In Nehemiah, chapter five, verse one, concerns unjust economic inequities among the people of God. In verse seven, the rich, nobles, and rulers, in verse seven, oppressed the poor by making them mortgage their property and borrow money to buy food. In some instances, poor people were under pressure to give their children as slaves to keep from starving, as in verses one through five. In anger, Nehemiah fought against this injustice in verse six and brought the offenders to repentance and correction in verses twelve and thirteen.
Of the poor against the richer brethren, who had oppressed them; for though the people were cured of their idolatry by their captivity, yet they were not cured of their other sins, but loved strange women, as we read before in the book of Ezra; and were covetous: that they oppressed the poor and needy. And this at a time when their enemies threatened the destruction of them all. This crime was the more heinous because of the twentieth of Artaxerxes, which raised the cry of the poor to a greater height against their creditors, who exacted their debts contrary to the law.
The sin of covetousness, which leads people to take advantage of others in times of trouble, reveals the deep depravity of human nature. God will judge such injustices perpetrated on people, as in Proverbs twenty-eight, verse twenty-seven. Men prey upon their fellow creatures: by despising poor people, they become a disgrace. Such conduct is a dishonor to any, but who can sufficiently abhor it when adopted by professing Christians? With compassion for the oppressed, we should lament the hardships that many in the world are groaning about. Putting our souls into their souls’ stead and remembering in our prayers and succors those under burden. But let those who show no mercy expect judgment without mercy.