Nehemiah 5:1-5

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their
fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are
numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”
Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards
and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
 
Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the
king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same
flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children 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.”
Nehemiah 5:1-5
Dumating ang panahon na ang mga mamamayan, lalaki man o babae,
ay nagreklamo laban sa kanilang kapwa Judio. 2 Sinabi ng ilan,
“Malaki ang aming pamilya at kailangan namin ng trigong makakain
upang mabuhay.” 3 Sinabi naman ng iba na nakapagsangla sila ng
kanilang mga bukirin, ubasan at mga bahay, huwag lamang silang
magutom. 4 May nagsasabi namang, “Nakapangutang kami
makapagbuwis lamang sa hari para sa aming mga bukirin at
ubasan. 5 Kami'y mga Judio rin at ang mga anak namin ay tulad din
ng kanilang mga anak! Ngunit ipinapaalila namin ang aming mga
anak. Sa katunayan, ang ilan sa mga anak naming babae ay naipagbili
na namin para maging alipin. Wala kaming magawâ sapagkat ang
aming mga bukirin at ubasan ay kinamkam na sa amin.”
Overcoming Our own
Selfishness
Four different groups of people were involved in this crisis.
(v. 1) First, there were the people who owned no land but who
needed food
(v. 2). The population was increasing; there was a famine
(v. 3); and the people were hungry. These people could not help
themselves so they cried out to Nehemiah for help.
The second group was composed of landowners who had
mortgaged their property in order to buy food
(v. 3). Apparently inflation was on the rise, and prices were going
higher. The combination of debt and inflation is enough to wipe out
a person’s equity very quickly.
The third group complained because the taxes were too high, and
they were forced to borrow money to pay them
(v. 4). In order to borrow the money, they had to give security, and
this meant eventually losing their property. The Persian king received
a fortune in annual tribute, very little of which ever benefited the
local provinces. Unlike our situation today, the taxes did not support
local services; they only supported the king.
The fourth group was made up of wealthy Jews who were
exploiting their own brothers and sisters by loaning them money
and taking their lands and their children for collateral
There is always a threat to our relationship, our enemy that we have
to deal with is within ourself ( Selfishness ) how many of us is guilty of selfishness?
We can see the symptoms, selfie, always want to be serve, thinking of self gain, in fact this is the reason why a nation is poor
2 Timothy 3:1-2
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God

We cannot deny this it is evident the way we treat others

It is displayed in crisis, in our marriage, the way we treat other who
are in need.
We know that we ourselves are selfish problem will not be solve by only
knowing but on acting or responding.
We can learn the ways Nehemiah deal with this in his time.
1. Consultation
(V.7) “I consulted with myself” means literally “My heart consulted within
me.” A friend of mine calls this “putting my heads together.”
Actually, Nehemiah put his heart and his head together as he pondered the
problem and sought God’s direction.
Although Nehemiah is not guilty of selfishness but one thing we must do is
ask ourself am I selfish?
In consultation with the doctor we must be honest to our own condition if we want to get well, ask ourself

lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,

unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of
the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God
2. Rebuke
Nehemiah’s rebuke of the exploiters
He appealed to their love by reminding them that they were robbing
their own fellow Jews
His appeal was based solidly on the Word of God, for the law of
Moses forbade Jews to exact interest from one another
Most of us point our fingers on others and neglect our own
guiltiness.
God words is to work with the person who read and listened to His
word.
Rebuke is very hard to accept but if it is only the way to align
ourselves to Gods word so be it.
Matthew 7:3-5
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and
pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to
your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the
time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the
plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove
the speck from your brother’s eye. ( we are all guilty )
( I never want to be the type of Christian who portrays themselves as
perfect. I am completely flawed, I have struggles and this is why I
need Jesus. ) “the society think that it is unloving”
Proverbs 27:5
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love. (It is in our weakness that

teach us to truly trust.)

3. Repent
Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take
an oath to do what they had promised.
 

True repentance comes always with the desire to submit that is

why it is very important to know that we cannot without Christ
in our life.

James 1:23
 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like
someone who looks at his face in a mirror
Jeremiah 23:29
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a
hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

To repent is not only to say sorry, not only to feel guilty but a
commitment or oath to do what is right or what is pleasing to
God
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—
this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
“Now the question is How we can overcome our Selfishness”
Humility / Consultation
Humility / accept that without the gracious work of God through
our Lord Jesus we cannot do anything
Repentance / Accepts rebuke it is always committed to do what is
pleasing to God.
And through our faith we are victorious because whatever our
weakness we ask God for the strength to overcome.