Nehemiah 5:1

 Nehemiah 5:1 says, And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.  God’s chosen people, both the men and their wives, began to cry out against others of God’s chosen people.  I believe they were crying out against those rebuilding the wall and the resources it took to build it.  Whether that is true or not, Matthew Henry says they were suffering from a drought that God had brought upon them from their disobedience.  People are still griping about the resources spent on accomplishing God’s work today, claiming it could be better spent helping the poor.   Though we are to help the poor, we are also supposed to give to the church so that God’s overall work can be done, the primary task being to reach the lost.   

Verse two adds, 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.  The people who were complaining said they had many children, but also complained about how much it took to feed them.  If we have a lot of children, we should see it as a blessing and never complain about how much it costs to raise them, no matter how tough things in life may become.  

Verse three continues, Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.  Some of the people also complained about having to mortgage their houses to buy corn because of the drought, which had occurred because of their disobedience to God.  If things are going bad in our life as Christians today, we need to make sure that we have not turned away from the will of God. If we haven’t, even if things get bad, we still don’t need to complain but to just continue to put our faith in God. 

Verse four states, There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.  The people also said that they had to borrow money to pay their tribute, or taxes.  We may complain about taxes today, but this is nothing new, and Jesus Christ told us we are to pay them, so we should not allow them to become a critical thing in our relationship to God. 

Verse five adds, 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.  They also said that their sons and daughters were brought into bondage, and that they had no way to redeem them.  Until our children accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they will be in bondage to sin, and we cannot redeem them.  We can lead them to the one Who can though, Jesus Christ. This should be one of our priorities, but it shouldn’t keep us from supporting the work of God.