In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of news circulating about unscrupulous national leaders/public officials who are supposed to protect society, but instead focus on seeking personal gain. They actually act corruptly and ignore the welfare of their people. As God's people, we need to always build hope and an ideal view of leaders who are appropriate and in accordance with His will. In this idealism, we can look back to the stories in the Bible. Nehemiah is one portrait of a leader who not only dared to uphold justice, but also lived with integrity and feared God.

Nehemiah was a leader who not only brought a vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but also improved the social and economic life of his people. In Nehemiah chapter 5, we see how he faced the problem of economic injustice that hindered God's work. The poor were oppressed by high taxes and suffocating debt, while the nobles took advantage of the situation for personal gain. Thankfully, when rebuked by Nehemiah, these rulers and nobles realized their mistakes. They said, “We will restore them and will not demand anything from them. We will do as you have commanded” (Nehemiah 5:12). What an incredible confession, considering how rare it is for people to admit their mistakes, especially when it involves wealth and power.

Nehemiah did not just stop at words, he made sure that the promise was kept. He called the priests to take an oath from the leaders, as a form of accountability before God and the people. In fact, he shook the folds of his garment as a symbol that God himself would shake anyone who was not faithful to their promise (Nehemiah 5:13). Nehemiah knew that without real action, promises are just empty words. Another interesting and inspiring thing in this story is the attitude that Nehemiah took. He refused to take his privileges as governor. Instead of using his position to enrich himself, he sacrificed for his people. As he said, “I did not do this because I feared God.” (Nehemiah 5:15). Nehemiah chose to be an example of honesty and generosity. He taught us about the importance of leadership with integrity and fear of God.

Bible friends, we often demand and sue leaders who act unfairly and arbitrarily. But have we ever thought about whether we too will abuse our power and act selfishly when we gain power and act as leaders in various fields. Look at the news recently, a driver carrying oranges had to bite his fingers to find the bad luck he experienced. The accident experienced by the driver caused the oranges that were his load to be scattered and looted by the people who witnessed the incident. Similar incidents have also emerged with various goods, be it fish, livestock, or other goods. We shout loudly against corruptors, but at the same time take goods that do not belong to us. Other cases are also scattered in various social circles that equally show how fragile we are as humans. Therefore, let us learn to be faithful to His truth and become individuals with integrity. At least we start to be good leaders for ourselves.