Nehemiah 5:14-19

3. Nehemiah vindicates his own conduct.

TEXT, Nehemiah 5:14-19

14

Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor's food allowance.

15

But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people, But I did not do so because of the fear of God.

16

And I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

17

Moreover, there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us.

18

Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.

19

Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

COMMENT

From Nehemiah 5:14, it is obvious that this note was written after Nehemiah's second journey to his brethren in Israel, described in Nehemiah 13:6 ff. It would also appear from this verse (and through the end of the chapter) that Nehemiah was a man of considerable means who could afford to live on his income as a Persian official without ever drawing his salary as governor of Judah, for himself or for his assistants. This is also the first disclosure that Nehemiah has made of the rank which had been assigned to him by Artaxerxes; again we see something of his reserve. We can also guess what kept his enemies in the surrounding regions from attacking.

Nehemiah 5:15 contrasts this with other administrations in which large (daily) demands had been made on the people, both by the rulers and by their appointees. The forty shekels of silver was probably the value of the bread and wine, rather than in addition to it; assuming that a shekel was an average day's wage for a working man, the ruler would be well paid. Add the burden of the appointees-' domineering attitude (underlings in government have historically been among the most overbearing), and we can guess the benefits which Nehemiah's administration had in contrast. The reason he gives for his unassuming character was his fear of the Lord.

Nehemiah 5:16 lists three more things to his credit. (1) He himself helped with construction on the wall; even if this meant only superintendence of the work, it was beyond the call of duty for a governor. (2) Neither he nor his associates bought up any of the land at cheap prices from the desperate workers. (3) His own soldiers busied themselves with the building.

Meanwhile, in Nehemiah 5:17, there were the considerable expenses of official hospitality. It is suggested that the 150 Jews were the officials spoken of; read, Jews, that is, officials. There were still others from surrounding lands who came and went.

The daily menu, in Nehemiah 5:18, has been estimated as sufficient to feed 400 to 500 people[58]; that would be no small food bill. Here also is his concern not to be a burden on the people. It is always a blessing when those who give themselves to the service of others do not need to be compensated by oppressive salaries from those whom they volunteer to serve.

[58] Interpreter's Bible, Vol. III, p. 714.

In Nehemiah 5:19 Nehemiah's only request for recompense for his work was from God. His nobility speaks for itself.

WORD STUDIES

REDEEM. Of the three main words translated redeem in the O.T., two appear in Nehemiah. Qanah, Nehemiah 5:8: set upright, erect. This is a means of founding, creating, by which then we get, acquire something, as Eve got Cain; hence to get by purchase, buy, buy off, or redeem.

Padah, Nehemiah 1:10: the basic idea is to cut off, or cut loose; thus, to let go free, or set free. This happens when one is ransomed, or redeemed.

The third word, Gaal (noun, Goel, Redeemer) is implied in the whole process of being sold into slavery as described in Nehemiah 5:5, or in mortgaging property (Nehemiah 5:3). A near relative always has the right; if he were sufficiently wealthy and equally concerned (see Ruth 4:1-6 for one who wasn-'t), to buy a person back from slavery (Leviticus 25:48 f; Exodus 6:6); he could always redeem land which had been sold or foreclosed (Leviticus 25:25). All firstborn males were to be given in sacrifice to God in memory of the sparing of the firstborn in Egypt; but a person could not be sacrificed, so a redemption price was paid and his life was spared (Exodus 13:2; Exodus 13:13). If a person had suffered a crime or had been murdered, his next kinsman was to track down the guilty and avenge his brother; this threat would preserve justice in the land (Numbers 35:19). Or if a married man died without children, his next younger brother or kinsman was to marry her and continue his brother's name and inheritance (Ruth 3:13).

So our redeemer restores our inheritance, recovers us from sin's bondage, rescues us from death, protects us from injustice, and gives us an everlasting name.

SUMMARY

The next obstacle which Nehemiah and the builders had to surmount was caused by the Jews themselves: their selfishness and greed and oppression of one another. Some had been forced by the economic situation to borrow money, mortgaging and losing their property. Others had sold their children into slavery. Still others had encumbered their property to borrow the money to pay their taxes.
When Nehemiah heard how they were abusing one another when they all equally needed the protection of the wall and its completion was in jeopardy, he went to their creditors and politely insisted that they return the slaves and things taken in security, that they eliminate the usurious interest rate, and thus honor God and quit giving comfort to their enemies. Walls or no walls, the presence of a class of impoverished people never makes a contribution to the wealth of the well-to-do; ultimately the well-being of all is related. Observing Nehemiah's own example they agreed, and took an oath to continue this policy into the future.
Nehemiah himself assessed no tax on the land to pay his salary or his lavish hospitality bills. He required similar generosity of his associates and soldiers, and he and they actually assisted in the construction of the wall.