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Sermon
of 05-03-03
FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY
by
Dr. D.A. Farmer, pastor
Scripture: 1 Tim. 6:10;
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Today we look at chapter 5 of Nehemiah. We've already looked at the 1st 4 chapters. We've seen that Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the King who requested to expect the walls and gates around the Jerusalem and repair them. The people did so in only 52 days! Then we compared the walls and gates of Jerusalem to the broken down walls and gates in own lives. We've seen at times God may use each of us to help others re-build their broken down life during a crisis or hard times. Once again we continue looking at the walls and gates that Nehemiah rebuilt and compare them to our walls and gates.
In chapter 5 the devil tries yet another approach to break down the morale and confidence of God's people. Nehemiah has successfully handled the threatened attack from without but now he runs into a problem from within his own ranks.
In verse 1 we see that the men and their wives raise a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.
"And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews." There is internal strife. It's no longer attack from without, but trouble from within.
Have you ever experience something like that before? What I mean is, have you ever struggle to recover from some area in your life only to run into family problems. Or maybe pressure and problems with those who you work with? And maybe even from other brothers and sisters in the Lord.
In the case of verse 1, it was a clash between the workers and the officials. This is a classical struggle because look at verse 2;
"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."
From the looks of it, those with the largest families were the ones complaining the most. Their numerous offspring proved not to be a blessing. Why? Because the large families were a burden to feed. You have to remember, for 52 days while working on the walls day and night they didn't have time to plant their crops. And verse 3 reveals what made it difficult. Listen to it from the NIV;
"We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
Now let me ask again. Does this sound familiar? Something you have experienced before? In other words, have you ever had to mortgage your property or borrow money just to make ends meet? Have you ever had to used credit cards to buy groceries for that week or month because their just wasn't enough money?
Well, don't feel too bad if you have had too because this is what the people here are complaining to Nehemiah about. And according to verse 4 others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our field and vineyards" NIV. The IRS of that day!
But listen to 1st part of verse 5; "Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery."
{Neh. 5:5a NIV}
In those days, if you couldn't pay your taxes or debts, you simply sold your children or your wife to be slaves. And if you had too, last of all, you sold yourself in order to pay what you owed. Apparently this must had already happened to some because listen the last part of verse 5; "Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to
others."{Neh. 5:5b NIV}
Now something to keep in mind at this point is these people were not suffering from the oppression of foreign ruler, but from their own people. I guess you could say that these were justified complaints. So Nehemiah deals with them seriously. He could not change the conditions, so he reveals the real problem. Listen to verses 6-8; "And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. V:7
Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. V:8
And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer."
Usury is charging interest for money which has been loaned. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Now the Jews were allowed to do this with other races. But a Jew was prohibited to charge another Jew interest. Listen to Deuteronomy 23:19-20;
"Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
V:20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it." Moses was pretty direct and clear with this issue.
Back in Nehemiah 5 verse 11 we find what that interest rate was; "Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them."
It was one hundredth part per month. Which would be 1% a month or 12% per year. Now while this may not sound like an extreme amount to us, it was enough to make Nehemiah very upset. I wonder what Nehemiah would have thought of the 24% or higher that is charged today? He is upset by this interest and demands that they stop. Again listen from the NIV verses 9-11;
"What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to I avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them - the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
{Neh. 5:9b-11 NIV}
This was more than a demand to end the practice of interest from each other. Nehemiah was insisting on reimbursement as well. They must give back their unjust gains. And their reaction is sort of surprising. "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." {Neh. 5:12a NIV}
I guess their conscience took over. They knew what they were doing was wrong. It was against Gods command. This suggests that believers must be very careful about taking advantage of others. Especially from other Christians! We should never try increasing our riches at their expense. Scripture condemns this practice as uncaring.
Apparently Nehemiah is encouraged by their answer. But he doesn't stop there, he has more to say. Listen to the last half of verse 12-13; "Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. V:13
Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from 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."
Nehemiah's record teaches us an important lesson. Listen to our Scripture again from 1 Timothy 6:10; "The love of money is the root of all evil." The love of money has made many people nothing more than thieves and robbers. We have to be careful of this temptation. The devil would love to attack us one way or the other. Either charging high interest or paying a high interest which we find almost impossible to pay back.
The rest of the chapter details how Nehemiah deals with this internal strife. Listen to Nehemiah 5:14-15; "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. V:15
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."
This is the familiar picture of officials who get rich by using their power over people. Nehemiah says,
"I did not do that" in verse 15. And in verse 16 he says he continues to build the wall;
"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."
And not only that, he work at his own expense. He pays his own servants to work on the wall too. Which shows that after 12 years in office, he was not richer, but poorer. Rebuilding this wall meant personal sacrifice to him. He was not acting simply to win favor among the people. It was not even to gain favor with the king. It was because he loved God and Gods beloved city.
Jesus once said in Matthew 10:8; "Freely ye have received, freely give." This sense of giving to help others is the most enjoyable feeling a Christians can experience. Nehemiah must have known that too. Because in verses 17 and 18 we see that he takes care of the people at his own expense.
"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. v:18
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."
He fed daily the 150 family heads of the people living in Jerusalem. Then in verse 19 Nehemiah closes this chapter with prayer;
"Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people."
What a remarkable picture of compassion and concern for those who had much less! Nehemiah was willing to sacrifice in order to help others. God blessed Nehemiah for helping others. and He will do the same for us. Listen to Hebrews 6:10;
"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."
God never ask or demand anything from us that He doesn't promise a blessing in return if we obey Him. It doesn't always come back to us in the form of money. It might be a good home, good health , good spouse or good children. What ever God chooses for us, we should be thankful.
There are two major lessons that loom forth from this chapter I want to end with.
1st, when we face a crisis, we should do so with careful preparation, perseverance, and above all, prayer.
And 2nd, when ever we are faced with discord or strife, we should do so with justice, love and by setting a good example for others. God will give us this strength and knowledge to solve any problem we face if we ask Him for it. This will enable us to move forward to rebuilding the damaged areas of our lives.
For more reading on Nehemiah 5, see Prophets and Kings chapter 54.
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