Borrower is Slave to the Lender

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7)

The above verse seems so pertinent to current events in the U.S economy and the average American consumer right now. Here are some thoughts:

Proverbs 22:7 is direct and self explanatory. Whether we are living in 8th century B.C. Judea or in modern America, the lender will most likely charge interest or demand some sort of compensation. If we borrow something, we are now subject to the will of the lender and are forced to comply with their terms.

Every time we pay interest, we are WORKING for the lender - in effect becoming their slave. We must work just to support that debt. Not only has the lender become the master in this regard, he/she is becoming wealthier at the same time.

This is one important way that the rich become richer, and the poor become poorer. (See Matthew 25:29 - "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.")

The "rich" put money to work for themselves in the form of lending and investments. They earn money from their loans, just as Jesus encourages in the parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14 - 30 ) The "rich" are masters of their money, not servants to it, as it works and multiplies for them.

Those that are "poor" not only fail to make money work for them (lend/invest), but they are losing money/net-worth by paying out interest. One borrows when they want to spend more than they actually have. The price, according to Proverbs, is servitude.

The rich, who are wise with their earnings, just keep getting richer as they continually master their use of money.

On a side note:
Its interesting that the Hebrew word translated as 'borrow' is lavah which, in addition to referring to borrowing/lending, is often used throughout the Bible to mean "to cleave" or to "entwine" or "join." For example, in Genesis 29:34 Leah desires Jacob to be "joined" with her - as an intimate lover. Hmmm...

Do we want to be joined with the lender?! Being cleaved to or entwined is the opposite of being independent. We lose our freedom at the moment we allow debt to make us the servant.
(By the way, I am not saying that all debt is bad...just trying to make observations based on Proverbs)

SO, what does this mean for Americans?

Personal spending on credit is at record levels. The average American household, has $6,000 to $15,000 in credit card debt alone (according to various statistics - who knows which to believe?) Keep in mind that this is not including mortgage debt - only consumer spending. The banks, and their investors, are getting rich by lending us money to fulfill our consumeristic desires. Are we serving Mammon?

Have we been living beyond our means????
The United States certainly has. Today, the US total government debt is over $9 Trillion Dollars. Most of the US National Debt is foreign financed, with China holding a large percentage. Is our economy becoming a slave to foreign countries? With this much debt, the lenders have the power to affect the value of our currency/markets.

Does anyone have any further thoughts on this?

Top picture is from the Culture of Life blog. The second is from Blognetnews.com. The Thirds is from The Dip Shtick, Fragments from a Cluttered Mind.

A Camel in the Eye of a Needle

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The phrase, "camel through an eye of a needle," is not exactly typical of our language today. This saying comes from the story of the rich man/ruler asking Jesus what else he must do to inherit eternal life - as is written in 3 narratives: Luke 18:18-30, Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 19: 16-30. In the attempt to understand what Jesus means, there have been a few popular interpretations.

Kneeling under the Camel Gate. One of the most common explanations I've heard in church, is that Jesus is referring to a small gate or low entrance into Jerusalem, known as the Camel Gate. The lesson is that the camel can pass through the gate if it kneels down and crawls through. Therefore the rich man can likewise get into heaven if he humbly kneels before God. There is at least a possibility that the rich man can get into heaven. This is all fine and dandy and probably a harmless interpretation, but there's some serious problems. First, it misses most of Jesus' point (which we'll get to). Second, there is no Camel Gate - or at least it has never been found. The Roman ruins of Jerusalem have been well studied by archaeologists and there are several grandiose Roman gates/entrances. All of them would easily fit the tallest of all camels, so why would someone take their camel through some tiny obscure "Camel Gate?"

The Rope Interpretation. Another theory states the Aramaic word for 'camel' is the same as the word for 'rope', and that Jesus could be describing a rope (made of camel's hair) passing through a larger wooden needle (used for 1st century industrial projects). The point of this interpretation is, again, to create a possibility that the rich man can enter the Kingdom. A rope has a much better chance of passing through the eye of a needle than does a camel. And, for the modern reader, it lessens the 'weirdness' of the comment. Again, there are issues with this interpretation. We don't know if the gospels were ever written in Aramaic first. All of the oldest writings of the New Testament and early church fathers are in Greek and clearly say the word "camel."

The Impossiblity. This interpretation simply takes Jesus' phrase at face value; as a Jewish metaphor for describing something impossible. Jesus even explains it himself. His sentences, both preceding and following his camel comment, state "how hard it is" and that "with man this is impossible."

Its important to note Jesus' phrase, "eye of the needle," is not the only ancient instance of this expression. The Talmud uses the phase similarly to connote an impossible situation. Instead of a camel, it mentions an "elephant passing through an eye of a needle" as being analogous to seeing a "palm made of gold." In 2 other instances, the Talmud uses this metaphor to make very strong points. It was common for them to use exaggerated language, or hyperbole, and paradoxes to teach a lesson. Of course, Jesus also loved to use hyperbole to make his points (i.e. 'remove the plank in your eye', 'cut off your right hand' and 'gouge out your eyes if they cause you to sin', 'hate your father and mother if you are to be a disciple', etc).

Concerning the Rich Ruler, Jesus uses this verbal technique to astonish his disciples. They "were amazed" at such talk and they asked,"who then can be saved?" In the Jewish culture of the time, Jesus was making an inconceivable and radically deep statement. While making a point about riches and the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, He was also attacking the entire Jewish religious system and culture as a whole. The understanding of the Jews of the time was that the rich people are blessed because they do the right thing and follow all the commandments. They are godly and "good," and therefore blessed with wealth. As a result, the rich took great pride in their exalted status. Salvation was guaranteed. The poor, on the other hand, suffer because they sinned or their parents sinned in the past (i.e. see blind man story in John 9:2). Jesus did not agree. Just as He often lashed out against the respected religious leaders for "straining out gnats but swallowing a camel" (another hyperbole), he attacks the concept of the rich having an automatic get-into-heaven card. Despite the prevailing cultural thought, Jesus makes it clear that they are NOT saved by their good works, wisdom, or wealth.

The Rich Ruler started the whole discussion by asking what he can DO to inherit eternal life. Before shocking the crowd with his answer, Jesus first responds by giving him a lesson on who is "good". Nothing you do makes you good, only God is good. To test his heart, Jesus gave him one difficult option: to essentially to give up his life completely, his rule and his wealth, and to then follow Him. To the rich man, the option was equivalent to 'passing a camel through the eye of a needle,' and he just couldn't do it. He was not WILLING to give it all up. Most likely it was his pride, but Jesus is looking for a humble heart before God.

So who then can be saved?

Fortunately for the Rich Ruler, the book of Mark says that "Jesus looked at him and loved him." So who knows what ultimately happened to the man. Jesus said, "with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." A reliance on riches, or the knowledge and wisdom used to gain them, or on following commandments and doing good works does not get you into the Kingdom of Heaven. A rich man entering the Kingdom of Heaven is impossible WITHOUT God. The wealth itself is not bad, but all of our worship and reliance must be on God who changes and humbles men's hearts. So, good news for the faithful rich people like Joseph of Arimathea, Lydia, Abraham, and Melchizedek!

Top photo is from Bible Picture Gallery.
2nd painting by Christian Dare Art .

Slack Hands and God's Sovereignty

In church we sometimes hear that wealth and riches are a result of God's sovereignty. Whether we are rich or poor, it is God's Will. I won't debate or elaborate on this point right now, but some of the implications of this statement are concerning.

When we place TOO MUCH emphasis on God's "sovereignty," we can disregard personal responsibility. There is automatically an excuse built into this line of reasoning. We are just WAITING on God's blessings and opportunities instead of helping bring them into fruition. After all, the reasoning goes, God is Sovereign and His Will will be done regardless. But, I believe this doctrine borders on a philosophy of Fatalism, which is not supported by the Bible.

The Bible is clear about the responsibility of righteous people as their lives intersect with God's sovereignty. Proverbs emphasises the importance of both hard work and the gaining of wisdom and knowledge to gain physical wealth, as well as spiritual, in this world. Action is required of people who want to excel.

Even Job declares that his great wealth and fortune were gained by his hands (Job 31:24-28), while also making the point that it would be sin to put his trust and base his security in this wealth.

Both diligence and understanding are emphasized in Proverbs. Verses 10:4-6 say "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. Blessings are on the head of the righteous..." The righteous are those with the diligent hands. They not only work hard, but intelligently. They understand how their business works, and harvest at the right time (after planning ahead and planting seed earlier).

Proverbs 3:13-18 also depicts the importance of education (finding wisdom and gaining understanding) as leading to monetary blessings, peace, long life, and the ability to bless others:

"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed."

God praises hard work that is based on wisdom and understanding (which also require diligence). If we simply "wait on God" we may miss opportunities that we never knew existed because of our lack of understanding. Being proactive and possessing the discipline that God desires, will certainly up the chances of material blessings.

See next post on Sowing, Reaping, and God's Sovereignty.

Pics of Davinci's Creation, King Solomon the Wise, and cartoon from www.missionary-blogs.com.

What (or Who) is Mammon?

Before we get all into the nitty-gritty of money theology, lets have a little fun.

What is Mammon? I imagine something like this picture on the left. This man hasn't been storing up his treasure in heaven.

Originally, the word Mammon came from the ancient Chaldeans (remember Ur of the Chaldees where Abraham came from) and actually has its roots in the word 'confidence.' Interesting.

At its most basic level, the word meant 'riches' or 'wealth,' but it connoted an idea of personified wealth gained with avarice. It often took on a deified nature.

During New Testament times, the word "Mammon" continued to have this personified understanding of worldly and material wealth, with a focus on the evil influence that money could have. Much more on this later.....

In the Middle Ages, Mammon gained the full-on Demon status. Many local bishops and feudal lords benefited from the fear and trembling that peasants felt about gaining worldly wealth.

After the Enlightenment, Mammon was still a concern. English oil painter George Frederick Watts interpreted Mammon in this grotesque and miserable way (see the picture of the oil painting on the left above.)

In 1800's France, Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal depicted all of the demons that afflict the world. Mammon appears this way (see drawing on the right):
Rather wimpy looking.

If you think that Mammon is now only mentioned in church theology discussions, the exact opposite is true.

Mammon is very much alive in the Dungeons and Dragons game. Mammon has become the "arch-devil" that rules over one of the nine layers of Hell in this kid's game. Wikipedia says: "In keeping with the traditional use of the name in literature, he is portrayed as a personification of greed and lust. He also has a well-earned reputation for duplicity."
Not so wimpy looking.

Welcome to God & Mammon

Some people read the Bible and transform into lonely monks hiding from all the dangerous earthly riches out in some dark cave in eastern Turkey. In other parts of the world, like Oklahoma, some hyper-emotional preachers use Jesus' words to propagate the 'gospel of prosperity', creating an eager audience who pay for every book, tape, sermon, and smile along the way.

Everybody seems to have a strong opinion about money. But, what does the Bible say? In church we hear a lot of these types of verses: "The love of money is the root of all evil," "You cant serve 2 masters, either God or Mammon," "build up treasures in heaven." But what's the rest of the story? Didnt Jesus praise the sneaky and dishonest money manager? And after increasing his money tenfold, Jesus extolled a 'faithful' servant, while treating the one who hid his money 'harshly'.

Since I dont believe Jesus was a schizophrenic, I conclude that there's some conflict in the interpretation of wealth-related issues in the Bible. This blog will attempt to strip away some of this confusion, while searching for the Biblical truth about money. We'll look at various theologians' opinions, but focus on the historical, literary, and cultural context that the Biblical text was written in. If you have any thoughts, insights, criticizisms, jokes; please share your comments!

By the way, at top is a Renaissance oil painting of Jerome, one of the most famous desert monks, by Bassano in Venice. While Jerome was hiding from Mammon, he translated the Bible into Latin Vulgate, which has been used in some form by the Catholic Church until recently. Of course the next picture is that hyper-emotional prosperity preacher man!