May 14, 2025, Nehemiah 5:1-13
May 14, 2025, Nehemiah 5:1-13
5 Now
there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against
their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who
said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that
we may eat and keep alive.” 3 There were also those
who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get
grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were
those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields
and our vineyards. 5 Now our flesh is as the
flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are
forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have
already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men
have our fields and our vineyards.”
6 I was
very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 I
took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the
officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his
brother.” And I held a great assembly against them 8 and
said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish
brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers
that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to
say. 9 So I said, “The thing that you are doing is
not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the
taunts of the nations our enemies? 10 Moreover, I
and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us
abandon this exacting of interest. 11 Return to
them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and
their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have
been exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We
will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.”
And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had
promised. 13 I also shook out the fold of my
garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his
labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and
emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had
promised.
People make promises so
easily these days and break them just as easily. When we break promises to people, we are also
breaking a commitment to God. As His
followers, we represent Him and need to keep our word. I know I need to be sure I don’t make
promises lightly. Often I will respond
with, “I will do my best”, when someone asks me to promise because I know my
own limitations and that life sometimes gets in the way of things we intend to
do.
What things can you think
of that you don’t take as seriously as you should?
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