This post is Day 23 in a series of studies about “Nehemiah”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Nehemiah – Day 23

The enemy had tried to stop the building work and he was not succeeding, so he tried a different approach. Even today he still works in the same way, and there are always people who will play his game and try to make money out of the misfortune of others.

Nehemiah 5:2-5

Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.”

The Thought

This crisis had begun before Nehemiah had begun his work, some of the early settlers back in their old homes had taken advantage of the less fortunate and charged too much for supplies or lent money at high interest.

Many of the labourers on the rebuilding programme were themselves the landowners, guilty of charging too much for rent of land or for provisions.

The enemy had tried to stop the building work and he was not succeeding, so he tried a different approach, “food and finance”. Even today he still works in the same way, and there are always people who will play his game and try to make a little money out of somebody else’s situation. The smallest sign of a shortage of something and those that can afford to buy a lot purchase far too much, then charge ridiculous prices to those who are needy.

This “us and them” attitude is still rampant in the world today, and the church must rise up against it.

Action

Pray for the people in your area, whether rich or poor, that they will all have their daily needs met. Remember that Jesus told us to pray for our “daily bread”, not a month’s supply or even a week’s supply.

How generous are you? Pray for your own attitude to the underprivileged. Ask God if you should be giving more and where to give; to a reliable organisation or to a beggar on a street corner or to both.