Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 261

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The Scriptures and Justice  - 1

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

The bible is our guide for all of life. It does not just teach us how to be saved and happy, it also teaches us how to be holy, wise, good and just and how to be God’s person in our various social responsibilities. In this series we will look at what the Bible says about social responsibility – and justice. This is not intended as a guilt trip and it is surely intended to go hand in hand with missions and evangelism. When we act as good citizens and good neighbors we are also good witnesses. But above all this series is meant to show you how wise the Scriptures are, how insightfully they speak to life and to give you the urge to study them for yourselves.

How we interact with others financially is a major concern, whether it is how we lend money, or how we do business.  To be a Christian loan shark is an obvious contradiction in terms! Christians must not exploit others financially. 
I think the Scriptures give us seven clear and wise guidelines for fair trade:
1.	Honest balances – including fair exchange rates and just pricing mechanisms. (Leviticus 19:35,36; Deuteronomy 25:13-16, Proverbs 16:11, 20:10,23 Micah 6:11)
2.	Consideration of the effect of our actions upon other people. (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)
3.	Payment of fair wages. (Malachi 3:5, James 5:1-4)
4.	No bribery, extortion, profiteering or usury. (Leviticus 25;36-37, Deuteronomy 23:19,20 Proverbs 28:8, Ezekiel 22:12, Deuteronomy 23:8. Psalm 15:5, 2 Chronicles 19;7)
5.	Compassionate lending to the poor. (Exodus 22:25, Deuteronomy 15:1-11)
6.	Forgiveness of debts after a set period of time – every seventh year at the Festival of Booths. (Deuteronomy 15:1,2; 31:10) 
7.	Regular correction of accumulated gross economic imbalances, especially in the distribution of land, every fifty years in the year of Jubilee. (Leviticus 25:5-55)
Lets look at each of these in turn. 

HONEST BALANCES, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
It was common for merchants to have two sets of weights. A “heavy” weight when buying gold so the amount the merchant had to pay for seemed less, and a “light” weight when selling gold so the amount the customer paid for seemed more.  This kind of fraud was known as “differing weights”. Similarly the grain merchants would have two volume measures – a “large ephah” and a “small ephah” – and this was known as “differing measures”.  Tourists changing currency still strike this today with the “buying rate” and the “selling rate” and I once lost a large sum of money when I asked a relative to change some cash for me and he chose an unscrupulous branch of Cook’s – which I will NEVER deal with again.

Leviticus 19;35,36 says “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight or capacity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah and a just hin: I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 25:13-16 “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small. you shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. For everyone who does those things, everyone who acts unjustly, is an abomination to the Lord.”

This is the principle of fair exchange of goods and money. The righteous person gives the right value when he or she deals with others. Christians are not to swindle one another out of things. To sell a car for $5000 that we know is only worth $3000, to disguise the faults, and to try and get an unfair and unjust exchange. 

CONSIDERATION OF THE EFFECTS OF OUR ACTIONS
Matthew 7:12, NASB  “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets”.  Would you want to be loaned money at 25% or subjected to extortion or deceived about an investment? Then don’t do that to others! On a national level would the First World like to be treated by God as it treats the Third World ? Would they like the currency fluctuations, dumping practices and IMF intervention imposed on them? The Golden Rule has been twisted to “He who has the gold rules”. Christians must give deep thought and consideration to how their financial actions will affect others.

PAYMENT OF FAIR WAGES
James writes “”Behold the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”  (James 5:4)  Christian organizations that do not pay their workers (harvesters) reap the wrath of God.  So do those who underpay their staff or withhold wages. Christians should not run sweatshops, underpay illegal immigrants or exploit the labor of others.

NO BRIBERY, EXTORTION, PROFITEERING OR USURY
The numerous verses on this are listed under point 4 above. These sins result from an imbalance of power where the person with the power demands a bribe, stands over the weaker person, makes an obscene level of profit on a needed item (such as hoarding food during a famine) or changes very high interest to a desperate person. Such acts are completely unchristian. Power must be left out of the equation. We are to treat each person fairly and equally even if we have the capacity to stand over them and take advantage of them and we cannot justify it by saying “it is just supply and demand”.  Charging high prices for grain in a famine is wickedness - not good business.

COMPASSION IN LENDING
The Bible is clear that we are not to charge interest to the poor (see references in point 5 above). We are not to make profits from vulnerable people. 

FORGIVENESS OF DEBTS
Every seventh year, all debts were to be forgiven (Deuteronomy 15:1,2, 31:10) as a part of the Sabbath rest. This broke the power of moneylenders, and prevented inter-generational debt and restored equality to social relationships and a sense of grace to the community. 

THE JUBILEE
Family farms were restored to their traditional owners during the year of the Jubilee that came along every fifty years. (Leviticus 25:5-55) there was a complex series of property and value restorations that occurred at this time and it meant that land ownership never got too far out of kilter and that the basis of the economy was kept in balance. This can be interpreted today as the need for major economic restructuring, in favor of the poor and dispossessed, at regular long-term intervals.

To sum up - God does not permit us to take advantage of others and the Bible gives simple principles for economic justice and prosperity. These seven principles are not meant to make us uncompetitive rather they will make us blessed and prosperous:

Deuteronomy 15;1- 6"At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord's release. 3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, 4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance-- 5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

Blessings,

John Edmiston johned@aibi.ph

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