“Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, ‘We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.’
Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.’
Still others were saying, ‘We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 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.’ ”
Nehemiah 5:1-5 NIV
The Jews were carried off to exile for their disobedience under Babylon. Persia conquered Babylon and allowed the exile Jews to settle in the land and build wealth. God is calling the Jews back to Jerusalem. Nehemiah had this comfortable existence under King Xerxes, but God has called him to leave a prominent position and return to Jerusalem to help the Jews there rebuild.
The Jews that had come earlier and/ or brought there wealth with them were charging the others high interest to borrow money to rebuild in their homeland. The poor Jews were selling their children into slavery and mortgaging their land to survive.
“When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 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 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.”
Nehemiah 5:6-8 NIV
Nehemiah was there to help the Jews to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He planned to return to his cushy existence in Persia. Yet, he takes a stand for what is right.
“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? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyard, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them- one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil. ‘We will give it back,’ they said. ‘And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”
Nehemiah 5:9-12 NIV
Nehemiah is actually benefiting from the system that is harming their fellow Jew. However, he stands up for what is right and he gets the others to agree with him. They take an oath to not charge their fellow man and harm them.
“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,”
Proverbs 22:22 NIV
