Memorise: Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely,
neither lie one to another. Leviticus 19:11
Read: Nehemiah 5:1-13, 5 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives
against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our
daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and
live.
3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our
lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for
the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our
children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our
daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage
already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our
lands and vineyards.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these
words.
7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the
nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his
brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said unto them, We after our ability have
redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye
even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their
peace, and found nothing to answer.
9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not
to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our
enemies?
10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my
servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this
usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even
this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses,
also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil,
that ye exact of them.
12 Then said they, We will restore
them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I
called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to
this promise.
13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So
God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth
not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the
congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord.
And the people did according to this promise.
MESSAGE!
God hates extortion; hence He prohibits it. In our
Bible reading, after the children of Israel returned to rebuild the city of
Jerusalem, the rich ones among them began to extort the poor until they cried
out to Nehemiah. Nehemiah rebuked the rich who did this, and he asked them to
make restitution. When this was done, there was great joy in the land. We see a
similar situation in the case of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). Zacchaeus was a
chief tax collector who amassed wealth by defrauding the poor. The day he
received Jesus Christ, he immediately decided to share his wealth into two and
give one part of it to the poor. Thereafter, he offered to apply the Mosaic Law
on restitution, by restoring fourfold of whatever he fraudulently received from
people (Exodus 22:1). Jesus did not tell him that his step on restitution was
unnecessary, rather He reinforced it. Luke 19:9 says:
“And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come
to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”
Moreover, restitution equally effects
employer-employee relationships. In Leviticus 19:13, God warns against
extorting your workers:
“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither
rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night
until the morning.”
Do you know it is wrong to withhold your worker’s
salary or wages a day beyond the agreed date of payment? There are employers
who sit on their staff salaries for weeks and months and expose them to untold
hardship, and yet they expect their staff to be faithful in their work. That is
wickedness! Such employers must make restitution by releasing the salaries and
paying an inconvenience allowance. However, if the employer genuinely does not
have the funds to pay the staff and he explains the situation to them before
hand, he is exonerated. Some people trade with the salaries and benefits of
their staff for months before releasing their pay. They do this to derive gain
for themselves. This also is wickedness. Why is it that retired people who
contributed all their working years to a fund cannot access their money or
receive their pension after retirement? God hates fraud, whether it is
perpetrated by an individual, organization or government.
Key Point
When you occupy a public
office, you are accountable to God and to the people you are serving in that
office.
Bible in one year:
Psalm 21-26, Titus 2:1-3:15
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