Forty second Page: The Superfluous Supplication of a Selfish Scribe

I hope you are suitably impressed with the alliteration. It took me some time to get it right you know !

There are people who work tirelessly with a deep sense of duty and expect no reward. That is just what Jesus expects. For he says:

“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:10

தேவாரம் puts it like this:

என் கடன் பணி செய்து கிடப்பதே

This doesn’t work for everybody. They are mindful of the reward and would not take chances that their service go unnoticed. So they must remind….even God. Their motto in life is not only

என் கடன் பணி செய்து  கிடைப்பதே 

but goes a step further to

என் கடன் பணி செய்து பெறுவதே

Ezra (or was it Nehemiah?) was such a guy whose second name was certainly not “altruism”. Hear him itemize his activities in Nehemiah 5th chapter:

5 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. ² Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

³ Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

⁴ Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. ⁵ Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”

⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. ⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them ⁸ and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

⁹ So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? ¹⁰ I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! ¹¹ Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

¹² “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. ¹³ I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels^[a] 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. ¹⁶ Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we^[b] did not acquire any land.

¹⁷ Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. ¹⁸ Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

¹⁹ Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.”

What nerve! For all his dedication in the service of God,  our friend forgets the fact that God is no man’s debtor.

God owes no one anything.

Agreed, he is an old Testament character, but shouldn’t he know :

³⁵ “who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” Romans 11

And how can he/ we forget that

“he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” Phil. 2:7

and

“He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.” 1 Tim. 2:6

And that in Neh. chapter 5, is not the only time. At the back of his mind he is constantly thinking of himself and what he will get. For example:

Remember me with favor, my God. Nehemiah 13:30

Apparently he treats God like man who forgets the good you do. Not for him merely the dutiful, selfless and profound. The following verse is for the likes of him:

Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. Isaiah 59:1

Didn’t Jesus say:

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Matth.10:42

By all accounts, none of us will go so far as to say like Moses

Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” Ex.32:32

What about you?

Are you doing your duty or are you thinking of your reward?

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