Inward Oppression: Compassion over Usury

Nehemiah. Yes, I know what you're (hopefully not but) likely thinking. How many times is he going to draw devotional posts from the book of Nehemiah? I thought that maybe since we hadn't heard from it in a while, we would be safe from hearing about it again.

In answer to your (potential) question, as long as the Lord continues to speak to my heart through it, I will continue to share some thoughts about it.

By now, you are all familiar with the chain of events in the book of Nehemiah. The wall of Jerusalem is torn down, and the people are in great affliction. Nehemiah mourns. Nehemiah takes his emotional burden to the Lord in hopes that the Lord will provide him an opportunity to rebuild the wall. 4-5 months later, Nehemiah still visibly saddened by the trial is given permission by the king to go to Jerusalem and work to rebuild the wall.

Nehemiah heads to Jerusalem; Sanballat and his team of evil villains mock the wall, knowing that it will not come to anything. Sanballat and his team start to become fearful as the wall's rebuilding is progressing remarkably better than they had presumed. Sanballat and his team unsuccessfully try to cease the work on the wall.

Encouraged perhaps by Nehemiah's success in defending from the outward threats, the people come to Nehemiah regarding the persecution they are receiving from within.

And the story progresses, but I will be ending my detailed, yet brief summary of the book here, as this internal oppression is what I would like to talk about today.

So, prior to the events of Nehemiah, the people have undergone some trials and tribulations. During a time of famine and want, the people have been forced to take desperate measures to be able to so much as eat. Nehemiah 5:1-5 explains,

"And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live. Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards."

This of course is a distressing situation. Yes it would likely have continued had the wall never been torn down because there seemed to be no compassion on the parts of the nobles and rulers of the land.

On the contrary, the nobles and rulers were a large part of the reason the people found themselves in this particular situation. They had begun to work to charge interest upon the people to the point where they had to sell their children in order to pay their debts, taxes, or just to eat.

It's the typical greedy "Capitalist" who forgets that the people with which he is doing business are actually, you know, people. Instead, the nobles and rulers have begun to see them as means to a particular end. Their needs aren't important; what I need to do is to make sure that I use them to serve my agenda.

Thus, when the problem is brought before Nehemiah, he is touched, he is angry, he shakes his lap because apparently that's a thing (literally refers to the shaking of his garments), and he rebukes the nobles and rulers in his typical bold way. We see simply in Nehemiah 5:8-11,

"And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them."

Nehemiah has rightly critiqued these men according to the works that they have done. But do we ever do the same thing. Sure, we're probably not going to force anyone to sell their children into slavery due to our business practices. But let's just take this to be a bit more relatable.

You're running for some sort of elected position in your school. Suddenly, you start to talk to people more openly than you were before, because each person who likes you is a vote for you in the election. There are obviously other examples, but time does not permit me to discuss them right now (read: I didn't care to think of any additional ones).

So we shouldn't follow in the footsteps of the nobles and rulers. People should be people, and we should care about their needs and work to supply them. What does that look like?

I think Nehemiah shows us quite well. Nehemiah was governor of the Jews at this point in time. Lawfully, he had the authority and liberty to tax the people to take from them some food, so as to furnish his own table. Yet throughout the entirety of his time as governor, he exercised grace on the people, forgoing this particular opportunity.

Even still, Nehemiah went out of his way to consistently host a 150 people at his dinner table daily. He saw the needs of the people and went out of his way to both passively and actively seek those needs.

That's what we should do too. Let's not view people we interact with as objects to further our own agenda. Let us instead look to heed the words of Philippians 2:3,

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

Why Did Solomon Choose Wisdom?

There are few choices that stand out more in the Bible than when Solomon asked for wisdom in his life. As God himself mentions in 1 Kings 3:11, Solomon had many options available to him. He could have asked for long life, riches, vengeance on his enemies, or any other number of selfish things. But instead he asked for wisdom to be able to serve God's people more honorably.

Many Christians today wonder whether in these same circumstances, they would be able to do the same. For whom would they make request: themselves or God? 

If we examine Solomon's life before the Lord asks him this question, we'll see a few signs that indicate why he was so ready to ask for wisdom in the first place. These will by no means provide an exhaustive list, but it would be a good start to make sure these principles are true in our own lives. 

First, Solomon was already serving the Lord. He was going to great lengths to worship the Lord in the high places. Although it wasn't the best option, Solomon took advantage of the option available to him in relation to serving the Lord. In I Kings 3:3-5, we read, 

"And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee."

You see, you shouldn't plan to serve God when the time comes. It's not as if a secret button can be pressed that brings you into God's presence and suddenly you want wisdom from the Lord in order to serve Him more effectively..

Rather, when the time comes, you will need to have already been serving the Lord, already have been developing your relationship with Him. Without that, you can't expect to have such a selfless desire as this.

Second, Solomon had humility. Here's a simple thought: if you don't know that you need help, you'll never ask for it. Before he asked for wisdom, Solomon understood that he couldn't handle the tasks before him on his own intellect. Thus, it comes as no surprise when he says in 1 Kings 3:9,

"Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"

Who is able to judge this thy so great a people? Fantastic question, Solomon. In our own lives, the questions would be different, but the point is, it doesn't matter who we are.

No human being on this planet is able to judge this so great a people, or strictly speaking serve the Lord in any capacity on their own power and wisdom. But have no fear, just as Solomon was able to serve the Lord as King because the Lord granted him wisdom, we too can have from God the wisdom necessary to serve Him fully.

What do you think allowed Solomon to make the right choice? Do you think I missed anything? Let the world know in the comments section.

Abimelech, the First King in Israel

I know what you're thinking. The first king of Israel is clearly Saul. Although Saul is the first king in the line of kings we typically think of, there was a small period of time when Abimelech the son of Gideon ruled as king over Israel in the days of Judges.

This story begins with the work of Abimelech's father Gideon. As many of you know, Gideon was a judge whom the Lord used to overthrow the Midianites. After this, the Israelites wish to make Gideon their king, but he replies in Judges 8: 23,

"And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you." 

However, the rest of his actions are not exactly befitting of that level of commitment to the Lord. Gideon who spent his early ministry tearing down idols, now has the Israelites furnish their own. Gideon caused the Israelites to go "a-whoring" after false gods.

This was the milieu in which Abimelech was raised. The son of Gideon and his concubine, Abimelech shared the inheritance of his father  with Gideon's seventy sons.

Or so he should have anyway. Instead though Abimelech decides that he is going to work his ways into the hearts of the men of Shechem to be their king. He challenges them in Judges 9:2,

"Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh."

There's just one problem. The other sons of Gideon have as much right to rule as does Abimelech. But this is no hard task for Abimelech. When he receives the blessing of the men of Shechem, he immediately goes to his father's house and slaughters the rest of his brethren.

This is a depressing time for the Israelites. One man has slain all his brothers for his own selfish ambition.

Thankfully, the Lord provided that not all the sons of Gideon would be slain. Jotham, the youngest son, hid from Abimelech and was saved. You can all guess how the events transpired from here. Jotham turns the hearts of the Shechemites against Abimelech, but he does this civilly without any threat of war. Ultimately, Abimelech dies, and the era of judges continues with a man by the name of Tola the son of Puah.

Jotham is never heard from again. He exhibited extreme selflessness working to free the people from the reign of Abimelech. He didn't look to put himself on the throne for himself, but rather sought to free Israel from the rule of this treacherous leader.

Truly that is what this passage is all about. Being more willing to serve than to rule. ln other words, looking out for others and God rather than pursuing your own agenda. As Jotham tells the men of Shechem in Judges 9: 7-15,

 "And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon."

In this parable, the bramble is symbolising Abimelech and his treachery. Jotham is saying that the judges prior to Abimelech were more interested in serving those around them, than they were in having power of their own. The Matthew Henry's Commentary on this chapter explains further,

"When the trees were disposed to choose a king the government was offered to those valuable trees the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine, but they refused it, choosing rather to serve than rule, to do good than bear sway. But the same tender being made to the bramble he accepted it with vain-glorious exultation.... He hereby applauds the generous modesty of Gideon, and the other judges who were before him, and perhaps of the sons of Gideon, who had declined accepting the state and power of kings when they might have had them, and likewise shows that it is in general the temper of all wise and good men to decline preferment and to choose rather to be useful than to be great."

A few weeks ago, this passage really spoke to me, in that I need not go about my days pursuing my own agenda, but looking to serve the Lord whole-heartedly, to be a blessing to those around me. Authority, power, enjoyment is all empty if we do not look to serve others. This is much more fulfilling than living a life of greed. Let it run every waking moment of your day.