NEHEMIAH LESSON 5


     We will begin this lesson in Nehemiah 5:1 "And there was a great
cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews."

     In the last lesson, we saw that The Ammonites, Samaritans, and
some of the Arabians had threatened war, if they Jews did not stop the
building of the wall. We, also, discovered they were on call 24 hours
a day. They did not even take off their clothes to sleep. They had to
stay prepared for war. From sunrise to sunset, half of the people
worked on the wall with their swords strapped to their sides.  The
other half stood guard. We can see how this could become a problem,
and how the wives would complain.

     Nehemiah 5:2 "For there were that said, We, our sons, and our
daughters, [are] many: therefore we take up corn [for them], that we
may eat, and live."  Nehemiah 5:3  "[Some] also there were that said,
We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy
corn, because of the dearth."

     We can easily see that the larger the family was, the more corn
it would take to feed them. If the breadwinner had to work an extended
length of time on the wall and could not provide for his family, it
would cause great hardship. There had been a famine in the past, which
had caused many of them to mortgage their homes and their land. It
would be impossible to pay a mortgage off, if you had no funds coming
in.

     Nehemiah 5:4 "There were also that said, We have borrowed money
for the king's tribute, [and that upon] our lands and vineyards."

     They had been paying tribute to the king of Persia. Even though
he released them to come to their homeland, he did not let them come
without them paying tribute. Judaea was like all of the other
countries that Persia had controlled. They all had to pay tribute.
They must get back to making money, so they could pay their bills.

     Nehemiah 5:5 "Yet now our flesh [is] as the flesh of our
brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into
bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and [some] of our
daughters are brought unto bondage [already]: neither [is it] in our
power [to redeem them]; for other men have our lands and vineyards."

     This was a tragic situation, when the creditors put family
members of those in debt in bondage. At the time this was written,
people who could not pay their debts became the slaves of those they
owed. Many times, a father would sell a daughter and try to keep the
rest of the family together. They loved their children as much as the
wealthy people loved their children, they just could not pay their
debts and these were the results.

     Nehemiah 5:6  "And I was very angry when I heard their cry and
these words."
     The Hebrews were supposed to be considerate of their poorer
brethren, and they were to be very lenient in such situations. It
appears, the anger of Nehemiah was against those who were taking
advantage of this situation.

     Nehemiah 5:7 "Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the
nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one
of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them."

     "I consulted with myself" means that he thought about the
situation. After he thought it out, he rebuked the nobles and the
rulers for taking usury which was against the law of Moses. The nobles
and rulers seemed not to heed to Nehemiah's rebuke, and he went to the
people.

     Nehemiah 5:8 "And I said unto them, We after our ability have
redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and
will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then
held they their peace, and found nothing [to answer]."

     Nehemiah and his family had been redeeming other Jews who had
been enslaved. These rich nobles and rulers could do the same, if they
would. They were all Hebrews and should act as brothers helping one
another. They had no good answer to give Nehemiah.

     Nehemiah 5:9 "Also I said, It [is] not good that ye do: ought ye
not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the
heathen our enemies?"

     Nehemiah had tried to shame them into doing the right thing, and
they would not. Now, he reminds them that God knows exactly what they
were doing. He reminded them that their brother Hebrews were not their
enemies, and they were treating them as strangers. God would not like
this.

     Nehemiah 5:10 "I likewise, [and] my brethren, and my servants,
might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this
usury."

     It was against God's law for them to collect usury. He was
insisting that they stop taking their brethren's living as a pledge.
The law of God did not even allow a person to take someone's coat that
he was wearing for pledge. This was worse.

     Nehemiah 5:11 "Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their
lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the
hundredth [part] of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil,
that ye exact of them."

     Nehemiah told them to restore all of the land and houses they
had confiscated. He commanded them to even give them 1/10 of their
money back. They were even to give them food back that they had taken.

     Nehemiah 5:12 "Then said they, We will restore [them], and will
require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called
the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according
to this promise."

     They agreed to do exactly as Nehemiah commanded them.  Nehemiah
wanted to make sure they would keep their word, and he had them to
take an oath in front of the priests. They would be afraid to break an
oath they made to God.

     Nehemiah 5:13 "Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out
every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not
this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the
congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did
according to this promise."

     Nehemiah gave them a vivid example that God would banish them, if
they did not keep their word. The entire congregation agreed to the
punishment, if they did not keep their word. "Amen" means so be it.
The praise was to God for the problem being solved. The people kept
this serious oath they had made.

     Nehemiah 5:14  "Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be
their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto
the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve
years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor."

     Nehemiah had taken a leave of absence from being the cupbearer of
Artaxerxes. Nehemiah returned to the Persian king at the end of the 12
years. Nehemiah had not eaten of the people, as most of the governors
did. He had supported himself.

     Nehemiah 5:15 "But the former governors that [had been] before me
were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine,
beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule
over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God."

     This was explaining that Nehemiah served as their governor
without taking tribute for himself from the people. Nehemiah was
serving the LORD the way he felt the LORD would have him serve. He was
not governor to make money. He was governor to build the wall of
Jerusalem. God had given him this task as his service to the LORD.

     Nehemiah 5:16 "Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall,
neither bought we any land: and all my servants [were] gathered
thither unto the work."

     Nehemiah had set the example for all the others, when he and his
servants worked on the wall without pay. He did not try to take
advantage of his poor brothers, and buy up their land cheap. He was
there for one purpose, and that was to build the wall.

     Nehemiah 5:17 "Moreover [there were] at my table an hundred and
fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from
among the heathen that [are] about us."
     Nehemiah was explaining the vast number of people he had to feed
each day. These were daily, but they could, probably, be compared to
business meetings today. A large number of these people were the
rulers and Jews. Perhaps, they discussed the building of the wall at
these times.

     Nehemiah 5:18 "Now [that] which was prepared [for me] daily [was]
one ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and
once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required
not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon
this people."

     We are not told exactly where the funds came from for Nehemiah to
acquire these things. We do know, it did not come from the people he
ruled over as governor.

     Nehemiah 5:19 "Think upon me, my God, for good, [according] to
all that I have done for this people."

     Some of the preceding Scriptures were spoken to God, as well as
the people. Nehemiah was just explaining to God that he did his very
best.  I do not believe Nehemiah was wanting fame, or fortune. His
greatest desire was that he would do the task that God placed before
him to the best of his ability.






























                           Nehemiah 5 Questions


1.  Who cried out against the Jews?
2.  What were the conditions we studied in the last lesson, that might
    cause this?
3.  Who were having the hardest time feeding their families?
4.  In verse 3, what drastic measures had they taken to keep going?
5.  They had _____________ money to pay the king's tribute.
6.  Which king had they been paying tribute to?
7.  They had ____________ their daughters to pay their debts?
8.  When Nehemiah heard their cries, how did it affect him?
9.  Nehemiah's anger was against whom?
10. What was meant by "I consulted with myself"?
11. Who did Nehemiah rebuke?
12. What had Nehemiah been doing, that would have been an example for
    the others to do?
13. When they did not change when Nehemiah tried to shame them, what
    did he tell them?
14. Quote Nehemiah chapter 5 verse 10.
15. What did Nehemiah tell them to restore to the people?
16. What was their answer?
17. What did Nehemiah have them to do, to ensure that they would keep
    their word?
18. What threat did he tell them of, if they did not keep their word?
19. How long was Nehemiah governor?
20. How had Nehemiah lived?
21. What did the other governors before him charge the people?
22. Who did he supply to work on the wall?
23. Who ate at his table?
24. What was the daily amount of food used?
25. Quote Nehemiah chapter 5 verse 19.