the people.”
If you’ve found your wall to rebuild – that unique calling God has for you – and you’ve built a team around you to help you rebuild, then you have to ask yourself, “Am I being a blessing to the people around me or am I being a burden to them?”
When a builder becomes a blessing…
Series: Here’s hope: Rebuilding a broken world
Text: Nehemiah 5, p. 355
Tony and Ann Kelling celebrate 50 years of marriage on Friday, October 11!
Last week, we looked at how to handle opposition from outside the dream team. Today, we’ll see how to handle conflict from within. The rebuilding of the walls had come to a screeching halt because some get-rich-quick boys were taking advantage of a famine to make some easy money. These were leaders who weren’t a blessing, but a burden!
As a builder, I become a blessing when…
I. … I hear the complaints. vv. 1-5
Sometimes, leaders don’t want to slow down a project for anything – even if the people doing the work are hurting. Not Nehemiah.
1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
The people had stopped raising crops and started building walls. Now, they faced a crisis. The project had been moving forward until Nehemiah discovered that some government officials were actually profiting from the crisis in Jerusalem. When the people realized what was happening, and the extent to which it was happening, they were ready to declare war on the upper class. The people are saying, “You can’t eat walls. We’re going on strike! We have our rights!” So, they temporarily halted construction to complain to management. The work on the wall ground to a halt.
And the vision? Well, nobody was very concerned about the vision. They were losing everything and everybody dear to them. What good was a wall if you had nothing to eat?
The readiness of the rich to rip off the workers meant that the workers had…
Four complaints…
Complaint #1. No food. v. 2
2 For there were those who said, "We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live."
Complaint #2. Bad loans. v. 3
3 There were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine."
There were loan sharks even back then. People needed food to eat, but they had no money. So, they said, “You can hold the title to my house. Just give me money to buy some food. I’ll pay you back month after month.” You can imagine the interest rates were high!
Complaint #3. High tax. v. 4
4 Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.
Complaint #4. Child slaves. v. 5
5 "Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."
Once their land was mortgaged, they had no choice but to mortgage themselves and their children. In ancient times family members were actually used as collateral. If a man could not repay a loan, his wife and children could be sold as slaves. Failure to pay back the mortgages resulted in the money-lenders selling the worker’s sons and daughters into slavery.
The workers came to grips with the gravity of their situation and lost interest in rebuilding the wall. At that moment the felt need was to survive, not to rebuild. So, they complained.
Nehemiah could have said, “Look, everyone, putting up the walls is God’s priority for us all. I can’t bother with your complaints right now. Get your priorities straight!”
But Nehemiah saw that the people were overburdened and overtaxed. He backed off and said, “Let’s slow down. Let’s fix this problem.” He listened. Nehemiah never lost his sensitive spirit. He dropped everything to concentrate his thoughts on the outrage of his workers.
No leader worth the name every turns a blind eye to hurting people. One leader put it like this: “The man who is impatient with weakness will be defective in his leadership. The evidence of our strength lies not in streaking ahead but in a willingness to adapt our stride to the slower pace of our weaker brethren, while not forfeiting our lead. If we run too far ahead, we lose our power to influence.”
As a builder, I become a blessing when I hear the complaints.
II. … I feel the hurts. v. 6
The worker’s hurts didn’t just bother Nehemiah a little. They touched him deeply.
6 Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.
Anger? From a man of God? Yes. I think this anger gave him greater credibility in the eyes of the people. They knew that he cared… that he cared about them deeply! Listen, if you brush aside valid complaints and constructive criticism, then you’re proving that you don’t care. And you are likely to reap more serious trouble later.
Nehemiah’s anger was controlled and constructive. It’s not sinful for a leader to feel anger if the people he or she is leading are being hurt. Yes, we have to be guard so our anger won’t become sinful anger (Eph. 4:26-27). But we ought to feel the hurts!
Why was Nehemiah so angry? He knew God’s word and that the public officials were violating it.
If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.
Exodus 22:25
The upper class ignored God’s Law. A Jewish person was not to look for interest from another Jewish person. God wants to preserve His people by telling them how to live with one another. But God’s people were being hurt in Nehemiah’s day because the people had failed to follow God’s instructions.
And Nehemiah felt that hurt.
As a builder, I become a blessing when I feel the hurts.
III. … I solve the problem. vv. 7-13
Nehemiah faced a dilemma. He was aware that the CEOs of the day were sticking it to the little guy. But he was also aware that this same group of CEOs had the potential to have him run out of town because their wealth gave them leverage.
But Nehemiah took a risk by confronting the leading citizens. To ignore what they were doing, to pretend everything was fine, would have been a compromise of integrity. So, he put the vision on hold in order to address an issue of right and wrong.
It is okay for an organization or a family or a ministry to have problems. It is not okay to ignore them. Problems are a fact of life. How big they become will be determined by your willingness to address them.
I was reading in Andy Stanley’s book on Nehemiah. I saw myself in his confession. “My tendency is to wait and see if things will work themselves out. In most cases I just don’t want to take the time to get involved. There are always too many ‘important’ things to do. But thing rarely work themselves out. The longer I wait, the more complicated things become. When it appears things have worked themselves out, it is usually a case of a problem going underground. And the next time it surfaces, there are more people involved and more issues to resolve.”
There are times when you just have to stop the rebuilding project, roll up your sleeves, and solve the problem. I see six facts about problem solvers in these next few verses.
Problem solvers…
1. Consult before they confront. vv. 7, 8
7 I consulted with myself…
Self-consultation. One writer said, “In those moments of self-consultation, God was able to speak to Nehemiah about what to say next.” The Hebrew word for consult, as used here, means “to give advice.” Slow down. Think things through. Don’t just shoot from the hip. Consult yourself! There’s more…
…and contended with the nobles and the rulers…
“Contend” is not a weak word. It means strive, debate, or quarrel. This was not a tea party! What did he say?
… and said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
Nehemiah took the time to call a meeting in the midst of everything that was going on. That’s how important it is to deal with issues head on.
8 I said to them, "We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
Nehemiah made accusations. You are charging interest to fellow Jews. That is wrong! You are selling into permanent slavery the same Jewish people that had been previously bought out of slavery. That is wrong!
Problem solvers consult before they confront.
2. Keep the stakes high. v. 9
“Why are you so upset, Nehemiah. Why does this matter so much? Why do you care about these people so much? You hardly even know them.” Nehemiah’s response? “It’s not just about the people. It’s about the glory of God!”
9 Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
The reason for rebuilding the wall was to reestablish Jerusalem as a light to the nations. This abuse of the people had the same negative impact as the broken-down walls. Nehemiah wants to fix the current problem in light of God’s vision for His people.
He says, “You are losing your distinction in the eyes of the surrounding nations. That is tragic! The glory of God is at stake.”
Problem solvers keep the stakes high.
3. Walk their own talk. v. 10
10 "And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.
Two options here: Nehemiah is presenting himself as an example. He’s saying that he and his team lent money to needy people without charging any interest. Or, he’s frankly admitting that he, too, had loaned some money and charged interest. Now, that he’s seeing the problem for what it is, he’s calling for everyone to stop charging interest. Either way, Nehemiah’s response shows his integrity. He’s an honest and good-hearted man.
Problem solvers walk their own talk.
4. Call for obedience to God. v. 11
Don’t forget that Nehemiah is confronting the guys with the heavy wallets – the men with the money, the ones who were exacting interest from those who didn’t have it.
11 "Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them."
Nehemiah knew that when God’s people ignore God’s law, it brings God’s judgment. God was not going to honor the rebuilding project as long as they showed such blatant disregard for the word of God. So, he says, “Give the money back!”
Correcting any problem begins by facing it head-on.
Problem solvers call for obedience to God.
5. Ask for a public promise. v. 12
12 Then they said, "We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say." So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
As I visualize the scene, I see Nehemiah pointing to the money-lenders: “You make a promise to these workers.” Then he looks at the priests: “You remember their promise before God.”
Why did these men who had so much to lose agree so readily with Nehemiah’s demands? The courage of a godly man assisted by God’s power at work in their hearts.
Problem solvers ask for a public promise.
6. Show the cost of compromise. v. 13
13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, "Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied."
Nehemiah wants these people to realize the serious nature of their promise to God. Nehemiah’s shaking the robe was a symbol. We might say it this way: If you don’t keep you promise, here’s what will happen. God’s going to turn you upside-down and shake you until you have nothing left in your pockets. Then He’s going to grab your wallet and empty it! Then He’s going to make all your checks bounce.” If you don’t assist the poor, you will yourself become poor.
Problem solvers show the cost of compromise.
Notice what happens when the problem is solved.
And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.
This was a memorable day. It concluded with a crescendo of praise to God. The day which began with pain ends with praise!
As a builder, I become a blessing when I solve the problem.
4. … I restrict my privileges. vv. 14-18
If you are a builder, you are a leader. If you are a leader, there are privileges. Can you use them without abusing them? More importantly, can you say “no” to yourself? The leaders in Jerusalem before Nehemiah hit town didn’t know how to say “no.”
15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
They laid burdens on the people. They overtaxed them. They promoted their servants. What’s Nehemiah going to do?
Maybe he had someone whispering in his ear. “You know, Nehemiah, this is just the way it is around here. You can pick up a little extra money from increased taxes here and there. And if you have some buddies who need a job, nobody will squawk. It’s part of the system. We’ve got the perfect setup.”
“Oh? Well, I want to be a builder who blesses. So, I will restrict my privileges.”
Restricting privileges always involves…
… sacrifice. vv. 14, 17- 18
Nehemiah was entitled to a food allowance from the Jewish people. But he chose to cover his entertainment expenses out of his own pocket.
14 Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance…
Evidently, Nehemiah had private resources gained from his job as the cupbearer to the King of Persia. God blessed Nehemiah with prosperity, but he didn’t make a god our of money. He sacrificed his own resources. Nehemiah didn’t take liberty with his expense account.
17 Moreover, there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.
18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.
You building a broken down wall with a dream team? If you won’t sacrifice to see the dream come true, then neither will they! Sacrifice is the clearest demonstration of your commitment to what could be. Restricting privileges always involves sacrifice and …
… servanthood. v. 16
A temptation that can come when you are a leader who is building a broken wall with a dream team is the temptation to build your own empire. It’s significant that Nehemiah never started “Nehemiah Enterprises, Incorporated.”
16 I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my
servants were gathered there for the work.
The man or woman who champions a vision must step up to the plate and demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice in order to deliver.
Key words in this section? We saw them in verse 15. “The former governors laid burdens on the people. I did not do so.” Integrity is what those words reveal. Nehemiah said in effect, “I have a job to do, and I answer to the God of heaven who promoted me. I will not lead corruptly.
Privileges and perks? Yes. But Nehemiah never took advantage of them. He bent over backwards to ensure that all he and his staff did would benefit the economically depressed community. This is an impressive example of sacrifice and service lived out by the man at the top.
To gain and maintain your influence you must have moral authority. Moral authority is the critical, nonnegotiable, can’t-be-without-it ingredient of sustained influence. Without moral authority, your influence will be limited and short-lived.
Moral authority is the credibility you earn by walking your talk. It is the relationship other people see between what you say and what you do, between what you claim to be and what you are. A person with moral authority is beyond reproach. That is, when you look for a discrepancy between what he says he believes and what he does, you come up empty.
It was not Nehemiah’s position that gave him the leverage with the nobles and city officials. It was his moral authority. He had walked his talk since the day he arrived and announced his intention to rebuild the wall.
Nothing compensates for a lack of moral authority. No amount of communication skills, wealth, accomplishment, education, talent, or position can make up for a lack of moral authority.
For this reason, moral authority is a fragile thing. It takes a lifetime to earn. But it can be lost in a moment. And once it is lost, it is almost impossible to restore.
As a visionary the one thing you can control and must protect at all costs if your moral authority. Moral authority makes you a leader worth following.
Parents who maintain their moral authority are able to maintain their influence throughout their children’s lives.
There will be dozens of opportunities to demonstrate your commitment to walk your talk. Each time you publicly demonstrate alignment between the two, you become more credible, more believable. Your message becomes more compelling.
As a builder, I become a blessing when I restrict my privileges.
5. … I fear the Lord. v. 15
Nehemiah is saying, “I don’t care what my salary is, what my privileges are, how deeply rooted the policies, or how great the position may be – I can’t do it.” Why not?
15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
Here this leader who is such a blessing to the people: “My accountability to my Lord is the guiding point of my life. I fear Him too much to indulge myself.”
Nehemiah was a builder who blessed God’s people because he had this awe of God. The person who possesses the ‘fear of God’ remembers that his treatment of other people will be assessed by God on the Day of Judgment.
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19 Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
