Graceways October 4 Devotional
October 04, 2024
NEHEMIAH 5:4-7; 8:9 | 4 And there were those who said, “We are having to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king’s tax. 5 Now our flesh is the same as that of our kindred; our children are the same as their children; and yet we are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been ravished; we are powerless, and our fields and vineyards now belong to others.” 6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 7 After thinking it over, I contended with the nobles and the officials; I said to them, “You are all taking interest from your own people.” And I called a great assembly to deal with them.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
Walls made a safe space for a new restored Jewish community but they could not create it. Nehemiah has to deal with a harsh social reality: some wealthy Israelites had used the economic crisis after the deportation to enslave and dispossess their neighbors, trading grain for land and title. The sense of mutual care and responsibility had given way to a rapacious spirit. Nehemiah confronted them and they relented, returning resources and land. Then he and Ezra the priest, sought unity by recalling everyone, great and small, back to fidelity to the covenant—a covenant that insisted that every Israelite was equally called, blessed, and bound together by their faith. Justice and equality must be present in a genuine community.
What binds you into the communities you belong to?
Gracious God,
Help me seek justice as Nehemiah did. Give me a deeper sense of connection to all those who call You Lord and are part of the covenant community.
Amen.
