October 2 – Nehemiah Demands Justice for the Poor – Nehemiah 5
In today’s reading Nehemiah addresses the problem of some folks taking advantage of the desperate situation of the poor. Some people were loaning money to the poor, but with exuberant interest charges. The poor people had no other option, and were forced to accept the insane “usury” charges. Nehemiah points out the injustice in this type of action. The lenders recognize their mistake and promise to make it right. It is one thing to invest and make money, it is completely different when you make money off the poor.
A few things to notice in this story. 1) The poor did not picket over what they might have thought was an injustice. 2) God used Nehemiah, an outside observer and man of God, to correct an injustice. 3) Nehemiah offered the solution to correct the injustice instead of just complaining about it.