When reading Nehemiah this morning I couldn't help but draw comparison to our current situation. When Nehemiah requested permission to return to his native Judah and leave the service of the Persian king Artaxerxes, his country was in trouble. The walls of the capital, Jerusalem, had been toppled and were thought irreparable. His countrymen had allowed a system to perpetuate over generations that had led to severe wage inequality to the point where the 'nobles and leaders' (NLT) were in a positions of ownership of not only most of the arable land and planted orchards and vineyards which they had acquired after citizens had been unable to repay mortgages, but they had even purchased many of the people as the lower class citizens had been required to sell themselves or their children into slavery to buy food and pay taxes/tributes.
Today, in the US, our economy has been severely affected by world events leaving us vulnerable in a way we have never been in the past. Although our military is intact, I can't help but see the parallel to the mighty capital city, Jerusalem, with its walls toppled. We have indebted ourselves as a nation to other national interests by selling bonds internationally as a way to support spending domestically. The economic downturn has left many families who once had homes of their own now indebted to others or forcibly removed because they have been unable to afford their mortgages. Worse, wage inequality is so severe that many people cannot work enough to support themselves and their families. Although we have abolished slavery, this creates a state of dependency and desperation for even low-wage jobs that is tantamount to the bond-servitude of ancient times.
I could flesh this out further, but I think I've made my point. The question I have is this: Does God's Word provide an answer for us in our situation? I think the answer is yes. In fact, I would argue that the answer to this question is always yes, whatever you might be facing, but I will focus on the answer I found to our national dilemma in the Word this morning.
On Nehemiah's arrival everything changed. Nehemiah had the authority of the king to utilize resources to rebuild the walls, but those resources were not just going to show up on their own. The people of Judah recognized that in Nehemiah they had a leader with vision who could direct them effectively. They banded together as a nation and rolled up their sleeves to harvest lumber, cut stone, clear rubble, and rebuild their capital and their nation. The 'nobles and leaders' voluntarily restored previously mortgaged lands to their original owners, recognizing that home-ownership of the citizens would increase the prosperity of their nation. Slaves (bond-servants) were freed to return to their families and work their own land.
Our nation once had this common vision. When faced with a threat to our existence we made the choice to band together and roll up our sleeves. Marginal income taxes on the wealthy increased to over 80 percent in order to provide the resources for the common good. Wage inequality improved as business owners took less profit home (or to shareholders) and returned it to the workers in higher wages. If that meant local goods were more expensive, other citizens were willing to pay more to see our flag on the tag or sticker of the products they purchased.
So what can we learn from Nehemiah today? Our obstacles, however great, are not insurmountable but we must have a common vision. We must have people willing to roll up their sleeves and work hard and we must have the support of those of means and those in power to rally us, sacrifice their wealth for the common good, and lead us back to prosperity.
