Doing the work of rebuilding the walls, Nehemiah found himself facing many different obstacles. Throughout the time that he was working, he faced threats from potential raiders or warring parties from surrounding nations, and as a result they assigned guards to watch over them, and even carried weapons with them while they were building.
In addition, they faced internal obstacles. Several of the Jews were taking advantage of the work, attempting to profit from the fact that the people couldn’t work or receive income from their trade given that they were working on the walls. They were taking the people’s land. They were even taking the people’s children as the parents were forced to give their children as servants or slaves in exchange for eating.
Nehemiah confronted the nobles and the officials of Jerusalem to put a stop to these practices. The people were attempting to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and they were forcing them into debt, taking their land, and taking their children! They couldn’t continue on like this. This had to stop.
And thankfully, Nehemiah was able to convince them, even forcing the nobles and officials to take an oath before God and the Levites that they would put an end to these practices. They would no longer charge interest. They would no longer continue to place the people in debt, but instead they would give back that which belonged to the people and even give them a sum on top of what they returned.
When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 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 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.
So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”
Nehemiah 5:6-11
As we do the work that God has given us to do, there is no doubt that we will continue to face obstacles, both from outsiders as well as from people that we would call our own. From other believers. From those who we would have thought would be on our side. No, instead, they will oppose us, whether because they see what we are doing as a threat to their own power and their own influence, or for any number of other reasons, just as we have seen in the case of Nehemiah. Let us not be surprised by the challenges that we face. God is seeing his work through, but we must be aware and be ready to face the obstacles that will most certainly come.