Nehemiah 5:6-13

Nehemiah 5:6-13
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Verse 9 reminds me of The Emperor's New Clothes.  While everyone else was content to buy into business as usual, one boy was bold enough to point out the flaws in the system and bring to everyone's attention the brokenness they all were seeing without noticing.
  Here, Nehemiah notices all the pain and brokenness in society.  Nehemiah notices that people are being abused, that the community is not caring for one another, and rather than let it slide by for one more day, he says, simply, "The thing that you are doing is not good."  He names the evil for what it is, and once it is named, in the open, the people can begin to chip away at its influence, replacing evil for good.
  The world needs people willing to be open and honest about what is going on.  We need to see, to notice, to talk about and to act upon the evils in society.  If we keep quiet, then we are giving in, and we are called to be a people who serve and love and care for one another.