Nehemiah 5

It is an interesting trend in our culture that we value rights over responsibilities. Just ask yourself how often you hear language such as "It’s my right!" as opposed to "That’s my responsibility." In fact, we even like to use the smokescreen of "rights" to shirk responsibility. But this is the opposite of what God is like. He values responsibilities over rights.

Think of that for a moment. God had every "right" to abandon us in our predicament. Yet, He took the responsibility upon Himself to help us—even though that responsibility came at great personal cost. He did not think of Himself, but rather, He thought of us. He abandoned His rights to take up the mantle of responsibility.

Nehemiah did the same thing in this chapter: "Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land." (vs 14-16)

As governor, it was Nehemiah’s "right" to enjoy the amenities of the position. The food and wine, the salary, and acquired land... if Nehemiah had accepted any or all of these things, nobody would have blamed him. He was entitled to them. They were his "right." But instead of taking advantage of these entitlements, Nehemiah chose the path of responsibility in order to benefit the people. He did what God would have done.

Think now of Jesus’s life and ministry. How often did He speak of rights? How often did He talk of responsibility? Maybe we ought to take that lesson to heart. Instead of worrying about our rights and whether they’re being respected or not, perhaps we ought to consider how we could shoulder more responsibility. That’s what God would do.