Shaking

Jane Denniston October 19, 2026 5 0

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Nehemiah 5: 1–13 (NIVUK)

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 per cent 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.

This passage is set during a time of great hope for the Israelites — the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, but we meet Nehemiah and the Israelites at a time of crisis. People were spending their time working on the walls rather than providing for their families. Added to this, there was famine in the land. In desperate straits, many were taking out loans or even selling their children into slavery in order to survive. And what happens? What always happens, the wealthy unscrupulous saw ways to enrich themselves further at the expense of their poorer countrymen.

Thankfully, Nehemiah came to the rescue and outlined to the profiteers the ways in which their behaviour was against God’s principles. Somewhat unexpectedly they agreed and were generous in their reparations to their fellow Israelites. Nehemiah then shakes out his garment: ‘So may God shake out everyone from house and from property who does not perform this promise.’

Where is Nehemiah when you need him! The cost of living is rising and rising, and yet many companies are returning massive profits, and paying their already wealthy CEOs massive bonuses. Nehemiah shook out his garment, but perhaps what we need today is for the primacy of profit to be shaken up. What might be our role in advocating for a shake up that refuses to reduce people to commodities but recognises the dignity of every human being made in God’s image? How might we challenge the norms of today with biblical principles of justice and jubilee? How can we, in our own small way, shake up our world to more closely resemble the Kingdom of God?

Prayer:

God of the poor,

you told us that the poor would always be with us.

Help us to spread the message of your love

which does not absolve us from our responsibility

to the poor.

Help us to find ways to shake up the norms of society

that allows wealth to accumulate at the top

while even those who have work struggle to make ends meet.

Help us to know what our role is.

Help us to be Nehemiah in this unjust and unfair society. Amen.