Cementing Relationships - Lesson #7

Laying the Foundation

We discover that not all of the obstacles to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem came from the outside enemies.  Serious internal problems threatened the unity of the Jewish community.  Selfishness and greed threatened to do what armies could not—halt the work of God.  This turn of events must have devastated Nehemiah, but he knew he had to face the problem and deal with it.  It made no sense to fortify Jerusalem if the people inside it were corrupt.

Forging a Band of Brothers ________________________________

There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen.

 2 Some were saying, "We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live." 3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine." 4 Still others were saying, "We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others." 6 I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 7 After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, "Each of you is charging his countrymen interest." So I called a large assembly against them 8 and said, "We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back." They remained silent and could not say a word. 9 Then I said, "What you are doing isn't right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God and not invite the reproach of our foreign enemies? 10 Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop charging this interest. 11 Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and olive oil that you have been assessing them." 12 They responded: "We will return these things and require nothing more from them. We will do as you say." So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this. 13 I also shook the folds of my robe and said, "May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn't keep this promise. May he be shaken out and have nothing!" The whole assembly said, " Amen," and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. [Nehemiah 5:1-13]

Biblical Foundation_________________________________________________

Nehemiah’s brother, Hanani, had told him when they first met in Susa, “the survivors in the province, who returned from the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace.”  Hanani, made it clear that more than walls and gates needed rebuilding.  Ideally, Nehemiah had wanted to complete the physical rebuilding first in the hope that success would inspire the people to seek out spiritual renewal as well.  As it turned out, some spiritual issues could not wait.  These issues needed addressing even as the wall went up.

Principles to Live By_______________________________________________

Anyone who’s been in a leadership position knows about conflict resolution.

Principle 1

Dealing with internal problems

The internal conflict Nehemiah experienced in Jerusalem and Judah was so severe it could have scuttled the whole project.  Worse yet, it threatened to bring reproach on the name of the Lord.  Some people were running out of food due to focusing their time and energy on the wall project at a time when famine pinched everyone’s food supply.  Many had mortgaged their homes and land to buy food.  Others had borrowed money at an exorbitant rate from wealthy fellow Jews.  Finally, a wave of foreclosures resulted in the selling of children into slavery to pay their parents’ debts.

Principle 2

Don’t ignore internal problems

Can you imagine how Nehemiah must have felt when he faced these new problems?  He was already engaged in a psychological battle with enemies.  In addition he felt the full weight of responsibility for keeping Israel in a state of military preparedness while keeping the wall construction project on track.  There are times when a leader wants to give up.  The pressures get so great it seems impossible to go on.  Surely, Nehemiah had those feelings.  Once again, however, we see the power of his character.  He had come too far to give up.  Morale had hit rock bottom, and he knew he could not show signs of personal fatigue and discouragement.

Principle 3

Divide the negative emotions and handle the internal conflict

When Nehemiah heard the Jewish children were being sold into slavery and that wealthy Jews were oppressing the poor ones, he “became extremely angry”.  In spite of his fatigue and stress, low physical and psychological tolerance did not prompt Nehemiah’s anger.  The selfishness, greed, and insensibility of some of his fellow Jews caused his fury.  In spite of his intense anger, Nehemiah did not take immediate action.  Rather he backed off, got control of himself, and did some very careful and serious thinking.  He established some emotional distance from the problem so he could gain proper perspective.

Principle 4

Leading by example

Nehemiah pulled no punches when he finally confronted the offending nobles and officials.   He could expose their hypocrisies and inconsistencies because he had a track record of compassion and selfless concern for others.  He didn’t hesitate to point out what he and others had been doing to help the poor among the Jewish community.  He made it clear that he and others had been paying money out of their own pockets to free indebted and enslaved Jews.  “What you are doing isn’t right.  Shouldn’t you walk in fear of our God and not invite reproach of our foreign enemies?”