Posted by
Matthew on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 8:25:04 AM
Jerusalem was a mess. Babylon had carried away most of the able-bodied men and women into captivity, Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the wall around the city, and the economy was a wreck.
Atexerxes and his Persian empire, the one that replaced the Babylonians in prominence and dominance, had a little different management style. He sent many of his captive Isrealites back to Jerusalem and used a governor to be his eyes, ears, and hands in Judah. One of those governors was named Nehemiah.
Nehemiah stepped into an ugly situation. Those who had money were lending it to their countrymen at ruinous rates. Those who could not pay would face foreclosure that generally meant giving one's children, wife, and self into slavery to work off the debt.
Stop me if this sounds familiar.
Nehemiah was entitled to special treatment as the governor. He could levy taxes as he saw fit, was entitled to nice food every day, had a boatload of cash from Artexerxes with which he could buy up the land from under the working poor.
But he didn't.
Instead, he used the cash for a massive bailout plan, paying off the debts of many of the people so they could be freed from captivity. He went out and worked on the wall as it was rebuilt, shoulder to shoulder with the people he was ransoming. And he had a serious heart-to-heart (I would use the phrase "come-to-Jesus meeting", but we're still a few centuries early for that) with the wealthy folks, specifically those who were enslaving their fellow Isrealites. He reminded them that what they were doing was a direct violation of God's commands, but added that even if it weren't, they knew what they were doing was not the right thing.
Nehemiah rebuilt the wall. He restored a flailing economy. His story is recorded in an area of scripture generally reserved for prophets.
So how is it that he could convince people to work against their selfish interests to do something better for the country?
He led by example. He had moral authority to ask others to sacrifice, because he did not take advantage of his priviledged position. He not only had a bully pulpit, but he had a place to stand - on his convictions.
I think this is one of the reasons we are struggling with whether to go to the polls this year. It isn't just that we disagree with the policies and politics of McCain, Obama, et al. It is, for some of us anyway, the feeling that no one who is still in this contest believes much of anything they say on the campaign trail, with the possible exception of Ralph Nader.
And no, I'm not voting for Ralph.
Whatever happens in this election, I sincerely hope that whatever party ends up being the party of the Conservative body looks for someone who is a true believer. A believer not in the religious sense, but in the sense that they carry true convictions. That they can't be bought easily by the typical tradeoffs we expect in Washington. That they don't take advantage of personal position for their own gain, but that they use their authority to help people outside their circle of friends. That they recognize the value of the individual as more than a vessel towards re-election, but as a contributor to the American experiment.
It's a crazy dream, but it's mine.
Thanks to Andy Stanley, NorthPoint Community Church, for the inspiration this week.