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Chosen no: R-4921 a, from: 1911 Year. |
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Nobility Conquers Meanness
--NEHEMIAH 6.--DECEMBER 10.--
"The Lord is the strength of my life; of
whom shall I be afraid?"--Psa. 27:1.
AFTER many difficulties Nehemiah's work had
almost reached success when a great wail of distress went out. The poor Jews
had been giving all of their time to the repairing of the walls and had thus cut
off their income from other sources. In their zeal they went into debt in
mortgages on their property. When the tax collectors came and the interest
became due they were unable to meet these and so, destitution staring them in
the face, a great wail went up. Disasters spread rapidly and a food riot was
barely averted.
Nehemiah looked into the matter and found that
the wealthy Jews had advanced money to their poor neighbors on mortgages at
exorbitant interest rates, and they were thus profiting by the calamities of
their brethren. He called them together and had a plain but kind talk with them
respecting the brotherly obligations required by the Law--"Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself." He gave them a practical exemplification of his
good exhortations. The wealthy Jews were abashed. They acknowledged the
injustice of their course and rectified matters. Here we see the power of noble
character and good example in its influence upon others. As custom and example
foster unjust methods and usage makes right in the minds of many,
so likewise examples of justice are powerful in opposition to wrong. Thus every
Christian owes it to himself and to God and the principles of righteousness
which he represents, not only to take the proper stand, but also to let this
stand for righteousness be known to others as reproofs of unrighteousness.
TREACHERY AND SLANDER IN OPPOSITION
No sooner had the prevailing difficulties been
successfully combated than a new foe arose. The outside enemies, perceiving
that the wall was about finished, and that only the hanging of the gates
remained to complete the defenses of Jerusalem,
tried new tactics. They professed a desire to reconsider the whole matter--to
meet with Nehemiah for discussions of their business and fresh examination of
his papers of authority from the King. But he replied that his work was a great
one, very important, and that he could not take time for discussion. He had
time to discuss with his brethren; he had time to show them as the people of
God the right and wrong of each important question, but he had no time to
dispute about outside matters while his important mission was unfinished.
There is a lesson in this for Christians. We
should always have time to discuss God's Word and His love with the brethren. We
should always have time to give to everyone that asks a reason for the hope
that is in us. But surely while important interests of God's cause are needing
our attention we have no time to give to discussing outside questions which St. Paul denominates
"science falsely so called." We are to have the same mind on the
subject as St. Paul
expressed, saying, "I have determined to know nothing amongst you save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Anything relating to Jesus as God's
anointed Son, the Messiah, or anything relating to His crucifixion and the
hopes built thereon, St. Paul
was ready to discuss at any time. The defense of this cause and subject was his
special business in life. Although he was well educated and well informed on
topics of general interest, he acted as though he were ignorant of those things
that he might give all his influence and time to the one paramount matter--to
the cause for which he was an ambassador.
Four times the outsiders sought to converse with
Nehemiah; [R4921 : page 428] four times he
declined, not only because of the importance of the work he was doing, but
because additionally he perceived that they were merely urging this as a
pretext for the conference which was to be held in a village twenty miles from
Jerusalem on neutral ground, and during Nehemiah's absence they might overpower
the garrison of Israel and destroy the work already accomplished, or they might
do him violence at the conference, or both.
EVIL SPEAKING AND SLANDER
Finally, the enemies resorted to the usual
weapons of slander. They did not charge directly that Nehemiah sought to make
himself king of the Jews, with Jerusalem its capital, and that he was secretly
employing men to speak favorably for him amongst the people, but in an open
letter sent declared that these things were commonly reported amongst all the
people--they were "common gossip;" and by way of giving personality
and force the letter added, "And Gesham saith that thou and the Jews think
to [R4922 : page 428] rebel, for which cause
thou buildest the wall; and that thou desirest to be their king."
This message was sent by Sanballat in a
complimentary way as though he were a friend and hoped to save Nehemiah from
trouble with the king, and he still urged him to come to the counsel which was
to be held for his interest. Nehemiah's answer was quite to the point:
"There are no such things done as thou sayest; thou feignest them out of
thine own heart." The object evidently was to alarm the Jews and to thus
discourage the completion of their work.
How cruel are the multitudinous methods of
slander! How contrary they are to everything that is right, not to mention the
highest of all standards, Christian love! Nevertheless, how frequently God's
people are ensnared by the spirit of slander. How grievous are the wrongs thus
accomplished; how unbearable is the injustice inflicted; how dreadful are the
responsibilities incurred! Assuredly those who lend their lips to slander are
correspondingly opening their hearts to the Adversary. Not only is evil
speaking condemned in the Scriptures but also by all noble men and women, even
though heathen. Even when Nehemiah's life was threatened, his consciousness of
loyalty to God and of Divine guidance kept him without fear. We close by
quoting the poem, "Three Gates of Gold":--
"If you
are tempted to reveal
A tale someone to you has told
About another, let it pass,
Before you speak, three gates of gold--
"Three
narrow gates--First, 'Is it true?'
Then, 'Is it needful?' In your mind
Give the truthful answer. And the next
Is last and narrowest, 'Is it kind?'
"And
if, to reach your lips at last
It passes through these gateways three,
Then you may tell the tale, nor fear
What the result of speech may be."
W.T. R-4921a : page 427 - 1911r