Social Injustice

There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. Some were saying, " we, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live." Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine." Still others were saying, "We have borrowed money to pay the kings tax on our fields and vineyards. We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."

I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, "each of you is charging his countrymen interest." So I called a large assembly against them and said, " we have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back." They remained silent and could not say a word. Then I said, " What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God and not invite the reproach of our foreign enemies? Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop charging this interest. Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and olive oil that you have been assessing them.

They responded: we will return those things and require nothing more of them. We will do as you say."

So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this. I also shook the folds of my robe and said, May God likewise shake from His house and property everyone who doesn't keep this promise. May he be shaken out and have nothing!"

The whole assembly said, "Amen," and they praised The Lord. Then the people did as they had promised. Nehemiah 5:1-13

Nehemiah had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild a wall and now he was involved in legal proceeding and this man was a cup bearer. God knew what he was doing when He chose Nehemiah, He saw inside this man and saw justice and mercy, integrity, honesty and righteousness.

God chooses what the world considers foolish to confound the wise. As I have been reading this God has been speaking to me about justice in my own field. I have been wrestling with on-going charges in my industry and now have the answer, charge for what you do and no more. This is a challenge, as I am sure it was a challenge to the lenders of money to not charge interest for the money they loaned. As you lend, you do not know who will default or who will repay early, you take a risk. 

Yet, if we are committed to justice then we must embrace it in the fullest measure, otherwise what platform do we have to speak?

In everything we must have faith. Amen!