“There was a great cry of the people and of
their wives against their brethern the Jews.” Neh 5:1
God’s
work never just happens…how we treat others are always determined by how we
think about God, who He is and what He has done. Whether implicit or explicit, this is fundamentally
the case for all. It’s not by accident
that the greatest commandment is to “love God” and the second, which is like it;
“love others” (Mat 22:36-40). Our vertical
relationship with God will inevitably impact our horizontal relationship with
others. It’s this point that causes the book of Nehemiah, as they finish
re-building the walls around Jerusalem that had been destroyed, to take an ugly
turn in chapter 5. As things start big
and look promising, they turn to selfishness and greed. Chapter five begins with, “there was a great cry of the people…”
this is the same word “cry” God used towards Sodom & Gomorrah in (Gen
18:21) and in Exo 21 when Israel cried out about their unjust taskmasters. Not
the kind of word you would think belongs in the re-building of Jerusalem. Yet,
this out-cry has nothing to do with outsiders, but from amongst their own
people. The children of Israel had mortgaged, borrowed for the ability to
re-build Jerusalem, as it drew to a close the nobleman and rulers levied usury
(tax and interest) upon them when they were weak (vs 7). Here we see the true measure of man’s heart
when they deal with the less fortunate and needy; (Lev 25:35-43) addresses man’s
proper act against a brother that is afflicted. The reason is because they had
a flawed view of God and a short memory of their own deliverance from physical
and spiritual poverty…”it is not good
that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God…” (vs 9) Thus while the exterior of Jerusalem is
re-built, their hearts are not worthy to inhabit it. Remember, before you turn
your heart against the weak, poor, troubled and downtrodden, our Saviour embodied
these same traits to save your soul (2 Cor 8:9).
HSAY…Todd
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