|
Economics of the Promised Land
Everybody is talking about “the economy”, but few people know anything about how it works, or how it connects with the things of God.
God initiated an economic system in the Promised Land that has many lessons and principles for us today.
This is about more than money; its about taking responsibility and seeking the heart of God.
From the time of Joshua to the time of Solomon was about 500 years. During that time Israel went from being slaves wandering in the desert, to a nation so prosperous that other world rulers sought their wisdom.
Deuteronomy 8:2-5 (NIV)
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
1 Kings 10:23-24 (NIV)
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
1 Kings 10:22 (NIV)
The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
1 Kings 10:4-5 (NIV)
When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
PROMISED LAND ECONOMICS
· Initially, there was no king and no taxes.
· Land was privately owned by families, and there was a system keep the land in the family for generations.
· There were provisions for the poor, widows, orphans and immigrants.
· Festivals and periods of rest were an essential part of the system.
· There were “ites” that had to be driven out, but you get to keep their stuff.
|
|
Leviticus 25:13-16 (NIV)
In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.
If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other. You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops.
When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 (NIV)
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
THE NATURE OF GOD
· God Creates
· God Owns
· God Lends
· God Rules
· God Gives
· God Receives
· God Exchanges
· God Delegates
THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS
· God wants us to be more like Him. That includes ruling well over the domain that He has given us.
· Take stock of the things that God has given you responsibility over.
· Be an excellent manager of what God has given you so far. Know what you own and where it's going.
· Be sure to pace yourself with times of prayer, rest, and celebration.
|
