Series: Untold Stories of the Old Testament #3
Date: CHCC: June 3, 2012
Title: “In God We Trust”
Text: Deuteronomy 15
INTRODUCTION:
The "In God We Trust" Motto has been on our US Currency for over 50 years. Almost all Americans support using “In God We Trust” on currency and as the national motto. A 2003 Gallup poll found that 90 percent of respondents approved of the use of the motto on coins.
We have a great motto printed on our dollars, but does our national finance system follow Biblical principles? For that matter, do we follow God’s wisdom in our personal finances?
As part of our series about Untold Stories of the Old Testament, we’re going to look at the financial laws God gave the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy. God gave many laws to his Old Testament people. The laws were of different kinds with different purposes.
• Some laws pointed the Jews towards Jesus --- they got the Jewish people ready to accept the Messiah when he came. Examples of such laws were the ones about sacrificing animals in the temple. These are laws whose purpose has ended.
• Other laws were more generic --- laws such as “do not murder.” These laws apply to all humanity and can be applied directly to us today.
• Finally, some laws were related to the running of the Nation of Israel. They had laws about how many horses the king should have and about the importance of city walls in a land sale. These laws can’t be applied directly to modern nations (we don’t have kings, if we did they wouldn’t ride horses, and we don’t have city walls). But the principles behind these laws can give us God’s wisdom.
The laws we are going to look at today fall in that third category. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses was giving a series of final sermons before he died. In those sermons he reviewed the laws that God had given to the nation of Israel.
The financial laws in Deuteronomy 15 might seem kind of crazy. Cancel all debts every 7 years. Lend a lot but borrow nothing. No final land sales --- all property is returned to the original owner every 50 years. The wisdom of God often seems like foolishness … until you look closer. Today we’ll look at just 3 principles we can learn from the financial laws God gave to Israel.
1. Limit debt
Deuteronomy 15:1 "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 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."
Verse 12 adds some information to this law about debt: 12" If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free."
God didn’t forbid debt, but debts were cancelled, and indentured servants were freed every 7 years. Add to that the law that every 50th year was declared a year of jubilee. In that year the land was all to lie fallow, and all property reverted to its original owner.
If you were to lend money, you’d limit it to an amount that could reasonably be repaid within a few years. (no 30-year mortgages here.)
If you were a borrower, you would not borrow money you could not repay because indentured servant-hood was the alternative for someone who couldn’t repay a debt.
And no greedy person could buy up all the property of his poorer neighbors.
In practical terms, debt was strictly limited, and clear parameters were set up front. Anyone borrowing knew they needed to be able to repay or they would go into servant-hood. Anyone lending knew better than to loan more than could reasonably be repaid in a few years. And everyone had the stability of knowing their property would be passed down to future generations in their family.
God gave a promise to the Nation if they followed His financial plan: 6"For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you."
God’s goal for His Nation was that they would lend to many but borrow from none. If our nation followed that policy, the graph that’s on screen wouldn’t look the way it does. (Graph of our growing national debt) God told his nation if they would lend but not borrow then they would rule over many nations but none will rule over you. That promise contains a warning to people and to nations. The one you owe money to will be able to rule over you.
In other words, debt cancels out freedom. Other than voting wisely, there’s not a lot we can do about the out-of-control national debt. But we can make sure our personal finances don’t look like that graph!
2. Be generous
As with every law of God, it’s the attitude behind the action that really matters to God.
7 "If anyone is poor(G) among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted(H) toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded(I) and freely lend them whatever they need."
God understood that people would start looking for ways to beat the system. Borrowers would want to borrow money on year 6 knowing it would be forgiven on year 7. Lenders would refuse to help anyone on year 6 knowing it would not be repaid.
Notice that God said freely lend them whatever they need. It would be hardhearted and tightfisted to refuse to help your neighbor with a genuine NEED just because it wouldn’t be financially advantageous for you.
God expects us to keep a tender heart toward the poor no matter what. That’s not always easy to do. (tell an example about the scam artists that prey on churches)
We need to be discerning and wise about how we give. But getting hard and cynical is not an option for a Christian. Here’s what God wants from us:
10 "Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land."
The last principle I want to talk about today is that God wants us to …
3. Invest in relationships
We can use our money, as well as our time and talent and everything else we have --- to invest in our relationship with God and with other people. Every law that God gives is to help us fulfill the two greatest commandments: Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love you neighbor as yourself.
Money is to be loaned to those in need. Debt is to be forgiven after 7 years. Property will be returned after 50 years. All of these laws rest on the idea that people know each other and care about each other. And throughout the chapter we see reminders that everything we have comes from the Lord. We are pleasing God when we help each other, and He will pour out blessings in return.
Ignoring this principle is part of what has gone wrong with the finances of our nation. From banking to business to health care to education, the personal connections between people has been broken. Who really knows their banker or even their doctor anymore? ( My mortgage has been held by 3 different companies)
In Israel, even indentured servant-hood was to be treated in a relational way. Such a servant might become like part of the family. When the 7th year came and the servant was set free, God gave this instruction: 13"And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today."
Sometimes the bonds between servant and master were so strong that the servant didn’t want to leave. The servant felt he was better off staying with that family that going off on his own. So God gave this instruction: 16 "But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant."
We don’t think much of it, but it’s significant that God said, Do the same for your female servant. Most of the surrounding nations saw all women as mere chattel or possessions. God made it clear that in Israel women were to be given the same protections as men.
CONCLUSION:
The example of the servant who chooses to serve for life is a picture of our relationship with God. God doesn’t force anyone to serve him, but if we realize that we are better off with Him than out on our own, we can choose to become his servant for life. …
