Nehemiah 5:6

NEHEMIAH MOVED QUICKLY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

"And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself and contended with the rulers and the nobles, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them. And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and said never a word. Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies? And likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise. Also, I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise."

"I was very angry when I heard these words" (Nehemiah 5:6). Nehemiah restrained his anger, very wisely, and by his skillful handling to the situation, "He avoided personally alienating the rulers and nobles, who after all were the leaders of the community, and the men upon whom he relied for the support of his administration."[9]

"Then I consulted with myself" (Nehemiah 5:7). This means that Nehemiah disciplined himself in the control of his anger. He carefully laid the plans by which he would put an end to their abuses.

"Ye exact usury, every man of his brother" (Nehemiah 5:7). This was a heartless violation of God's law (Exodus 22:25), which forbade God's people to charge interest on any loan to a brother Israelite. "He reminded the rulers and nobles that his own conduct had been the opposite of theirs; and that when he had seen Jewish slaves offered for sale in Gentile markets, he would pay the ransom price and give them their liberty. But those nobles and rulers were Selling their poverty-stricken fellow Jews to heathen masters, knowing that Nehemiah would buy them back."[10] That procedure, obviously, amounted to their selling their brethren to Nehemiah, as indicated by the terse words in Nehemiah 5:8, And should they be sold unto us?

"Would ye even sell your brethren" (Nehemiah 5:8)? It was against the Law of God for an Israelite to sell even a servant as a bondman, much less a brother (Leviticus 25:42). It is apparent that Nehemiah's inclusion of this episode parenthetically at this point in his book was due to his purpose of exposing the character of the rulers and nobles as an advance explanation of trouble he would have with them later.

"They held their peace, and found never a word" (Nehemiah 5:8). Nehemiah had completely checkmated any public opposition by the rulers and nobles by his confronting them before a general assembly of the whole population. They had no excuse whatever for their wholesale violations of the Mosaic Law. Their own consciences condemned them. "And I likewise, my brethren and my servants do lend them money and grain" (Nehemiah 5:10). Nehemiah said nothing at all here about charging interest on such loans; and this writer does not believe that he was guilty of violating the Moasic instructions against such charges. If Nehemiah had been charging his brethren usury, why would he have been so angry with the nobles and rulers for doing so? The scholars who make the word likewise in this verse prove that Nehemiah was a usurer are in error.

"Let us leave off this usury" (Nehemiah 5:10). Ah! But does not this clause prove that Nehemiah was doing the same thing? Williamson so understood it, "Nehemiah here candidly admits having been involved in these same practices."[11] No! This was merely a tactful identification of himself with the violators, in order to promote good will and to avoid antagonism; and this is by no means the only example of a Biblical writer's using that very same device for the sake of avoiding unnecessary bitterness. "Ezra identified himself with the marriage offenders (Ezra 9:6) although he had not contracted an illicit marriage."[12] Did not the apostle Paul write:[13]

"Let US press on ... not laying again a foundation of repentance, ... and this will WE do, if God permit (Hebrews 6:1,3)?

In this passage, Paul used the first person plural twice (capitalized words in passage above); but he was not confessing that he himself was guilty of the same errors he was attempting to correct in the recipients of his letter. In the same manner, here, Nehemiah's use of the first person plural was not a confession that he was the same kind of heartless usurer as the rulers and nobles.

"Restore unto them their fields ... the hundredth part of the money ... and of the grain, ..." (Nehemiah 5:11). This was a public request, backed up by the support of the general assembly that all the abuses be ended at once. Several types of oppressing the poor are in evidence in this blanket request. (1) There was the interest charge (a hundredth part of the money. "This was a monthly charge, amounting to 12% a year."[14] (2) Then there were the fields confiscated through foreclosures, and (3) the extravagant rental charges "in kind," the grain, wine, oil, etc.

"Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them" (Nehemiah 5:12). Wonderful! So far, so good. But Nehemiah knew the character of the evil men with whom he was dealing; and he moved at once to "swear them in" to do what they promised to do.

"Then I called the priests and took an oath of them" (Nehemiah 5:12). With honest men, this would have been unnecessary; but Nehemiah moved to thwart any violations of this agreement by swearing them in before the whole assembly.

"I shook out my lap, and said, God so shake out every man ... that performeth not this promise" (Nehemiah 5:13). The `lap' that Nehemiah shook out was an improvised one, made by gathering up his robe in a fold, and then shaking it out as if he were emptying out things contained in it. This was a symbolical action, as were the deeds of many of the prophets, designed to emphasize their words. It was an appeal that God would drastically and completely punish and remove all violators of the promises they had sworn to honor.

"And the people did according to this promise" (Nehemiah 5:13). Nehemiah's precautions assured a full compliance with the public promises; and the people were relieved.