Oppression and Generously Doing Right

Nehemiah 5:1-19 

    1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. 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."  3 There were also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine."  4 There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards."

    6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of you is exacting usury from his brother." So I called a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?"  Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 

    9 Then I said, "What 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? 10 I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them."

    12 So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say."  Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied."

And all the assembly said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.

    14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's provisions. 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. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.

    17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

    19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

Nehemiah discovered that his people had been enslaving their own over unpaid debts due to heavy taxes and lack of food for their families.  This oppression went directly against God’s laws concerning usury (Exodus 22:25) to charge interest on loans when they should have been feeding and meeting the needs of their fellow Jews (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).  He reminded them that they had been set free, and asked how they could now enslave one another.  This made the crowd quiet, unable to argue against the truth of their wrongdoing facing them.  He again reminded them to fear God and walk in His ways, according to His word.  This meant restoration of the wrongs they had done.  The people promised to do so, and Nehemiah held them to that promise with an oath which stipulated that God would shake them out of the fold of His people if they broke their promise of their word to live by His word.  Also we find how Nehemiah generously fed many, but refused to take provisions typically extracted by high taxes and force from the people in the past by the corrupt governors.  He did what was right according to God’s word in serving his fellow servants of the LORD, praying for God to honor him because he honored Him.  There are principles here beyond Mosaic Law, for we should not treat each other with greed and self-serving to fill our pockets at the expense of meeting the needs of others; we are to good to all, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:10).  We should live with the knowledge and constant awareness that each of us is accountable to the Lord and should not oppress others, but be generous.  We must do good (Matthew 18:22, 27, 35, Luke 6:35, Micah 6:8) because we have been set free from slavery to sin and death (Romans 6:18, 22).  May we learn that our New Covenant includes the oath to love one another as He loved us, generously doing the good deeds prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10), what is right, and not oppressing others for our own fleeting gain.