Normally, I don’t like to do political commentary here. It’s not my area of interest or study. I usually use my creative time to write music and my scholarly time to study aesthetics, and in particular religious aesthetics. However, I’ve been drawn back in because of some of the banter lately. Here is a brief documentation of ideas from the Bible on government responsibility to the poor. It is not meant to be remotely exhaustive since that’s what so much of the book is about. I’ll even use the translation favored by “evangelicals”. Apply them as you like.
1. Government intervention in private property for the sake of the poor.
Exodus 23 :11 “but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”
2. The vision for Israel included forgiveness of debts and the ideal of no poverty.
Deuteronomy 15:1-5 “ At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.”
3. That you shouldn’t try to give the poor the shaft.
Deuteronomy 24:15 “Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”
4. On Wall Street greed.
Job 20:19-22 “For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build. Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure. Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure. In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him.”
5. King David – a political leader – gives his thoughts on loaning to the poor
Psalm 15 asks, “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?” Answer in v. 5 the one “who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
6. That the prophets spoke out against political leaders for oppressing the poor.
Isaiah 3:14-15 “The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: ‘It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?”
7. Jeremiah’s comment to the King on what political leaders should be doing.
Chapter 22
15Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the LORD.
8. The real sin of Sodom according to Ezekiel chapter 16
“49 Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
9. Amos on the government oppressing the poor.
Chapter 5 “11 You levy a straw tax on the poor
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.”
These are just a few examples from the Hebrew Scriptures. In a country where 400 people make as much money as the bottom 150 million, we have political leaders that are defending a system that keeps that in place. It is no wonder that CitiBank (not known to be a leftest organization) believes that we are no longer a democracy but, instead, a plutonomy. I’m also over the argument posed by some of my friends that it is the government’s role to stay out of the charity business. I could accept that argument if the government wasn’t so actively participating in creating the disparity. I don’t even mind that people defend the system. I just have a problem with them doing it and somehow claiming that they are being religious thereby. The whole of our tradition says otherwise.
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My first thought was your citation of Hebrew scriptures only. It's been my experience (of late) that Evangelicals use Hebrew scriptures if and only if they support what they are trying to say. Otherwise they have very selective memories where the Old Testament is concerned. Continue your blog and site the New Testament (the only part of the Bible that counts to Evangelicals, unfortunately) as well. I'd be interested in what you come up with!
Good idea, Rebecca. I'll get on that tomorrow. I think I'm going to write some more music tonight.
1) This is a direction from God, but where does it say that the government is suppose to regulate it? It may, but I'm really curious if it says anything about the government.
2) We have absolutely no system to “forgive debts.” It would be nice, but the people in control are not Jewish and most of us are not either. If your argument is that the church should do this like the Israelite's did, than I agree.
3) No argument
4) This has more to do with point 3 than wall street. Wall street is based on the idea of stocks and investments, and I can't imagine that stocks and investments is an evil idea.
5) Great point
6) Great point
7) My question here is what defines the poor and needy? I think God would distinguish between the poor and the sluggard, and to really have a full discussion on these topics we need to as well.
8) See above
9) see above
I would like to clarify about some comments you and I have exchanged. I agree the government supports a system that profits the rich over the poor, but our government and the capitalist system are not the same thing. My comments are in full support of a free market capitalist system, because it rewards hard work. I think this lines up with a lot of things God says in the Bible, but frankly god's system is something none of us can fuly understand, and I doubt God is capitalist, socialist, or fascist, etc.
Also Rebecca as a reformed Evangelical let me say I agree. you can not ignore the old testament to have a full argument, but most Evangelicals will only listen to the new.
@Brent: I believe that the Old Testament God did intend the government to enforce His Law. The Law was the basis for Hebrew governance, especially through the time of the "judges". Also, this same Old Testament God Kurt is quoting from certainly has some "socialist" ideas, like the unmentioned jubilee year where wealth and property were redistributed throughout the society; although it certainly seems impossible to define or limit an infinite God with mere human economic and political ideology.
Also, while capitalism certainly isn't forbidden to Christians (after all, nothing is), the example of Jesus and his direct antecedents is one of non-Marxist communism. Jesus himself strongly spoke against the acquisition of material wealth, directly stating that it would hamper a person's access to and rewards in heaven.
@Kurt: What about the jubilee year?
Also, for the record, I agree with Rebecca that most Christians, especially many Evangelical Christians view the Talmud as historical or contextual since Romans clearly states that Jesus's sacrifice frees His devotees from the law and its companions of sin and death.
God is not against wealth. He simply warns that wealth CAN corrupt people. He tells the rich to give to the poor and help their brothers, not stop being rich. God rewards people of great faith with wealth, and he also rewards hard work with wealth. He just tells them not to trust the wealth but the one who gave it.
Also I would like to mention the type of "government" that the old testament talks about is very unlike what we have. the time of the judges was when Israel needed a strong leader, but the way it was suppose to be was that community leaders and judges lead everything. The elders were suppose to watch over others. The system Moses set up at God and his father in laws direction was nothing like the system we have.
Well, you two have certainly brought up a lot of points. I will try to give my thoughts on a few before I fall asleep. Brent, my point on #1 is that there is a biblical precedent for the government redistributing wealth. I certainly could have used Robert's example of the year of jubilee as a more poignant example. As far as "regulation", I'm not sure how to handle that, but it seems that to some degree, Moses did intend to enforce the rules because he had the community stone a man for breaking Sabbath. As far as "systems" for forgiving debt…I would just say that systems don't interest me very much. My wife and children are Jewish, so I do have a special interest in that faith community and have become more human by being involved with the Jewish community. Robert, I agree that we shouldn't limit God with a human ideology, and I'm not sure that I could advocate any specific system myself as the "right" one. However, I can say that God cares about the poor. How to flesh it out is the question. Brent, as far as the idea of God rewarding people of faith with wealth, your into territory that has traditionally been considered heresy by the Church, so I can't really speak to your convictions on that. I would say that there are examples in the Bible of people of faith with wealth (Abraham or Lydia) and those without (Jeremiah or Jesus). There are numerous passages of people complaining to God about the injustice of the world because wicked people prosper more than the righteous. I know you have strong opinions about hard work and capitalism. I'm still not very convinced. I know lots of people that work hard that don't have much money. I know people that don't work hard that do have money. I also know the opposite of both of those. Again, not my area of study, but the last research I read on the subject suggested the social mobility was largely an American myth and that it was more possible in countries that are more commonly associated with some milder socialistic practices in Europe. I don't know if God is "against" wealth (though I could make an argument for it if it interested me), but I do know of many passages in Scripture which say that God hears the prayers of the poor. I don't know of any that say that God hears the prayers of the rich. In fact, in the Scriptures, whenever God hears the prayers of the rich, it is for some other reason like faith.
Two Jews were praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. One was obviously very rich, with a silk hat and silk jacket and very expensive shoes. the other was obviously very poor, with a simple skull cap, loafers, and a torn shirt.
The poor man went to pray every day rain or shine, asking God for peace and love and for more ways to help his family survive. the rich man can but twice a year.
One day the poort man got angry with God and started wailing – God God Why do you reward this man who barely acknowledges you, while ignoring me your servant who comes every day to pray?
The heavens opened and a big booming voice rang out – "Because he doesn't bother me as much as you do!"
I say leave God alone. He has enough to worry about other than making your team win the game, or getting you a better job, or healing your friend's cousin's cousin.
@ Kurt & Brent: We do have a system for forgiving debt – it's called bankruptcy. I am extremely troubled by any "theology" that views wealth or health or any kind of success as a reward for faith or proof of faithfulness. Am I to conclude that people who suffer illness, job loss, accident or poverty have been less faithful? I find such a notion to be extremely arrogant. I am also bothered by the propensity of American Protestants to take personal credit for good fortune – whether it's attributed to one's hard work or one's faith in God. There's so much self-congratulation, and such a failure to recognize and acknowledge God's mercy.
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Everyone: I am not a Calvinist (at least I think it was calvin). I do not think that just because your poor you do not have faith. I also do not believe that just because you have faith you will be rich.
I do believe we need to consider how God rewards hard work. the bible says that if a m an does not work, he should not eat. I think there would be an obvious exception for those who are disabled and can not work, but for someone who is lazy, their poorness is their own fault.
The group of people that we are suppose to help and take care of is simple: widows, orphans, elderly, disabled. I am not convinced that the government should force people to help these groups, we as a community should do it naturally out of morals. Other governments may have found ways to do it, but ours has failed miserably to do a good job of it.
God did reward some men of faith with wealth so wealth can not be an evil thing. That was my point. He gave others with faith other things, and I have no answer why he gave to some and not others. That's his business.
faith and wealth are not equal and related. I just think wealth is not evil. like anything if we do evil with a little money its just as wrong as if we do evil with a lot of money.
So many other comments… I really am not out against the poor I swear. I just think we have a system that rewards the lazy, and that bothers me. Everyone else not abusing the system, I think we could do a better job for them in other ways.
My final comment on this post is that I disagree that our American capitalist system is set up to "reward" the lazy. I think the system is entirely rigged to favor the wealthy. The wealthy have political and social influence. The wealthy have access to adequate, even superior, healthcare. The wealthy have the ability to find justice (or even favorable injustice)in our legal system, something that is mostly proscribed to those without money. Certainly there are some abuses of our so-called social safety net by certain amoral individuals, but the amount of money these malefactors derive from the national coffers is comparatively insignificant when juxtaposed against the largesse that the wealthy and especially the wealthy corporations draw from our collective national resources.
I, personally, do not advocate any "official" government-enforced redistribution of wealth, except perhaps through mildly "progressive" taxation (but only at this barbaric stage of human culture when our values are so deformed that we cannot adequately resolve this independently of any governance). I do feel that we have created a system that rewards the poor in many cases for not working or at least makes things more difficult on the working poor. However, it is hard to judge the poor too harshly for attempting to keep up by gaming a system so obviously rigged against them. But this isn't a discussion of American values, rather "religious" values and politics as related to such.
Brent, I'm curious about how you understand the system that rewards the lazy. Every metric I've ever seen on the subject suggests that the amount of money that the government gives to corporations and the wealthy dwarfs the amount given to social welfare programs.
God does NOT make the distinction of who is "worthy" of help in the Bible. Jesus hung out with "tax collectors and sinners." I think those people made some bad decisions in their lives. What about the woman caught in adultery? He didn't hold that against her when he… stopped the crowd from killing her. She had even EARNED her punishment!
In the end, I think we should treat the poor with the same grace and mercy which we ourselves are shown. We certainly earn our own judgment, but God saves us anyway. If someone truly does not have something they need, it is not our place to decide who is "worthy enough" for help.
Sorry, got distracted reading this blog instead of e-mailing Kurt as originally planned. In any case, I had to comment about the government intervention and free market capitalism and helping the needy.
I've been reading a book called Griftopia by Taibbi.
It is truly angering to me what has been robbed from us as a country (if you can believe the book, which who knows? anyone can write books these days….) and then what we are sold. "We can't afford to help the people who are out on the street because those programs are too expensive." And yet they have taken all the money from all of us "middle class" people and re-distributed it to the greedy jerks who rig the market every day. And if we continue to allow the "free capital market" to function as the greedy jerks have rigged it, we will soon all be on the street. Unfortunately, I think we need more government just to protect us.
And just to note: I do not think wealth is inherently evil and I do not think that all stock market traders are inherently evil and I do not think the people trying to run the government and make these decisions are inherently evil. There are definitely exceptions and I've seen some very thoughtful responses to my queries from my political leaders. But the system is still broken. I just wish more people realized WHY it is broken so that we could all rise up in revolt and FIX IT!
okay, done now.