We are almost to the end of our Nehemiah journey, with just one more post to follow. Have you found it helpful so far? Who’d have thought that Nehemiah had so much to say to homemakers? Today we’ll take a look at Nehemiah ch. 5.

Nehemiah discovered that the Jews were charging interest to each other. Torah specifically teaches us that we are not to charge interest to a brother. Many of the people were quite poor and completely incapable of paying back the interest. Nehemiah was furious! He immediately reprimanded them and made them promise to stop charging interest at once. They were quick to comply, which suggests that they may have been ignorant of the law.

What can we learn as homemakers from this? Might I suggest that since we have spent time in prayer, surveyed the situation, put plans into action, survived attacks, and returned to prayer once again; that now is the time for reevaluation. Are there problems in your home? Are there still trouble areas? Perhaps someone is not completing a job as instructed. Perhaps a system like the laundry setup is not working. Look for those areas that just are not working as smoothly as you’d like, or where things always seem backed up. The problem may not be caused by anyone specifically. It may be caused by ignorance, or actual negligence. Nehemiah served as an outside eye that immediately spotted the problem that was at least partly causing the deepening peril of the poor. Seek an outside eye to help you evaluate these trouble areas. Your husband may serve as enough of an outside eye, or you may want to seek the advice of a friend.

For example, let’s say you are having a problem in the laundry. Dirty clothes are still all over the bedrooms and not making it to the laundry room to be washed. An outside eye may suggest a better collection system. Perhaps hampers in the bedroom would help.

If you find that the problem is a result of someone not doing their job faithfully, you need to deal with the problem head on. We and our children all need to be faithful in our responsibilities. Our children need to be taught this quality. Positive reinforcement may be the key, or you may need to use a stern reprimand and discipline. Ask YHVH for wisdom. I try to encourage my children that they are part of our team and we need their help. They help everything to run smoothly so we can have a pleasant, happy home environment. Feeling important and needed is often enough motivation.

Where are the sticky spots in your home? What is causing the problem? Do you need suggestions for a better system? Do you need to deal with someone that is not doing their job? Tell us about it so we can learn from each other! And be sure to join us for the last post when we tie everything together!