Facing problems among God’s people Nehemiah 5-6

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1 Nehemiah had faced

threats from their
enemies but now there
was a problem among
the builders. Many had
left their work to build
the walls and needed
money for food and to
pay their heavy taxes to
the King of Persia. The
poorest people had
borrowed money from
rich Jews to do this who
were charging them high
interest rates on their
loans. And when they
could not repay the
loans they were
threatening to sell their
children as slaves.
Nehemiah was angry
because these rich Jews
were not only greedy
but breaking God's law
that no Jew must ever
make a slave of another
Jew (Leviticus 25:39-42).
2 Nehemiah called the
people together and
addressed the greedy
Jews. He pointed out he
had 150 people working
for him who were
lending money and grain
but he was not charging
interest.
'What you are doing is
not right and against
God's laws,' he told
them. 'You must stop
charging interest! Give
back the fields,
vineyards, olive groves
and houses you have
taken as well as the
extra money you have
charged.' The rich Jews
were ashamed and
agreed.
Nehemiah shook the
long cloak he was
wearing and warned.
'God will shake out
anyone from their home
and property who does
not keep their promise
to repay.
3 The builders were able
to continue building so
that only the gates
remained. Sanballot,
Tobiah and Gesham
hatched a plot against
Nehemiah by inviting
him to a meeting in a
village on the plain of
Ono 30 miles (30km)
from Jerusalem.
But Nehemiah replied, 'I
am working on a great
project. Why should the
work stop for your
meeting?' Four times
they sent the same
sealed message, and
each time Nehemiah
refused to go. So, they
sent him a fifth invite
leaving the letter
unsealed so others could
read it and think
Nehemiah was planning
a rebellion against the
King of Persia. Nehemiah
pointed out the letter
was a devious plot to
stop the work and
prayed to God, 'Now
strengthen our hands.'

4 So Nehemiah's enemies
tried another ploy. They
paid a man named
Shemiah, living in
Jerusalem, to take a
message to Nehemiah
warning of a plot to kill
him that night. 'Let us
hide together in the Holy
Place of the temple and
lock the doors for no-one
will find you there,'
Shemiah suggested.
Nehemiah knew that
God's law stated that
only a priest could enter
the Holy Place of the
Temple. To hide in the
Temple would be to
disobey God. He refused
to run away or hide in
the temple, trusting God
to protect him.
Nehemiah's enemies
had failed again.
5 Finally, just 52 days
after the project began,
the walls and gates were
finished. The enemies
who had opposed the
building work became
afraid because they
knew that this work had
been done with the help
of God.