SESSION 4 WHO DO YOU TRUST TO ALWAYS DELIVER ON WHAT THEY SAY? PROTECT THE POINT AS CHRISTIANS, WE CANNOT SEPARATE WHO WE ARE FROM WHAT WE DO. NEHEMIAH 5:1-13 1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain. 3 Others were saying, We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine. 4 Still others were saying, We have had to borrow money to pay the king s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others. 6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 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 8 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. 9 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? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 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. 12 We will give it back, they said. And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say. Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied! At this the whole assembly said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised. 84 SESSION 4
ENGAGE (15 MINUTES) LEAD OPTION 1 Ask students to get into groups of four, and give each group pieces of paper representing different resources for survival (food, water, shelter, tools, etc.). Give some groups more than they need and others less. Give students two minutes to determine what they will keep and what they will share with other groups. Recognize students who were generous. Say, God calls us to protect our brothers and sisters and help them when they re down, just as Jesus does for His people. LEAD OPTION 2 Put together a slideshow of images representing social injustices (poverty, famine, homelessness, etc.). Play the slideshow as students enter the room. Say, There are plenty of hardships in the world causing people to suffer, so we should show Christ to others by loving those who are struggling. LEAD OPTION 3 Search the Internet for Kids decide between helping the Homeless or Ice Cream. Play the video as you begin the session. Say, God calls us to treat others with kindness and care for them, even if it means making sacrifices. NOTE: Always make sure you preview any video clip you show students and ensure that it is appropriate for your church and ministry. For free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/ web/biblestudiesforlife For free Midweek Options for your group, visit lifeway.com/bsflsum18neh LEADER PACK ELEMENTS If you have the optional Leader Pack, consider one of the following: DVD: Play the Unit 2 Session 4 DVD opener to draw everyone to the main point of the session. ITEM 11: Consider using the Love Others poster to get students engaged in the session. Ask students for examples of how those acting selfishly treat others and compare it to how those acting in love treat others. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 85
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE Little brothers have a tough life. They re always a few steps behind their older, faster brothers. They get picked on as easy targets for siblings who are much stronger. And, worst of all, they get blamed for everything. How have you seen these types of things in your own family? Even though older siblings love to pick on little brothers, it s hands-off for everyone else. Most older brothers see it as their job to protect the members of their family, and when they see wrongs being committed, that protective instinct kicks in. THE SETTING Nehemiah saw Jews committing wrongs against one another. It was bad enough they were being troubled by outsiders now this! Nehemiah reminded them that the ways we live must line up with who we say we are. God s people, so live like it. As Christians today, we can t separate who we are from what we do. We are called not only to protect others, but by living faithfully, to protect our testimony and the name of Christ. Nehemiah mobilized the people of Jerusalem to accomplish the massive task of rebuilding the city s walls. Facing threats from outsiders who wanted to crush the work, the people stayed secure inside the city and were armed in case of an attack. But Nehemiah also dealt with internal distractions, including the abuse of some of their own people. In response, he worked to resolve the injustices and keep the people focused on God s task for them. FACT: RESEARCH SHOWS THAT YOUNGER SIBLINGS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE EXTROVERTED, AND EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE AND REBELLIOUS. 1 MAYBE THEY DESERVED TO BE PICKED ON 86 SESSION 4
IMPART NEHEMIAH 5:1-5 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain. Others were saying, We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine. Still others were saying, We have had to borrow money to pay the king s tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others. NEHEMIAH 5:1-5 In Jerusalem, the people were working diligently, and despite the opposition from outsiders, they were seeing success the wall was growing! However, another obstacle emerged, and this time it was from the inside. While they were building the wall, a famine struck the land. Food was already lean because workers had been pulled from the fields to work on the wall. Now it was worse. Food was scarce, grain prices skyrocketed, and people were forced to take desperate measures to feed their families. Many even took out loans against their properties to buy food and pay taxes to the king. Worst of all, fellow Jews, those who were well off and had given the loans to the workers, were charging high interest rates and taking advantage of their brothers. Life was difficult enough as it was, but this was devastating. The people cried out, We are powerless! VERSES 1-5: Because husbands were working on the wall, they earned little money, and wives had little to spend for essentials. They could not produce enough grain on their own and could not buy enough from the market. They were to the point that they felt the answer was to leave the wall to go back to work, even sacrificing security in order to survive. Leader: Discuss the following and share a personal story if time allows People can be pretty selfish, putting our needs and desires above the welfare of others, and this certainly applies to teenagers. We ve all known people who ve pressured classmates into letting them copy their homework, even though it went against their better judgment. I m sure you can come up with many more examples of people selfishly taking advantage of others. The leaders knew better. The law clearly commanded the people not to take advantage of each other. Do not charge your brother interest on silver, food, or anything that can earn interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but you must not charge your brother Israelite interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are entering to possess (Deut. 23:19-20). But because they desired riches more than following God, they disregarded God s instruction DAILY DISCIPLESHIP GUIDE (P. 88) and did as they pleased. Today, our culture is marked by people s desire to get ahead, even at the expense of others. When people live this way, others suffer, and God removes His blessing. Christians are called to support others never take advantage. Like Christ, we should be generous, even to the point of making sacrifices for others. 1 2 Where do you see examples of injustice in today s culture? When have you seen someone stand up for another who was being treated unjustly? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 87
IMPART NEHEMIAH 5:6-11 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 When people treat us unkindly, it s often our natural response to become angry. Famine and high interest rates were crushing the financial stability of the people, and worse, the leaders were taking advantage of their fellow Jews. But Nehemiah would not let this remain the status quo, and he responded: Emotionally He became extremely angry. This was not a sinful, self-centered anger. Nehemiah experienced righteous indignation because of the injustice being done to God s people. This response was one of the heart, and he felt the pain of his people. Thoughtfully Instead of quickly acting on his emotions, Nehemiah took the time to think about a legitimate solution. He gave the matter serious consideration and responded with wisdom. Willfully His emotions and thoughts led to action. Nehemiah called the leaders into a meeting and accused them of taking advantage of the people. But he didn t stop with accusations; he reminded them they should fear God and counseled them to return all the property and goods back to the people immediately, which they agreed to do. When we are aware of injustice and others suffering, we are called to respond. To ignore these things is to dishonor God. The Jewish leaders had an inconsistent testimony. They may have held the law in high esteem the law that showed the mercy of God but they showed no love to each other. In the same way today, such inconsistency dishonors God and invites the reproach of those who do not know Him. The outside world will never be convinced of the truth we claim until they see us live it out. On the other hand, when we take action to right wrongs that have been committed, we serve as a powerful testimony to the goodness of God. VERSE 6: Nehemiah describes himself as extremely angry. This was not small injustice it was an egregious offense. Injustice deserves a similar response from us today, and to ignore it, as we often do, is a great sin of omission. We are to treat one another as Christ has treated us. Christ does not treat us differently based on our social or financial status, and we are to follow His example. DAILY DISCIPLESHIP GUIDE (P. 89) 3 4 5 What are you known for in regards to the way you treat others? What does this say about your faith? What s at risk when our actions do not match our words? What can hinder a church s witness in the community? 88 SESSION 4
IMPART NEHEMIAH 5:12-13 We will give it back, they said. And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say. Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied! At this the whole assembly said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised. NEHEMIAH 5:12-13 The focus of the book of Nehemiah is the rebuilding of Jerusalem s walls, but what good are fortified walls and a spectacular city if the people inside are destroying each other? Even worse, the people were living in such a way that they were ruining their relationship with God. God had called His people to be a light to the nations and a testimony to all people. Instead, they were inviting the reproach of their foreign enemies. They were sinning, and they needed to repent. Nehemiah confronted the sin, and the people repented! In order to make sure they followed through on their promises, Nehemiah formalized an agreement in front of everyone. First, he made everyone take an oath in front of the priests. Then, Nehemiah shook the folds of his robe, a symbolic act announcing that if the leaders did not live up to their promise, then God should shake them out of His family. Repentance involves more than just words it means making changes. The leaders repented, and through their repentance, God changed hearts and returned the people to a lifestyle that gave Him honor. God works in our lives the same way when we repent. Repentance calls sin what it is: We often attempt to relabel our sin as a mistake or weakness, but we re fooling ourselves. Repentance means we see what we ve done as exactly what it is sin. Repentance admits we ve done wrong: When we sin, others are harmed, but it is ultimately against God. He is holy, and we ve rebelled against Him. Repentance means changing: Repentance is not just being sorry. It s genuine remorse because we have offended God. Repentance makes God the focus, and we change to align ourselves to God s will. Repentance is a way of life: Even Christians will sin, and when we do, we are called to immediately turn from the sin in repentance every time! Repentance is not an occasional Sunday event; it s an everyday way of life. When we are aware of injustice and others suffering, we are called to respond. To ignore these things is to dishonor God. #BSFLNehemiah DAILY DISCIPLESHIP GUIDE (P. 89) 6 7 8 How would you define repentance for someone who s not familiar with this idea? What s the difference between repentance and an apology? What steps can we take to ensure our actions match our words? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 89
LIVE IT OUT (10 MINUTES) CHRIST The gospel teaches us that we come into a relationship through belief and repentance. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that His sacrifice paid the price for our sins, and repent of our sinful lifestyle, instead pursuing Jesus with wholehearted devotion. 9 In John 14:15, Jesus tells us that, if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. Genuine belief always translates into obedience. What commands do you know, but maybe you don t fully believe, as is shown by a lack of obedience? 10 Healthy relationships require that, when we realize we ve hurt someone, we change the hurtful behavior right away. What sins are keeping you from living in close connection with Jesus? Repent right away! 90 SESSION 4
LIVE IT OUT COMMUNITY The Jews success in building the wall was threatened by the people s taking advantage of one another. 11 Are you aware of any unhealthy situations in your church or in your student ministry that are keeping you from being as effective as possible for the kingdom? What are they? 12 What will you do to bring a resolution and help bring glory to God? CULTURE Because foreign nations were threatened by a powerful and secure Jerusalem, when the Jews were weak and the walls were down, they mistreated each other and their enemies scoffed. 13 What does our culture see in the church that is similar to this? 14 How will you confront misperceptions about the church? 15 How will you demonstrate to your lost friends the love and unity that exists in the church? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91