Nehemiah with the Gentile Community Business & Marketing Essay

Nehemiah with the Gentile Community
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Instructor
Due date
Nehemiah with the Gentile Community
The impression that people create about themselves significantly determines how others perceive them. This statement is proven in how the gentile community perceived the poor people of Jerusalem. The people lived under unfavorable conditions, without enough food to feed their families. Others lacked the money to purchase food, while others were deeply in debt and were enslaved to their creditors. Based on these experiences, the poor people of Jerusalem have been forced to engage in sinful practices to eke a living. Nehemiah 5:9 warns against such practices by stating, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid reproach of our Gentile enemies?” The Gentiles saw the actions of the Christians and criticized them for living against what they preach.
The Bible is the ultimate authority for all things and a framework on which God provides principles by which believers should live. The principles advanced in the Bible help people avoid harmful things and behavior by living in the right ways. Like Nehemiah, we are expected to observe blessings and show God’s favor on us. When Christians live according to his word, they inspire sinners also to emulate them. Therefore, Nehemiah challenges Christians that despite their living conditions, they should not resort to unbiblical ways of life, but should in all ways strive to live according to God’s will. Living according to God’s will demands that Christians treat each other fairly, irrespective of one’s wealth status. Nehemiah acknowledges the role of society in aggravating poverty levels and rebukes any actions that oppress the poor.
The Apostle dedicates most of his Chapter 5 to preaching about poverty. In verse 9, he talks about God’s concern for the poor, in which he insists that fairness to the poor and the oppressed was an essential aspect of following God. At the beginning of the chapter, he compares us with Jesus Christ, where he states that what made him special was how Christ perceived the needs of the people he met. Unlike modern leaders, who are concerned about their personal needs, Jesus focused on the needs of the people he led. He was never worried by the financial pressures and hence lacked any possessions, and neither did he have any saving accounts. Instead, he was focused on the needy, heard their cries, and prayed for them. People have different types of needs, and any time you ...