Nehemiah 5:1-6
Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.
Tag: Social Issues are Believer’s Issues
As Christians we are way behind the scene when it comes to social issues. We don’t seem to have the same concerns as those in this world who claim NO faith and/or little faith. We tend to see those who are saving the life as less than those who are saving the soul. Yet, here, above, we have a story of Nehemiah, fully involved in the social issues of the day. Granted, Nehemiah was looking out for “his” brothers. Nehemiah had been sent back by God to the city of Jerusalem to build the walls. But, in addition, he was involved in rebuilding the social system of the country. We have a moral obligation to those around us to care for those who are suffering from injustice. In Acts 6:1-2 we have a similar scene in the early church:
Acts 6:1-2
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
The Apostles saw a physical need and found someone to meet the need. When God set up the laws of the harvest He commanded that that nation leave some grain n the field so that the poor and the weak have something to eat. God knew that there would be poor (He knows man’s hearts). He knew that there would be some who would abuse the others. He also sent some to restore justice. Nehemiah was that man. Nehemiah stepped in and intervened in this situation because that is what leaders do.
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