Some time ago, I preached on Nehemiah 5:1-13. This text provides us with a vivid example for how God’s people ought to respond to the plight of the exploited and oppressed. In verses 1-5, we see that the poor are crying out in anguish because of the oppression of the Israelites. As verse 1 says, “Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.” The following verses explain the ways in which they're being oppressed and exploited. But then in verses 6-13, we see Nehemiah’s Christ-like response to their cries.
First, Nehemiah listens (vs 6). He doesn’t dismiss them. He doesn’t try to explain away their suffering. He doesn’t tell them that they should have been more responsible. Instead, he opens his ears and listens. Likewise, we are called to listen to the cries of the exploited and oppressed. We ought not dismiss the oppressed as if they can’t be relied upon to testify to the injustices they’ve experienced. They know more about their own experiences than we do.
Second, Nehemiah gets angry (vs 6). Anger is a dangerous emotion. It is a sneaky and intoxicating thing. And yet, there is such a thing as righteous anger. God gets angry at injustice and so should we. If we don’t get angry at injustice, something is wrong with our moral compass. Our anger should never be inordinate or misdirected, and we should never let it control us or cause us to sin. But we should be angry over what makes God angry.
Third, Nehemiah defends (vs 7-13). He holds a great assembly, rebukes those who oppressed their brothers and sisters, and establishes reforms the city of Jerusalem. This reflects the hearts of our God as the one who is the “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” (Psalm 68:5), the Refuge of the poor (Psalm 14:6), and who rises to the defense when the poor and needy groan (Psalm 12:5).
Church, how we treat the poor and the exploited is a true and telling test of our character. Do we listen to the poor and exploited? Do we get angry about the injustices they face? Do we defend them? These are important questions because ultimately they’re questions that reflect the heart and character of God. As a community we’re called to reflect the character of God. And he is the God who is the defender of the poor, who listens to the cries of the weak and oppressed.
And not only that, but realize that we a worship a God who became poor, needy, and helpless. We worship a God who subjected himself to injustice so that we could be forgiven, restored, and included in his family. He heard our cries as we sat under the oppression of satan, sin, and death. He came to us, as Mark 10:45 tells us, not be served, but serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Now, he commissions us to go tell the world that good news and to reflect his care and concern for the oppressed and exploited as we do. And as we do so, our service is counted as service to him (Matthew 25:40). May we hear and heed this call.
- Pastor Garrison Greene
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