Road Trippin With Rachael

Picture, if you will, a preschooler. Those cherebic like creatures are just so cute! They smile those drooly little smiles with their little teeth, you can put them in the cutest outfits, and you can also watch everything that you say or do in front of them. If you have ever worked with a preschooler you know that those tender years are the best time to be able to teach them lessons that are going to be a part of them for the rest of their lives. Some of those lessons that you may teach them include: we don’t hit others; we don’t throw our toys when we get mad; we have to use our words and tell people what we want and how we feel; and most importantly, we need to treat our friends the way that we want to be treated.

For preschoolers and children these are phrases that they hear all the time (assuming that their parents are attempting to make them into responsible human beings). However, when children grow into adults, some of these lessons are lost to time. Hence the reason there are cases of workplace violence, verbal arguments, and adults with overall poor communication skills. It also is indicative of the fact that we (that is adults) don’t treat other people the way that we wish to be treated.

As the child of a union carpenter, I grew up listening to my dad talk about the importance of making sure that before the houses could be built, he had to make sure that the foundation was good. In the same way, a firm foundation has to be laid for faith, both with children, will relationships, and with our knowledge of God.

To be fair, we can never make the assumption that someone has a firm foundation.  We have to live showing our foundation, and be available for those who need help building their own foundations. In Nehemiah 5, we are able to observe three principles demonstrated for us about how we are called  to interact with others. 

Be Generous With People Who Truly Need Help

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 king’s 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.’ -Nehemiah 5:2-5 (CSB)

The first principle that we are shown through Nehemiah 5,  is that we need to be willing to help those people who are truly in need of help without taking advantage of them. To give a bit of context to the passage, remember that the leaders who had remained in Jerusalem had been abusing their power. They had become complacent and were getting fat off of the hard work of their fellow Hebrews. They were not doing the work that needed to be done to help in leading the people of God. Hence the reason that Nehemiah is so frustrated by the state in which he found the holy city of God.

People were being forced to sell their children, and their land just so they would be able to mee the taxes that were being placed on them. Not solely the taxes of the Persian Empire, also the additional stress of the taxes that were being required to support the fledgling government that was now back in Israel, coupled with the abuse of those who had money charging ridiculous interest rates where it was impossible for the people to pay it back. Basically, it was the ancient version of a loan shark – something the people were not supposed to be (Leviticus 22:25-27).  The taxes were outlandish, and they were a true strain on the people of God. It was a true picture of those who are in power preying on those who have no defense. 

As a result of the abuse that was happening, the needs of the people were not being met. One of the important things that Christians need to keep in mind is that when we are talking about those who truly need help, what we are talking about are needs. There is a large difference between “wants” and “needs”. Do we not see this in our own lives? Does God not meet our needs? In the same way, a sign that someone has a sound foundation to their faith is when they are able to have the discernment necessary to tell the difference between the wants and needs of people. 

I had the opportunity at one point to work for a home for women who recently got their children back or they were leaving a bad domestic situation and were learning how to be independent. As someone who grew up in a lower middle class family – where I was expected to work for what I got – it was difficult for me to understand that I had to help these women learn the difference between their wants and their needs. You didn’t need to get your hair done. You didn’t need to purchase new make-up or clothes. You didn’t need to have the newest version of the iPhone. You need to be able to afford food for your family. You needed to make sure that your children had coats. You needed to make sure that you had child care while you were at work. These things seemed so obvious to me, but to someone from a different background, it wasn’t an obvious choice. 

As Christians, we need to be able to have the same discernment – what are the needs of people, and what are the wants. In this passage of scripture, we are not concerned with the wants of the people. Their needs were not being met. They were desperate to have their needs met: food, shelter, clothing – that their children were being sold as collateral so that those needs could be met. If the leaders of the Hebrew people were charging interest, they were purchasing and keeping the collateral, and they were not forgiving the debts, what kind of foundation is that building for the people as they are moving forward as the people of God? It isn’t. It’s not building a foundation, and it is not setting the example for the people to follow in later years.

Avoid An Attitude of Entitlement

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. Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop charging this interest.- Nehemiah 5:6-8, 10 (CSB)

The second principle that helps to build a solid foundation is one that we, collectively, struggle with in the Western church, and especially for those of us who are millennials. Do not have an attitude of Entitlement.

“But, Rachael,” you may say, “I don’t have an attitude of entitlement. I’ve worked for everything that I have ever gotten.” And you may not, I don’t necessarily know you to be able to say either way. What I can say is that from my position working for a Christian, liberal arts college, I see many students who have this underlying attitude. Now, some of this is just because of their age – they haven’t had those experiences that are going to teach them that the world doesn’t owe them anything. These experiences will come in time, but as an adult watching some of them discuss why they have or have not gotten something is often eye opening for me to see how they are thinking. 

Ultimately, as we pivot back to scripture and Nehemiah, we see that this is the same problem that is going to be plaguing the people of Israel from the time before and after the exile to Babylon. In the Old Testament (before the exile), they struggled with the assumption that because they are the people of God, they are untouchable. Probably the earliest example that we see of this in the Old Testament is found in Joshua 7:1. In chapter 6, the people were commanded to devote everything to destruction; God did not want any of it, He wanted all of it to be destroyed. Instead of destroying everything Achan kept some of the items- believing that because he was of Isreal that he would not be punished for the choice that he made. He felt entitled to the spoils of war. As we see in chapter 7, this ultimately leads to the defeat of Irael at Ai, but it also results in the death of Achan and his whole family. If we want to see an example from the New Testament, we can refer to Matthew 7:21 – people did what was good or what they thought was good, and when they faced judgement, God said that they were to depart because He didn’t know them. They believed that because they had been good Jews, that they would be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven – they were entitled. Instead, in the most painful way possible, eternally separated from God, they were sent from his presence.

Rather than hold onto the belief that you should receive something by virtue of being you, who your parents are, where you come from, or whatever rationale you want to use to say you “deserve” something, use the position that you have to help others.  

We are all created equal in the sight of God, but we are not all equal when it comes to opportunities and advantages. If you have been blessed financially, you can give freely to those who haven’t been blessed that way. If you are academically talented, help those who struggle so they can do well. If you have a vehicle, offer to give a ride to someone who doesn’t.  We are all put in a place where we are able to have an influence – it is about how that influence is being used, and how we are using that influence to bring glory to God.

 Returning to the Israelites in Nehemiah, we saw where some of the wealthier Jews were buying and selling their brethren. In contrast, we see how Nehemiah calls them to task in verse 10 about how some he, and some others, are working to buy back the Jews who had been sold.  They were in a position where they were able to financially help these men and women who had been put in a difficult position, and they used it to bring glory to God – and they did not use their position to hinder someone else from being able to achieve a measure of success. How often has this happened in your life? Do you celebrate when someone you know is able to move forward? Or do you/ have you tried to hinder someone moving forward because it means that you would be able to advance.? I cannot tell you what you have or have not done. This is a question that only you can answer.

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah – from the twentieth year until his thirty-second year, twelve years – I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor. The governors who preceded me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them food and wine as well as a pound of silver. Their subordinates also oppressed the people, but because of the fear of God, I didn’t do this. – Nehemiah 5:14-15

Finally, In Nehemiah 5 we see another principle: just because you can do something, that doesn’t mean that you should. As we learned in the 1993 American Sci Fi film, Jurassic Park, you can get so caught up in being able to do something, that you don’t always ask if you should do it. Sure, scientists were able to use the DNA found in a mosquito trapped in amber to create dinosaurs in the modern age – but as we saw, it caused a whole different problem that modern man was not equipped to handle. In the same way, each of us has abilities and access that will allow us to do certain things. There are people who could buy and sell the university that I work for. There are people with influence, who with a word, could cause different people to be hired or fired from their jobs. 

However, what we see in Nehemiah is that whether our influence is used for good or ill, there are going to be consequences to the actions that we take. This applied to every decision.  It’s the whole Pros versus Cons argument. As a list maker, this speaks to my type A heart -the list. If we make what would be considered a good, solid decision, it normally means that we give up something else. We see biblical examples of this, as well, but I will give a modern day example too. Let’s look at an example. The purchase of a vehicle.

Pros

1. Provides transportation
2. It provides a mean of conducting business
3. It will provide a way to help others get to church
4. It will provide ministry opportunities

Cons

1. It could mean a car payment
2. It will rapidly lose monetary value.
3. Gas goes up, which means it costs more to drive.
4. You need to have insurance, which is an added expense.

Although a good decision – whether you purchase new or used – there are going to be negative things that also come with it. As the person making the decision, you have to believe that you made the best choice, and be willing and prepared to live with the consequences that come with that choice – regardless of what that is. 

As I mentioned previously, there are biblical examples of this same situation.  One that stands out to me specifically, i s the situation that surrounds Hezekiah. This account is found in 2 Kings 20:12-19. Hezekiah, one of the kings of Judah, who is well known for many of the infrastructural advancements in Jerusalem (aquaducts), made a decision that had long lasting effects. He showed the envoy that came from Babylon all the treasures of Jerusalem and Judah. This resulted in Isaiah coming to him and saying that because of his decision, his family would one day be taken away in a few generations. Hezekiah’s response to this was, that this was good, since there would be peace during his lifetime. 

I read this and my first thought is, Hezekiah is a horrible person. However, thinking about the context of where he was at, the time, and the culture, what he was actually doing to the Babylonians (who were a small, non-threatening people at the time) was to show them the might of Judah so that they would not get any ideas of attacking, to form an alliance with the and have their support because of Judah’s might, and culturally to brag on his might and wealth as a king, Ultimately, we 2500 years later know that this is not how it happened. Babylon became a power that took out other powers, and laid siege to Jerusalem, taking the royal family and other members of Hebrew nobility to Babylon and made them serve a country and people that weren’t their own. It takes generations for them to be able to return home, and it causes incredible cultural shifts in their day to day lives, religious practices, and politics. It also becomes the new salvific theme of their faith. God took them out of Egypt, and later rescued them out of Babylon, and even within Christianity, we still see these images of Babylon being a malevolent entity that is against everything that is found in Christ.

God Blesses Those Who Don’t Abuse Their Authority

Each day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me. An abundance of all kinds of wine was provided every ten days, but I didn’t demand the food allotted to the governor because the burden on the people was so heavy. – Nehemiah 5:18 (CSB)

Finally, as we consider the decisions and choices that we make, and how those decisions affect others, we also need to take a moment to consider, just because we can do something, we have the ability to do something, that doesn’t mean that we should do  it. Everyone has accessibility to certain things that others do not. And as we have discussed with there being consequences to all the actions that we take, likewise while we are considering these things, we also need to consider if what we are about to do will have a negative effect on others. 

Nehemiah had the political authority to demand that the people give him the food that was supposed to be given to the governor by order of the king. We could think of it as a portion of his salary. The people paid taxes, not necessarily in money, but in food stuffs or items of their trade, and labor. Those taxes were designated to specific places and to support specific aspects of the local and national governments. In this case, the people were to give food that was to feed Nehemiah and his household or staff. But, Nehemiah, who could have demanded that they give him what he was legally owed, didn’t. He didn’t demand that the people provide him with food. He didn’t demand that the people give beyond what they were able to give, when that meant that their families were not going to be cared for.

In the same way, we need to be conscious of the choices and the decisions that we make. Our choices not only affect us, but they also affect other people. As a result, just because we can do something, doesn’t mean that we should. Let’s look at an example. If a couple is married, each of them has the ability to have an extra-marital affair. These are two adults who are able to make their own decisions, and if they want to get involved with someone who isn’t their spouse, then technically speaking, they each have the right to do that. However, should they? Is that affair worth the pain and heartache that it causes to your spouse? Is it worth the shattering of trust between you and the rest of your family? Is it worth the pain of the other person?  Genesis 2 speaks of God creating the family, and making man and woman to be together, and what God has brought together, no one should touch. It is the individual’s prerogative to have an affair, but it is also a sin not only against the other people, but also against God. 

A specific example here from scripture would be David and Bathsheba. David did what he could do as the king, and it had far reaching consequences, not only for the people immediately involved, but also for generations of his family to come. Was it worth it? I can’t say. What I do know is that God used that sin to bring about some of the greatest leaders in Judean history and the birth of Christ – but there was a lot of heartache in between.

Final Thoughts

As we are living this life that God has given us, life in this construction zone, there are things that we need to really be thinking about. One of these things has been that we need to be generous, and specifically generous to those who truly are in need of help. We need to always remember that what we have is because God has chosen to bless us with. We don’t deserve it -yes, we do and should work for what we want, because work is a good thing – but we aren’t entitled to blessings. I think we need to also always ask ourselves the important question “just because I can, should I?” There are many individuals that have some amazing abilities, but abusing those abilities or wasting them shouldn’t be done. And finally, don’t abuse the position that God has given to you. Tying this back into what it means to not abusing your God given abilities, so also you shouldn’t abuse your God given position. There is never a good reason for an abuse of power, and it only leads to a lot of hurt for those who on the receiving end.