“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. But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels 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.”
Nehemiah 5:14-15 NIV
Last time we watched Nehemiah hold the people accountable to their vow. Today we see his personal leadership accountability: Not just asking followers to do certain things, but going above and beyond to do those same things. Not expecting more from others than we ourselves are willing to give.
“Also (not only asking them to follow through on their vows) since the charge was laid upon me to be governor, neither I myself nor my brothers ate the food allowance. The preceding governors before me let heavy burdens hover over the folk, by taking away forty shekels daily in addition to the food allowance.
Also (not only did they put heavy burdens on the folk) but they bullied people unmercifully and took advantage of them.
But I did not do this for fear/reverence before the face of Elohim.”
We as citizens, ordinary folk, have integrity to fulfill. But if God has set a charge upon us to lead others, the bar is raised. More is at stake and, although we all have influence, more people’s lives are affected in leadership decisions. So, do you? Have a charge from God set upon you to lead others? If so, you cannot do it alone. We must be immersed in His Word and His Spirit – and deeply known & accountable to others. We all know our hearts’ capacity for duplicity is endless.
But not just our personal integrity is in question here, is it? There is also the way in which we seek to influence others. Jesus’s way was not the way of the world. He insisted our role is never to lord any power over others. There are many ways to place heavy burdens on people we seek to servant lead: comparison, graceless striving, withholding benefits, flaunting successes, performance-based standards. But I think the most obvious is leading with a lack of love. Turning people into business transactions and service into accomplishments.
It’s how we take away others’ humanity. Which is necessary to do if we have an agenda more important than love. But God’s agenda is always rooted in love. And we celebrate this week, the world over, how such love drove Him to sacrifice all. And because He did that, we are set free. Nothing more to prove, no need to dominate, no reason to lord over. His yoke is easy, burden light. Unforced grace.
Nehemiah compares his actions with his predecessors, coming up favorably. If you are able to do that, wonderful. What a gift of grace. If you are not, you are in good company. Some of us have learned the hard way through failure. But the good news is all of us can have a similar motivation as we run our race: Fear or holy reverence (yirah) before the face of Elohim, Creator God.
This reference isn’t even to Covenant Yahweh. It’s to a Creator Who made us all. Out of the simple reverence that we are created beings who cannot take credit for making ourselves, we can be rightly humbled. He is God and we are not. Reminding ourselves daily of that basic fact can save us from much misplaced pride.
In our positions of influence, let’s bow down and let the daily burial come. Let’s pour ourselves out like the Master we follow. The Savior Who washed feet and wept for those who killed Him. The rest of it fades, friends. It won’t satisfy. We were created for sacrificial love by a Sacrificial Lover.
May we be swept away this Holy Week.