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We Are Going Through the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah This Fall. Nehemiah Is the Man Primarily Responsible for Refounding

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We Are Going Through the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah This Fall. Nehemiah Is the Man Primarily Responsible for Refounding !1 We are going through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah this fall. Nehemiah is the man primarily responsible for refounding the nation of Israel after their exile in Babylon. The story begins in 445 BC, and there is a lot to learn about leadership and about building up the church and the people of God. In chs. 1 he hears about the devastating state of Jerusalem, and receives permission from King Artaxerxes of the Persian Empire to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. In ch. 2 he surveys the scene and rallies the people together to the task. In 3-4 he assembles the people, builds the wall, and deals with some opposition. This morning we’ll be in 5-6. These chapters are all about spiritual warfare, and especially about the ways in which our enemy seeks to destroy leaders through temptation, discrediting them, distracting them, and deceiving them. Some of you are familiar with the Old Testament book of Esther, in which God is never mentioned but his fingerprints are all over the story. Similar here – Satan is never mentioned but he looms behind the scenes, and his fingerprints are all over these two chapters. Let me quickly remind you about who Satan is and what his main strategies are. Satan is a created being, a fallen angel who rebelled against God. Two important passages about him are these: John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. He has three main strategies: 1) Temptation Matthew 4:1 - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2) Deception John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. !2 3) Accusation Revelation 12:9-10 - The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. Let’s begin by reading ch. 5, verses 1-5: NIV Nehemiah 5:1 -Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. 2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain." 3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine." 4 Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others." What is going on here? The work on the walls was cutting out work in the fields. If this continued, there would be no harvest and families would starve. Famine conditions had caused some people to mortgage some of their land to raise money. They would be in danger of losing their land. Loss of land plus the need to pay interest on loans had compelled some families to sell their children into slavery so that they could continue. Rebuilding of the walls was ruining poor people and would cause the poor workers to leave the job. The hostility is directed at Jewish brothers, the wealthy folk who had lent the money and taken children as slaves. The first temptation of Satan is the temptation to prioritize the task over the people How does Nehemiah react? !3 6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. 9 So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them-- the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil." Nehemiah replies by calling a meeting and exhorting the Jewish leaders to stop oppressing their brothers and sisters so that they will not be punished by their decision to work to rebuild the wall. He does not focus on the task at the expense of the people. He does not tell them “listen, I don’t have time to deal with this” or “suck it up and put Jerusalem above your own needs.” He listens, and he deals with the issue. And the leaders respond well. He also confesses that he has lent money as well, although he does not say he charged interest. Nevertheless, he calls for the debts to be forgiven and all that has been taken away to be given back. The temptation is to use people instead of loving and caring for them. This attitude is like this: it’s all about the mission, and you exist to serve the mission, and if you’re not on board, get off the bus. At its worst, I’m more worried about how the ministries are running then how the people leading them are doing. 12 "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. They respond well. Nehemiah continues: !4 14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year-- twelve years-- neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors-- those preceding me-- placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land. 17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people. 19 Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people. Second temptation is the temptation to use your position to benefit yourself. Nehemiah refuses to do that. He does not want to be seen as taking advantage of anyone. And so he takes the benefits and shares them with others. Reminds me of Paul: 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 - For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow There can be a perception that a leader is in it for the money, or the glory, to have people serve you.
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