War Within
Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewInternal conflict can topple an organization. In this chapter, Nehemiah helps bring resolve to oppression by calling the people to remember and return to God's standards.
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1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live.”
3 There were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine.”
4 Also 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 like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.
7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, “You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
8 I said to them, “We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
9 Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
10 “And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.
11 “Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.”
12 Then they said, “We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.
INTRO: When we think of the challenges the modern church faces, we often look at the culture and opposition that arises from the world. Last week, we looked at facing some of these external enemies.
But, what if I told you that the cause of many organizational failures- businesses, governments, and churches, is not external opposition, but internal conflict?
Sometimes this is due to a lack of structure, but often it is due to a person or group that acts outside the values of the organization. When left unaddressed, this behavior becomes toxic if not fatal.
ILL: How long will a business last if bad investments are not detected and addressed? Did we learn anything from ENRON? How long will a government last that undermines its own sovereignty? How long will a church last if it tolerates sinful behavior?
This internal conflict is dangerous because it is often easier to fight the enemy outside than to address corruption on the inside. In fact, I’d like to posit that the decline in the church today is not because of the ever-sinful culture… the church has always faced an evil, worldly culture.
The OT records that Israel’s neighboring nations practiced a religion that worshiped through the act of prostitution. The church at Ephesus was ministering in a city that was famous for its idolatry of Artemis…The church is the light in dark places!
Could it be that the decline in the American church is due to internal conflict?
In our passage today, we see that Nehemiah and the Jews faced yet another challenge. It is bad enough that the walls were broken down and there were enemies on the outside trying to deter this work. But on top of that there was a famine due to a major drought.
This famine, like all famines, led to extreme difficulties, especially for those who were not wealthy. But the famine is outside of anyone’s control. The real problem is how this demand for resources led some to take advantage of the situation.
The first verses set the stage for us. (READ 1-5)
So the problem is that there is an increasingly desperate situation happening. People are struggling to feed their families. They’ve had to borrow money to buy food, to pay the king’s tax, and some have even had to mortgage their land to be able to live. Moreover, the debt was being lent at a high interest rate, which was forcing some into foreclosure and others even into slavery.
In a secular society, this is considered normal business practice. But for Israel, this is a problem. God’s people are called to a different standard- one of integrity and love of neighbor.
In our time together, we are going to examine Nehemiah’s response to this internal conflict. As we do, it is my prayer that we will learn some tools for addressing challenges we may face on the inside so we can be healthy in the long run. BTW this is applicable beyond the church - in our families, our schools, and in our friend groups.
The sermon is titled “War Within”. I invite you to use your sermon guide as we learn together. Let’s jump into our study.
The first part of Nehemiah’s response to the internal conflict that we observe is his:
Private Reaction (6)
Private Reaction (6)
(READ)
Nehemiah was angry… now, we when we hear that someone is angry, we often assume that their anger is wrongful. After all, we are supposed to be loving and nice, right?
Well, this might make you uncomfortable, but there are times when anger is an appropriate response. Scripture describes how God is angry towards sin.
Let me read a couple verses for you:
8 Smoke went up out of His nostrils,
And fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Of course, we are not God. But we are instructed in Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”
Francis A. Schaeffer, wrote a book entitled A Time for Anger: The Myth of Neutrality. It began, “There are times in which anyone with a shred of moral principle should be profoundly angry. We live in such times.”
So, there are occasions where anger is the appropriate reaction. Nehemiah was angry because a group was abusing the situation- taking advantage of their own people, AND (don’t miss this) - because they thought it was ok to do so.
We have no problem being angry at the sin in our culture, but I believe the sin inside the church should evoke a greater reaction because we call ourselves citizens of a new kingdom.
The exploitation of Jews by fellow Jews was not right, and Nehemiah was angry enough to oppose it.
ILL- Imagine benefiting from the church and stealing from the offering plate- you rob the people and God! It’s like your brother has come to repair your home, and you steal his tools. It’s like standing in the way of God’s work and throwing the workers under the bus. I’ve seen people put Jesus fish on their work van to get business from Christians and then they overcharge and do shoddy work
Obviously, before Nehemiah came on the scene, the oppressed group was ignored. Righteous anger is an appropriate response to this kind of behavior.
The principle is that our desire to be Christlike as a body pushes us to hold in high regard our calling. Enough so, that we would be angry enough to oppose such violations.
As we look back to our text, we see that Nehemiah’s response moved from anger to:
Public Rebuke (7-10)
Public Rebuke (7-10)
Nehemiah, in his anger, did not throw a tantrum. I like how he handled this. (READ 7)
First, he thought it through. (I consulted with myself… I’m going to start using this phrase) Likely, he interrogated his own reaction.
Why was he angry?
Was it borne out of pride?
What does God’s word have to say about this?
Was there a legitimate reason to be angry?
Obviously, the answer was that his anger was righteous. But he didn’t just fume over it, gossip about the nobles, or make passive-aggressive facebook posts.
Anger is great at identifying problems, but rarely solves them.
So, the action Nehemiah took was to rebuke them. This rebuke took place in 2 parts:
First, he called out their behavior directly. (7b) Usury is a biblical word that means interest. When you borrow money for your house or car, the bank makes a killing on usury.
But this is the world’s way. The Jews were people set apart by God and they were commanded not to exploit one another by charging interest, especially when there was a crisis.
Deuteronomy 23:19 “You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest.”
Exodus 22:25 “If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.”
So Nehemiah called out their behavior as sin, because they were in direct violation of God’s command.
BTW- that is key, friends- we have to know God’s word in order to act in accordance with God’s will and to hold one another accountable. Scripture is necessary for rebuke.
Second, because this was a public offense, Nehemiah held an assembly and rebuked them publicly. (READ 7c-10)
His argument is basically this: Our people have been enslaved by foreign countries for generations. Now that we have worked to be free, you are abusing the situation and making slaves out of your brothers for personal gain. Do you not fear God’s anger? Do you not believe that we are called to act differently than the sinful world?
The rebuke was probably uncomfortable. But it was necessary. I want to point out that this public rebuke meant that, for a time, the building of the wall was halted so they could deal with this.
What is the point of a wall if we are going to behave just like the world?
OR put another way - What is the point of a border with no expectations of conduct?
What is the point of a church covenant or a church mission if we do not regard it?
A people cannot claim to be set apart and have no defining set apart-ness!
Folks, we need to recognize this: IF we hope to be a church that truly represents Christ to the world around us, then we must be willing to prioritize godly living. That means that we value God’s word enough to apply it. Be doers of the word, not hearers only.
Anger in itself solves nothing. A rebuke alone simply calls the problem forward. Thus, Nehemiah’s final response to this internal conflict was:
Prompt Resolve (11-13)
Prompt Resolve (11-13)
READ 11
“this very day!”
Nehemiah was not going to draw this out. This should not have happened in the first place, so it resolve needed to be immediate.
This is kind of like when a classroom bully steals someones lunchbox. A good teacher might grab their little ear and demand: Give it back now!
Now, of course this group could have chosen to act pridefully and refused Nehemiah. I assume that there would have been consequences, like excommunication, for Nehemiah has shown that he is a man of godly character.
If you are continuing to act outside the values of God’s people, you cannot remain a part of the group. In the Corinthian church, a man was engaging in known sexual sin and the church was tolerating the behavior. Paul demanded they kick that fellow out of the church!
These nobles, however, humbly received Nehemiah’s rebuke and responded in obedience. (READ 12-13)
Surely those who had been oppressed were relieved and excited, but this whole ordeal was about more than their personal welfare. You see, Nehemiah recognized that this abuse was a heart problem. This was about God’s glory amid his people.
Thus, he called for the priests to come and have the nobles commit to an oath.
We might have the image of governors or presidents who place their hand upon a bible ans swear to uphold their duty in office.
But this was about returning to the Lord’s view of right and wrong. This was a change of mind and attitude about who they were as a people and how their purpose was God’s glory, not personal riches. You know what this was? This was public repentance.
Look here in v. 13- following this oath, all the people said “Amen!” and they praised the Lord!
This is exactly the kind of thing that will have to happen for the church to experience revival.
This internal conflict was an opportunity to exalt God’s values and call the people to worship. Imagine if Nehemiah would have been to chicken to address this - I doubt the wall would have been completed and likely there would be continued struggles for the Jews.
So what’s the point of this passage? What are we to glean from Nehemiah this morning?
Allow me to suggest the following:
As a church, we are called to be different. We are called to value one another, regardless of economic standing, family background, or even personality.
When conflicts arise, we must be willing to address them and anticipate that when we are at fault, we will be held to God’s standards.
Where repentance occurs, God’s people rejoice. That repentance might be public and involve policies and rules that safeguard against future violations. But ultimately it is a return to God’s values and priorities.
Perhaps this morning you are dealing with internal conflict- in your family, your school, or your workplace. Let me ask you- are you willing to trust God enough to respond like Nehemiah?
Maybe you have been convicted over your own violations of God’s word and values. You’re not Nehemiah in this story, you are the nobles being rebuked. I want to encourage you to repent today.
Discuss: How can you be angry without sin? What situations warrant such anger?
Discuss: What is basis of Nehemiah’s rebuke? How does that inform our response to internal conflict?
Discuss: What was the reason the church worshiped