RIGHTEOUS ANGER. Nehemiah 5:6-13 When a leader of people lives among them and works with them, he is often the one they feel they can approach with frankness when they have problems, knowing he has an open ear. Those who came to Nehemiah with a "great cry" had had enough of being ripped off, robbed, and brought to ruin by their own people and countrymen. It was a natural response for Nehemiah to be "very angry" at those who treated their fellow-citizens as mere pawns to be manipulated in their own "get rich" schemes.
Years earlier, those who had returned from Babylon were redeemed from slavery to the surrounding heathen peoples. Now they were doing the same things the "heathen" had done, only to their own people. There they stood in their finery, with fat faces, looking down haughty noses on others who had lost to them their places of abode and means of making a living - they even lost their children, too - gone because of selfish greed - to the covetousness of the few.
When Nehemiah learned what was happening—the poor being wronged and the rich growing richer by charging higher interest rates—he immediately set out to stop it. While building the wall, he called a halt and addressed the simmering problem by convening a “great assembly” to deal with it openly. It was not wrong to lend money and charge interest to a non-Jew, but it was forbidden to charge interest to a fellow Jew.
There he stood, his face flushed with righteous anger. He was no longer a transient to them - he was no stranger. But silent condemnation came from his body language, his face, his eyes - as he consulted with himself on the best way to bring them down to size. Then he spoke, his words carefully chosen and thought out before his God. Each word was distinct, perhaps accented by a hand movement and a nod. They knew what he meant; they knew he had spoken his word against them, but, in their arrogance, seeking to diminish the problem, they remained silent before him.
After all the effort to make the return from exile possible, why would the rich destroy what the people had by charging interest and foreclosing on mortgages that their fellow Jews had taken to resume farming? They were forcing Jews back into slavery. They were ignoring God’s laws and making His word insignificant, just like the pagans around them. Fairness toward the poor and oppressed should have been the responsibility of those nobles and rulers. Instead, they were the perpetrators of the problem.
Heartlessness toward other people often accompanies the increase of riches when people set their hearts on money. It was also a reproach among the worldly people around them, who knew they were taking advantage of their own people for personal gain. As the people of God, a genuine fear of God will keep us from thinking that things are more important than people. "Blamelessness" is one of the criteria for leadership among God's people.
God has the right to judge our actions – good or evil. That is a solid basis and motivation for keeping His commandments. Even amid a major work, some things have higher priority and must be addressed. Some issues are more fundamental than the physical project we are engaged in. Dishonesty in business, covetousness, extortion, and murder need to be dealt with immediately. God gave people what they have, and it is unjust to take from another what God gave him. God gives life to people, and taking the life of someone made in the image of God is wrong.
Failure to treat others, including believers, properly is an insult to God and a black mark on a believer’s testimony. Fairness to all, compassion for the poor, and a desire to be like our Lord Jesus Christ are central and serve as a fundamental witness to God’s grace. God’s love and concern for the poor, widows, and orphans are mirrored when we show them to others.
Righteous anger is very different from an uncontrolled outburst of temper. Controlled anger may be an appropriate response to the sin of covetousness, which is not uncommon among men. When the innocent suffer because of the greed of unscrupulous men, righteous, controlled anger can be the first step toward halting this evil practice. Empathy can be seen in a number of ways. It may be evident when we "weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who do rejoice." When a need is obvious and we step up to meet it, that can be an act of empathy. It is an appropriate response to wrongs done to others when we are angry at sin. That demonstrates real interest and concern for those who have been wronged.
Righteous anger and a vindictive spirit are very different. Righteous anger does not mean "I'll get even with you!" That is vengeance. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, who knows the heart and the motives behind some actions people take. Outbursts of temper do not solve problems but usually make them worse or at least intensify them. Righteous anger can prompt a way to address the problem and lead to the right solution, yielding the best possible results for all involved.
The first rebuke Nehemiah made after "consulting" with himself - planning what to say - clearly and precisely stated what was wrong. The nobles and rulers had ignored the word of God and the plainly stated laws regarding charging interest on loans. Charging interest to strangers was permitted, but not to fellow Jews. Whether out of arrogance or indifference, the nobles and rulers apparently ignored what Nehemiah said to them. After being confronted personally and ignored by the nobles and rulers, who were growing richer at the expense of their countrymen, Nehemiah brought the matter out into the open before a "great assembly" of people.
But who are all those people coming here from far away and near? Why has the work stopped? What is bringing so many people here? And then again, he speaks, his voice loud, tense, and strained. Before, everyone gathered - the nobles, the rulers - were publicly blamed. Their attitude has been changed by his carefully expressed righteous anger. Now they look on their brethren, those they had oppressed for money. Their actions change, restitution is made, and hope is restored. As the great assembly becomes united, they are again in fellowship with the Lord.
This was no longer a matter that could be settled with minimal disruption to the rebuilding project and to the normal practices of daily life. The nobles and rulers, through their indifference, had escalated the problem into a major issue of national importance that had to be brought into the full light of God's law for public scrutiny. Righteous anger confronted the leadership, and they could no longer hide behind their positions of authority. They were now up against the law of God in full view of the "great assembly."
That practice began in the new assembly of believers in Jerusalem at the beginning of the church age, the “day of grace.” When we give to the poor because of their circumstances, God said in Proverbs 28:27 that they “would lack nothing.” There is no justification for injustice. “The fear of our God” reminds us of our obligation to “do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith.” It is always wrong for us to take advantage of those less fortunate than we. To "visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction" doesn't mean just dropping by to say, "Hello." Needs must be met, and we are responsible for meeting them. It is our God-given responsibility to show love and concern through the practical help we can give to those in need.
To ensure this restitution was made and the standards of the law of God were followed, Nehemiah elevated the matter from a merely business matter with temporal consequences to a spiritual matter with eternal consequences by having the priests ensure the demands were carried out. Nehemiah acknowledged his role in this matter and said, “Let us leave off this usury,” and called for complete restitution. This was accomplished by taking an oath before the priests to fulfill their agreement.
Nehemiah was a man who knew God well enough not to take credit for the successful resolution of this serious problem. The whole congregation fully agreed with the solution, and all praise was given to the Lord. Instead of an internally divided people, they were now united. Instead of covetousness, shame, and reproach, repentance had brought about a new desire for praise. Now they could get back to their work for the Lord.
The “hundredth part of the money” would make it possible to begin paying down the principal. When Nehemiah shook out his garment, he symbolized a curse pronounced on those who would not meet the terms of the agreement. This was an object lesson rather than a mere verbal statement. People could see the seriousness of what they had just agreed to.
Nehemiah's symbolic act of shaking off his garment pronounced a curse from God on those who said they would do what they promised but failed to follow through. Such a person would lose everything. The nobles and rulers understood that if they did not keep their promises, what they had done to their fellow Jews would be done to them.
There are consequences to my statements of commitment to following the Lord. Division among God's people is often first felt when there are long pauses in worship. Praise becomes half-hearted, and people begin to absent themselves from assembly gatherings. The Lord's things take second or third place, and the whole assembly begins to suffer from lethargy and complacency. A critical spirit develops because one group of people takes advantage of others. Finally, individuals are lost to the assembly and fall under the influence and attractions of the world.
No one could point an accusing finger at Nehemiah because he did not take even what he had a right to claim from the people. He was providing for others instead. The contrast between the nobles and rulers and Nehemiah and those working with him exposed the attitude and mindset of those who were wronging their brethren. "Let us leave off usury" was a statement that applied to everyone in that great assembly and would remind them of the divine standards they were obligated to follow. When wrongs are exposed and restitution must be made, it is important to carefully define the amounts owed so there is no mistaking what must be done.
We really can't separate the various areas of human life and responsibility. What I think, personally, is who I am. What I am as a person is seen in my relationship with my wife. My relationship with my wife affects our life as a family. Family life affects the fellowship of the assembly of which I am a part. The public testimony of the assembly reflects our Christian commitment to the world around us.