But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people; but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
Parallel Translations
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But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people; but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
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But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
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But the former governors that were before me laid burdens upon the people, and took of them for bread and wine above forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants lorded over the people; but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
Cross-references (14)
Passages linked to Nehemiah 5:15 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Nehemiah 5:9 Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?
- Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil.
- Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears Yahweh and obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness and has no light, let him trust in Yahweh’s name, and rely on his God.
- Job 31:23 For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.
- Matthew 5:47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
- 2 Corinthians 11:9 When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.
- 1 Samuel 8:15 He will take one tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers, and to his servants.
- Psalms 112:1 Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments.
- Psalms 147:11 Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his loving kindness.
- Proverbs 29:12 If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials are wicked.
- 2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is there in which you were made inferior to the rest of the assemblies, unless it is that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong.
- 1 Samuel 2:15-17 Yes, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw.” If the man said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take as much as your soul desires;” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” The sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh; for the men despised Yahweh’s offering.
- Luke 18:2-4 saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Neh 5:15 But the former governors that [had been]…
Neh 5:15 But the former governors that [had been] before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
Ver. 15. But the former governors] Those that had been between Zerubbabel and Nehemiah; Ezra was no governor. These had been strict in exacting their five pounds a day; or, for the head of every family, so much; besides bread for necessity, and wine for delight. Not so Nehemiah, he would not use his power to over burden those poor whom these usurers oppressed. This he here instanceth for their further conviction.
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Yea, even their servants bear rule over the people] Exacting what they please of them. This their masters should have seen to, and not suffered, for the servant’s sin is the master’s reproach. When Charles V resolved to lay down the empire, some of his courtiers and counsellors advised him to retain still the name and authority of emperor, and to govern the kingdom by his junior officers. His answer to them was, Ah, me praesente ita res administratis, &c., Alas, now that I am among you, things are so ill carried, that ye are complained of by all; what then would you do, if I should not have an eye upon you? and how would you domineer like so many Sultans (the word here used), and follow the administration of justice as a trade only, with an unquenchable and unconscionable desire of gain?
But so did not I, because of the fear of God] The best retentive from sin certainly; a spur to good, a curb from evil. Hence David calleth it a clean fear, Psa 19:9; and the fear of the Lord is, to depart from evil, saith Solomon. And Aristotle hath this problem, Why are men credited more than other creatures? The answer is, οτι θεους νομιζειν μονον, because man alone holdeth and feareth God; therefore you may trust him. But where this fear is not, no good is to be expected, but the contrary, Gen 20:11. {See Trapp on "Neh 5:9"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The former governors; not Ezra, who was no governor,…
The former governors; not Ezra, who was no governor, but only a priest sent to teach them, and to rectify church abuses; nor Zerubbabel; but others between him and Nehemiah, whom he forbears to name, because he designed not to disgrace any person, but only to reform the abuses.
Beside forty shekels of silver; which they required of the people for every day to defray their other expenses.
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Their servants bare rule over the people, i.e. ruled them with rigour and cruelty; which fault of the servants is charged upon their masters; the former governors, because they did not restrain nor punish them.
Because of the fear of God; because I feared to break God’s commands, or to incur his displeasure, by such immoderate and unseasonable oppressions of the people. This he speaks not to commend himself, but rather to diminish his praise, and to show that this was no heroical action, nor work of supererogation, to be admired rather than imitated; but only his duty in that case, which for his own sake he durst not decline; and consequently that it was their duty also now to relinquish even those rights which in other times and conditions they might lawfully require.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Yea, also I continued in the work of this…
Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall,.... Of building the wall of Jerusalem; here he gave his constant attendance to direct and encourage the workmen, and see that they kept to their work, and did it well:
neither bought we any land; neither he nor the principal men with him, though they could have bought it cheap, but they chose not to take the advantage of the poverty of the people:
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and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work: all were employed in it, taking no wages for their work, being maintained at his expense.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The former - Not Ezra, who was no governor,…
The former - Not Ezra, who was no governor, nor Zerubbabel, but others between him and Nehemiah, whom he forbears to name. Beside, &c. - Which they required of the people every day to defray their other expenses. Their servants - Ruled them with rigor and cruelty; which fault of the servants is charged upon their masters, because they did not restrain them. He had an awe of God's mercy, and a fear of offending him. Those that truly fear God, will not dare to do any thing cruel or unjust. And this is not only a powerful, but an acceptable principle both of justice and charity.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Neh 5:15. The former governors — Not Ezra, who…
Neh 5:15. The former governors — Not Ezra, who was no governor, nor Zerubbabel, but others between him and Nehemiah, whom he forbears to name; were chargeable unto the people — How chargeable they had been, and how dear the country had paid for the benefit of their government, the people well knew. It is no new thing for those who are in places of trust, to seek themselves more than the public welfare, nay, and to serve themselves upon the public loss. Besides forty shekels of silver — Which they required of the people every day, to defray their other expenses. Yea, even their servants bare rule over the people — Ruled them with rigour and cruelty, and demanded of them what they pleased, while their employers connived at their exactions. Thus the fault of the servants is charged upon their masters, because they did not restrain them. But so did not I, because of the fear of God — He had an awe of God’s majesty, and a fear of offending him, and therefore he had not done as the former governors did. Those who truly fear God will not dare to do any thing cruel or unjust. And this is not only a powerful, but an acceptable principle, both of justice and charity.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Forty shekels of silver - A daily sum from…
Forty shekels of silver - A daily sum from the entire province. For such a table as that kept by Nehemiah Neh 5:18, this would be a very moderate payment.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain the former governors . . . had taken .…
the former governors . . . had taken . . . bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver--The income of Eastern governors is paid partly in produce, partly in money. "Bread" means all sorts of provision. The forty shekels of silver per day would amount to a yearly salary of £1800 sterling.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 15. Were chargeable unto the people — Literally, made…
15. Were chargeable unto the people — Literally, made heavy upon the people; that is, had made themselves burdensome.
Besides forty shekels of silver — This, we think, gives substantially the meaning of the Hebrew, which is more exactly rendered thus: had taken from them in bread and wine after forty shekels of silver. That is, after having received their salary of forty shekels (about $22) a day, (so the Vulgate,) they also took of the people gifts of bread and wine.
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Their servants bare rule — They copied the example of their masters, and also assumed power to lord it over the people. Bitterly oppressed are any people over whom servants rule.
Compare Lam_5:8.
Because of the fear of God — Because of Nehemiah’s reverence for God.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 15. the former governors that had been before me]…
15. the former governors that had been before me] R.V. the former governors that were before me. The governors or Pekhahs here referred to by Nehemiah are those of Jerusalem and the neighbouring district. Zerubbabel was the first. We do not know how many there had been in the interval, nor whether they like Nehemiah were Jews.
were chargeable unto] R.V. marg. ‘Or, laid burdens upon’. Literally the word means ‘made heavy;’ and we should expect here some such word after it as ‘their yoke’ or ‘burden,’ as in Isa_47:6. ‘Upon the aged hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.’ Lam_3:7, ‘he hath made my chain heavy.’ 1Ki_12:10, ‘Thy father made our yoke heavy,’ and 14; (2Ch_10:10; 2Ch_10:14); Hab_2:6. The object is expressed in the other phrases, ‘harden the heart’ (Exo_8:15; Exo_8:32; Exo_9:34; Exo_10:1) and ‘make the ears heavy’ (Isa_6:10; Zec_7:11) in which this verb occurs. The only other instance in which this causative word is used absolutely appears to be 2Ch_25:19, ‘to boast.’
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had taken of them] R.V. took of them.
bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver] ‘beside,’ R.V. marg. ‘Or, at the rate of, Or, afterward.’ The expenses of the governor’s table were defrayed at the cost of the province or district. As may be gathered from the R.V. margin, there is considerable doubt with regard to the word rendered ‘beside.’ Literally the Hebrew runs ‘bread and wine, after forty shekels of silver.’
(a) The rendering ‘beside’ of the A.V. and R.V. can hardly be correct. There is no other instance of the use of the Hebrew preposition in this sense; and the addition of the statement ‘beside forty shekels, &c.’ conveys no meaning without the mention of the time, whether by day, month, or year, at which this extra charge was exacted.
(b) The rendering ‘afterward,’ which is maintained by Keil, is even more improbable. A sentence to the effect that the governors took from the people bread and wine, and afterwards took forty shekels of silver, conveys no intelligible meaning. Keil thinks that it ‘expresses the thought that this money was afterwards demanded from the community for the expenses of the governor’s table,’ in other words that the governor first exacted the food and then required its value in money.
(c) The rendering ‘at the rate of’ i.e. ‘at the price of forty shekels and over,’ which is certainly preferable, puts a severe strain upon the simple preposition ‘after.’ It explains the mention of the forty shekels. The sentence then means that the governor (daily, it must be presumed) required provisions to be supplied him by the province, the cost of which was never less than forty shekels.
(d) The rendering of the LXX. ἔσχατον ἀργύριον does not help us. The Vulgate ‘quotidie’ may imply a different reading. The Hebrew for ‘one’ (ekhâd) could very easily by a copyist’s slip be read ‘after’ (akhar). A very simple conjectural emendation would give us ‘bread and wine to the value of, in one day, forty shekels of silver’ (= ‘v’yayin yôm ekhâd’ instead of ‘v’yayin akhar’). Forty shekels of silver would amount to about £5: this sum shows clearly that a rate ‘per diem’ and not ‘per mensem’ is indicated.
yea, even their servants] Cf. Neh_4:16, i.e. the governor’s household.
bare rule] R.V. marg. ‘Or, lorded over.’ The word probably conveys a sense of arbitrary exercise of authority. Cf. ‘have rule’ Est_9:1; Ecc_2:19; Ecc_8:9.
but so did not I] Nehemiah neither exacted excessive charges from his countrymen as his predecessors in office had done, nor did he presume upon his official position in the way that his predecessors’ households had been apt to do. Like St Paul, Nehemiah could say, ‘Nevertheless we did not use this right’ (1Co_9:12), and ‘In everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you’ (2Co_11:9).
because of the fear of God] See on Neh_5:9. Nehemiah defends himself against a false supposition. His motive was not the desire for popularity with his countrymen; but the recognition of the Divine presence in all things quickened his sense of duty. Pro_16:6, ‘By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.’
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (15) Besides forty shekels of silver.—Either in bread and…
(15) Besides forty shekels of silver.—Either in bread and wine over forty shekels, or, received in bread and wine, and beyond that, forty shekels. The latter, on the whole, is to be preferred; it would amount to about four pounds from the entire people daily.
So did not I, because of the tear of God.—Nehemiah contrasts his forbearance with the conduct of former governors; we cannot suppose him to mean Zorubbabel, but some of his successors. The practice he condemns was common among the satraps of the Persian princes. Note that usury and rigour were interdicted, in Lev_25:36; Lev_25:43, with the express sanction, “Fear thy God.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The former governors that had been before me. Of…
The former governors that had been before me. Of these, two only are known to us, Zerubbabel and Ezra; but it is probable that there had been others. Were chargeable unto the people. The words of the original are stronger, and should be rendered "had oppressed the people" (ebarunan , LXX), ad been heavy upon them. Had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels. Rather, "had taken from them, for bread and wine, above forty shekels." (So Ewald and Bertheau.) Forty shekels a day from the whole people would seem to be intended not forty shekels a year from each person, as some explain. Even their servants bare rule. The oppression exercised by the domestics and other hangers-on of rulers is often worse than their own. This is especially the case in the East, where eunuchs and other domestics have been the most fearful tyrants. Haman under Xerxes, Sejanus under Tiberius, Narcissus under Nero, are examples. So did not I I neither exacted money, nor allowed my servants to bear rule. Because of the fear of God. Because I felt that it would be wrong, either absolutely or under the circumstances.
The practical power of the fear of God.
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"But so did not I, because of the fear of God. fear of God," as a description of piety, is more common in the Old Testament; "faith" and "love" in the New. But each includes the other. For this fear is not mere dread, but reverence.
I THE FEAR OF GOD IS A PRACTICAL PRINCIPLE. It rules the life.
1. As a motive, He who fears God must be concerned to please and obey him. All that is included in such fear tends to this result.
(1) Reverence for his glorious perfections, his infinite power, his omniscience and omnipresence, his holiness, justice, loving-kindness. His infinite excellences, known, admired, revered, will impress their image on the heart and life. The sense of his presence, his knowledge of the heart, his power to bless and to curse, must stimulate to the avoidance of sin and the practice of righteousness.
(2) Reverence for his authority. As Creator, Lawgiver, Ruler, Judge.
(3) Reverence for his laws.
(4) Dread of his displeasure.
2. As it will secure Divine assistance.
II THE FEAR OF GOD AS A PRACTICAL PRINCIPLE IS SUPREME AND PREDOMINANT. It recognises God as supreme, regards his favour as most to be desired, his displeasure as most to be dreaded. Hence it raises at once above self-will, the desire to please men, and the influence of human examples and customs. It follows that it will
1. Rule those whose position renders them largely independent of men. Well is it for the feeble when the mighty govern themselves by this fear; well for nations when their rulers, especially where despotic government prevails, answer to the description of a good sovereign given in the last words of David. (2Sa_23:3)
2. Restrain from common sins. Such as are not generally condemned, or are very leniently regarded by society.
3. Incite to uncommon virtues. Nehemiah"s conduct supplies an illustration and proof of all three propositions.
III THOSE WHO ARE GOVERNED BY THE FEAR OF GOD WILL ENJOY HAPPY REMEMBRANCES. Nehemiah records with emphasis and evident pleasure," So did not I," etc. Such remembrances are pleasant, as they
1. Give satisfaction to the conscience, which pronounces the conduct right and good.
2. Afford evidence of sincere piety.
3. Strengthen the hope of future acceptance and recompense.
4. Awaken thankfulness to God. Let the young begin early to live in the fear of God, and they will live pure and noble lives, on which, in old age and in the prospect of death, they will be able to look back with satisfaction.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain But so did not I, because of the fear…
Neh_5:15
But so did not I, because of the fear of God.
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A motto for a manly life
I. The self-regulative power of a manly motive. The fear of God; the love of Christ; religious principle; conscience; the sense of duty; the instinct of right, are all variations of expressions of the same motive.
II. The courage to be singular is here implied.
III. Applications of this principle to the commonplace life of all men.
1. To himself a man must say, No!
2. To the world a man must say No!
3. This is the motto for youth.
IV. The simplicity and directness of this life-motto,
V. This motto is our guide in doubtful matters. (Homiletic Commentary.)
The fear of the Lord
I. Wholesome self-restraint. There is always a temptation to run with the multitude. It was particularly so with Nehemiah.
1. His superiors were evil. A man is fain to follow his employers or masters.
2. His surroundings were evil. A person gets his tone from his surroundings.
3. His temptations were to evil. He would have gained the applause of his fellows by sinning.
4. He was singular in his convictions, also almost alone in an idolatrous land.
II. An all-powerful motive. Because of the fear of the Lord. All the more powerful because unseen--the mightiest forces are those the eye cannot trace. The fear of the Lord is--
1. A safe guide. It is sure to be right.
2. A powerful incentive. He has power to cast into hell, and He will reward.
3. A plain directive. The wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein. Men who are independent in their purpose of rectitude are, earths true nobility. Learn to stand alone for the cause of truth. (Homilist.)
Nehemiahs master principle
The religion of the Bible is not a sickly plant which requires the forcing-house to keep it alive. It is a hardy tree which flourishes best in the open field. The servant of God anywhere is the servant of God everywhere. Few notions have done more mischief than the imagination that godliness belongs to the closet and sanctuary, the cloister and the cell, and that it is too ethereal to be interfused into the occupations of secular life. To refute such fallacies nothing is more effectual than holy example. Example shows what can be done, and at the came time points out the way in which it may be accomplished. For those occupied in the busy pursuits of the world there is no more appropriate example in the Scriptures than that of Nehemiah.
I. His ruling motive. The whole tenor of his conversation bespoke the supremacy of the fear of God in his soul. This chapter contains an impressive exercise of this principle. Of those returned from the captivity, many were destitute and distressed; their poverty made them a prey to their richer brethren. Nehemiahs predecessors were most rigorous in their exactions, and failed to let mercy temper justice. Nehemiah, on the contrary, not only refrained from oppression, but did not even require his dues. Had he not disclosed the principle which actuated him, we might have filled up the blank in this way: Because of the promptings of generosity; or because of my high sense of honour; or because of the patriotism that fired my breast; or because of the compassion which melted my heart. Thus, however, spake not Nehemiah, but he said, So did not I, because of the fear of God. This gave the character of godliness to his conduct; this transmuted what would otherwise have been no better than fair tinsel into the fine gold of the sanctuary.
II. The nature of the fear of God. The fear of God in the Old Testament is equivalent to the love of God in the New. The former indicates the severer aspect of the one economy as compared with the more gracious aspect of the other. What viewed in one light is love viewed in another is godly fear. They are but different aspects of the same principle. If there be genuine love of God, there cannot fail to be s holy fear of offending Him. This fear is therefore the beginning of wisdom; the guardian of holiness; the seal of adoption. What need there is for this principle to pervade the mercantile world! Examined in the light of Scripture, the morals of that world, even in our own favoured land, would be found to be fearfully faulty. Along with much that is honourable and of good report among our merchant princes, if you penetrate into the recesses of commerce, you will frequently detect a low and shifting standard of equity--you will discover that a thousand practices are connived at and pass current in business which when in the balances of the sanctuary are found utterly wanting.
III. The salutary effects of the fear of God. It gives to mercantile morality--
1. Intrinsic worth.
2. Strength.
3. Stability.
4. Universality.
(1) Taking the morality of the commercial world at the highest, how much of it is genuine? If men are upright in their dealings merely because they have a conviction that honesty is the best policy, and that fairness will answer better than fraud, or if they act justly simply from a sense of honour or from a pride which raises them above being guilty of a low and disgraceful transaction; or if they do right because they instinctively recoil from all that is base and equivocal, from whatever would degrade and disturb their mind, then all their imposing array of mercantile virtues are after all of the earth earthy, hollow at the core and unprofitable in the sight of God. It is the fear of God alone which can impart to mercantile morality its intrinsic worth.
(2) Even the virtuous qualities which exalt men in the commercial world must lack reality and consistency when they rest on a lower ground. Hence it is no uncommon thing to find a man who was at one period distinguished for honour and integrity at another period making utter shipwreck of character; whilst his barque glided along in smooth water and his sails were filled with prosperous gales, he steered an undeviating course, but when storms arose and his vessel drifted among quicksands and shallows, he soon abandoned the compass of honesty and yielded himself to the force of the current. His rectitude was the creature of circumstance: sustained by success, with success it fell. Fragile at best are the virtues which spring from the unregenerated heart.
(3) The energy of this principle will exert strength and universality of influence which nothing else can command. God, being everywhere, the man who fears Him will fear Him everywhere. It is impossible to delineate fully the breadth and expansiveness of this principle of action. It will go with a man into the little as well as the great, into the hidden as well as the open; it will tell upon him with equal force whether others dissent from or concur in his course of conduct. It will elevate him to freedom and independence of character. He will not be like the sundial, useless save in the light; but he will be like the timepiece, which keeps the tenor of its way alike in the shade as in the sunshine. The saint, like the sunflower, owns the centre of attraction when clouded as well as when clear.
(a) It will keep a man undefiled amid the defilements of public life like the pure stream that is said to pass through the salt lake and yet retain its freshness. It is a safeguard against the tone, the spirit, and the practices of business, and it will prevent compliance with the expedients, manoeuvres, and subterfuges of trade.
(b) A trying ordeal for a godly tradesman is to be reputed soft and behind the age because he will not overreach his neighbour. When he sees competitors prospering by doubtful expedients, or hears them glorying in their equivocal gains, his reflection and joy will be, So did not I, because of the fear of God.
(c) It will restrain from the unhallowed indulgences of worldlings,
(d) It will guard against the desecration and profanation of the ordinances of the Lords Day. (Hugh Stowell, M. A.)
Uprightness in dealing
If you wish to apply a touchstone to character, take this as the most searching--the exercise of those graces which a man is most tempted to neglect, and the eschewal of those iniquities which a man is most tempted to indulge. He who can stand this test is sterling in the sight of God. Consider--
I. Some great principles which ought to obtain in mercantile transactions.
1. A Christian tradesman ought to love his neighbour as himself.
2. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. This is a code of morals condensed into a sentence.
3. You must be faithful in the little, even as in the great.
II. Some of the less obvious deviations from these principles which pass current in the mercantile world.
1. How common is it for men to defraud society by idleness and self-indulgence!
2. By selfish extravagance, or rash speculations, what numbers subject themselves to liabilities which their resources do not warrant, or plunge into debts which they have no prospect of discharging!
3. How diversified the deceptions practised in trade for the purpose of taking advantage of the purchaser! (Hugh Stowell, M. A.)
The fear of God
A few principles, realised in the heart, will generate this blessed fear. Let us consider--
I. Gods majesty, and this will provoke the fear of reverence.
II. Gods providence, and this will induce a fear of dependence.
III. Our advantages, and this will induce a fear of diffidence.
IV. Our obligations, and this will induce a fear of gratitude and love. (J. M. Randall.)
The fear of God a real principle of life
It puts a difference between the world and the servant of God--
I. As it regards choice.
II. As to service.
III. As to WORSHIP.
IV. As to affliction. The worldly man will fret and murmur; not so the godly.
V. As to the practical conduct of daily life. (J. M. Randall.)
So did not I
I. Let me put the main principle that lies here in these words: nothing will go right unless you dare to be singular. So did not I. How soever common the practice, howsoever innocent and recognised the source of gain, the multitude that approved it, and adopted it, was nothing to me. Everything will be wrong where a man has not learnt the great art of saying, No. Resolute non-compliance with common practice should be exercised--
1. In the field of opinion. If we are building on traditional opinion, we have really no foundation at all. Unless the word received from others has been verified by ourselves and changed, as it were, into part of our own being, we may befool ourselves with creeds and professions to which we fancy that we adhere, but we have no belief whatsoever.
2. In the daily conduct of life. There are many beckoning hands and enticing voices that seek to draw us away. Sturdy resistance is necessary--
(1) From the very make of our own natures. There is a host of inclinations and desires in every man which will hurry him to destruction unless he has a strong hand on the brake. God gave them to thee under lock and key, and it is at our peril that we let them have sway.
(2) From the order of things in which we dwell. We are set in the midst of a world full of things which are both attractive and bad, and which are sternly prohibited and lovingly forbidden by God. And if you go careering among the flowers and fruits that grow around you in the life that is opening to you, like town children turned loose for a day in the woods, picking whatever is bright, and tasting whatever looks as if it would be sweet, you will poison your selves with nightshade and hemlock.
(3) From the fact that every one of us is thrown more or less closely into contact with people who themselves are living as they should not, and who would fain drag us after them. For us all, then, in every period of life, the necessity is the same. We must learn to say, No. Like Joseph, like Daniel, like the three Hebrew youths, like Nehemiah, we must dare, if need be, to be singular.
(4) Non-resistance or compliance is in itself weak and unworthy. What a shame it is that a man possessed of that awful power which, within limits and subject to conditions, God has given him, of shaping and deter mining his character, should let himself be shaped and determined by the mere pressure of circumstances and accidental associations! What a shame it is that a man should have no more volition in what he does and in what he refrains from than one of those gelatinous creatures that float about in the ocean, which have to move wherever the current takes them, though it be to cast them on the rocky shore with an ebbing tide. That circumstances make character should have its vindication in the actual lives of the great bulk of men is only another proof of the weakness and depravity of humanity, in which the will is paralysed, and the conscious choice is so seldom exercised, and a man lets the world do what it likes with him.
(5) Vigorous non-compliance with the temptations that are around us is enforced by the remembrance of what a poor excuse for wrong-doing they will be found to be at last.
II. Consider that you cannot resist the evil around you unless you give yourselves to God. No man will ever for a lifetime resist and repel the domination of evil unless he is girded about with the purity of Jesus Christ, as an atmosphere in which all poisonous things fade and die, and through which no temptation can force its way. The only means for steadfast resistance is a steadfast faith in Jesus as our Saviour.
1. In Christ we have an all-sufficient pattern. The one command which contains the whole of Christian duty, the whole law of moral perfectness attainable by man, is--Be ye imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk as Christ walked.
2. That fear of God which is all transfused and mingled with the love of Him, gives us next an all-powerful motive. Love delights to please; fear dreads to disobey.
3. The fear of God strengthens us for resistance, because it gives us an omnipotent power within ourselves whereby we resist. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Resistance to evil
Nehemiah is an illustrious example of a courage that is within reach of us all, a courage that dares to be true when truth is unpopular, and to do that which is right when right is scorned. Like some unfailing river which defies the heat and the drought of the longest summer because its sources lie on the margin of perpetual snow, this courage in its noblest form is independent of circumstances because it has its spring in the presence of God.
I. Why should we dare to stand alone, and to say to evil, So will not I?
1. Because in the end it is the safest course. Life is a probation and an education. None of us can escape temptation. It moulds and tests our character and fits us for service. There are but two courses open--compliance or resistance. Many a man makes shipwreck on the very verge of manhood for the want of courage to say, No, and of the resolution to stand alone.
2. It is the manliest course. What do we think of one out on a wide sea in an open boat who, when the storm gathers and the waves run high, drops his oars, fastens up his helm and lets himself drift. He is the brave man who, undaunted by the dark sky and the angry waves, toils at the oar and makes for the land. And he who, caught by sudden and sharp temptation, allows himself to drift helplessly with the tide, excites only scorn and compassion, while he who, like Nehemiah, faces the temptation in the strength of God, and cries, So will not I, is a true man, a real hero, and a worthy follower of Jesus Christ.
3. It is the wisest course. We escape thereby the consequences of sin, and the very temptation we resist becomes the means of strengthening our character.
II. The secret of this courage So did not I, because of the fear of God. In the realisation of the Divine presence Bishop Latimer forgot his fear of the King of England, and spoke brave and strong and faithful words of warning and remonstrance. In the fear of God lived Lord Lawrence, the great British Pro-Consul as he has been called, who saved India in the day of mutiny, and his marble in Westminster Abbey tells us He feared man so little because he feared God so much. (F. J. Chavasse.)
Singularity
1. Our text contains the regulative spring of a noble life. The words mean most to the young. Will the coming generation prefer conscience and convenience and make God the pole-star of their life? Every one of us is important to God, and the consciousness of this is the parent of virtue and the inspiration of heroism. God wants us. When Augustine was in disquiet of mind, he said, Soul, what aileth thee? And he seemed to hear a Divine voice within answer, Look above. Turning upward and noting the stars looking down on him, he said, Stars, can you tell me the meaning of my unrest? And the stars whispered, Look above. Remembering the angel-hosts of God marshalled for service or watchfulness, Augustine cried, Ministers of God, can ye minister to a restless mind? And they chanted, Look above. Maker of all things, said the reverent though unabashed inquirer, tell me the meaning of this unsatisfiedness? And God responded, I have made thee for Myself, and thy soul can find no rest till it find rest in Me. When Samuel Webster was asked, as he sat at dinner, what was the most formative influence that entered his life, he replied, The greatest influence that ever touched my life was the sense of my responsibility to God.
2. Doing right means sometimes being unfashionable. A business man died the other day. Writing to his travellers, he was accustomed to add a sentence like Go straight. He knew that both right and wrong doing were contagious. Dr. Bushnell said to a young man who was consulting him as to the calling he should pursue, Grasp the handle of your being. Your taste or fitness is as a handle to your faculties. Find your course and go right ahead in the teeth of opposition, in spite of the stings of sarcasm or the bitterness of temporary forsakenness. Remember Him who said, I am alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
3. The power of numbers is magical, and we are so often bidden to do as others do. Said an avowed and educated infidel to a Christian apologist. Let the final issue be what it may, the majority is against you, and I go with the majority. But the world has not always been saved by majorities. Reformers, statesmen, saints, singers, prophets, priests, believers in God and duty--these have been the saviours of society.
4. It is a moment of moral victory when a young man dares to say, I cannot afford it.
5. A mans life consisteth not in the abundance of things that he possesseth, nor in the outward success of his noblest efforts; it does consist in his harmony of conscience with the fear of God, in the peace that is born of obedience. Whitfield and a companion were much annoyed one night by a set of gamblers in a room adjoining that in which they slept. Their clamour and their horrid blasphemy so excited Whitfield that he could not rest. I will go and reprove their wickedness, said he. His companion remonstrated in vain. His words of reproof were apparently powerless. His companion asked him, What did you gain by it? A soft pillow, he said, and soon fell asleep. Duty looks upward; duty implies God. Jesus Christ incarnated duty. Duty is the minister of heaven. This prayer was found in the desk of a schoolboy after his death: O God, give me courage to fear none but Thee. (John H. Goodman.)
The fear of God
I. What it is to fear God.
1. In general it is a passion of the soul whereby a man doth flee from imminent evil.
2. In particular it is--
(1) Servile.
(2) Filial.
II. That a man who fears God will not do as others do.
1. In the matter of their choice (Mat_14:7-8; Heb_11:25).
2. In the matter of their worship (Jos_24:15).
3. In their business calling.
4. In what they are entrusted with.
5. In their refreshments.
6. In their afflictions.
7. In their right and propriety.
Lot would not let Abraham have his right, though it was his right, yet Abraham, because he feared God and for peace sake, gives up his right.
III. What is there in this fear of God that should balance the soul, and cause it not to do as others do. A man that fears the Lord--
1. Has different ends from others.
2. Has a tenderer conscience.
3. Has different restraints.
IV. What is the issue and consequence of the fear of the Lord?
1. God deals well with the man who fears Him (Psa_112:6-8).
2. God will delight in him.
Conclusion: If you would fear the Lord in truth--
1. Be humbled for the want of it.
2. Ask God to fulfil His promise, I will put My fear into their hearts.
3. Observe what that is that is nearest and dearest to you, and give it up.
4. Worship God according to His own appointment.
5. Take heed of sinning when you have the opportunity.
6. Labour to strengthen your love to God.
7. Live much in and study much upon dependence wholly upon God. H a man be upon a high tower, and another holds him from falling by the hand only, he will certainly be very fearful of offending him that holds him so.
8. Use the world as not abusing it. Deal with men as in the presence of God.
9. Labour after more communion with Him. We used to say, Too much familiarity breeds contempt; but here it is not so, for by familiarity and communion with God we shall have more sweetness and more delight in His ways, more strength in His service, more comfort in our afflictions. (W. Bridge.)
The fear of God the touchstone
I. That in the Christian religion it is the motive that gives worth to the action.
II. Nehemiah here ascribes his own conduct to the motive from which every action must spring that obtains the approval of God. He might have displayed the same absence of self on quite a different principle.
1. Patriotism.
2. Desire for popularity.
But his refusal of the emoluments of office was because of the fear of God. This is a kind of summary of character which includes the various features of spiritual excellence. It is a Divinely implanted principle which makes Christ the motive and God the end of every particular of conduct. The man that fears God labours to act up to the measure of the revelation with which he is favoured; to appropriate the privileges, to act upon the motives, and to perform the duties of the dispensation beneath which he is placed. A fear such as this cannot subsistunless there be a consciousness that now are we the sons of God. It may have been through the terror of the Lord that we were first brought to serious thoughts, earnest resolutions, and fervent supplications, yet when we have felt somewhat of the consciousness of danger there will be a thousandfold more motive to us to strive after holiness, in the love and grace exhibited on Calvary.
III. Some prominent instances of this general truth. No action can be approved in Gods sight which may not be traced to His fear.
1. Attention to the outward duties and forms of religion may arise from, the custom of society, the mere force of habit, compliance with the wishes of friends, or the desire of setting an example to others, without there being the slightest vestige of vital Christianity.
2. When we tell the man of high morals and unflinching integrity and high generosity, but who is a stranger to Christ, that he can no more be saved in his present condition than one of the worst profligacy, we are not representing morality, integrity, and generosity as things to be dispensed with by the inheritor of the kingdom of heaven; we are simply affirming that they are of worth only as fruit of a Divinely implanted principle, and that if they have any other origin, they may indeed be beneficial to society, but they cannot promote salvation. Who knows not that there is in many men a kind of philosophical sense of the beauty and dignity of virtue, a native repugnance to what is gross and dishonourable, and a fine sympathy with suffering, which will go far to the producing what is regarded as exemplary in character, although there may be at the same time an utter ignorance, and even contempt, of the doctrines of Christianity? We must be good on good principles. (Henry Melvill, B. D.)
Principle
I. The guiding principle of Nehemiahs conduct--the fear of God.
1. The fear of God, as a principle of action, is at once simple and potent. Look at the machinery in some of your mills. You have there a forest of shafts, an army of wheels, a perfect maze of cunningly invented instruments requisite for carrying out the various processes of manufacture. But how simple and how mighty the power which moves and controls the whole machinery--the power of steam! How immensely superior to any other motive power as yet brought into general use! What steam is in this relation, so is the fear of God to morals. The religious principle in its influence on this complicate mechanism termed man, and on these intricate and bewildering human affairs, has a simple efficacy not only unsurpassed, but with which no other principle can vie.
2. The superiority of this principle appears also in its wide-reaching sphere of action. This sphere comprises every thing great and small that relates to human conduct. It embraces life in all its aspects. We cannot thus speak of other principles of action which men acknowledge. Take public opinion, for instance. If it be this which influences us in the course we pursue our morality may prove a very precarious thing. A life regulated by the opinion of ones fellow-creatures is likely to be well-ordered only so far, and for so long, as it shall be under the public eye; whereas the fear of God affects us as truly in the gloom of night as in the brightness of meridian day; affects us as really when remote from the citys hum and the crowded mart as it would in the midst of them; affects us as powerfully in mountain solitudes and on watery wastes as when the gaze of assembled thousands is upon us. The morality, says a writer previously quoted, the morality that is based upon self interest or the opinion of men, will not endure the severest tests. For what if a man should be beset by a temptation so great as to buy over his supposed self interest, and render it in his view more profitable to defraud than to be honest?
II. The operation of this principle as seen in the chapter before us. It impelled Nehemiah to rectify abuses. Nehemiah discharged a disagreeable duty with all fidelity. I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, etc. Hitherto the fear of God has acted on Nehemiah as an impelling principle. We come now to the incident with which the text stands immediately connected, and we see the operation of this principle as a restraining force. So did not I, because of the fear of God. It held Nehemiah in check. (T. Robson.)
An ancient Nonconformist
The words that I have read are a little fragment of his auto biography which deal with a prosaic enough matter, but carry in them large principles. When he was appointed governor of the little colony of returned exiles in Palestine, he found that his predecessors, like Turkish pashas and Chinese mandarins to-day, were in the habit of squeezing the people of their government, and that they requisitioned sufficient supplies of provisions to keep the governors table well spread. It was the custom. Nobody would have wondered if Nehemiah had conformed to it; but he felt that he must have his hands clean. His religion went down into the little duties of common life, and imposed upon him a standard far above the maxims that were prevalent round about him.
I. The attitude to prevalent practices. That non-compliance with customary maxims and practices is the beginning, or, at least, one of the foundation-stones, of all nobleness and strength, of all blessedness and power. Of course, it is utterly impossible for a man to denude himself of the influences that are brought to bear upon him by the circumstances in which he lives, and the trend of opinion, and the maxims and practices of the world, in the corner, and at the time, in which his lot is cast. But, on the other hand, be sure of this, that unless you are in a very deep and not at all in a technical sense of the word Nonconformists, you will come to no good. It is so easy to do as others do; partly because of laziness, partly because of cowardice, partly because of the instinctive imitation which is in us all. Men are gregarious. A great many of us adopt our creeds and opinions, and shape our lives, for no better reason than because people around us are thinking in a certain direction, and living in a certain way. Now, I ask you to take this plain principle of the necessity of non-compliance and apply it all round the circumference of your lives. Apply it to your opinions. There is no tyranny like the tyranny of a majority in a democratic country like ours. What everybody says--perhaps--is true. What most people say, at any given time, is very likely to be false. Truth has always lived with minorities. If you have honestly thought out the subject to the best of your ability, and have come to conclusions diverse from those which men like me hold dearer than their lives, that is another matter. But I know that very widely there is spread the fashion of unbelief. So many influential men, leaders of opinion, teachers and preachers, are giving up the old-fashioned, evangelical faith, that it takes a strong man to say that he sticks by it. It is a poor reason to give for your attitude, that unbelief is in the air, and nobody believes those old doctrines now. An iceberg lowers the temperature all round it, and the iceberg of unbelief is amongst us to-day, and it has chilled a great many people who could not tell why they have lost the fervour of their faith. On the other hand, let me remind you that a mere traditional religion, which is only orthodox because other people are, and has not verified its beliefs by personal experience, is quite as deleterious as an imitative unbelief. It is no excuse for shady practices in your trade to say, It is the custom of the trade; and everybody does it. Nehemiah might have said: There never was a governor yet but took his forty shekels a days worth--about £1,800 of our money--of provisions from these poor people, and I am not going to give it up because of a scruple. It is the custom, and because it is the custom I can do it. Oh, but you say, that involves loss. Very likely! Nehemiah was a poorer man because he fed all these one hundred and fifty Jews at his table, but he did not mind that. It may involve loss, but you will keep God, and that is gain. Do not be tempted to follow that multitude to do evil. Unless you are prepared to say No I to a great deal that will be pushed into your face in this great city, as sure as you are living you will make shipwreck of your lives.
II. The motive that impels to this sturdy non-compliance. NOW, my point is this, that Jesus Christ requires from each of us that we shall abstain, restrict ourselves, refuse to do a great many things that are being done round us. I need not remind you of how continually He spoke about taking up the cross. I need not do more than just remind you of His parable of the two ways, Enter ye in at the strait gate, for strait is the gate. Just because there are so many people on the path suspect it, and expect that the path with fewer travellers is probably the better and the higher. But to pass from that, what did Jesus Christ mean by His continual contrast between His disciples and the world? Society is not organised on Christian principles; we all know that. And until it is, if a man is going to be a Christian he must not conform to the world. Know ye not that whosoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God? I would press upon you that our Christianity is nothing unless it leads us to a standard, and a course of conduct in conformity with that standard which will be in diametrical opposition to a great deal of what is patted on the back, and petted and praised by society. Now, there is an easy-going kind of Christianity which does not recognise that, and which is in great favour with many people to-day; and is called liberality and breadth, and conciliating and commending Christianity to outsiders, and I know not what besides. Well, Christs words seem to me to come down like a hammer upon that sort of thing. Society does not think much of these trimmers. It may dislike an out-and-out Christian, but it knows him when it sees him, and it has a kind of hostile respect for him which the other people will never get.
III. The power which enables us to exercise it. The fear of God, or, taking the New Testament equivalent, the love of Christ, makes it possible for a man, with all his weakness and dependence on surroundings, with all his instinctive desire to be like the folk that are near him, to take that brave attitude, and to refuse to be one of the crowd that runs after evil and lies. Christ will enable you to take this necessary attitude because, in Himself He gives you the example which it is always safe to follow. The instinct of invitation is planted in us for a good end, and because it is in us examples of nobility appeal to us. He makes it possible for us, because we have the strongest possible motive for the life that He prescribes. As the Apostle puts it, Ye are bought with a price, be not the servants of men. There is nothing that will so deliver us from the tyranny of majorities, and of what we call general opinion and ordinary custom, as to feel that we belong to Him because He died for us. Jesus Christ being our Redeemer is our Judge, and moment by moment He is estimating our conduct, and judging our actions as they are done. The servant of Christ is the master of all men. All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas--all are yours, and ye are Christs. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Fear expels fear
How often we see fear expel fear. The fear of being burnt will nerve a woman to let herself down by a water-pipe from the upper storeys of a house in flames. The fear of losing her young will inspire the timid bird to throw herself before the steps of a man, attracting his notice from them to herself. Oh! for that Divine habit of soul which so conceives of the majesty, and power, and love of God, that it does not sin against Him, but would rather brave a world in arms than bring a shadow over His face. (F. B. Meyer.)
The Christian in commerce
It is a noble sight to see a man, moved simply by religious considerations, departing from customs sanctioned by society; going against the tide of opinion and practice; foregoing worldly profits; deaf to the pleas that satisfy the multitude, meekly asserting a spiritual independence; silently rebuking the sinfulness and servility of the times; only careful of acquitting himself to God, and realising his ideal of moral integrity. He is like a spring in an arid desert. He is like a star shining brightly amid dark clouds. Our subject is, The Christian in commerce. The Christian tradesman must assume the attitude of Nehemiah. His principles must take the form of reform and opposition. Consider--
I. What Christianity requires of a man in his deaings with his fellow-men.
1. The most rigid adherence to the principles of moral integrity in commerce.
(1) Truth. This is the basis of all intercourse; society would be impossible without it. Truth is a most comprehensive virtue. It takes in far more than the literal statement of the fact. It condemns--
(a) All positive misrepresentations.
(b) All the arts by which one thing is palmed off for another.
(c) All deficient scales and measures.
(d) All pretences, when unfounded, of special bargains, etc.
(e) All promises which cannot be or are not meant to be kept.
And on the part of the purchaser it condemns all pretences--
(a) That what is wanted is not wanted.
(b) That it has been purchased more cheaply elsewhere.
(c) That it is very inferior to what it really is. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer, but when he is gone his way he boasteth.
(2) Honesty. This involves the meeting of all equitable claims, the fulfilment of all engagements voluntarily undertaken or assumed, the most rigid respect for the rights of property.
2. The exercise of love and kindness in commerce. This will preserve from exclusive dealing, etc.
3. That a man should preserve his soul in peace and patience in commerce.
4. That commerce should be consecrated and elevated by the spirit of holiness.
II. Why this conduct is necessary in commerce.
1. Commerce is a most important part of our life.
2. Commerce is a most influential part of our life.
3. Commercial holiness is imperatively required by the character and temper of the times, (A. G. Morris.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain
Nehemiah
AN ANCIENT NONCONFORMIST
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Neh 5:15.
I do not suppose that the ordinary Bible-reader knows very much about Nehemiah. He is one of the neglected great men of Scripture. He was no prophet, he had no glowing words, he had no lofty visions, he had no special commission, he did not live in the heroic age. There was a certain harshness and dryness; a tendency towards what, when it was more fully developed, became Pharisaism, in the man, which somewhat covers the essential nobleness of his character. But he was brave, cautious, circumspect, disinterested; and he had Jerusalem in his heart.
The words that I have read are a little fragment of his autobiography which deal with a prosaic enough matter, but carry in them large principles. When he was appointed governor of the little colony of returned exiles in Palestine, he found that his predecessors, like Turkish pashas and Chinese mandarins to-day, had been in the habit of ‘squeezing’ the people of their Government, and that they had requisitioned sufficient supplies of provisions to keep the governor’s table well spread. It was the custom. Nobody would have wondered if Nehemiah had conformed to it; but he felt that he must have his hands clean. Why did he not do what everybody else had done in like circumstances? His answer is beautifully simple: ‘Because of the fear of God.’ His religion went down into the little duties of common life, and imposed upon him a standard far above the maxims that were prevalent round about him. And so, if you will take these words, and disengage them from the small matter concerning which they were originally spoken, I think you will find in them thoughts as to the attitude which we should take to prevalent practices, the motive which should impel us to a sturdy non-compliance, and the power which will enable us to walk on a solitary road. ‘So did not I, because of the fear of God.’ Now, then, these are my three points:-
I. The attitude to prevalent practices.
Nehemiah would not conform. And unless you can say ‘No!’ and do it very often, your life will be shattered from the beginning. That non-compliance with customary maxims and practices is the beginning, or, at least, one of the foundation-stones, of all nobleness and strength, of all blessedness and power. Of course it is utterly impossible for a man to denude himself of the influences that are brought to bear upon him by the circumstances in which he lives, and the trend of opinion, and the maxims and practices of the world, in the corner, and at the time, in which his lot is cast. But, on the other hand, be sure of this, that unless you are in a very deep and not at all a technical sense of the word, ‘Nonconformists,’ you will come to no good. None! It is so easy to do as others do, partly because of laziness, partly because of cowardice, partly because of the instinctive imitation which is in us all. Men are gregarious. One great teacher has drawn an illustration from a flock of sheep, and says that if we hold up a stick, and the first of the flock jumps over it, and then if we take away the stick, all the rest of the flock will jump when they come to the point where the first did so. A great many of us adopt our creeds and opinions, and shape our lives for no better reason than because people round us are thinking in a certain direction, and living in a certain way. It saves a great deal of trouble, and it gratifies a certain strange instinct that is in us all, and it avoids dangers and conflicts that we should, when we are at Rome, do as the Romans do. ‘So did not I, because of the fear of God.’
Now, brethren! I ask you to take this plain principle of the necessity of non-compliance {which I suppose I do not need to do much to establish, because, theoretically, we most of us admit it}, and apply it all round the circumference of your lives. Apply it to your opinions. There is no tyranny like the tyranny of a majority in a democratic country like ours. It is quite as harsh as the tyranny of the old-fashioned despots. Unless you resolve steadfastly to see with your own eyes, to use your own brains, to stand on your own feet, to be a voice and not an echo, you will be helplessly enslaved by the fashion of the hour, and the opinions that prevail.
‘What everybody says’-perhaps-’is true.’ What most people say, at any given time, is very likely to be false. Truth has always lived with minorities, so do not let the current of widespread opinion sweep you away, but try to have a mind of your own, and not to be brow-beaten or overborne because the majority of the people round about you are giving utterance, and it may be unmeasured utterance, to any opinions.
Now, there is one direction in which I wish to urge that especially-and now I speak mainly to the young men in my congregation-and that is, in regard to the attitude that so many amongst us are taking to Christian truth. If you have honestly thought out the subject to the best of your ability, and have come to conclusions diverse from those which men like me hold dearer than their lives, that is another matter. But I know that very widely there is spread to-day the fashion of unbelief. So many influential men, leaders of opinion, teachers and preachers, are giving up the old-fashioned Evangelical faith, that it takes a strong man to say that he sticks by it. It is a poor reason to give for your attitude, that unbelief is in the air, and nobody believes those old doctrines now. That may be. There are currents of opinion that are transitory, and that is one of them, depend upon it. But at all events do not be fooled out of your faith, as some of you are tending to be, for no better reason than because other people have given it up. An iceberg lowers the temperature all round it, and the iceberg of unbelief is amongst us to-day, and it has chilled a great many people who could not tell why they have lost the fervour of their faith.
On the other hand, let me remind you that a mere traditional religion, which is only orthodox because other people are so, and has not verified its beliefs by personal experience, is quite as deleterious as an imitative unbelief. Doubtless, I speak to some who plume themselves on ‘never having been affected by these currents of popular opinion,’ but whose unblemished and unquestioned orthodoxy has no more vitality in it than the other people’s heterodoxy. The one man has said, ‘What is everywhere always, and by all believed, I believe’; and the other man has said, ‘What the select spirits of this day disbelieve, I disbelieve,’ and the belief of one and the unbelief of the other are equally worthless, and really identical.
But it is not only, nor mainly, in reference to opinion that I would urge upon you this nonconformity with prevalent practices as the measure of most that is noble in us. I dare not talk to you as if I knew much about the details of Manchester commercial life, but I can say this much, that it is no excuse for shady practices in your trade to say, ‘It is the custom of the trade, and everybody does it.’ Nehemiah might have said: ‘There never was a governor yet but took his forty shekels a day’s worth’-about L. 1,800 of our money-’of provisions from these poor people, and I am not going to give it up because of a scruple. It is the custom, and because it is the custom I can do it.’ I am not going into details. It is commonly understood that preachers know nothing about business; that may be true, or it may not. But this, I am sure, is a word in season for some of my friends this evening-do not hide behind the trade. Come out into the open, and deal with the questions of morality involved in your commercial life, as you will have to deal with them hereafter, by yourself. Never mind about other people. ‘Oh,’ but you say, ‘that involves loss.’ Very likely! Nehemiah was a poorer man because he fed all these one hundred and fifty Jews at his table, but he did not mind that. It may involve loss, but you will keep God, and that is gain.
Turn this searchlight in another direction. I see a number of young people in my congregation at this moment, young men who are perhaps just beginning their career in this city, and who possibly have been startled when they heard the kind of talk that was going on at the next desk, or from the man that sits beside them on the benches at College. Do not be tempted to follow that multitude to do evil. Unless you are prepared to say ‘No!’ to a great deal that will be pushed into your face in this great city, as sure as you are living you will make shipwreck of your lives. Do you think that in the forty years and more that I have stood here I have not seen successive generations of young men come into Manchester? I could people many of these pews with the faces of such, who came here buoyant, full of hope, full of high resolves, and with a mother’s benediction hanging over their heads, and who got into a bad set, and had not the strength to say ‘No,’ and they went down and down and down, and then presently somebody asked, ‘Where is so-and-so?’ ‘Oh! his health broke down, and he has gone home to die.’ ‘His bones are full of the iniquity of his youth’-and he made shipwreck of prospects and of life, because he did not pull himself together when the temptation came, and say, ‘So did not I, because of the fear of God.’
II. Now let me ask you to turn with me to the second thought that my text suggests to me; that is, The motive that impels to this sturdy non-compliance.
Nehemiah puts it in Old Testament phraseology, ‘the fear of God’; the New Testament equivalent is ‘the love of Christ.’ And if you want to take the power and the life out of both phrases, in order to find a modern conventional equivalent, you will say ‘religion.’ I prefer the old-fashioned language. ‘The love of Christ’ impels to this non-compliance. Now, my point is this, that Jesus Christ requires from each of us that we shall abstain, restrict ourselves, refuse to do a great many things that are being done round us.
I need not remind you of how continually He spoke about taking up the cross. I need not do more than just remind you of His parable of the two ways, but ask you, whilst you think of it, to note that all the characteristics of each of the ways which He sets forth are given by Him as reasons for refusing the one and walking in the other. For example, ‘Enter ye in at the strait gate, for strait is the gate’-that is a reason for going in; ‘and narrow is the way’-that is a reason for going in; ‘and few there be that find it’-that is a reason for going in. ‘Wide is the gate’-that is a reason for stopping out; ‘and broad is the way’-that is a reason for stopping out; ‘and many there be that go in thereat’-that is a reason for stopping out. Is not that what I said, that the minority is generally right and the majority wrong? Just because there are so many people on the path, suspect it, and expect that the path with fewer travellers is probably the better and the higher.
But to pass from that, what did Jesus Christ mean by His continual contrast between His disciples and the world? What did He mean by ‘the world’? This fair universe, with all its possibilities of help and blessing, and all its educational influences? By no means. He meant by ‘the world’ the aggregate of things and men considered as separate from God. And when He applied the term to men only, He meant by it very much what we mean when we talk about society. Society is not organised on Christian principles; we all know that, and until it is, if a man is going to be a Christian he must not conform to the world. ‘Know ye not that whosoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.’
I would press upon you, dear friends! that our Christianity is nothing unless it leads us to a standard, and a course of conduct in conformity with that standard, which will be in diametrical opposition to a great deal of what is patted on the back, and petted and praised by society. Now, there is an easy-going kind of Christianity which does not recognise that, and which is in great favour with many people to-day, and is called ‘liberality’ and ‘breadth,’ and ‘conciliating and commending Christianity to outsiders,’ and I know not what besides. Well, Christ’s words seem to me to come down like a hammer upon that sort of thing. Depend upon it, ‘the world’-I mean by that the aggregate of godless men organised as they are in society-does not think much of these trimmers. It may dislike an out-and-out Christian, but it knows him when it sees him, and it has a kind of hostile respect for him which the other people will never get. You remember the story of the man that was seeking for a coachman, and whose question to each applicant was, ‘How near can you drive to the edge of a precipice?’ He took the man who said: ‘I would keep away from it as far as I could.’ And the so-called Christian people that seem to be bent on showing how much their lives can be made to assimilate to the lives of men that have no sympathy with their creeds, are like the rash Jehus that tried to go as near the edge as they could. But the consistent Christian will keep as far away from it as he can. There are some of us who seem as if we were most anxious to show that we, whose creed is absolutely inconsistent with the world’s practices, can live lives which are all but identical with these practices. Jesus Christ says, through the lips of His Apostle, what He often said in other language by His own lips when He was here on earth: ‘Be ye not conformed to the world.’
Surely such a command as that, just because it involves difficulty, self-restraint, self-denial, and sometimes self-crucifixion, ought to appeal, and does appeal, to all that is noble in humanity, in a fashion that that smooth, easy-going gospel of living on the level of the people round us never can do. For remember that Christ’s commandment not to be conformed to the world is the consequence of His commandment to be conformed to Himself. ‘Thus did not I’ comes second; ‘This one thing I do’ comes first. You will misunderstand the whole genius of the Gospel if you suppose that, as a law of life, it is perpetually pulling men short up, and saying: Don’t, don’t, don’t! There is a Christianity of that sort which is mainly prohibition and restriction, but it is not Christ’s Christianity. He begins by enjoining: ‘This do in remembrance of Me,’ and the man that has accepted that commandment must necessarily say, as he looks out on the world, and its practices: ‘So did not I, because of the fear of God.’
III. And now one last word-my text not only suggests the motive which impels to this non-compliance, but also the power which enables us to exercise it.
‘The fear of God,’ or, taking the New Testament equivalent, ‘the love of Christ,’ makes it possible for a man, with all his weakness and dependence on surroundings, with all his instinctive desire to be like the folk that are near him, to take that brave attitude, and to refuse to be one of the crowd that runs after evil and lies. I have no time to dwell upon this aspect of my subject, as I should be glad to have done. Let me sum up in a sentence or two what I would have said. Christ will enable you to take this necessary attitude because, in Himself He gives you the Example which it is always safe to follow. The instinct of imitation is planted in us for a good end, and because it is in us, examples of nobility appeal to us. And because it is in us Jesus Christ has lived the life that it is possible for, and therefore incumbent on, us to live. It is safe to imitate Him, and it is easy not to do as men do, if once our main idea is to do as Christ did.
He makes it possible for us, because He gives the strongest possible motive for the life that He prescribes. As the Apostle puts it, ‘Ye are bought with a price, be not the servants of men.’ There is nothing that will so deliver us from the tyranny of majorities, and of what we call general opinion and ordinary custom, as to feel that we belong to Him because He died for us. Men become very insignificant when Christ speaks, and the charter of our freedom from them lies in our redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ being our Redeemer is our Judge, and moment by moment He is estimating our conduct, and judging our actions as they are done. ‘With me it is a very small matter to be judged of you or of man’s judgment. He that judgeth me is the Lord.’ Never mind what the people round you say; you do not take your orders from them, and you do not answer to them. Like some official abroad, appointed by the Crown, you do not report to the local authorities; you report to headquarters, and what He thinks about you is the only important thing. So ‘the fear of man which bringeth a snare’ dwindles down into very minute dimensions when we think of the Pattern, the Redeemer and the Judge to whom we give account.
And so, dear friends! if we will only open our hearts, by quiet humble faith, for the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives, then we shall be able to resist, to refuse compliance, to stand firm, though alone. The servant of Christ is the master of all men. ‘All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas-all are yours, and ye are Christ’ s.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
fear
(See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 5:15 The former governors were probably Nehemiah’s immediate predecessors,…
5:15 The former governors were probably Nehemiah’s immediate predecessors, not Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8, about ninety years earlier) or Zerubbabel (Hag 1:1, about eighty years earlier).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.