In March of 1993 a large snowstorm blanketed much of the
southern U.S. including Birmingham, Alabama. The snow that fell from March 12th
to 13th is the largest accumulation Birmingham ever received; 18
inches in some spots.
The man writes, “As an idiotic 17-year-old with a four-wheel
drive Jeep with an electric winch mounted to my front bumper, I didn’t see 18
inches of snow as a problem, but a challenge…so I loaded up my Jeep with a
friend and set out to explore our hometown.
“It didn’t take us long to discover a lot of people stranded
in their cars by the side of I65. With the best of intentions, my friend and I
began helping people get their cars back on the road and off to an exit where
they could seek shelter…
“Well, what began to quickly happen was that people started
to hand us money or toss it out of their window as they drove away. At first
what were simply good intentions became an all-out money-making adventure. We
were very aware that soon the snow would melt, and the opportunity would be
gone.
“One night as we were contemplating how we could increase
our revenue, we saw a story on TV reporting a large number of people stranded
at the airport. We immediately jumped into the Jeep and headed there. As we
pulled up we could see hundreds of people through the windows. Some were
sleeping. Others were talking to each other. Others were pacing. They all
looked tired, hungry, and disheveled.
“So we walk into the airport and announce, ‘Who needs a
ride?’ Suddenly we’re heroes. People start running toward us. They’re yelling,
‘I’ll give you $25 to take me to Homewood.’ or ‘I’ll give you $50 if you take
us to the nearest hotel with a vacancy.’ For hours this scene is repeated. We
get to the point that we stand there waiting for the bidding to go through the
roof. One guy gave us $200 to take him to Childersburg (36 miles).
“I don’t remember how much money my friend and I made that
week, but I can assure you it probably exceeded what the two of us, at that
point in our lives, could have made in two or three months.”
Now this story comes from a preacher who, when he reads
Nehemiah 5, can see himself in it. The parallels are striking. At a time when
many of the Jews of Jerusalem who live behind the half-built wall are starving,
others of their brethren are exploiting them.
Last week our focus was on chapter 4 and the extreme threat posed
by the external enemies of God’s vision. Remember the nature of their threat—confusion,
danger, fear. This week the threat is internal. The vision of God is being
assailed by evildoers within the city. God’s people are ripping each other off!
They are charging each other interest. In the midst of a famine brothers and
sisters are exploiting each other, and Nehemiah is ticked. Like those two
teenage boys, the pain of the many is the gain of the few. We have a lot to
learn in this chapter.
We are going to dig deeply into all of it on Sunday in a
message entitled, “Threats from Within”. The text is Nehemiah 5:1-13. As you
read it you may wish to consider the following:
1. What are the reasons for the scarcity of food in Jerusalem?
2. What are the charges brought against the exploiters?
3. Who are the profiteers?
4. What is the nature of Nehemiah’s anger in verse 6?
5. What does “I took counsel with myself” mean? (see verse 7)
6. What is Nehemiah’s argument to the nobles and the officials?
7. On what grounds does he rebuke them?
8. How do we know that the Holy Spirit has convicted them?
9. After they make their promise in verse 12 why does Nehemiah
threaten them if they fail to honor it?
10. What does it mean to have God “shake us out of the fold of
His garment”? (see verse 13)
See you on Sunday!
