Nehemiah 5:12 says, Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. After Nehemiah rebuked the nobles and rulers in Judah who had been charging their fellow Jews usury and otherwise mistreating them, they at least listened and said they would restore what they had taken from them and no longer continue the practice. If we have been mistreating people, especially our fellow Christians, it is not enough to simply acknowledge that we know we have. We need to do our best to restore what we have taken from them, even if we could justify it in the eyes of the world. Nehemiah also called the priests to have them witness what the nobles and rulers promised. We shouldn’t have to have someone witness our promises to do what we believe God would have us do, but sometimes other people may require it of us.
Verse thirteen adds, Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. In a symbolic gesture, it says that Nehemiah shook things out of his lap, I believe would be the accurate way to understand this and said that if any of those making this promise did not live up to it, that God should shake them out of their houses and leave with nothing. God may not shake us materially if we fail to follow His commandments concerning our treatment of other people, but he may shake us spiritually, which is even worse.
Verse fourteen continues, Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. Nehemiah said in his own life he had taken nothing from others unfairly. He had relied on his own abilities and did not expect others to support him. This is not to say that I believe that those who are in full-time ministry shouldn’t be supported, but they shouldn’t expect their fellow Christians to suffer in order to help them maintain a richer lifestyle.
Verse fifteen states, But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. Nehemiah said that governors who had come before him had taken bread and wine from the people as well as money, and that their servants had done likewise. He said he didn’t do this because of his fear of God. As I have often stated, I don’t believe that this means he was afraid of God, but that he recognized that God hated sin, and he didn’t want to give Him a reason to be upset with him. As Christians we should never be afraid of God, but we also need to recognize that some of our actions may often make Him upset with us.
Verse sixteen adds, Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. Nehemiah added that he also didn’t buy any land but that he and his servants just continued to work on the wall. We need to do what God has called us to do, whether we benefit from it materially or not. He could not be accused of helping to build the wall because doing so somehow benefitted him materially. He wasn’t doing this to protect his own land, but he was doing it because God had called him to do it. We should never make personal benefit or profit our reason to join in or not join in God’s work.
Verse seventeen continues, Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us. Nehemiah said he fed a hundred and fifty Jews and plus some non-Jews, who had come to help with the work. Matthew Henry says he did this from what he had gotten from the king of Persia and from his own estate, even though he could have required the people to help support him. We may have the right to make a demand on someone, but if they are struggling just to survive, we probably shouldn’t.
Verse eighteen says, Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Nehemiah said it took a lot to feed all these people every day, but he still didn’t require anything from his fellow believers. Just because we may need a lot to do God’s work, we should never demand that those who are in need themselves support us in the work. Instead, we should look to God in obedience to Him and rely on Him to meet our needs without burdening those who are in need themself.
Verse nineteen adds, Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. Nehemiah asked that God look on him as someone who had done good for all these people. He didn’t ask God to materially reward him, but simply to look on him with good. We don’t serve God for material reward but because we know that we are doing what He has called us to do. Then, we should leave it up to Him to note what we are doing.
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