Sermon Tone Analysis

We have been studying the schemes of the devil so that as the church we might know how best to “be alert and resist him.”

The past two Sundays, we look at Nehemiah 4 and 6 to see ways that Satan attacks with his enemy forces against the community of God’s people.

He fires flaming arrows of deception, distrust, hate and violence towards the walls of the church and God’s people must be ready to defend such an attack.

But this is not the only strategy in war, to attack from outside.

Like the legend of the Greeks who were angered at the love interest of one Princess of Troy and a son of Greece, so they laid seige to Troy.

But after unsuccessful military attacks from outside, they constructed the famous Trojan horse, pretended to sail away with their armies, while secretly hiding a band of soldiers within the colossal statue.

The Trojans, thinking the war was over and the crafted figure was a peace offering, let their guard down to the enemy hiding within.

Troy was sacked because of this hidden, deceptive scheme of attack from within the walls of the city.

This tactic would go on to be used through the ages like at teh Battle of Endor when Han, Luke and Leia disguised themselves using an Imperial ship from the empire to deceptively fly onto the planet to gain access to the Shield Generator on Endor.

There is some truth in these stories of legend and fiction that an effective attack is one from within.

This is where the enemy lays traps for God’s people so that they might fall into sin while seeking to fulfill the work of God.

Ephesians 6:11 (ESV)

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Satan cannot cause us to sin but he lays the necessary traps and snares before us so that we by our own sinful nature may walk into them willingly or mistakenly.

Paul tells Timothy about the condition of lost people who need salvation and escape....

2 tim 2:24-26 “24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness.

God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

This passage therefore sets up our study of Nehemiah for while the people survived the attack from outside the walls by the enemies of God’s work, they fell into the snares of the enemies which should be a loud cry of warning for us in the church today to be mindful of our personal walk with Christ so that we might faithfully serve Christ without being hindered by besetting sin that distracts our service and dishonors the Lord.

A DIRE SITUATION PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIN 1-4

Neh 5:1-4 “1 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.”

The environment to fall into sin often comes with a dire situation.

We have seen this too often in our own lives and the lives of others.

A sickness, a death in the family, a financially unstable home all leads to myriads of opportunity for sinful acts and habits to develop.

This is where God’s people must be the most alert for Satan will use instability and uncertainty to lead us into a snare of sin.

For Nehemiah, this is exactly what happened.

Wartime and rebuilding was a hard time for the Jews.

Emotions were high from attacks from the enemy.

The people had fallen into discouragement and despair but Nehemiah continued to point them back to the power of God.

Neh 4:14 “14“Do not be afraid of them.

Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.””

Neh 4:20 “20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.

Our God will fight for us.””

But while the war outside was won, the war inside began.

A dire situation in Jerusalem became the blank canvas for a new war to begin: A war against sin!

There were 3 factors that can be observed in v 1-3

3 factors:

_Starvation_

_Taxation_

_Exploitation_

Starvation

Nehemiah paints the economical landscape with identifying the famine in the land.

Same word used with Joseph and Elijah

Both examples God uses those natural situations to show his power to people

Famine is a way we can see the curse of sin affecting the earth.

Food supplies are limited due to the climate anomalies and variation.

Some speculate the famine in Nehemiah’s day was due to the lack of agricultural work because of the wall construction.

Others merely attribute it to natural influences.

The outcry from the people was great as many suffered.

Vs 2-3 reveal that great lengths were taken by some to avoid starvation like the mortgaging of their own lands in order to purchased food supplies in order to live.

Taxation (Persia)

These were not free lands, but they still belonged to Persia.

Persia still required annual taxation of its provinces and in difficult economic times, the taxation from foreign rulers was overwhelming.

History shows that the treasuries of Persia would melt down tribute coins in into gold and silver bullion.

Edward Yamuchi reports that during the defeat of Persian, Alexander the Great discovered 270 tons of gold bullion and 1,200 tons of silver bullion stored in the treasuries of Susa, the capital of Persia.

For perspective, in todays prices for precious metals, that 14 billion in gold and 816 million in silver.

Persia was a rich nation and some of that money came from the meager pockets of the Jews in Jerusalem.

God has ordained the establishment of governments who act as agents of His purposes and taxation is one form in which those agencies are funded.

We could all discuss the amount of taxation and the corruption that surrounds those collected funds, but the point is that taxation in an economically challenging moment in Jersualem was a burden for the people.

Up to this point, we interpret these situations for the people of God as something out of their control.

They cannot help a famine has caused economic hardship.

They cannot do anything about the taxation required under the rule of Persia.

They can control how they respond to dire situations as the people of God.

Every circumstance in this life, good or bad is an opportunity to give God glory as His people.

The Jews were to reflect the character of God in their own lives as they lived among the nations.

The church, who is redeemed by Christ, is to do much the same in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Consider the situations that have arisen this past week or past month in your life.

Now is the time that you have a chance to reflect the character of God that is manifest within you or you reflect the worldly ideals of this present darkness.

1 Cor 10:31 “31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Think about Peter, in the garden of Gethsemane, in the midst of a dire situation.

The night had been long and wearisome.

He was exhausted and the looming message from Jesus about his arrest, death and resurrection was still a confusing thought to him.

Suddenly, an arresting party arrives to take His Lord away.

Would he trust in God’s power in these moments or take the matter in his own hands.

He chose the later and severed the ear of a temple servant.

Jesus corrects and comforts Peter’s spontaneity as he reminds him to trust in the sovereign plan of God.

Unfortunately, the Jews do not reflect that trust in God and instead, fall into greed and exploitation of their fellow brothers.

Exploitation (greed not compassion)

The most emphatic aspect of this situation in Nehemiah’s day is the way in which sin reigns in the midst of a great project for the Lord.

We could say that while Satan attacks God’s people from outside, sin covertly attacks from within.

Nehemiah 5:6-11

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.”

There is a progression of sorts in this sin.

The poor have no grain to eat because of the famine.

Those with land mortgage that land to get food but the local Jewish lenders were clearly exploiting the needs of others by charging unbearable interest to their fellow Jews.

With high taxes and exhausting debt, the Jews went so far as turning their children over to be hired hands in order to work off the debt.

Nehemiah exposes the sin of greed of the Jewish leadership against their people.

We once again see the term “outcry” in verse 6 as Nehemiah responds in disgust.

As a man of God, he knows what Exodus and Leviticus taught regarding lending to fellow Jews.

Lev 25:35-37 “35 “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.