The Leader: A Future Forecaster | Nehemiah 5:1–19 | Message 6
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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.
14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels[a] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we[b] did not acquire any land.
17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.
19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.
Nehemiah 5:1–19
There is one litmus test every true leader must face: opposition. If you’re serious about leading for Christ, you won’t escape it. Let me ask you: what is the biggest barrier standing between you and the next level of spiritual impact? What is keeping you from a life marked not only by success, but by significance? Whatever it is, you can be sure it will involve opposition.
Across decades of ministry, I’ve discovered a sobering truth—when God was using me most powerfully, opposition was always present. And when things grew too easy, I had to pause and ask: “Lord, am I truly being effective, or have I settled for the path of least resistance?”
In this message, you will learn how to overcome opposition with courage and conviction. Nothing is more certain than this: the more your life counts for Christ, the more resistance will rise against you.
Our study of Nehemiah 5 gives us a stunning example. The “nobles and officials” (v. 7) - descendants of the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem perhaps with Zerubbabel a century earlier, who in a land grab had become wealthy—were now exploiting their own people. They charged interest to poor families, driving them into crushing debt, even forcing parents to sell their children into slavery. How did Nehemiah respond? Scripture says: “Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem” (Nehemiah 5:7b). No hesitation. No timidity. Nehemiah confronted the issue head-on, and the abuse stopped. That’s leadership! When you face opposition, don’t bury it, don’t delay—deal with it today.
In this message, I will share an additional 11 Leadership Facts, building on the 30 we have already noted. Nehemiah chapters 4–6 deliver a piercing reminder: often the most destructive opposition does not come from enemies outside—but from inside.
John White put it bluntly: “No test of leadership is more revealing than the test of opposition. Christian leaders can go to pieces under such pressure. Some grow too discouraged to continue. Others build walls around themselves and shoot murderously from behind them. They become embattled, embittered, and vindictive. Not so Nehemiah. Nowhere does his leadership shine more brilliantly than in his handling of opposition.”
Scripture assures us: God never tempts us to sin (James 1:13). But He does test us. And one of the Lord’s tools is opposition. Like a blacksmith who thrusts metal into the fire—not to destroy it but to strengthen and purify it—God allows trials to forge resilient leaders.
That’s why you never need to fear opposition. Walking with God, obeying Christ, the only fear you need is a holy fear of the Lord. Oswald Chambers captured it perfectly: “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.”
And when opposition comes—and it will—follow the counsel of Adrian Rogers, the great late pastor from Memphis: “Tell God on them!” Yes, Amen and Amen. When critics try to pull you down from your wall of faith and service, don’t let them. Take it straight to the throne of grace. Tell God on them!
John White, Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayer, Courage and Determination (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 66.
Oswald Chambers, The Highest Good: The Pilgrim’s Progress (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1996), 24.
