Today on this island we live on and indeed across the earth, we are seeing a tidal wave of corporatism raping the land and livelihoods of people. The hoarding of resources by a certain few and the harsh tactics of the banks who are actually all guilty of a coordinated fraud and conspiracy called fractional reserve banking, have inspired me to write this article focusing on chapter 5 of the book of Nehemiah which is quoted below from the King James 1611 translation:
Nehemiah Chapter 5
Verse 1: And there was a great crie of the people, and of their wiues , against their brethren the Iewes.
Verse 2: For there were that said, We, our sonnes, and our daughters are many : therefore wee take vp corne for them, that we may eat, and liue.
Verse 3: Some also there were that saide, We haue morgaged our landes, vineyards and houses, that we might buy corne, because of the dearth.
Verse 4: There were also that said, Wee haue borrowed money for the kings tribute, and that vpon our lands and vineyards.
Verse 5: Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and loe, wee bring into bondage our sonnes and our daughters, to bee seruants, and some of our daughters are brought vnto bondage already, neither is it in our power to redeeme them: for other men haue our lands and vineyards.
Verse 6: ¶ And I was very angry, when I heard their crie, and these words.
Verse 7: Then I consulted with my selfe, and I rebuked the Nobles, and the rulers, and said vnto them, You exact vsurie, euery one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them:
Verse 8: And I said vnto them, We, after our abilitie, haue redeemed our brethren the Iewes, which were sold vnto the heathen; and will you euen sell your brethren? or shall they be sold vnto vs? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answere.
Verse 9: Also I said, It is not good that yee doe: ought yee not to walke in the feare of our God, because of the reproch of the heathen our enemies?
Verse 10: I likewise, and my brethren, and my seruants, might exact of them money and corne: I pray you let vs leaue off this vsurie.
Verse 11: Restore, I pray you, to them, euen this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliue-yards, and their houses, also the hundreth part of the money, and of the corne, the wine, and the oyle, that ye exact of them.
Verse 12: Then said they, Wee will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we doe, as thou sayest. Then I called the Priests, and tooke an oath of them, that they should doe according to this promise.
Verse 13: Also I shooke my lap, and said, So God shake out euery man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, euen thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the Congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.
Verse 14: ¶ Moreouer, from the time that I was appointed to be their gouernor in the land of Iudah, from the twentieth yeere euen vnto the two and thirtieth yere of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelue yeres, I and my brethren, haue not eaten the bread of the gouernour:
Verse 15: But the former gouernours that had bene before me, were chargeable vnto the people, and had taken of them bread, and wine, beside fourtie shekels of siluer, yea euen their seruants bare rule ouer the people: but so did not I, because of the feare of God.
Verse 16: Yea also I continued in the worke of this wall, neither bought wee any land: and all my seruants were gathered thither vnto the worke.
Verse 17: Moreouer, there were at my table, an hundred and fiftie of the Iewes and rulers, besides those that came vnto vs from among the heathen that are about vs.
Verse 18: Now that which was prepared for me daily, was one oxe, and sixe choice sheepe; also foules were prepared for mee, and once in ten dayes, store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the gouernour, because the bondage was heauy vpon this people.
Verse 19: Thinke vpon mee, my God, for good, according to all that I haue done for this people."
As we look at the earlier verses in Nehemiah Chapter 5, we can see the people were suffering and were having to mortgage their lands, vineyards and houses. They needed to borrow money, but what was the response of those they became indebted to?
It seems it was to behave like loan sharks and plunge the people into difficulties. As Nehemiah explains he was angry at this, it seems he reflected on this and then went to confront the noblemen. Nehemiah manages to talk some sense into the noblemen and have them return lands and other things they have unjustly taken from the people. He even had them take an oath regarding this.
Nehemiah who was governor over Judah also explains how he did not take off the people what he could have done in his role of governor because he realised the heavy burdens the people were already under.
If only we men like Nehemiah in prominent positions in this country, how much better things would be.
We see the same brand of behaviour today in our society that made Nehemiah angry. With the banks in our day they don't even lend anyone anything, instead making the money out of thin air by a fractional reserve banking slight of hand, then having the nerve to ask the receiver of this toy town money to pay it back and with interest. I don't know how the banking system was run in Nehemiah's day and if the same slights of hand were used then, but we can nevertheless see a similar theme of how the poor are treated today.
As you can see in Nehemiah's day he was successful at least in the period referred to in this chapter of bringing those mistreating others financially to their senses.
We need a similar awakening of conscience in this day. So many people are now on the streets begging, cold and homeless. We had a woman die on the streets in Leeds the other night. If we all looked after the interests' of others, everyone in this country would eat and have a home. What a shocking state of affairs it is that we have currently.
I recently talked with an elderly men who could not make ends meet and there was a tear that began rolling down his face, he had a woman with him who I suspect may have been his daughter. They were having to beg to get their dinner and bus fare home. Is this what we have become as a nation? A nation that casts the elderly on the streets?
It can be more convenient to put this out of sight and out of mind, but this should not be happening. It is a national disgrace that we have this situation. All the while we have money wasted on abominations like 5G and smart meters.
Some caring people have set up things like food banks.
Skipton Food Bank is one such example. It is run out of the Baptist Church and shows how people are capable of helping others in their time of need.
I don't have any definitive statistics to hand on homelessness, but to me the problem of homelessness in Britain seems to have massively increased over this decade. That is just from the evidence of what I have seen.
Are we going to grasp the message of Nehemiah 5 in our society today and stand to protect the misused?
People without homes on the streets, becoming seriously ill is not acceptable. The lack of employment for the youth in some areas because of industry within this country having being destroyed is not acceptable.
We also have to take our own share of the blame for not standing up sooner and saying something isn't right, but what is done is done. Now, in this day, we can do something.
The treason laws in this country now allow for the immediate dissolution of Parliament and the arrest and trial of many Members of Parliament. I don't say this lightly, but I am confident in saying this without being sued because the evidence is outstandingly clear and in the public domain. Some in Parliament are behaving in such an out of control manner that there is an urgent need that the laws of the land be applied for the good of all of us.
I am not for one minute advocating that we become harsh taskmasters and harshly punish every slight mistake an MP makes (after all, which of us is without sin?), but with the current situation of appalling behaviour from Parliament and with the power to withdraw consent resting with us, could it not be said that there is perhaps a responsibility upon us to make sure action is taken?
Reconciliation should be an aim here, we need to seek the spiritual benefit of those involved in the financial mess that is being wrought. Salvation for both the victim and perpetrator and a reconciliation with each other and with God.
We see how in Nehemiah's day he went to the noblemen and put the suffering of the people to them. I ask readers to do the same to your MP and see what response you get.
Since Labour left power the national debt has gone up a lot as per the graphs below. The Tories have bleated on and on about austerity to get the country's debts sorted, but they have made things far worse, unless they have an explanation to how this increase could be beneficial? This has been taken out on some of the poorest in society and we must seek to protect these people.
This first chart for UK national debt goes up to around the time of the last General Election in June 2017.
The reason I haven't provided up to date statistics is not to hide anything, but because I can't find them.
If there has been a steep drop since then, I am happy to be corrected.
To give some balance this shows historical debt as a percentage of GDP going back to 1692.
We can see it has been far worse in the past, but that at the end of this graph, it is the worst it has been in decades.
Forgive me if I have measured wrong, but it looks like the worst since the 1960s/1970s and the
above graph shows it went on to get worse.
Ultimately God will put an end to all injustice. That sure hope can inspire us also to do what we can to help those in need.