Background: The book of Nehemiah recounts the rebuilding of the city wall ofJerusalem under Nehemiah’s leadership. It also describes how Ezra the priest led the recommitment of the people to follow God’s Laws and the restoration of worship. While the rebuilding of the walls continued, Nehemiah the governor heard of another threat, this time it was from their own people.
Ask the children…
What was the threat?
“Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine…Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.” (Nehemiah 5:3, 5)
In order to feed their children, the people had to borrow from their own rich people and even sell their children as servants. Nehemiah was outraged. What did he tell the rich people to do?
“After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.8 At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.9 Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?“ (Nehemiah 5:7, 8, 10, 11)
First Nehemiah rebuked the rich and powerful for being just like their pagan neighbors and then he told them not to charge so much for food and then told them to give back what they had taken from the poor.
Ask your children if they see people being treated unfairly in their school or in their community? How do they think God feels about it? What can they do to be involved in setting things right?
Feel free to share your own stories below in the comments section.
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