Chapter 8: Wealth, Poverty, and Inequality
Wealth
Going back to the economy of God, when God
created human beings, he blessed them in Genesis 1:28, and again in Genesis 9:1
and 7. He blessed Noah and his sons with the same wording. The Hebrew word, פְּר֥וּ (pə-rū,
from פָּרָה parah) in Genesis 1:28, 9:1 and
7, means “be fruitful,” “bear fruit” and occurs 29 times in the Old Testament.[1]
The Hebrew word, רְב֛וּ (rə-bū, from רָבָה (rabah) in
Genesis 1:28, 9:1 and 7, means “become many or much,” “multiply” and occurs 230
times.[2]
God wants his people to be fruitful (or prosper) and multiply in number and in
wealth.
God blessed Abraham in
Genesis 17:6 and 8: “6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I
will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. … 8And
I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your
sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will
be their God.”; and in 17:20: “… I will bless him(=Ishmael) and make him
fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. …” God’s blessing of “be fruitful and
multiply” includes the blessing of wealth. Abraham’s servant in Genesis 24:35
states: “35The LORD has greatly blessed my master and he has become
great; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, menservants and
maidservants, camels and asses.” Genesis 26:12-14 states: “12Isaac sowed
in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13and
the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14He
had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the
Philistines envied him.” The word
“wealthy” is the Hebrew word, גָּדַלּ (gadal), which means “great,” “become
great,” “become rich or wealthy.”[3]
This Hebrew word, גָּדַל (gadal) occurs 115 times in
the Old Testament.
God’s blessing on Abraham
and Isaac was succeeded to his descendants. Isaac blessed Jacob in Genesis
28:3-4: “3God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply
you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4May he give the
blessing of Abraham to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take
possession of the land of your sojourning which God gave to Abraham!” God said
to Jacob in Genesis 35:11-12: “11I am God Almighty; be fruitful and
increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and
kings will be among your descendants. 12The land I gave to Abraham
and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants
after you.” When we love God and follow his instructions, God’s grace and
blessings will continue to our children and their children (Exodus 20:6;
Deuteronomy 5:10).
Moses in Deuteronomy 8:17-18
tells the Israelites: “17Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My
power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18You
shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get
wealth; that he may confirm his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at
this day.” The word “wealth” here is the Hebrew word, חָ֫יִל (chayil), which means “strength,” “wealth,” or “army.”[4]
This Hebrew word, חָ֫יִל (chayil) occurs 224 times in
the Old Testament.
Poverty
Poverty has been a long-discussed issue in
our human history. The Scripture also deals with this poverty issue in several
different places. Moses in Deuteronomy 15:7-8 states: “If there is among you a
poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which the
LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand
against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him
sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
Proverbs 22:22-23 states:
“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in
court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder
them.” God is the God of mercy. He wants us to share what we possess with our
poor brothers and sisters, and neighbors.
Wealth and Poverty as God’s Blessing or Curse
Wealth is considered God’s blessing
throughout the Bible. However, the Bible also notices that there are some rich
people who gathered their wealth in an unlawful or a wicked manner. Poverty may
not be God’s curse – sometimes, it may be God’s blessing when it makes people
humble before God. However, there are some people who are poor out of their
laziness.
In the following verses,
wealth seems to be God’s blessing and poverty God’s curse:
Proverbs
8:20-21: “I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, endowing
with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries.”
Proverbs
10:4: “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
Proverbs 10:15:
“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.”
Proverbs
19:4: “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.”
Proverbs
21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is
hasty comes only to want.”
Yet, in the following verses, wealth seems to
be God’s curse and poverty God’s blessing:
Proverbs 15:16: “Better a
little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.”
Proverbs 17:1: “Better is a
dry morsel with quiet than a house full of
feasting with strife.”
Agur in Proverbs 30:7-9 prays
to God: “7Two things I ask of thee; deny them not to me before I
die: 8Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither
poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9lest
I be full, and deny thee, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor, and
steal, and profane the name of my God.” Agur thought that (too much) wealth may
not be God’s blessing when it makes him deny God and that (too much) poverty
may not be God’s blessing, either, when it makes him steal and thus dishonor
God.
Wealth and Poverty in the Gospels
In Jesus’ saying, wealth does not seem to be
God’s blessing but may be an obstacle that prevents people from loving God. Jesus
in Matthew 6:24 (also in Luke 16:13) says: “No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” What Jesus
tells us here is a matter of choice or priority. We should not choose money
over God in any circumstances. Jesus in Luke 14:26 says: “If anyone comes to me
and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers
and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.”
In Matthew 19:16ff, a rich
young man came to Jesus and asked: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get
eternal life?” (19:16) Jesus’ initial answer was a relatively easy one for him:
“If you want to get eternal life, obey the commandments.” (19:17) The young man
inquired: “Which ones?” (19:18a) Jesus replied: “Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and
mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (19:18b-19). The young man
responded with confidence: “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
(19:20) Jesus replied: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me.” (19:21) When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had
great wealth.” (19:22). Although the rich young man thought that he had kept
all the law, he could not give up his wealth (money). Giving up money was much
harder than serving God truly. In this sense, this rich young man’s wealth was
not a God’s blessing. After this, Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew
19:23-24: “23Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to
enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter
the kingdom of God.”
On the other hand, it seems
to be easier for the poor people to enter the kingdom of God as poverty makes
them humble before God. Jesus in Matthew 5:3 says: “Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Not only those who are poor in
spirit but also those who are poor in material may be the blessed ones.
Jesus in Luke 6:20-21 says:
“20Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21Blessed
are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” It may be Luke, who was a
physician and thought that “the poor” is not only those who are poor in spirit
but also those who are poor in material. That is why he did not include “in
spirit” in his writing. Then, you may ask a question: “is it unethical to make
big money?”
Jesus in Matthew 25:14ff
tells his disciples a parable of the talents. A master called his servants and
entrusted his property to them before he departed his house for a journey. To
one he gave five talents of money, and to another two talents, and to another
one talent, each according to his ability. One talent was equivalent to
5,000-6,000 denarii. And one denarius was equivalent to an average worker’s one
day pay. So, if we assume an average worker’s one day pay is $150, one talent
was equivalent to about $800,000. The man who had received the five talents
went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. (25:16) So also,
the one with the two talents gained two more. (25:17) But the man who had
received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s
money – so, no money was created. (25:18) After a long time, the master
returned from his journey and settled accounts with them. (25:19) The man who
had received the five talents brought the other five. And he said: “Master, you
entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.” (25:20). His
master replied: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful
with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your
master’s happiness.” (25:21) The man with the two talents also came and said:
“Master, you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”
(25:22) His master commended him with the same wording: “Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” (25:23) Then
the man who had received the one talent came and said: “Master, I knew that you
are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have
not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the
ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” (25:24-25) His master replied: “You
wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money
on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it
back with interest.” (25:26-27) The parable of the talents may refer to our
faithful work for God and his kingdom. However, it also can be our making money
for our daily living, managing our wealth for a better life. Working hard to
make more money is nothing wrong if we do honestly and always place God first.
Love of Money
Most people if not all like or love money. Howard
Dayton points out that the Bible contains 2,350 verses that deal with money.[5]
What does this mean? Money is so important in our life that we cannot avoid the
money matter. Jesus in Luke 16:11 says: “If then you have not been faithful in
the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches?” We may
need to deal with money properly and faithfully to also deal with more
important spiritual matters faithfully. Paul in 1 Timothy 6:10 states: “For the
love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some
have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.” As
Jesus states in Matthew 6:24, what Paul says here is a matter of choice or
priority. Money should not be a Christian’s first priority. Money or wealth
itself is neutral. However, people’s too much greed or too much love of money
may cause an ethical problem.
According to John Calvin
(1509-1564), the founder of Presbyterianism, money not merely serves for the
utilitarian purpose but also functions as the sign of God’s grace. Calvin
understands money in its twofold meanings: (1) the sign of grace and (2) the
sign of condemnation. If a Christian uses money for the good purpose according
to God’s will, money will be the sign of God’s grace. However, if anyone places
his/her first priority on (the power of) money, money becomes the sign of
condemnation (1 Timothy 6:10).
The 2007-2009 financial
crisis was caused not only by the housing market bubble but also more
importantly by people’s moral hazard problems and/or business people’s
unethical ways of life. Money or wealth may be important not only to
non-Christians but also to Christians as it is critical to everyone’s living in
this world. However, a Christian worldview is different from a secular
worldview as a Christian’s priority is God and His kingdom whereas a
non-Christian’s priority is this world and things that belong to this world
such as money.
How many of you do not love
money? What is your choice between God and money? Is God always before money in
your life and in your decision making? When someone tells you that he will give
you $5,000 if you work for him on Sunday (morning to evening), will you decline
the offer as you attend church to worship God? Paul’s saying in 1 Timothy 6:10
is a challenge that we may encounter in our life as we love money, too. When
Abraham was tested by God in Genesis Chapter 20 and was told to offer his only
son Isaac as a burnt offering, he could pass the test by giving up his son to
choose God. When we choose God over money, we can pass God’s test.
The Poor and the Rich in the Book of
James
James 2:5-7 states: “5Listen, my
beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich
in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? 6But
you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you, is it not
they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the
honorable name which was invoked over you?” As you see in James 2:5-7, James believed
that God chose the poor to make them rich in faith and thus to inherit the
kingdom of God. The rich have a negative connotation in James. Again, James
5:1-6 warns the rich about the coming judgment.
Income Inequality
Income inequality is a serious issue in
today’s society. The gap in wealth or income between the rich and the poor has
been widened or cannot be narrowed. Victor Claar and Robin Klay notice that the
average worker in the United States has been poorer over time and that the
earnings gap between college graduates and high school graduates is becoming
wider.[6]
This widening of income inequality is not only in the United States but also in
many other countries as the modern society uses more technology.
How can the rich and the
poor live in harmony as they may be all God’s people? Proverbs 22:2 states:
“The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.” How
can Christians overcome the issues of poverty and income inequality? The early
church Christians shared their possessions with others: “And all who believed
were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and
goods and distributed them to all, as any had need” (Act 2:44-45); “Now the
company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that
any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in
common” (Acts 4:32). By doing so, income inequality could be reduced or removed
among Christians in the early church.
Paul also promotes the
economy of equality in 2 Corinthians Chapters 8-9 where Paul was campaigning
the collection of money for the poor saints in Jerusalem due to a famine. Paul
in 2 Corinthians 8:13-14 states: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved
while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present
time your plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality.” Paul
finds his rationale from Exodus 16:16-18, the Israelites’ gathering of manna:
“This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs.
Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ the Israelites did as they
were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the
omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little
did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.” The rich in
material has an obligation to share their wealth with the poor in material; the
rich in spirit has also an obligation to share their spiritual rich with the
poor in spirit. I call this economics of equality.[7]
[1]
Strong’s
Hebrew Concordance, “6509. parah,” BibleHub.
Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6509.htm
[2]
Ibid., “7235. rabah,” BibleHub. Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7235.htm
[3]
Ibid., “1431. gadal,” BibleHub. Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1431.htm
[4]
Ibid., “2428. chayil,” BibleHub. Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2428.htm
[5]
Howard Dayton, Your Money Counts. Carol Stream, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1996, 4-5.
[6]
Victor V. Claar & Robin J. Klay, Economics in Christian Perspective: Theory,
Policy and Life Choices, IVP Press, 2007, 194.
[7]
K. P.
Choi, Paul’s Life, Epistles, and the
Central Themes of His Theology (in Korean). Seoul, Korea: Qumran Publishing
House, 2013, 249-251 & 255-257.
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