One Degree to Another
No one who has been paying attention would deny that we are living in a politically polarized society. From taxation to gay marriage to the border, we have gone to our respective corners and are ready to come out fighting. It helps to have God on your side in a political debate. After all, what better ace in the hole is there than “God agrees with me?” Both sides of the political spectrum are not afraid to use the Bible to suit their own ends and this is especially true in the debate over economic policy. Those on the right point to the Bible’s emphasis on personal responsibility and love “if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” Their liberal adversaries appeal to Jesus’ care for the poor and the countless Biblical texts about social justice.
Today I was reading the twenty-eighth chapter of Proverbs and noticed again how the Bible strikes blows against both the right and the left’s views on economics. For example, verse 8 says, “Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.” This verse condemns what is commonly known as usury, which is charging exorbitant interest to the poor. What a blow against the kind of unrestrained free markets that make a few rich off the backs of the poor! The writers of Scripture recognize that the poor are often in desperate circumstances and will need to borrow money from those who have a lot of it. The rich are tempted to take advantage of the poor’s desperation to make even more money and dig them into a deeper hole by making them more dependent. The writer of Proverbs says this may profit in the short run, but will ultimately lead to a person’s demise.
Only eleven verses later the writer tells us, “Whoever works his land has plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.” Now he emphasizes personal responsibility. While many in our culture assume that anyone who has a lot of money had it given to them, we see here that the one who works hard provides plenty of bread for himself. This commends a culture of hard work and refutes the idea that able-bodied men should be able to earn a living off the back of another man’s work. Instead the one “who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.” The writer rebukes the idea that we should penalize those who have worked hard and give it to those who refuse to do so.
My major point has not been to show what Proverbs 28 says about money as much as to challenge the idea that any one party or faction has God on their side on every issue. This passage rebuked both unrestrained free markets and wealth redistribution. There will be issues where the right is right and others where the left is right. On others they will both be dead wrong. Unfortunately for believers we tend to identify ourselves with our political parties instead of being first and foremost identified with Jesus. Please recognize there will be many times that Jesus and your political party will be at odds. When that happens, side with him.
Related Posts:
“Why Do Many White Conservative Christians Deny the Reality of White Privilege?”
For Further Reading:
Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
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