Rich people in the OT
When I discuss economics with Christians who claim that Christians can be rich (who themselves are rich... must be a coincidence) the main argument they have is that there are people in the OT who were rich. I had a lot of trouble with this, however, in the midst of my darkest hour God showed me Deut 17:17 and I leaped for joy! Now I could pulverize that argument completely.
God commands through the whole OT that one should give to the poor (Deut 15:7-8, Prov 14:31, Is 58:7, Jer 22:13-17). He indeed gives abundance to men who believe in Him, both in the OT and in the NT and today, but the reason is that we should have what we need, food and clothing, and that we ourselves give abundance to others (2 Cor 9:8). The purpose of receiving God’s blessing is to bless others. This was also what many in the OT did. Job had a lot of property, but he did not spend it on himself but on the poor. He said: “If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless- but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow- if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep … then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.” (Job 31:16-20, 22). Texts like Job 29:7-16 suggests that Job’s job was an aid worker – he was the one who took care of the poor and the needy, his multitude of sheep and donkeys wasn’t spend on himself but on the poor. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Actually, there are no evidence that the people in the OT that we call rich spent more resources on themselves than food and clothing. The rich people in the OT were landlords and kings. Mighty men who had many to provide, not only themselves. As I wrote above, the purpose of selling everything is having all things in common, to live in community. And this was what the rich people of the OT did. Abraham for example did not just sit on his own pile of money and cattle but he had a family plus hundreds of servants and slaves to provide. The thing was that this community of people bore his name. Likewise, the king had his court to provide. The Scripture says: “Solomon's daily provisions were thirty cors [6,6 kiloliters] of fine flour and sixty cors [13,2 kiloliters] of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.” (1 Kings 4:22-23). I’m not sure if he ate all that on his own…
However, some kings did not spend their riches just on the supply of their court but on gold, silver and luxury. When they did this, they sinned. Even kings who were called righteous were sinners. Several of the kings who did this were polygamists as well – but is that an indication of that God think polygamy is OK? He could give them riches, but they were responsible for what they did with them. And when they spend it on luxury instead of providence for their court and their people, they did not do what God wanted them to do. He said to Moses that a king shouldn’t be a polygamist nor collect much silver and gold: “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” (Deut 17:17). Thus, a king who does this sin.
God commands through the whole OT that one should give to the poor (Deut 15:7-8, Prov 14:31, Is 58:7, Jer 22:13-17). He indeed gives abundance to men who believe in Him, both in the OT and in the NT and today, but the reason is that we should have what we need, food and clothing, and that we ourselves give abundance to others (2 Cor 9:8). The purpose of receiving God’s blessing is to bless others. This was also what many in the OT did. Job had a lot of property, but he did not spend it on himself but on the poor. He said: “If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless- but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow- if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep … then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.” (Job 31:16-20, 22). Texts like Job 29:7-16 suggests that Job’s job was an aid worker – he was the one who took care of the poor and the needy, his multitude of sheep and donkeys wasn’t spend on himself but on the poor. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Actually, there are no evidence that the people in the OT that we call rich spent more resources on themselves than food and clothing. The rich people in the OT were landlords and kings. Mighty men who had many to provide, not only themselves. As I wrote above, the purpose of selling everything is having all things in common, to live in community. And this was what the rich people of the OT did. Abraham for example did not just sit on his own pile of money and cattle but he had a family plus hundreds of servants and slaves to provide. The thing was that this community of people bore his name. Likewise, the king had his court to provide. The Scripture says: “Solomon's daily provisions were thirty cors [6,6 kiloliters] of fine flour and sixty cors [13,2 kiloliters] of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.” (1 Kings 4:22-23). I’m not sure if he ate all that on his own…
However, some kings did not spend their riches just on the supply of their court but on gold, silver and luxury. When they did this, they sinned. Even kings who were called righteous were sinners. Several of the kings who did this were polygamists as well – but is that an indication of that God think polygamy is OK? He could give them riches, but they were responsible for what they did with them. And when they spend it on luxury instead of providence for their court and their people, they did not do what God wanted them to do. He said to Moses that a king shouldn’t be a polygamist nor collect much silver and gold: “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” (Deut 17:17). Thus, a king who does this sin.
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Permalink Reply by Keith Butler on -
I had a house full of Gold and the way the lord got rid of it for me was a wonder to behold, This goes back to the story on the ja site, but when you are been shown the way by the spirit for or five things happen at once and sometimes more and so when you try and explain the wonder of it all, it becomes hard for others to see.
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