Heritage Reformed Baptist Mission
NEHEMIAH
Chapter 5
Summary Commentary
vv. 1-5 = The workmen involved in re-constructing the wall of Jerusalem were of various economic classes. While the work was in progress, the poor people complained to Nehemiah they: (1) must with difficulty (perhaps because of exorbitant prices being charged by the rich who had grain) obtain enough food for their families, not having land on which to produce food themselves [v. 2]; (2) had mortgaged their property and could no longer reap from it and were suffering hunger as a result [v. 3]; (3) had borrowed money on their property in order to pay taxes to the Persian king [v. 4]; and (5) sold their children into slavery and were not able to buy them back because their property was in the hands of the rich mortgagees [v. 5]. In short, the rich of the land were taking advantage of the poor in disobedience to the Law of Moses. See Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35-37; Deuteronomy 23:19
vv. 6-8 = When Nehemiah heard the complaints of the poor, he was filled with righeous indignation and anger at the way in which the rich were treating them. He not only personally rebuked the guilty ones, but also called together an assembly of the people to hear the complaint and his personal remonstrance to the guilty parties. Part of that remonstrance was an example of how he and others had redeemed some Jews who had been sold into slavery to pagans in Babylon and Persia so they could be free to return to Israel. Should they now be taken slaves by their own brothers in their own land contrary to the Law of Moses?
The remonstrance had its desired effect. The guilty ones knew they had done wrong and so their mouths were stopped. That is the effect of the Law as Paul wrote in Romans 3:19, "Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
v. 9 = In continuing his remonstrance, Nehemiah minced no words. He dogmatically pronounced as "not good", i.e., bad, what the guilty parties were doing, not only because it was unlawful, but because it was an extremely negative testimony to their enemies. It would give their enemines cause to speak against the Lord.
The Law also spoke of loving one's neighbor. "You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18) What the rich were doing to the poor did not in the least show any love for them. They were acting no better than their pagan enemies who did not even pretend to know the living God.
It is said of the early church that the pagans were much affected by the love of the believers for one another. That was a fulfillment of what Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." However, in succeeding days and centuries much occasion to blaspheme the Name of the Lord has been given by Christians who have wrongly treated their fellow believers. No doubt many who have done so were mere professors, not possessors of true faith in the Lord. Nevertheless, it behooves us to be ever mindful of our responsibility to love one another, not only in word, but also in deed, without fail.
vv. 10-13 - Closing his remonstrance, Nehemiah cites his example of not collecting taxes of money and grain from the people, which he had the authority to do. Then, he beseeches the guilty parties not only to stop charging interest on the loans they make to the poor, but also to restore to them everything they had taken from them, including all the interest that was owed on the debts. In short, the debts were to be totally forgiven and all the mortgaged property restored.
Then, having received the word of the mortgagees to do what he begged them to do, Nehemiah made them swear before the priests of God to keep their promise.
Finally, Nehemiah shook the lap of his garment as a symbolic gesture of what he imprecated upon any of the mortgagees who failed to keep their promise. The imprecation was that the one who did not keep the promise would have all that he had taken away. Such an imprecation is contained in the New Testament in the words, "Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)
vv. 14-19 = Nehemiah was governor of Judah and Jerusalem for 12 years. During all that time neither he nor his brothers collected taxes from the people for their own support, as former governors had done. Neither had they acquired any mortgaged land. Rather, he personally supplied the necessary food for himself and all his servants, plus officials who were probably the heads of various familes of Judah and guests who came from other countries. In addition to being a godly and God-fearing man, Nehemiah was apparently also a rich man, and a good and wise steward of what God had given him. He refused to take advantage of his authority in anything other than to build the wall and see to it the people of the land were treated fairly.
In that respect, he was like the Apostle Paul who did not take advantage of his apostolic authority to claim support from the churches which he planted. (See 1 Corinthians 9:13-18) Rather, he worked with his own hands to supply both his own needs and the needs of those who ministered with him. (See Acts 20:33-34) His main concern was for the spiritual welfare of the believers, a concern he valued much more highly than his own comfort.
These two men of God were prime examples of how church leaders (Pastors, Elders, Deacons) should, yea, must, consider their God-called responsibilities as servants to God's people. It is right for God's people to materially support God's appointed servants. That is something to be preached, but not something to be demanded. Nor is it something in which a church leader should ever be personally involved in deciding when it concerns his personal remuneration.