Chapter five is concerned with the settlement of the interior problem. Often as we are fighting outwardly, we have an interior problem.
The people complained concerning the nobles’ and rulers’ imposing interest on them (vv. 1-5).
Verses 6 through 13 tell us about Nehemiah’s rebuke and resolution. He set a great assembly against the nobles and rulers and told them that they did not walk in the fear of their God because of the reproach of the nations their enemies (vv. 7-9). They should have feared God because of the reproach and opposition from the nations.
Nehemiah, his brothers, and his servants had set an example by lending money and grain to others freely, and he charged the nobles and rulers to abandon such taking of interest (vv. 10-11). The nobles and rulers responded, saying that they would do what Nehemiah had said. Then Nehemiah called for the priests and took an oath from them with a solemn warning that God would shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who did not perform this promise (vv. 12-13a). The assembly said, “Amen,” praising Jehovah, and acted according to their promise (v. 13b).
In verses 14 through 19 we see Nehemiah’s good example.
Nehemiah and his brothers did not eat the food appointed for the governor for twelve years because of the fear of God (vv. 14-15).
Nehemiah applied himself to work on the city wall. He, his brothers, and all his servants, who were gathered there for the work, did not acquire fields. This means they did not receive any kind of payment. Rather, he fed richly at his table one hundred fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to him from the surrounding nations, not demanding the food appointed for the governor, for the building service was heavy on the people (vv. 16-18).
Nehemiah asked God to remember for good all that he had done for the people (v. 19). He had the standing to ask God for this.
Here we should note that Nehemiah, as the governor, in the position of a king, was a man with a pure heart for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall in carrying out God’s economy. He was not selfish, he did not seek his own interests, and he was not indulgent in sexual lust like all the kings, including David. Therefore, he was qualified to enjoy the top portion, the kingship of the good land promised by God to His elect. Instead of being self-seeking, he fed others for the purpose of building up the wall. In human history he might have been the only leader of a nation to behave in such a way. As a result, he was used by God.
Nehemiah 6:1-14 describes the further frustration of the enemy. First, they pretended compromise as part of a conspiracy to kill Nehemiah (vv. 1-4). They also slandered and threatened to weaken their hands from working, but Nehemiah prayed to God, saying, “Now strengthen my hands!” (vv. 5-9). Finally, the enemy acted by treachery with the false prophets and a false prophetess to cause Nehemiah to sin that they would have cause for an evil report in order to reproach him. However, Nehemiah prayed to God, asking Him to remember what they were doing (vv. 10-14).
In 6:15—7:4 we have a record of the completion of the building. The building was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days (6:15). All the enemies and all the surrounding nations were afraid and fell very low in their own eyes, knowing that this work was done with the help of God (v. 16). Verses 17-19 speak of the intimidation by Tobiah, who had relationships with the Jews in their intermarriage. In 7:1-4 Nehemiah gave his brother Hanani and the commander of the citadel charge over Jerusalem. Hanani was “a faithful man and feared God more than most” (v. 2). Lastly, God put it into Nehemiah’s heart to enroll the returned captives by genealogy for the increase of the population of Jerusalem (vv. 5-73; cf. Ezra 2:1-70).
Nehemiah received help from God to carry out a great success in the work of rebuilding the wall of the city of Jerusalem. It is surely worthwhile for us today, especially the leading ones in the churches, to consider his example.