Economics for Everybody Archives • Roslyn Presbyterian Church

Generous Giving

PROVERBS 28:27 “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

Dr. R.C. Sproul has frequently commented on the distinction between believing in God and believing God. His point is that in many respects, it is easy to believe that the Lord exists and to believe in what both nature and Scripture tell us about His attributes. There is so much evidence for our Creator from both of these sources of divine revelation that we must exert tremendous effort to deny what we know to be true about God. When it comes to our daily trials, however, actually believing that the Lord will do what He has promised is more difficult for us. We are tempted to walk by sight and not by faith, and even the most faithful among us has had doubts that the Lord will do what He has said He will do.

This should not be, for the same Bible that we trust to tell us truths about God also assures us that the Lord will be faithful to what He has pledged. He has said that He will save all who call upon the name of Jesus (Acts 2:21). Furthermore, God has sworn to keep all of His promises to give Abraham many descendants and a good land (Gen. 15; Heb. 6:13–20), and He has pledged to supply our needs as we are generous with what He has given us (2 Cor. 9:10–11).

Today’s passage expresses our generosity and trust in God’s provision in proverbial form. Although the Lord is not mentioned specifically in the verse, the immediate context of Proverbs 28:27 gives us ample reason to infer that His presence is assumed in the proverb. After all, verse 25 speaks of trusting in the Lord, which is the characteristic of the person who stands in antithesis to the “greedy man” who “stirs up strife.” Verse 27 speaks of generosity, which is the opposite of greed, so we understand that the person who is generous with his money is generous because He trusts in the Lord. In other words, he feels free to give to the poor because he knows that God will reward this generosity and meet his needs. The generous person will not lack the necessities of life.

On the other hand, the one who “hides his eyes”—ignores the plight of the poor—will suffer “many a curse” (v. 27). Those who are not generous and who do not help, insofar as they are able, those who are truly in need reveal hearts that do not really trust in God to provide for them. They hold their money back because they believe it is up to them to guarantee that they will have everything they need. Such people are cursed because they are trusting in themselves, not in the Lord.

Many pastors and teachers have suggested that we take a look at our checkbooks and bank statements for a true measure of where our trust lies. If we cannot find evidence of generous giving to the kingdom of God and those who are truly in need, we may be lacking the trust in the Lord that we profess. Let us strive to be generous with what we have, trusting in God to supply our every need

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalm 37:21–26
Proverbs 14:21, 31; 19:17; 28:8
Philippians 4:14–20

THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Lam. 5–Ezekiel 1
Hebrews 9

By Permission of Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul. © Tabletalk magazine. Website: www.ligonier.org/tabletalk. Email: tabletalk@ligonier.org. Toll free: 1-800-435-4343.

Why Do Some People Live In Poverty?

DEUTERONOMY 15:11 “There will never cease to be poor in the land

Economic discussions must deal with the subjects of wealth and poverty, so it is no surprise that the biblical teaching on economics has much to say on both of these issues. What might catch some people off guard is the fact that Scripture never says that being wealthy is a sin in itself, and it never says that poverty is an inherently righteous condition. The love of money is the root of all evil, not money per se (1 Tim. 6:10). Rich and poor alike can love money, but they can also be driven by something other than a love of money. Wealthy people can be out for only themselves and to amass as much as they can because they have made wealth their god, but poor people may also love money as their god and be motivated to sacrifice their integrity for the sake of escaping their condition. Similarly, people may love God above all else even though they are rich, just as people may love God above all else even though they are poor. Abraham, one of the wealthiest men of his era (Gen. 13:2), and Jesus, who had nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58), exemplify this attitude.

The Lord does not choose people for salvation based on their net worth, but Scripture nevertheless depicts Him as having a special concern for the plight of the poor. Today’s passage, for example, tells us that God expects His people to be generous and help those who are in need of the basic necessities of life (Deut. 15:11). But as the Bible also calls us to walk wisely, we must also know that truly helping the poor requires an understanding of why people live in poverty. If we do not take this into account, our helping may actually hurt them.

God describes four categories of poor people in His Word. First, some individuals live in poverty because of some calamity or disaster. Orphans and widows who live in poverty do so because a tragedy has left them without a breadwinner (James 1:27). Others live in poverty on account of being exploited by criminals (Lev. 19:15). The third category of impoverished people is made up of those who refuse to work (2 Thess. 3:10). Finally, some people are poor because they have given up a secular career to go into full-time ministry. Consider, for example, the medical missionary who left a lucrative practice to serve overseas. Each group needs a different type of assistance. Orphans and widows may need permanent financial assistance. The exploited need help navigating the justice system. Those who refuse to work require church discipline and encouragement to find a job, and those who go into full-time ministry deserve our prayers and financial support.

To be wise stewards of God’s resources, we must provide real help to people who are truly in need. Many well-intentioned people support programs that do not provide truly helpful assistance to the poor, and others refuse to help the poor because they think that everyone who suffers in poverty has brought it on through laziness. Let us seek to be wise in how we provide for those in need, and may we never turn away someone who truly needs our help.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 18:9
Ezekiel 18:10–13
Romans 15:22–29 1
Timothy 5:3–16
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Lamentations 3–4
Hebrews 8

Investing For The Future

Profit-making, as we have seen in our study of biblical economics, is not inherently evil. In fact, it can greatly benefit others and society at large as people produce affordable goods and resources to serve their neighbors. People who seek a profit can transform limited resources into vast sums that can be used to help others and support God’s kingdom.

The idea of limited resources is an important one to keep in mind. No one person owns everything, so that means each of us must steward a finite amount of resources. Some people are wealthier than others, but even the wealthiest individuals must choose where to allocate their funds. A dollar spent in one place is a dollar that cannot be spent elsewhere, so we are called to be wise with our material goods. However, that we each have a finite amount of resources at our disposal does not mean we are bound to a certain net worth or can never earn more. Our individual resources will always be finite in the sense that none of us will ever have everything in creation at our disposal; nevertheless, the amount that we do have can be increased. We can acquire more resources than we currently have, though as finite beings we will never gain everything. If nothing else, our deaths put an end to our ability to invest and grow our personal resources.

Speaking of investing, the Bible commends the proper investment of our resources to gain more wealth, and it warns us in many places of the dangers of seeking fast gain or a “quick buck,” as it were. Today’s passage, for example, calls us to invest all of our resources—including our time, our money, and our talents—in order to earn a return for the sake of our Master, namely, God Himself (Matt. 25:14–30). The Lord will commend us if we take what He has given us and increase it for the sake of His kingdom. Other texts such as Proverbs 13:11 tell us that if we gain wealth hastily, we will end up losing it. Patient investing develops in us the skills necessary to maintain and increase our resources over the long term. Impatience that leads to such things as get-rich-quick schemes or taking other foolish risks with our funds does not lend itself to the discipline needed to grow wealth permanently. What can be earned quickly can be lost just as fast as it was gained.

In essence, the Bible commends delayed gratification. Fools spend all that they have now, with no regard for the future (Prov. 20:21). Those who patiently invest and spend less than they earn build lasting wealth that can help others for a long time to come.

No matter how much one earns or already possesses, it can be increased through patient and wise investing. Heavy consumer debt incurred because of our impatience creates a great burden on our ability to invest and grow our resources for the sake of our families, the church, and providing for the poor. Thus, we should endeavor to invest our funds wisely and avoid foolish financial decisions that would harm our ability to fund the work of the church and assist others.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 22:7; 28:20
Luke 12:48b
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 46–48
Hebrews 6:13–7:10
THE WEEKEND
Jer. 49–
Lamentations 2
Hebrews 7:11–28

Valuing Goods and Services

Regrettably, there is much misunderstanding of economics in our day, and that leads to shallow thinking about economic issues. In many cases, our political rhetoric assumes that large companies are the enemy. Candidates repeat mantras such as “people, not profits,” the assumption being that if you are out to make a profit, you cannot possibly care about people, and that the only party to profit in a transaction is the seller.

In our fallen world, some individuals exploit other people for personal gain. However, it is false to assume that being motivated by profit always entails overlooking others and that the only person who ever profits from a business transaction is the seller. Let us consider a barter transaction. John the chicken farmer needs a pitchfork to do his work, but he does not know how to make one. Aaron the pitchfork maker needs a chicken to feed his family, but he does not know how to raise chickens. So, they agree to trade a chicken for a pitchfork. In this trade, both parties profit. John gets something he needs—a pitchfork—and so does Aaron—a chicken. Furthermore, each person has done something good for his neighbor; he has looked out for his neighbor’s interests by using his talents to produce something the neighbor needs. Though he benefits, he has done something good for the other person.

Today, we commonly use currency in economic transactions, so the mutual benefit is harder to see at first glance. When Kevin pays five dollars to Thomas the almond grower for a bag of almonds, we might think that only Thomas has profited. But this is not the case. Kevin valued his five-dollar bill, but there came a point when he valued almonds more than he valued keeping his money. He willingly exchanged that five-dollar bill for something he valued more, and because he received something he valued more highly, he profited. Another person, such as Robert, might not value almonds as much, and so he keeps his five dollars. All of this shows the subjective theory of value, an important economic concept. Economically speaking, we do not all value the same things in the same way, but that is OK. It makes possible a diverse economy where all people have a chance to use their talents to produce things that others value and to use their income to purchase things they value.

This is not subjectivism, for while we may put varying values on different material things depending on our tastes, we may value nothing higher than we value God (Ex. 20:3). And if our heart is making Him our treasure, we can know that we value Him more than all else.

Our subjective valuations can also come into play in how we show that we value God above all else. Some may prize one-on-one ministry so highly that they forgo a lucrative secular career for the simple life of a missionary. Others who value God’s kingdom equally highly may put less value on personal missions work. Thus, they become entrepreneurs and financially support many missionaries. There are many different ways to show that we value God and His kingdom above all else.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Deuteronomy 5:7
Proverbs 10:16
Mark 10:17–31
Acts 19:11–20
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 42–43
Hebrews 4:14–5:10

By Permission of Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul. © Tabletalk magazine. Website: www.ligonier.org/tabletalk. Email: tabletalk@ligonier.org. Toll free: 1-800-435-4343.

Economics for Everybody

We will be using the DVD for this teaching series at our Tuesday Men’s Group beginning August 4 at 6:30. Guests and previewers are welcome.

Twelve Messages.

Everybody talks about it. The news is full of it. But most Christians know very little about it. Economics: it’s everywhere, influencing everything, yet so rarely understood.

Economics for Everybody seeks to remedy that through an insightful and entertaining exploration of the principles, practices, and consequences of economics. Thoroughly unconventional, it links entrepreneurship with lemonade, cartoons with markets, and Charlie Chaplin with supply and demand. It’s funny, clever, profound and instructive.

If you want to know why economics is so important to understand, this is the series for you. In our day and age, it’s a message every Christian needs to hear.

Watch the Trailer

Preview Series at Ligonier Ministries