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2025 Study of the Book of Nehemiah #5

SHOULDN’T YOU WALK IN THE FEAR OF GOD?

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Key Verse 5:9

1. What challenges did Nehemiah encounter within the Jewish community (1-5)? What do you think is the root cause of these problems? How did Nehemiah feel when he heard the outcry of the people (6)?
2. In what ways did Nehemiah confront the sins of the nobles and officials (7-8)? What guidance did he give them on how they should live (9)? What does “walking in the fear of our God” practically mean in our lives (Mt 22:37-40)?
3. What specific proposals did Nehemiah suggest to address the situation (11)? How did he ensure their promise was taken seriously and implemented (12-13a)? How do you think his approach contributed to restoring the Jewish community (13b)?
4. How did Nehemiah demonstrate selflessness by giving up his financial privileges for the community (14-16)? In what ways is his generous life of service described? What might have enabled him to live such a life of generosity and servant leadership (15b, 19)?
5. What internal challenges might arise when we seek to rebuild our broken walls? How can we work through these obstacles to complete the rebuilding of the wall?

2025 Nehemiah Feb 9, 2025

SHOULDN’T YOU WALK IN THE FEAR OF OUR GOD?

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Key Verse 5:9

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?”

Have you ever heard of William Wilberforce (1759-1833)? He was born in Yorkshire, England. At the age of 21, in 1780, he was elected as a member of Parliament. At the age of 26, while reading the Bible, he surrendered to God, saying, “I am now completely a new man.” After that, he was deeply influenced by John Newton, a former slave trader, who is the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” William Wilberforce committed his life to two great missions: “The moral reform in British society and the abolition of the slave trade.” He introduced anti-slavery bills in Parliament repeatedly but faced fierce opposition from those who profited from the trade. Finally, in 1807, the British Parliament passed a law abolishing the slave trade. However, slavery itself had not yet been eliminated. Wilberforce continued his fight for complete abolition, enduring political opposition, personal attacks, and declining health. In 1833, Parliament passed the law that fully abolished slavery in the British Empire. Upon hearing the news, Wilberforce praised God, knowing that his lifelong mission had been fulfilled. He passed away three days later. The abolition of slavery in Britain, achieved through Wilberforce’s faith, later had a major impact on the abolition of slavery in the United States. Christian faith is not just a theory; it is the power of God that transforms our lives and society.

Today, we’re going to learn about the reform of the Jewish community through the faith of Nehemiah, one of the great leaders in the Bible. Look at verse 1. “Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.” The expression ‘great outcry’ shows that they were suffering deeply and crying out in distress. Also, since wives are specifically mentioned, their suffering was not just individual but affected their entire families. Who was their great outcry directed against? Against their fellow Jews. Last week, we learned about the external enemies who attacked during the rebuilding of the wall. But today’s passage is about internal conflicts and problems within the community. When we try to do God’s work, we face both external and internal challenges. External enemies are much easier to recognize. We can simply block them from entering the community or drive them away. However, internal enemies or problems are much harder to detect because they are often hidden within the community. Since they have already taken deep root inside, they are also much harder to resolve.

So, what exactly was the serious problem that arose within the Jewish community?

First, their sons and daughters were numerous, but they had no food to eat in order to survive. Imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for parents who had no food to give their children. When little children were crying out in hunger and there was no grain to feed them, those parents must have felt completely helpless and broken.

Second, even families who owned property such as fields, vineyards, and homes had to mortgage them because of the famine. There was a famine that caused severe economic hardship for the Jewish community at that time. Just think about how difficult it must have been for them to mortgage their fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain. Imagine if you had saved up for years, made a down payment, and taken out a mortgage to buy your home. Then, due to losing your job, you couldn’t make your mortgage payments and had to give up your house to the bank. How painful and devastating would that be?

Third, they had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on their fields and vineyards. They were already struggling to survive, and on top of that, they had to pay property taxes. How do you think they must have felt? Last January, I received a Notice of Property Value letter from New York City. It was about how much property tax I would have to pay for the 2025-26 tax year. Paying taxes is a heavy burden for us, too. The Jewish people had to pay property taxes to the Persian Empire, but since they had no money, they had to borrow to make the payment.

Fourth, because they couldn’t repay their debts, they had to subject their sons and daughters to slavery. How shocking is that? Imagine parents who borrowed money just to survive, but because they couldn’t pay it back, they had no choice but to subject their own children to slavery. On top of that, some of their daughters had already been enslaved. This was truly a tragic situation. Their daughters most likely became victims of sexual exploitation for the nobles and officials. Not only that but the children who were sold into slavery were taken away and sold to Gentiles.

The anger of the poor Jews reached its peak. They cried out: “Our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery because we are powerless.” How could they fulfill God’s work while facing such major problems within their own community? They were rebuilding the broken walls so that they could worship God in peace. But if there was injustice and suffering within the Jewish community, their work of rebuilding the walls would become meaningless. The Jewish community divided from within would eventually collapse.

How did Nehemiah feel when he heard their outcry and these charges? He was very angry. But it was a divine anger. It was anger over his community’s sin of not observing God’s law and its immorality. It was a divine anger as Nehemiah saw his own people suffering, with children being sold into slavery. Nehemiah had to set everything else aside and address this issue first. He began to dig deeper into what was really happening beneath the surface. He realized that the problem was far more serious than he had initially thought. The unity within the Jewish community had already been broken. It was a situation where an uprising could break out at any moment. Nehemiah pondered the suffering of his people in his mind. And he began to deal with the issue wisely.

First, he called the nobles and officials involved in this issue and accused them, saying, “You are charging your own people interest!” It seems that he first spoke with them individually or in small groups rather than confronting them in front of the whole congregation from the beginning. Nehemiah likely listened to their explanations and helped them realize how their actions were wrong before God. Nehemiah must have had personal and thoughtful conversations with the truth of God to resolve the issue. And in the end, they acknowledged their wrongdoing.

Next, Nehemiah called together a large meeting to deal with them. This gathering included the leaders who worked with Nehemiah, as well as the nobles and officials directly involved in the issue. Since he had already spoken with them individually, Nehemiah now spoke boldly in front of them, “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!” The Jewish community had been rescuing their fellow Jews who had been sold to the Gentiles by paying a redemption price. But these nobles and officials had been selling their own fellow Jews to the Gentiles. Nehemiah clearly pointed out their wrongdoing. How did they respond? They kept quiet because they could find nothing to say. They had no choice but to remain silent because they knew Nehemiah was right.

Let’s read verse 9 together. “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?” If we walk in the fear of God, we will do our best to follow His word. Our God is full of love and compassion, and His love is especially expressed in how He protects the marginalized in society. Exodus 22:25-27 says, “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” God’s word commands that when lending money to those who are in need, we must not charge interest. God sees their hardship and hears their cries. Therefore, when the nobles and officials charged interest on loans to their poor neighbors, took their children as slaves when they couldn’t repay them, and even sold them to Gentiles, it was an evil act before God. Nehemiah, his brothers, and his men also lent the people money and grain. Lending to neighbors in need is not a bad thing. However, charging them interest is evil.

After pointing out their sin, Nehemiah gave them a practical solution. Look at verse 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.” Nehemiah proposed two specific actions. Number one, Nehemiah urged them to give back immediately fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses they had taken. Number two, Nehemiah told them to return the interest they had charged. Nehemiah’s proposal was very reasonable. He was not attempting a communist revolution by seizing the nobles’ and officials’ properties and redistributing them to the poor. He acknowledged their private property while telling them to return what they had taken from their neighbors through loans, including their properties and the interest they had collected. So the nobles and officials agreed, saying, “We will give it back. And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say” (12).

After they agreed, Nehemiah took another step to restore his divided Jewish community. He summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. Taking an oath before the priests was making a vow before God. Nehemiah ensured that their commitment was sealed with an oath so they would keep their promise. Then, as he shook out the folds of his robe, he declared that if they did not keep their promise, God would shake out their houses and possessions. In reality, Nehemiah’s main intention in going through this public oath ceremony was to restore the unity of his community. When Nehemiah summoned the priests, he also called the whole assembly. The entire Jewish community witnessed the nobles and officials making their promises and taking the oath. Then, they rejoiced and shouted,
“Amen!” They were overjoyed that their property would be restored. They also praised the Lord for carrying out justice according to God’s law. The nobles and officials did as they had promised. In this way, the Jewish community was restored. Throughout the entire process, Nehemiah demonstrated leadership that came from God.

Nehemiah was able to resolve that difficult internal issue because his life was right before God. Verses 14-18 show how Nehemiah lived as the governor of Judah.

First, Nehemiah did not take the food allotted to the governor. As governor, he had the right to receive and eat the food provided for him. However, he refused to take it because he knew it would be a burden on the people. The governors before him had also received forty shekels of silver in addition to food and wine. This was a customary practice among previous governors. But Nehemiah, not wanting to place a burden on the people, did not act like that.

Second, Nehemiah did not use his position as governor for personal gain. Instead, he devoted himself to the work on the wall of Jerusalem. Unlike other officials, he did not buy land or seek real estate opportunities to increase his wealth. How many government officials take advantage of their privileges to make money? That’s why so many people try to stay close to those in power. But Nehemiah had no greed for wealth. He dedicated himself entirely to God’s work.

Third, Nehemiah used his own wealth to serve others. A hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at his table, as well as those who came to them from the surrounding nations. Each day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some poultry were prepared for him, and every ten days, an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. Nehemiah served many people around him with abundant and delicious food. As governor, he earned a salary, and he had already gained considerable wealth from his work as the Persian king’s cupbearer. Instead of using his money for himself, he used it to serve others, support God’s work, and share fellowship with people. Nehemiah was a servant leader. Because of this, many people gathered around him, respected him, and worked alongside him to carry out God’s work.

How was Nehemiah able to live a life fully devoted to God’s work without seeking his own interests? It was possible because Nehemiah walked in the fear of God. He lived out of reverence for God (15). Also, he was seeking God’s reward. Verse 19 says, “Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.” This prayer shows how much suffering he endured to serve God. He gave up a comfortable life, labored tirelessly, and even faced financial loss. Yet, despite everything, he never complained to God. Instead, he remained faithful and fulfilled his work wholeheartedly. It was possible because he was not seeking human recognition or rewards but God’s recognition and rewards. Because he set his hope on God’s kingdom, he could endure any hardship and continue serving God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

What are the internal challenges we are facing? When I came to New York UBF last year, I saw that our community had various wounds, both big and small. Relying on God’s grace, I have been praying and working to resolve these difficulties. For our faith community to stay united, each of us needs to seek God deeply through prayer and live in obedience to His word. First of all, I want to ask you to show care and concern for our brothers and sisters around us. The greatest enemy of our community is indifference. When we see someone struggling spiritually, we should not ignore them. Instead, we should reach out, ask about their prayer topics, and pray with them. For those who are physically sick, we need to pray earnestly for their healing and show them love. Last week, many of us sent encouraging messages to Becky Song Lee, and she expressed her gratitude to us. We should continue praying for her complete healing from cancer. If we are aware of those struggling financially and can help them personally or as a community, they will gain strength. Some are currently facing serious challenges due to immigration issues. Praying for them, comforting them, and offering support is something that pleases God. I pray that our New York UBF members will sincerely repent of our sins, forgive one another, and love each other so that we can form a beautiful and united community in Christ Jesus. Shouldn’t we walk in the fear of our God? Amen.