Money Problems: Nehemiah 5

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Welcome

"Good morning CBC Family! If you would, go ahead and have a seat for a minute.
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It is so good to gather together with you today to worship the Lord!
If you’re visiting our church today, we’re so glad you’re here! There are a ton of ways to get connected and involved into the life of our church through serve teams, women’s & men’s bible studies, youth group, military events. So, you can find out about all of our events and ministries at cbcrichmondhill.com!"

Deacon Presentation

I am very excited this morning to present to our church body 3 men that we are currently considering as deacons.
Matt Bryarly, David Astorga, and Wes Valentine, could you 3 go ahead and make your way up here with me.
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as a church, our process is as follows. Our Elders have tested and interviewed these 3 and are presenting them to our church body. We believe they fit Paul’s description in 1 Tim 3 that I’m going to read in a moment, but we recognize that we have not nor cannot see these 3 in every aspect of their lives.
so we present them to you, and ask that you pray over their nomination and if you have anything that the elders need to consider email Jeff or Mike.
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we will take the next couple of weeks to incorporate your input into this process.
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Scripture Reading

We are singing "Be Unto Your Name" it begins with the theme of our limits. The reality is that our years are 70, or by reason of strength 80. They will soon be gone for us all.
but God is eternal, and limitless so James 4:14 “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
may we spend our limited time, cultivating an awareness of eternity.
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why don’t you stand with me as I pray.

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Introduction

Recap
If you have your Bibles go ahead and turn with me to Nehemiah 5. And as you turn, I’ll take a moment to provide a little context.
After 70 years of exile, the people of Israel had returned to their homeland, successfully rebuilt their Worship, and identiry around the Word, and now under the leadership of Nehemiah are focused on rebuilding the Walls and City and Jerusalem.
With the “good hand of God” upon them, and after successfully navigating spiritual warfare in chapter 4, it seems that nothing can stop them.
They are a poeple with a purpose. Overcoming every obstacle. Enduring every speedbump.
But now we come to Chapter 5… and they’ve hit a Stumbling Block.
And the Rebuild is actually halted.
And ya’ll, this stumbling block has been a probelm for centuries, and I if I were a betting man I’d say it is probably alive and well in your life as well.
So let’s read the first portion of our text to see what this is:
Nehemiah 5:1–13 ESV
Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 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.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 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.” I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 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 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. 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? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 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.” 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. 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.
Taunts were ineffective. Threats couldn’t thwart them.
But there is one thing that created such stress and striff that the Rebuilding Work of God is paused.
Money. Money Problems.
But not in the way you’d assume. Most building projects struggle financially.
Unseen costs emerge, and the project begins to drain more and more resources.
But that’s not the case here.
Remember this project was funded by the Persian Empire. They had plenty of enough resources to get the job done.
It’s not the project funding that was the probelem.
Instaed it was the way they viewed and used money that was the problem.
Money Problems. That’s today’s subject.
Let’s begin by getting a good understanding of the situation.
vs. 1. Nehemiah records that there was a great outcry by the People. And this outcry was driven by 3 things:
(vs.2) First, the people needed grain to feed their families.
With many of the men of Jerusalem working on the wall it meant that many of them couldn’t tend their fields, and consequently didn’t have food to feed their families.
(Vs. 3), Second, there was a famine in the land.
Scarcity of crops drives up the cost of food, and it had apparently grown so expensive that they were having to mortgage their fields in order to afford the basic necessities like food.
(Vs. 4) Thirdly, the Kings of Persia were still charging taxes from their vassal state of Israel.
Extrabibilical sources say these taxes could have been upward to 50%.
So with the decreased labor force, famine and increased taxes, times were tough!
(Vs. 5) So tough that they had to sell their children into indentured servitude just to make ends meet.
But revisit with me vs. 1. Who was the Outcry against!?
The Jewish Brothers! They weren’t selling thier children to the surrounding nations, as they had done in tough times past, instead they are selling them to their own people.
Their own brothers and sisters in the faith are exploiting and oppressing these marginalized workers of the Wall.
All leading to a Great Outcry that has effectively stopped the Work of Rebuilding.
Not a single fiery arrow has been shot.
Not a single battle waged by Sanballat and tobiah.
Instead it’s Money Probelms that have Interrupted the Work of God.
This is not unusual is it?
Our view and usage of money often hinders the Work of God in our lives.
We spend beyond our means, and our debt totally inhibits our giving.
We say no to a career change that we sense God leading us to because we can’t make sense of it financially, or we’re simply unwilling to live a bit more uncomfortable with a cut in finances.
We priortize pleasure or possessions with our money, and have no concept for using it to serve people.
We have $0 in the bank, or whats also true we have $100K and yet stress over finances so much that it overshadows our faith.
Or, on the other end of the spectrum we love money so much that a love for God takes a backseat.
These are all ways that Money can hinder the Work of God in our lives.
So Money Problems Interrupt the Work of God.
But our text today is going to give us 2 points that can help us overcome.
Point #1: Fear God

Fear God

According to Nehemiah, at the core of these money problems was a total lack of the fear of God.
Nehemiah 5:9 “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?”
In essence, if you feared God you wouldn’t be doing these things.
Now when the Bible reads Fear of God, often it can mean terror and legitmate fear as in the case of Isaiah sees the glory of God and falls on his face in Fear.
But other times, as in this example from Nehemiah, Fear means to live a life worthy of God.
To live in such a way that it reflects your devotion and commitment to Him.
This is why he says, “to prevent the taunts of the nations of our enemies.”
He’s saying… we are to be a people that lives to reflect God, but you lack this reverence and consequently the surrounding nations think less of our God.
And when it comes to how we view and use Money ought we not to walk in the fear of God!?
So let me give you 2 subpoints from our text, that can aid us in this endeavor
First, How we view and use money must be educated by the Scriptures.

The Scriptures

The Scriptures must instruct us on how we view and use our money.
And this was lacking for several reasons with the people in our text today.
First, according to Scripture they were to commanded to provide for the poor not exploit them!
Leviticus 25:35–37 ““If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him. Take no interest from him or profit, BUT FEAR YOUR GOD...
Scripture says provide for, not profit from.
I’m going to be honest here: this is hard to conceptualize for those of us who are right leaning, lovers of capitalism.
In a country where the American Dream is still alive and well, and you can come from nothing and pull yourself up by your boot straps to make yourself something, this sounds counterintutive!
You know why!? Because it is!
Following Christ is counter cultural, and that includes how we view and use our money.
We have to be careful as American Christians to let the Scriptures instruct us on money and not our capitalistic culture.
So, they weren’t Walking in the Fear of the Lord, because they were disobedient to Scripture in provision for the poor.
Secondly, they were actually in a much deeper rebellion than robbing the poor of provision. According to Scripture, they were guilty of robbing God!
Turn with me to Malachi 3.
Just as Haggai and Zechariah prophecied in the days of Ezra, so Malachi prophecied during the time of Nehemiah.
And beginning in Malachi 3:7 God says, “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’”
In their pride the people are shocked and say, “How shall we return!”
Malachi 3:8 “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me.
But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’
God says, “In your tithes and contributions.”
Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house...
Times were tough for the People of God, and as times got tough and money got tight they began to WITHHOLD some of their Scripturally commanded giving.
The Law of Moses commanded the People of God to Tithe.
Tithe means Tenth.
And they were to give a tenth of their income… and in an agrarian society this would have been a 10th of their grain, their crops, & their animals.
They were to be given to the Priests and all this tithe would be stored and distributed for several things:
for the minsitry of the temple,
for provision of the Levites who had no portion apart from God,
and for the provision of the poor and marginalized.
So here in our text, the Purposes of God are halted, becuase the people are slipping into poverty, and according to Malachi… it isn’t because of famine or taxes or interest rates, but because the storehouses are empty,
The people had started withholding their Tithes.
But who can blame them right!? I mean times were tough.
And is not true that the first place we tend to look, when money is tight, is our charitable giving!?
How many of us does that hit home with this morning?
Did you know that statistically across America, the lowest months of church giving are January and June.
Attributed to the fact that those months are tight financially because we overspend in December and May for Christmas and Vacations.
So when times get tight… the first place we look for our household financial margin is giving.
And if thats you this morning, let me challenge you to let Scripture guide your view and use of money.
Becuase how you view and use your money is a reflection of your fear, or lack of fear of God.
And if you want to grow in the fear of God, we need to let the Scriptures guide us.
And the Scriptures instruct us to give… That it’s an act of worship,
One of the best stories about giving that I’ve come across was actually found in Forbes Magazine of all placse.
The article tells the story of Greg Gianforte, the founder and CEO of RightNow Technologies that he sold to Oracle in 2011 for 1.8 Billion.
Gianforte is a devout follower of Christ, and says,
“One must never Tithe with the expectation of divine blessing or reward. But I can’t but admit that tithing has brought about some incredible benefits to my life. The decibel level in my life has gone down. I think that’s because every possession speaks to you. Everything you own wants attention. When I began to tithe, I found a freedom from my possessions. I don’t hold on to things as tightly anymore. Tithing also requires discipline, but that discipline begins to show up unexpectedly in other areas of my life. When I began to tithe, I was able to rise earlier in the morning. I am more patient with people,
and finally he concludes by saying, “When you tithe, you begin to see your role as a steward of resources!”
And that leads us to subpoint #2: We can walk in the Fear of God with our Money by viewing ourselves as Stewards.

Stewards

Church, when it comes to our lives we are stewards not owners.
A Steward is simply someone that the head of a house has entrusted the management of affairs to. It’s a manager, not an owner.
The owner gets to decide what do with His Resources, and the manager simply possesses the duty of dealing out those receipts and expenditures.
And when you died with Christ, and raised to life with Him you have been raised to a life of stewardship. Not ownership.
And this includes your finances.
You see, for the people in our text today… this land wasn’t theirs.
according to Leviticus 25:23 ““The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine.”
Throughout the OT, God made it clear… this promised land of Judah and Jerusalem is His.
God is the owner.
Yet God knew the sinful heart of man. And knew that being a steward wouldn’t be enough. They craved more. They were going to want to be OWNERS
Deuteronomy 6:10–12 ““And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord...
God saw that when people start getting a little change. Get that first paycheck. Start eating and getting full… we will forget God.
We will forget our place, and usurp his.
And that’s exactly what is taking place in our text.
The people had only been back for a generation or two and thy’re acting as if they have the right to do whatever they want with their fields and vineyards and lands.
But this Land was to be a Stewardship, not an Ownership…
I fear so much that this is what we do with our salaries, and paychecks, and possessions.
We think we own them. And we compartmentalize our lives and faith.
We let God own parts of our life.
We say… God you can have my Sunday! I wake up, I rouse the kids, we deal with the attitudes and we go to church! God you can have my Sundays!
For some, we throw a little cherry on top and say, “I even serve in cbcKids… and corraling 21 1st graders every Sunday is sure to get me some rewards in heaven!”
I mean I even joined a grow group… so you have my Wed. nights too!
We let God have some of our lives.
We compartmentalize. Just like the people of God in our text we say, “I’m building the wall. I’m doing my part. You can have my labor.
But finances!? That’s mine. I earned it.
But listen to the words of Jesus church… “You cannot serve God and money. Either you will HATE the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.
Jesus is saying… it doesn’t work this way. You don’t own parts of your life, and give him the others.
As Hudson Taylor wrote, “He is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.
Church, your attitude toward material things is a themometer that measures the health of your relationship with God.
Where your treasure is, your heart will be also, and if you live as the OWNER of your money, you may be halting the work of God in your life.
So if you want to walk in the fear of the Lord, you need to start viewing yourself as a Steward of your life, including your finances.

Conclusion

Money Problems were hindering the Work of God, and misrepresenting the Character of God.
And Nehemiah believes its all because they lacked a Fear of God.
So we must
Let the Scriptures guide our Finances.
View ourselves as Stewards not Owners.
But let me leave you with another point to overcome this obstacle:
Follow Nehemiah’s Example

Follow Neh. Example

Let’s read the remainder of our text, and see Nehimiahs example here:
Nehemiah 5:14–19 ESV
Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
Nehmiah is an incredible example for us in many many ways, but here I want us to follow His example with Money!

His Example of How

First, he gave sacrificially!
His giving cost him!
In order to give, he chose to forego some of his own rights as governor.
Apparently, on top of the Persian Tax, the governors of Judah had the right to tax the people in order to pay for their own governmental and household expenses.
Former governors did this and laid heavy burdens on the people (vs 15)… but Nehemiah didn’t… He forfeited his right.
He was also so committed to the Work of God that he didn’t aquire any land for himself!
Nehemiah sacrificed some of his own rights and privelges, just so that he could live Generously.
Church, your giving should be sacrificial.
Like the church in Acts selling their property and possessions so that they share the proceeds with those in need.
Like the lady with the alabaster jar full of costly perfume.
Like the widow with her mite who gave out of her poverty.
2 Corinthians 8:3 “For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,”
Nehemiah gives us an example of sacrifical giving.
Secondly, he gave bountifully
according to verses 17 & 18 he was responsible, at the very least, for feeding 150 people a day!
1 ox, 6 sheep and birds, and every ten days an abundance of wine!
I mean this was a huge responsibility, and yet he gave bountifully all at his own expense (vs. 18).
And on top of this he was giving the poor money and grain as well.
This man gave bountifully. Church, we need to follow his example.
Because there is a scriptural principle here: 2 Corinthians 9:6 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
Thirdly, he gave willingly.
Nobody was twisting his arm. In fact, as already mentioned he had every right to OWN his own wealth. But instead he willingly shared it.
Have you ever wondered why we don’t pass an offering plate here?
Is because of this new testament principle.
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
We don’t want to guilt you into giving. Instead I want your giving to be an act of worship, done willingly, not under compulsion. Just like Nehemiah.
So Nehemiah gave Sacrifically, Bountifully, and Willingly and we’d be wise to follow His example of How.
But let me conclude by laying out His example of Why.

Example of Why

What motivated Nehemiah to give like this!?
Well the text makes it pretty clear.
The Fear of God
Nehemiah 5:15 “But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.”
Nehemiah’s highest priority in life was to live for the honor and glory of God, and he knew that it wasn’t just this city that reflected God but his very life.
He was Nehemiah’s Lord of All.
Secondly, he was devoted to the Work of God
Nehemiah 5:16 “I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.”
Spending superfluously would have been a distraction to his purpose and calling.
I think this needs to be evaluated for us all. Because our spending reveals our priorities don’t they.
We hear it all the time… If you want to know what’s important to someone look at their spending of money and time.
Nehemiah got that. And because His highest priority was Honoring God and doing His Work, His spending or in this case, giving reflected that.
Thirdly, the People of God
Nehemiah 5:18 “Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.”
He didn’t take advantage of the people because he loved them.
A love for God, His Work, and His people should guide us in our giving.
Finally the Reward of God
Nehemiah 5:19 “Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.”
God sees our giving ya’ll. And for Nehemiah, he could afford to forego some of the world’s fleeting pleasures because he knew that one day the Great Accounting would come.
And in that day, God will Remember his generosity for this people.
Church, this world is not it. There is another coming.
Matthew 6:19–21 ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Live for the Reward of Heaven.

Conclusion

Church, our view and usage of money is often the thing hindering God’s work in our lives.
So like Nehemiah, I beseech you to live in the Fear of God.
Let the Scriptures instruct.
And learn to be a Steward.
And follow His Example.
He gave sacrifically, bountifully, and willingly.
All motivated by a Love for God, His Work, His People, and ultimately His Reward.
So Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Communion

Today we are going to conlude our time together by taking Communion
Today as we take the bread and the juice I want you to think about the generosity of God our Father in the giving of Jesus Christ.
The Gift of Christ was Sacrificial--- His very life.
It was Bountiful— able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him.
It was Willful— Nobody took his life from him, but he laid it down of his own accord.
And like Nehemiah, the Gift of Christ was motivated in similar fashion!
Motivated by a Love for God.— As his soul was troubled, knowing he must be lifted up he cried out… Father glorify thy name.
Motivated by a Love for God’s Purposes— He said, But for this purpose I have come for this hour.
Motivated by a Love for People— He demonstrated his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Motivated by the Reward— it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross.
God is a Giver Church. May we reflect Him, in our own giving.
So take a moment as you take the elements and reflect on our Giving God in Christ, and i’ll come back up and lead us through the partaking of this meal together.
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