The fear of God. It might not be popular to talk about this. We might prefer to talk about the love of God or even what it means to be a people of God. And little do we talk about the fear that is owe Him.

If you fear God, you will not exact usury (or interest) but instead love them (c.f. Neh 5:9). We should not deprive our Christian brother his due. In this section, we see how the fear of God also led to Nehemiah not take his due. We should not take what is due us.

The fear of God is incredibly practical for us. How does the fear of God rewire our thinking — who we are, how we relate to one another, who God is? It helps us to see God rightly and therefore ourselves rightly. The fear of God means that all of life —even our financial dealings — is under God’s purview.

(A) Leading in the fear of God (Neh 5:14-19)

Having confronted the gross injustice of usury amid the people of God, we are reminded of Nehemiah’s formal appointment in Judah. Nehemiah was appointed to be the governor in the land of Judah (Neh 5:14). He was one of the many governors in different provinces (c.f. Neh 2:9). Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, which one Judah’s enemy. This explains the tension between these two peoples.

Throughout his stint as governor from the 20th to the 32nd year of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah did not eat the food allowance of the governor (Neh 5:14).

He contrasted himself with the former governors who taxes the people above and beyond (“forty shekels of silver”) what they needed to (Neh 5:15). He did not use his role and power to create a system that benefitted him and also did not even take the allocated allowance. Nehemiah adopted a different leadership style. Why? Because of the fear of God.

We see how Nehemiah described his focus and priority. Nehemiah persevered in the work on this wall (Neh 5:16). He had no time for self-indulgence! He did not acquire land — implying that he did not focus on accruing long-term gains. His servants also participated on the work (Neh 5:16b). He also had 150 men to provide for, including men from the nations (Neh 5:17). He provided food at his expense, and did not demand the food allowance of the governor to avoid taxing the people further (Neh 5:18).

In Nehemiah 5:19, he interrupts the narrative and inserts a prayer to ask God to not forget his sacrifice. Do you know leaders like this, leaders that do not take for self and will regard self-gain as distraction? What will it be like to sit under such kind of a leader? How would you work under this kind of leader? The problem is that we rarely see leaders like this. We rarely see leaders who are this committed to the work, even to the point of personal sacrifice. Perhaps it is because we rarely think about the fear of God.

Have you been a leader? Maybe a small group. Leadership is often a love-hate task. Nehemiah’s words here may be one we can resonate with. We may be able to identify with Nehemiah’s exasperation. But are you conscious of the holy God? Remember that we lead under a God who sees all that we do, think and feel. He also sees all that we sacrifice and endure.

There is a rebuke here for leaders. Do we lead out of a fear of God?

There is also a comfort here. Remember to pray, “Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.” (Neh 5:19).

We are always yearning for praise. Yet what we really want is the “praise of the praiseworthy”. We need not fear that God will shortchange us. Lead with a focus on God and His work and do not bother about self-gain. Friend, any other way of leading will cause us to burn out, give up too quickly.

(B) Strengthened in the fear of God (Neh 6:1-9)

Sanballat, Geshem etc wanted to meet Nehemiah (Neh 6:1-2). Nehemiah knew that they wanted to do him harm, and responded that he is too busy with the work to meet them (Neh 6:3). In doing so, he is sending word that he is singularly focused on the work and nothing can distract and take him away from it.

Is this the way you think about serving God or the work that God is doing? Can you borrow Nehemiah’s work as you serve Him today? Our confidence in God’s work should sound like this. Yes, we may fail or humans may mess up, but God’s work cannot be stopped.

In Nehemiah 6:5-9, we see the fifth entreaty. This entreaty is more of a threat, for they had spread rumours of him going against the king and he could potentially get into trouble with Artaxerxes. He could also get in trouble with the king in Judah and the Jews. This comes with the messianic overtones implying that Nehemiah is claiming to be the Davidic descendant. This rumour is insinuating that he is the one of the line of Judah, who is going to inherit the eternal kingdom of God, the one that the people are to love and worship because he is the fulfilment of God’s promises to David (c.f. Ps 45).

Thus, Sanballat, Geshem and co try all ways to undermine and attack Nehemiah. Nehemiah understands that this is all to stop the work (Neh 6:9). He is not thinking about his own standing or governorship per se.

And again in Nehemiah 6:9, he prays that God will strengthen his hands. Nehemiah will do something, as we will see in the next verses. He also acknowledges that he does not have the strength to do what he is about to do. He trusts that God knows how he feels and sees the situation that he is in.

How often do you pray for God to strengthen you and help you to do what you are about to do? Do you ask God to help you to obey Him? We can ask God to give us the resolve and strength to obey Him when we hear the instruction from God. This is what we can pray even before we come to His word. It will be a no- regrets prayer to ask God for the strength to follow through regardless of the cost. Pray for strength to understand and obey what we have understood.

What have we been called to do? Consider:

  • Pursue holiness and set aside idols

  • Love neighbours and enemies as ourselves

  • Bring the gospel to the nations and those who are lost

  • Love God’s church

  • Proclaim the name of Jesus across the earth so that the knowledge of God fills the earth

Are we obeying? Do we use money as if it belongs to us? Do we measure our giving by what we are keeping ourselves or what we have sent out for the work? There are so many things that we are already disobeying God in. Pray that God will give us strength to obey.

How does the fear of God help us in wise, practical ways? We are to commit ourselves to hate what is evil and fear God in humility. We oppose pride and arrogance (c.f. Prov 8:13). We ought to also be mindful about how we use our words.

Fearing God is what leads to life, a full life, a life that is a fountain (c.f. Prov 14:27). It leads to real life! A life where we do not fear God — where we think that God cannot see and hear what we are loving in the darkness — is a snare of death.

Jesus Himself calls us to fear God (c.f. Matt 10:28). He also sets us an example of what it means to fear God. Jesus, on the way to the cross and especially on the cross, lived in the fear of God. He feared God every minute of His life. He was mindful that His actions were what God wanted and He was continually depending on His Father. He continued to cry out to the Father and dependent on His Spirit for His obedience. Why then, would we think that we are exempt from fearing God as we seek to obey Him? We can trust in the words and also the example of Jesus as we seek to obey God out of a fear for Him, no matter where His path leads us.