In Nehemiah 5, the Jewish community is unraveling from the inside.  Up to this point they have successfully fought against all external attacks.  Now the problem is not from beyond the walls, but within.  The wealthy nobles and officials are unlawfully lending and enslaving their Jewish brothers and sisters.  Nehemiah confronts these men with their sin.  But he only does so after spending time in prayer (v. 7).  His confrontation comes with a broken heart, not a judgmental eye.

That said, this helpful Q&A with David Powlison gives wise counsel on how to confront a brother or sister caught in the snares of sin.  Here is an excerpt:

“Counselors [those confronting someone with sin] never see the heart, only the evidences, so a certain tentativeness is often appropriate when discussing motives. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that counseling aims to illuminate the heart, to help people see themselves as they are in God’s eyes, and in that to make the love of God as sweet necessity. Since counselors have the same package of typical lusts, we meet on common ground in our need for grace because of pride, fear of man, unbelief, and love of comfort and control.”