I thought of this about a year ago, and I just wanted to share the idea with other Christians.
Many of you are familiar with American business cycles. Economies around the world boom and they bust. Credit expands and it contracts. This causes recessions, depressions, political instability, wars, and maybe even famines. These cycles tend to last about 6-8 years. We have 5-7 years of expansion and growth, and than about a year or two of violent restructuring and contraction.
But many years ago God instituted for his nation parameters for its economy, and when we contrast them to our modern world's way of doing things, we can say, "Surely [that] great nation [was] a wise and understanding people." (Deut. 4:6)
Here are just a couple features:
The Cancelation of Debt at the 7th Year
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 NIV
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. [SUP]2 [/SUP]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.
The Mandated Vacation of its People and Halt of the Economy
Leviticus 25:3-5 NIV[SUP]
3 [/SUP]For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. [SUP]4 [/SUP]But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. [SUP]5 [/SUP]Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
These two features alone eliminates the booms and busts we are all too familiar with. It eliminates the uncontrollable growth of debt. It slows down the economy and helps people to take rest for the next business cycle. Instead of a boom and a bust, a boom and a bust, a boom and a bust, and a boom and a bust, the Jewish people experienced a boom and a vacation, and another boom and vacation, and so on. The Jews didn't know what recessions and depressions were. (They did experience wars and famines, but, by these two laws alone, they are spared from the self inflicted wound that the modern global economy is now trying to solve with more of what made it sick. The end result has to be catastrophic.)I want to leave you with another feature that I thought was incredibly wise to include.
Permanent Ownership of Property
The Jews were given parcels of land per each family once the land was conquered. And each plot belonged to each family forever. They could lease out the land for a set of time, but at the end of a 70 year period, every piece of land had to be restored to its original family. This ensured that the families that risked their lives to conquer Canaan always had a stake in the nation.
Contrast that with the American Constitution which provides only for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Is there a right to property here? No. But wasn't the land bought by the blood of its citizens? This might have been so because many of the founders were rich property owners. A redistribution of land and permanent ownership was against their best interest.
This would enable the original families that, according to Abaraham Licoln, dedicated, consecrated, and hallowed the nation to always hold a stake in the United States. I say this as an immigrant's son. But I do believe that it would be fair for the descendant of the one who died for the land to rightfully own it forever.
What do you guys think? Do you know other special laws of God that would create a much better world today if they were applied?
Many of you are familiar with American business cycles. Economies around the world boom and they bust. Credit expands and it contracts. This causes recessions, depressions, political instability, wars, and maybe even famines. These cycles tend to last about 6-8 years. We have 5-7 years of expansion and growth, and than about a year or two of violent restructuring and contraction.
But many years ago God instituted for his nation parameters for its economy, and when we contrast them to our modern world's way of doing things, we can say, "Surely [that] great nation [was] a wise and understanding people." (Deut. 4:6)
Here are just a couple features:
The Cancelation of Debt at the 7th Year
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 NIV
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. [SUP]2 [/SUP]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.
The Mandated Vacation of its People and Halt of the Economy
Leviticus 25:3-5 NIV[SUP]
3 [/SUP]For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. [SUP]4 [/SUP]But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. [SUP]5 [/SUP]Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
These two features alone eliminates the booms and busts we are all too familiar with. It eliminates the uncontrollable growth of debt. It slows down the economy and helps people to take rest for the next business cycle. Instead of a boom and a bust, a boom and a bust, a boom and a bust, and a boom and a bust, the Jewish people experienced a boom and a vacation, and another boom and vacation, and so on. The Jews didn't know what recessions and depressions were. (They did experience wars and famines, but, by these two laws alone, they are spared from the self inflicted wound that the modern global economy is now trying to solve with more of what made it sick. The end result has to be catastrophic.)I want to leave you with another feature that I thought was incredibly wise to include.
Permanent Ownership of Property
The Jews were given parcels of land per each family once the land was conquered. And each plot belonged to each family forever. They could lease out the land for a set of time, but at the end of a 70 year period, every piece of land had to be restored to its original family. This ensured that the families that risked their lives to conquer Canaan always had a stake in the nation.
Contrast that with the American Constitution which provides only for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Is there a right to property here? No. But wasn't the land bought by the blood of its citizens? This might have been so because many of the founders were rich property owners. A redistribution of land and permanent ownership was against their best interest.
This would enable the original families that, according to Abaraham Licoln, dedicated, consecrated, and hallowed the nation to always hold a stake in the United States. I say this as an immigrant's son. But I do believe that it would be fair for the descendant of the one who died for the land to rightfully own it forever.
What do you guys think? Do you know other special laws of God that would create a much better world today if they were applied?
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