Nehemiah 5:7-12
Have you ever been taken advantage of in some way? I am sure we can all say yes to that question. Whether it was a big deal in your life or as something small like your sibling conning you in a bad trade for Halloween candy, it never feels good to be in that position. In Nehemiah, we have seen the Israelites face opposition from external forces, but here we even start to see internal conflict, which can be an even larger threat.
Nehemiah was not going to allow this issue to continue. Note that before he does anything, Nehemiah pauses before he reacts. We have seen this same characteristic of him when he prayed before deciding to rebuild the wall. This is a great example in our lives of how we should deal with confronting people. Oftentimes, it is wise to take a step back and think about what you will say before you rush into a conflict or argument. When you take time to think and pray, it helps you to speak with wisdom and not be fueled by just your emotions. Nehemiah goes on to accuse the wealthy of charging interest to their fellow jews, but this action would have been forbidden by the Law.
When Nehemiah calls out the injustice, he doesn’t just point out what is wrong, but he calls people to repentance. He calls them to turn away from what they are doing, but not only just to stop, but also to pay back what they charged wrongly. Nehemiah also calls them to take an oath to ensure accountability amongst them all. True repentance leads to action and a true turning away from the wrongdoing in our lives, not just saying sorry for what we have done wrong.
Are you taking advantage of someone in any way? Is there anything you need to repay or restore? Is there something you need to repent from in your life? Maybe you need to be like Nehemiah and call out some wrongdoing that you see. Take some time a pray about these things in your life.
Have you ever been taken advantage of in some way? I am sure we can all say yes to that question. Whether it was a big deal in your life or as something small like your sibling conning you in a bad trade for Halloween candy, it never feels good to be in that position. In Nehemiah, we have seen the Israelites face opposition from external forces, but here we even start to see internal conflict, which can be an even larger threat.
Nehemiah was not going to allow this issue to continue. Note that before he does anything, Nehemiah pauses before he reacts. We have seen this same characteristic of him when he prayed before deciding to rebuild the wall. This is a great example in our lives of how we should deal with confronting people. Oftentimes, it is wise to take a step back and think about what you will say before you rush into a conflict or argument. When you take time to think and pray, it helps you to speak with wisdom and not be fueled by just your emotions. Nehemiah goes on to accuse the wealthy of charging interest to their fellow jews, but this action would have been forbidden by the Law.
When Nehemiah calls out the injustice, he doesn’t just point out what is wrong, but he calls people to repentance. He calls them to turn away from what they are doing, but not only just to stop, but also to pay back what they charged wrongly. Nehemiah also calls them to take an oath to ensure accountability amongst them all. True repentance leads to action and a true turning away from the wrongdoing in our lives, not just saying sorry for what we have done wrong.
Are you taking advantage of someone in any way? Is there anything you need to repay or restore? Is there something you need to repent from in your life? Maybe you need to be like Nehemiah and call out some wrongdoing that you see. Take some time a pray about these things in your life.
Posted in Devotional