Lesson Material
Phase #6 MEDIATION
How to Be an Agent of Reconciliation
Nehemiah 5
Some years ago, when Hurricane Andrew tore through southern Florida, the people did everything they could to prepare their buildings for the coming storm. But their onslaught was worsened by the actions of some of their fellow citizens. Lawbreakers looted homes and businesses, and opportunistic retailers practiced exploitation through price gouging. It was a double whammy.
In Acts 6, we see Satan attacking the church from two directions: outside and inside. From the outside, he stirred up persecution and opposition. On the inside, he instigated dissension and contention. His purpose was to trip up the church so it would not be able to carry out the tasks God had given it.
Satan still uses that tactic today. He disrupts the mission of the church by disturbing its unity. It works because it often catches us by surprise. Many believe that a church is a place where deeply caring people who love one another and mutually support each other gather to worship, where conflicts are nonexistent, and where “never is heard a discouraging word.” When conflict erupts, we are caught unaware.
We shouldn’t be; it is one of the devil’s most common ploys. Over four hundred years before the birth of the church, he had used against Nehemiah and his fellow Jews. In the last chapter, Nehemiah’s band deals with external opposition. Now, in chapter five, we observe them grappling with internal contention.
Leadership includes many skills, doesn’t it? It involves more than providing direction, organization, and protection; it also requires knowing how to do mediation. It has been said that there will be conflict “whenever two or three are gathered together.” And for that reason, you need to learn how to become a peacemaker.
MEDIATION: Leaders should expect outward opposition and inward contention. As a peacemaker, you must mediate conflict and bring reconciliation.
That was the situation with Nehemiah. During this great building project, the outcry from the poor in Jerusalem brought Nehemiah’s attention away from the wall to the people and how they treated each other. His handling of this storm is enlightening.
This case study of how to deal with conflict is unique. It will be different in many situations where you may need to intervene. But there are still many things that you will find applicable.
LISTEN TO THE CRIES OF THE HURTING (5:1-7a)
Nehemiah had just dealt with external opposition, and the wall construction was progressing when a segment of the population threw down their tools and complained.
5 1Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 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 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.”
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.
Clarify the Issues
As the first five verses indicate, Nehemiah listened carefully to hurting people and clarified all the issues.
Here’s the scenario: The Jews were being squeezed financially from two different directions. On the one hand, they faced famine in the land (3). The weather may have caused it, the military threat of their antagonistic neighbors, or even their having to leave their fields to work on the wall. On the other hand, they were forced to pay high taxes (4). Even though Persia was 800 miles away, Artaxerxes still said, “Read my lips: More new taxes.”
The people before Nehemiah had some valid grievances. Some said, “Our families are large, and we don’t have enough food to feed them, to keep them alive.” Others said, “Inflation is so high that to get grain, we have to mortgage everything we own: fields, our vineyards, and even our homes!” A final group said, “We, too, were forced to borrow money, and when we couldn’t make our payments, our creditors took our vineyards, fields… and then, they took our children!
The creditors took advantage of the plight of people experiencing poverty by charging exorbitantly high interest rates. According to verse 11, they demanded the hundredth part of their money, grain, wine, and oil as interest. While we may be used to 12% interest, they weren’t. Since the market allowed it, the poor were exploited for profit. When the people couldn’t pay, the loan sharks would resort to enslaving the children of the debtors. Who were these loan sharks? The Persians? The Samaritans? The Arabs? No. They were fellow Jews. Their fellow citizens. Their flesh and blood!
I wish I could confine ugliness like this to this Old Testament story. But you also find believers hurting believers in the New Testament churches. Paul has to warn the Galatian church, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out, or you will be destroyed” (5:15). And you will find it in our churches of today. I don’t need to tell you that. At some time or other, most of us have been victims. Other Christians have hurt us. And sometimes, we ourselves have hurt other Christians.
While walking in the flesh, any Christian is capable of cheating, ridiculing, ignoring, judging, criticizing, misleading, using, and abusing other Christians. What is especially sad is that wounds from fellow believers are often deeper because we don’t expect them to come. We get blindsided. In our idealism, we are shocked when a supposedly safe church environment suddenly becomes a boxing ring.
Concern Yourself Deeply about Wrongs
6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
Care enough to listen. Care enough to get angry. In a world where the media persistently broadcasts accounts of people in crisis and tragedy, we can develop what columnist Louis Cassels calls “compassion fatigue.” Cassels says, “Many of us seem to have lost the capacity to get mad–or at least, as mad as we ought to get about lying, cheating, and stealing…”
Ephesians 4:26 says, “In your anger do not sin,” but it doesn’t say not to get angry. Righteous anger that leads to positive actions is a virtue.
Deliberate Before You Act
7 I pondered them in my mind (I took counsel with myself ESV) and then accused the nobles and officials.
Nehemiah controlled his anger by thinking before he spoke. He pondered how to handle the situation and what would be the most productive thing to say.
When upset, Christians are usually tempted to resort to two wrong options: fight or flight. Both alternatives not only show a lack of love but also show a lack of faith. The first option, to “fight fire with fire,” results in everyone getting burnt. Those who use the second option just disappear. They are so afraid of conflict that they jettison all commitment to their body of believers and either stop going to church or go to another church.
Interpersonal conflicts between believers can be especially painful. But we can’t just throw our hands up and say, `I give up! I don’t care anymore!’
Is there another option besides taking flight or choosing to fight? Yes, God wants you to be a change agent. He wants to use you to bring healing. Nehemiah provides a good model to follow.
CONFRONT THOSE CAUSING THE PAIN (5:7-13)
7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, 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 us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”
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 their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”
At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
Explain What They Are Doing Wrong
Nehemiah spoke directly to those in the wrong. And when he did, he made three specific accusations.
First, he told them that they were sinfully charging interest of their fellow Jews (7). This was a violation of Deuteronomy 23:19-20. This passage teaches that it wasn’t wrong to lend or borrow money. And it wasn’t wrong to lend money to a foreigner and charge him interest. But Jews were not supposed to charge interest to Jews. Usury was the practice of charging exorbitant, illegal interest.
Second, he noted that they were wickedly enslaving other Hebrews (8). Enslavement was not just an act of disobedience to the Law (Leviticus. 25:34); it was pure cruelty. The lenders were human piranhas feeding on the impoverished for personal advantage. Their love for profit superseded their love for others.
By their very nature, they were “Takers,” not “Givers.” They were exploiting their national brothers—just like we tend to exploit our sisters and brothers. To get our way, we manipulate and use others. Some use harsh words. Some use the silent treatment. Some use church politics. What we should use is love.
We want something so bad we are willing to hurt others to get it.
James 4 1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Divisions happen due to our prioritizing selfish wants. We fracture unity whenever we lobby for our preferences, lust for gain, demand our own way, or seek prominence. A New Testament example is Diotrophes.
The Apostle John said, “9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3 John 3:9-10)
Diotrophes, the self-appointed leader of the church congregation, exhibited a toxic and divisive spirit. He wanted his own way, not the best way, not the way that would benefit others. Rather than working for the unity and growth of the church, he used underhanded tactics and manipulated others to advance his agenda.
Diotrophes’ modus operandi was to fabricate charges against those who opposed him, using personal disagreements as a pretext to create conflict and divide the congregation. He sought to exclude those who did not align with his own beliefs and desires. This insidious behavior reveals his true intentions – to exert power and control rather than promote harmony and spiritual growth. Rather than seeking the congregation’s best interests, Diotrophes sought to gratify his own ego and enforce his own will, regardless of the consequences.
The cautionary tales of Diotrophes in the New Testament and the Loan Sharks in the Book of Nehemiah serve as stark reminders of the detrimental effects of unchecked ambition and self-centeredness. It is imperative that we guard against our lust for personal gain and strive to bless others.
Third, Nehemiah told the exploiters that they were ruining the reputation of God and His people (9).
So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?
They were giving God a bad name. Neighbors were saying, “Look at those religious fanatics cutting each other’s throats. They’re no different than anyone else.”
The impact of negative actions by Christians on the perception of God cannot be overstated. When Christians behave in a manner inconsistent with Jesus’ teachings, it can tarnish the image of God in the eyes of others and hinder the spread of His message of love and grace. Christians must be mindful of their behavior and strive to represent God in a positive light through their actions and words.
As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” And in John. 13:35, He said, “All men will know you are my disciples if you love one another”
When Christians act in a way that is sinful or mean-spirited, it not only reflects poorly on them individually but also on the God they claim to serve. As followers of Christ, we must strive to live honorable lives and reflect our Savior’s character. In 1 Peter 2:12, believers are encouraged to “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” Our actions should point others to the goodness and grace of God, rather than driving them away through sinful behavior.
Provide a Path of Corrective Action
10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”
Change agents don’t just “take on takers,” they help them transform. Nehemiah handled the situation so that everyone benefited. Those who had been abused had their belongings returned, the offending nobles and officials were set straight, and the unity of the people was restored.
First, he told the evildoers to stop their sinful behavior: “Let the exacting of usury stop!” They had to discard all their excuses and rationalizations and choose to help others rather than hurt them.
Second, they should make immediate restitution (11). They were to return everything they had taken, including any interest. Don’t try to gradually do better when you are convicted of sin. God doesn’t want you to handle your sin with an installment plan. Go cold turkey. Determine that you will make specific changes right away.
It is wonderful to see how these people responded.
12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”
Design an Accountability System
12 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 their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”
These nobles and officials made a public pledge before others. Their promise, heard by everyone, created strong accountability.
Christians sometimes have the mistaken notion their spiritual decisions should be private and just between God and themselves. If you have bought that line, take it back to the store. Notice the communal nature of their promise before God. It was not just before the priests (12), it was also before the assembly of people!’ This pattern happens repeatedly throughout Scripture. Why? Because public commitments are usually more effective than private commitments. It helps you nail them down. It makes you accountable to God and God’s children. They are there to support and reinforce your decision. Share your commitments with other Christians. Ask them to pray for you and hold you accountable.
Nehemiah then used an object lesson to help them recognize and remember the serious nature of their promise (13). He stood and shook out the folds of his robe to illustrate that God would shake out the possessions of those who didn’t keep their public pledge to no longer exploit the poor. They would learn first-hand the pain of loss. Those making a promise to God should not be flippant. God will hold them responsible.
The people said, “AMEN!” It is beautiful when people are confronted by sin and make confession and restitution!
SERVE AS A GOOD EXAMPLE (5:14-19)
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, my God, for all I have done for these people.
Sacrificially Put Others First
- Give Up Your Rights for Others (14-15).
For a dozen years, Nehemiah and his brothers gave up their right to get food stipends allotted to the governor. Governors before Nehemiah had placed a heavy tax on the people to not just obtain entertainment expenses, but also to obtain wealth. That was also true of their assistants. They used their position to “lord themselves over the people.” Nehemiah, instead, focused his attention on the Lord above and treated Him with reverence by treating others with consideration.
- Give Up Your Time for Others (16)
Nehemiah used his time to fully concentrate on the construction of the wall. He did not give time to the profit-making schemes of the previous governors.
- Give Up Your Finances for Others (17-18)
Nehemiah fed a hundred and fifty Jews and numerous other guests from other countries daily. This was no soup kitchen; they were given “choice” food and wine.
It makes me think of the sacrificial love of our Savior. Jesus Christ gave up his rights, time, and even His life for our good.
Make Pleasing God Your Ultimate Goal
19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.
Nehemiah acted generously and sacrificially because of his love for the people, but even more so because of his devotion to God. He wasn’t a man-pleaser; he was a God-pleaser.
Why was Nehemiah such a giver? He loved God and wanted the Lord to look at him with approval. Nehemiah was concerned about how God would remember him.
I’ve heard it said that we should ask ourselves how we want to be remembered by others. A good way to live life is to picture your funeral and think about what you want people to say about you. That is good advice. However, Nehemiah’s path was the best one. He was more concerned about how God would remember him.
How Will You Be Remembered?
The gospel song “Do Lord, Oh do Lord, Oh do remember me” is a traditional African American spiritual that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its popularity and usage spread over the years. I grew up singing it in Sunday School.
While the exact composer of the song is unknown, I wonder if some of its lyrics found their source in Nehemiah’s plea that God would remember him for the good he had done. I’ve modified this old chorus to fit this passage even better. Feel free to sing along.
Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me,
Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me,
Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me,
For all I’ve done for you.
Remember me with favor, Lord
For treating others right.
Remember me with favor, Lord
For serving you with might.
Remember me with favor, Lord
For walking in your light.
Oh, do remember me.
Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me,
Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me,
Do Lord, oh, do Lord, oh, do remember me,
For all I’ve done for you.
How will you be remembered?
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6 esv)