By Chris Bunton
There’s been much debate on what God’s will is in regards to our economic system. Some say God is a capitalist, and that capitalism is the only way to go. Others say that Jesus was a socialist. But what if it’s a mixture of both?
There are several times in the Bible, when God has set up the system He desires. All of these systems have similar characteristics. I think we can assume that when God does something the same way every time, that it’s probably how He thinks it should be done. So, let’s look at the first point in time; the Garden of Eden. Now when I point these things out, I want you to compare it to the world system we live in today.
God created Adam and placed him in the Garden.( Gen. 2:15) “To dress and keep it”. So, He gave Adam a purpose. He gave Adam work to do. He did not give him a job. Do not confuse today’s system with God’s system. He gave Adam dominion. Adam had control of his purpose, and his work and his life. Dominion means Adam was in complete control. He ruled. He ruled the Earth, and himself, with love, peace and joy. He took care of the creation.
A job, in today’s standard is where a person enslaves themselves to another person or corporation in order to get what they need to survive or get ahead. That is not what God did to Adam. He did not say, “go get a job”. God gave Adam a purpose and work based upon what Adam was uniquely created to do. It was a peaceful, loving exchange not an adversarial compromise akin to slavery. And yes, the term slavery is biblical in this case. In the Bible times you could sell yourself into slavery in order to pay debts, or if you had no way of taking care of yourself. That’s what we do when we get a job. Adam was a co-owner.
All of Adam’s needs were met in the Garden. God said he could freely eat of every fruit in the Garden. Adam had a healthy diet, and he had no needs. His food, water, shelter, and medical were safe, healthy and taken care of. He had to go pick the fruit or get the water; which he did during the course of his work. He did it as he fulfilled his purpose. But, he did not need to slave away just to make ends meet. His needs were met, and he could focus on his purpose. His purpose was what God gave him to do. God is not a slave driver, exploiting Adam.
Adam had his spiritual needs met through a relationship with God, and he had his companionship needs met, with a spouse and his animal friends. (They did not eat meat at this time, and they seemed to be able to communicate with nature.)
God gave Adam
- A purpose.
- Work to do, with complete authority.
- All his needs were met
- There was no time table.
- He had only one rule.
- He was free.
Adam lived in the Garden. He loved his work. He did it at his own pace. He was in control. All his needs were met, and he was free. He had only one law. This was the system God gave him. He lived in it until Satan stole it, and he was driven out into a world of death, labor and pain. Where he had to scrape and scrape for everything he needed. The same world we live in today.
He listened to the Enemy, instead of God his friend. And we also are often pulled away by the enemy speaking into our minds, giving us doubt, and fear, instead of trusting God, and knowing He is on our side.
There are great spiritual lessons here, and that’s its purpose. But, let’s focus on the system God set up. Because by knowing this, we can safely say whether something is really God’s will.
Let’s look at the Exodus story.
God sent Moses to deliver His people from the slavery of Pharaoh. Egypt is a picture of the world system. Pharaoh is a picture of Satan who rules it. Moses is a picture of Christ. This is the spiritual lesson. But, again let’s focus on what God provides.
There are two places in this story where God provides; in the wilderness, and in the Promised Land. But, what God provides is very similar. He gives them manna from heaven and water from the rock. He heals their ailments. He places them in their families, clans and tribes, and He is among them. They have a purpose, of following God as He moves them to the Promised Land.
In the wilderness, He provides
- All their needs were met.
- They had a purpose, to follow God to the promise land.
- He gave them laws that were sensible.
This lasted until they failed to go into the Promised Land because they listened to the voices of fear and doubt. Then, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until a new generation was ready to go in. BUT! Even during this period of wandering, God was with them, and provided all their needs, and took care of them. He was with them.
So, they came to the Promised Land and entered. After many battles, they settled into the system God provided. It follows the same pattern.
Every family had an inheritance that they ruled over and that took care of their needs. They were free to buy and sell and conquer more land as they saw fit. But, their basic needs were met. God was with them, and had a relationship with them. They had laws that were sensible.
So, what’s the final answer to all of this? Well, it’s obvious that the system we are in today is not from God. God would set up a system that took care of us, physically, mentally and spiritually. This current system of poverty, failure, corruption and death is from the enemy. It is designed to cause us to remain slaves, and to ultimately accept a future false system of lies.
We can also see that the millennium and eternity will be a place where those who are with God will have a purpose, they were specifically created for. They will have their needs met, and be able to achieve greater things if they wish. We will have a relationship with God, and there will be spiritual laws that are not contrary to us. We will be among our people and the beings of heaven living in love.
Remember, God is on our side. He is trying to save us and help us, despite our corrupt nature.
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