Nehemiah 5
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Governments are compelled by political forces to seek to tackle these problems, but except for minor improvements here and there, problems remain and increase. The reason for this failure and incompetence is a failure to appreciate the true nature of the problem, which is the corruption and sinfulness of human nature. Human nature must be changed before things can improve, and this change cannot be achieved by laws and actions from outside us. The problem is that human nature is corrupt and bent. Only a new nature is any good and the new nature is only possible in the Good News of Jesus Christ.

This chapter before us in Nehemiah illustrates this problem of human corruption, and shows where the answer lies, which is in God and his reviving and saving grace.

This fact of the corruption of human nature is illustrated in this 5th chapter in Nehemiah. Before the time of Nehemiah, the richer and more powerful Jews left in Jerusalem had used their power and wealth to exploit their fellow Jews. When there had been famine or flood which caused disaster for many, who then came to these rich for help, these rich and powerful people exploited these peoples� need, charging excessive prices for food, etc. When money ran out for these needy people, the rich then made loans at extortionate interest, and through this means gradually gained the land of their fellow Jews, and even bought their fellow Jews as slaves, in order pay the debts these Jews had run up because of their exploitation.

We also read in this chapter of how Nehemiah�s predecessors as governor in Jerusalem and Palestine, had made extortionate demands on the people, and lived in luxury and riches on the proceeds.

Here is an all too common example of the corruption in human nature. Human nature is greedy and selfish. Human nature loves power and the power and pleasure money can buy. Human nature is prepared to exploit others in need to further their greed and lust for power. Greed makes human beings insensitive to the troubles and pain of others. Because of this people suffer unnecessarily. Even though people know this action is wrong, and would hate to be treated like this, they will do it without a conscience to others. Here is the corruption of human nature in one direction.

We may say that this is not something we would do. Perhaps, though given the right circumstances and opportunities we might, because another side to our corruption is the ease at which we are ready and able to justify our actions. However, even if human corruption does not manifest itself in this particular way in us, it does and will in so many other ways.

Human corruption effects all our faculties. We follow these corrupt instincts naturally. Society has laws and cultural standards to curb this fact of humanity. We seek to teach our children to turn away from these manifestations of this corruption, but without the success we know is needed. This corruption is an all pervading evil in society. It is seen all around the world. There will be a terrible natural disaster, and aid is sent out to help, and corruption will exploit this situation. Aid will be stolen to make gain for people in power. People in power will do little to overcome disasters because it costs time and money, and would perhaps spoil the ease of life for the few not effected by the trouble.

Bringing laws and sanctions against this corruption has little result. For a time the targeted corruption will be curtailed, but such is the cleverness of corruption, that soon some way around the law will be found, or for vested interests the law is neglected and not enforced. Nothing can solve this problem except a new nature. This is only possible in the Gospel of Christ.

Nehemiah was only just one man, but his life had been changed by the Gospel of Christ. It is true that he lived in Old Testament times, before Christ had come and died to save us, and before the Gospel as we know it from the New Testament was preached and known. However, these Old Testament saints were saved by Christ and his death, and their faith was in the promise of this salvation that had been promised from the beginning of time, and more particularly to Abraham and since. Nehemiah had this faith. Through his faith in the promise of the Messiah to come he had received new life through Christ who had been promised.

The Spirit of God worked in his life, and personally he was being renewed in the image of Christ as he lived the life of faith, and in his life he was moved by the Spirit to do the will of God to bring new life and revival to the people of Israel. So he had been concerned for the state of Jerusalem, and he had prayed for God�s reviving grace, and God had led him to where he was. Through Nehemiah, God�s reviving grace was brought to Jerusalem, which would bring reviving grace to the individual lives of the people living then in Jerusalem.

The hope of society and human beings can only be found in the Gospel. God uses his revived and saved people to bring his blessings to society as he did here with Nehemiah. The hope of society is in the church of God, and the willingness of God�s people to pray to God for his reviving grace, and to place themselves in the hands of God to be used as God sees fit.

Christian people, we need to be concerned for our nation and society, and like Nehemiah to pray to the God of heaven that he will come with blessing and reviving grace upon his church, and through his church to the nation. Such prayer must have the ingredient of faith, and the willingness to be placed in the hands of Christ for whatever service is in the mind and will of Christ for us to do.

What is so amazing is what we read happened here in the life of Jerusalem at this time when God�s grace was manifest through Nehemiah.

The people brought their suffering and complaint to Nehemiah. They told him their grievance, and how they had been treated. Under God this touched the heart and conscience of Nehemiah. He pondered the problem in his mind (verse 7). There can be no doubt that this pondering in the mind included prayer to God concerning the matter. No Christian ponders a problem except in an attitude of prayer.

Then Nehemiah was not put off by the difficulty of the problem, but he brought the matter to those who were to blame and challenged them with their sin. In verses 7-8, we see Nehemiah, with great courage facing the nobles and officials. He brought what he had heard to them, challenged them with what he had heard, and established the truth about the matter.

If we are people of faith, and God�s children, then we must be prepared to face difficulties without flinching. Nehemiah, when he had established the facts, faced the nobles and officials with their sin. He told them how wrong their actions were, and how dishonouring it was before God, and how it brought them down to the level of the heathen all around them.

It is the wonder of divine and redeeming grace that it allows believers to be able to trust God, and face this difficulties and go forth to do the will of God.

Then we see the remarkable thing. If you had been in Nehemiah�s shoes what would your expectancy have been as to the response from the nobles to your accusation and call to put things right. I guess that your expectancy would have been more that you would be snubbed, and despised, although with the hope of something better.

What happened in the case of Nehemiah is a demonstration of what God did, and what he does when he comes in reviving grace. These nobles responded to Nehemiah in a most positive way. They promised before God and before Nehemiah and the priests, that they would give back the land they had taken so unlawfully from their fellow Jews, that they would release those they had enslaved, and pay back the money they had taken wrongfully from others.

This was accompanied by praise to God (verse 13b). They were pleased and happy to do it. They made their restitution before God and for God, and they found joy in this change. This could have been nothing less than the change of heart, and the gift of new life, which comes in the Gospel of Christ, and the power and example that such changed lives have in society, to be salt and light to all around them.

This is the only answer to the problems of corruption in human society. A change will only come when God comes with reviving grace upon his church first, and then through the church to society.

Lastly, let us observe the example of Nehemiah. Nehemiah practised what he preached. Although he had every right to the normal remuneration of his office, yet he did not even take this. He not only renounced the evil practices of his predecessors, but would not even make justifiable demands on the people. He sought to have no more than the ones he served, and where he could he sought to help and provide for those who were in need. So he provided regular food for a large number of people from his own pocket.

The power of preaching the truth will be undermined if the life of the preacher does not match what he or she preaches. The power of the preaching will be further enhanced when people see that the preacher is ready to go further than he has preached.

Nehemiah sought to live the love of Christ in his life, and to share the love of Christ in a positive way. it is important for all who are Christians to be like minded, and adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour in the way we live, and the love we show to others.

There is an answer to the problems of the world, and this answer is found in the Gospel of Jesus. The corruption of human nature can be changed by the new life we receive when we believe on Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins.

If this is the hope of the world, it has to be said and asserted that there is no real answer anywhere else. There is still good around and in people, and this good does make some headway in society, but can never make any radical difference. History shows that only where the Gospel of Christ has taken hold, and people are alive with the faith of Christ, that society is changed for good. It is also shown, as in the history of the UK, that when a people turn away from Christ and the Gospel as Britain has done, then the corruption of human nature reasserts itself.

Let God�s people seek to be Nehemiah�s in our day, and seek a fresh revival in our countries today.