#616 Devil Inside

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”

6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels[a] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we[b] did not acquire any land.

17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people. Nehemiah 5 NIV

There was that enemy without, and that did not stop the work, the building of the wall against those things that come against us from outside. But listen to what is going on within, and sadly I think it sheds even more light upon the "nobles". The people have been working on something that is to the benefit of the whole city, protects the life and worship of all who come here. It is returning the rubble and ruins to peace, clothing the nakedness of Jerusalem, but the time here has cost these families much at home. 

“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Exodus 22:25-27

I was listening to the news the other day and there was a story about El Chapo and the former President of Mexico. Why is no one concerned about crime down there we ask, or why are some not concerned about the spill over here? In the chapter before, the nobles were mentioned and I think here applies more to their infamy as well. There was testimony that the prior president in Mexico received 100 million dollars in pay off money from the infamous head of the Cartel, and that he approached El Chapo, originally asking for 250 million. Men are greedy, and it is not a state dependent upon what social or economic class they are born in to. It is very easy to take money for doing nothing, being paid to do nothing, turn your back on the work that would not be as lucrative. As one who governs, you are the president of all the people, not just the nobles, and the Cartel is an enemy to good and the rule of law, an enemy to justice, a reducer to the value of human life. Doing your actual job would put you at odds with such people not in bed with them. Once someone has power, there interest does not always turn to the job, the betterment of the people, but rather themselves and staying in power. The nobles were able to obtain money, probably trade with their enemies, be shown some level of "respect" from such, which is all a farce. Their brothers came to the new governor, Nehemiah, and they told him, we are hungry, and our children are hungry. We have had to borrow in order to pay the federal tax to the king of Persia, there is also the local tax, and our brothers are charging us a usury of 12%. All this and we are not working our lands while we are building the wall, but they take our children and would sell them when we cannot pay. There is a famine due to rains and other things these people cannot help. They are not without for lack of industry; they have done well by their country, and there are Jewish laws that forbid taking advantage of people in their distress. I understand charging interest for those things that you don't need, like if I buy a boat or a Lamborghini, but that is not the situation here. Nehemiah is angry and rightly so, this is what a governor looks like, this is wisdom. 

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 1 John 3:17

Nehemiah ponders this, he and some of his like minded Jews have been buying back their brethren who are slaves elsewhere, to set them free. These men are taking the children of their countrymen, not to work off their debts legitimately, but selling them to foreigners, against the law. Nehemiah accuses them as law breakers, and here he is with means, using them to buy back what these men have sold and disgraced. Greed, power, lust are powerful things. My most self proclaimed bleeding heart associates and acquaintances will denounce the wealthy, but say of a woman, well, it's her body to do with as she pleases and if I don't pay her someone else will. If I don't sell her drugs someone else will, it's her choice. Thank God you are not rich, you would probably be worse than those who are. 

23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”…Matthew 19:23-25

Nehemiah confronts them for breaking the law, admits that he is lending also, but let's not charge interest. Give them back their lands. He returns their personal property, their stake in this place, and he is entitled by law to charge them a governor's tax, but he finds his current means more than sufficient so he does not impose more tax. He leads by example, his words and his life match up. This is his journal and his diary, I wish our leaders today could grasp these things, oh God please change our hearts.