(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 5:1-19)

One of the challenges that the Jews faced upon returning to Jerusalem was an imbalance in the resources that the people needed to survive, especially during a time of famine. In response, there was an outcry:

1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” 4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

The issue wasn’t that the Jews that didn’t have enough needed to get help and support from their fellow Jews that had an excess, but rather what could have been a beautiful illustration of love for your neighbor, turned into a business exchange.

Nehemiah thus responded:

6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

In the past, many Jews became slaves to the Gentiles. As a people, the Jews supported one another, and the Jews with resources bought them back into freedom. However, in this time of need, Jews were enslaving other Jews because of money or resources owed, and even added interest on top of that.

Again what could be a beautiful tale of love in a community, was turned into a business exchange.

Love is not a business exchange. When we say that we are to love our neighbor, it is not an opportunity to profit, to enslave, and to take advantage of. We are reminded that as a faith community, that we should give out of love, and love alone.

Yes, the Jews were expected to repay, and give back when they could, because that was their responsibility. However, love is not a business exchange. Sometimes we can give back, give back more, but sometimes we just can’t seem to get out of the hole that the world has dug for us.

That is why some have said that if we give, we should do so as if we will not get anything back, because then it is a truly a free gift out of love without any expectations or contingencies. Love is not a business exchange, means that we give out of the blessings that God has given us, knowing that those blessings are meant to be shared with our faith community and even the world.

Let us not be trapped into the world’s thinking and turn what could be a beautiful testimony of love into a greedy trap and a business exchange.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Nehemiah 5