Living with a Kingdom Ethic

Since arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah has focused all his attention on the greatest problem facing the people of God; this was not the only problem. There were many problems facing the people of Judah. There was great poverty, and many families had to resort to indentured servitude to support their families, pay taxes, and pay off their debts.

The great task of rebuilding the wall had united the people and focused their resources because of the urgency of the task. As the walls were completed, the injustices and desperate state of the people came back into focus—only to be in a worse state than before the walls were rebuilt. 

In Nehemiah 5, we see the difficulty of living out a Kingdom Ethic. How are we to act when the laws of the land make it legal to do things that God calls immoral and evil? We also see the remarkable leadership of Nehemiah, as he not only leads by confronting injustices and requiring the people to live rightly, but also leads by example and at a great cost. 

We learn there can be a cost to living rightly and a cost to living wrongly. The question is, who are you living for, and to whom do you look for your reward?