In the book of James, the apostle speaks clearly of a situation that would materialize during the last days of earth’s history, which will affect all peoples living on the planet, of which Christians comprise about one third, out of approximately seven billion. It has to do with the rich ruling over the poor, and the sad effects which will certainly accrue, as his dire words of warning begin to take shape. Now, it is true, that for the most part, the rich have always ruled over the poor, but now, in a very special sense, it seems just about to take place at our front door.
The Bible gives us some insight as to the gravity of the situation, and the context, for it points in no uncertain terms to the coming of the Son of Man. Let’s read:
James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Isaiah 59:13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
Therefore, it now behooves us to position ourselves preemptively, and intelligently, against the snares that are incident to the rich ruling over the poor. It is a fact that satan not only uses spiritual chains of lust, pride, and various other sins to take Christians captive, for he also specializes in financial chains to keep very many of us in bondage, with the intent of cutting a deal with his captives in the future, as we will explain later. Thus, we are cautioned not to be ignorant of his devices, lest we also be taken in the snares that are set for our feet. Let’s read:
[Our High Calling pp. 332] The powers of darkness will open their batteries upon us; and all who are indifferent and careless, who have set their affections on their earthly treasure, and who have not cared to understand God's dealings with His people, will be ready victims.
Question: How many billionaires, and millionaires have already been nominated to take the reins of control in the next administration?
Answer: [Bloomberg News Dec. 15, 2016] The first billionaire U.S. president has appointed two billionaires, and at least nine millionaires, with a combined net worth of about $5.6 billion to run government departments.
Now, even though Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, yet we are still living on this planet, and thus, we should avoid being shackled with debt whenever and wherever it can be avoided. Godly prudence urges caution against spontaneous spending that is not thoroughly thought out, especially during the holiday season, when reason, and sound judgment are in danger of being tossed out the window.
Thus, the study for this afternoon will expose three of the more common snares, that are most often employed by the rich, and we will bring the laws, principles, and instructions from the Bible to bear against them. We begin with the passage which contains the title for our study. Let’s read:
Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
The word “Servant” refers to financial slavery which
infers that the servants must obey whatsoever their master says. But the rich do not hold sway over the poor arbitrarily, because, in our day, several well-laid, deep plots are set in motion, and in most cases it is only because the poorer classes succumb to the snares through choice, or sheer necessity, that they then become monetary slaves. Thus, the following is a list of the three prime suspects utilized by the rich, in bringing Christians, and non-believers alike into financial bondage.
[1] The poor are encouraged to borrow more than they can handle, need, or repay.
In the overwhelming majority of instances, when a person is suddenly given a lot more money than is actually needed, wanton, unnecessary spending is almost certain to take place. This particular snare proved to be both successful, and detrimental at the same time, during the financial meltdown of recent years, for some banking institutions, lenders and hedge-funds, strategically lent money to folks who they knew could not repay the loans. Then they bet against them, knowing that they would default on their mortgages, thus opening the way for evictions and foreclosures to take place.
Thus, by so doing, the rich were able to pocket the poor’s initial down-payment, together with many months, or years of their mortgage payments, so when the poor defaulted, as was to be expected, the lenders would foreclose, collect the insurance against the home, and then turn around and sell it for a huge profit again. In fact, the situation got so bad that some lenders were actually upset at those who were paying their mortgages on time. Thus, it turned out to be a huge windfall for the rich, but a terrible windstorm for the poor, with many of them being reduced to financial slavery for the rest of their lives.
The current promise to “Unleash wall-street banks” through deregulation, will again put the rich in the driver’s seat, with little recourse for the poor when they discover all too late that they have been taken captive in financial chains, and therefore must be subservient to the lenders. Let’s read:
[The Wall-Street Journal, Dec, 2007] The subprime-mortgage crisis has been a financial catastrophe for much of Wall Street. At Goldman Sachs Group Inc., thanks to a tiny group of traders, it has generated one of the biggest windfalls the securities industry has seen in years. The group's big bet that securities backed by risky home loans would fall in value generated nearly $4 billion of profits during the year ended Nov. 30, according to people familiar with the firm's finances.
On Tuesday, despite a terrible November and some of the worst market conditions in decades, analysts expect Goldman to report record net annual income of more than $11 billion. Mr. Lloyd Blankfein is set to be paid close to $70 million this year, according to one person familiar with the matter.
The instructions and cautions given in the Bible will serve as an effective bulwark against this snare, for God in His wisdom, has told us how we may avoid these pitfalls, through obedience to His word. Let’s read:
1st Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
In other words, the attitude of contentment will keep us from getting in over our heads with debt that we may not be able to repay. Before making any purchases, whether it be houses or lands, or gifts or bling, let’s consider carefully whether we will be able to repay in a timely manner. The habit of deliberately spending above our means, and then asking Christ to deliver us, is akin to presumption, and should be avoided like the plague. In addition, we should avoid borrowing just for borrowing sake, for the Bible teaches us to “Owe no man anything” Let’s read:
Romans 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom.
8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.
[2] The poor are induced to indulge in impulsive buying.
This snare is particularly effective when there is a frenzy in the air, or when one-day deals, such as Black Friday, or Cyber Monday, or any of the major holidays are imminent. We should be very careful of succumbing to words, and phrases such as “Hurry”, “This sale won’t last”, “This is your last chance”, “Limited time offer”, “The first ten buyers” or “This sale ends at midnight” etc. Even if we purchased spontaneously, and really got a good deal, but did no prior planning to evaluate whether the item was a need, or something which would be profitable, we would have succumbed to the snare of impulsive buying.
Window shopping often makes covetousness legal, and a constant barrage of glittering advertisements often trigger impulsiveness, which then encourage many poor folk to incur unwarranted debt. If we must borrow to buy a gift, then it’s really not a gift, for it was purchased with someone else’s money, and if we do not repay the funds, then the gift was lent, not given, for we cannot give that which is not ours in the first place.
For instance, when Christ gave to us eternal life He didn’t borrow it from The Father, to then give life to us. Christ gave us what is inherently His, and thus, we all should follow in His footsteps, whenever the issue of giving becomes warranted. Let’s read:
1st John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
[Evangelism pp.616] Christ shows that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the Son hath life.” The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life.
[3] Fad, fashion, and insatiable desire to have the latest.
Here is where many Christians fall short, for many of us have become slaves to fashion and gadgets, to the point where our financial resources have been consumed by the rich. We have the latest I-Phone, the latest Jordan’s, the latest Samsung T.V., the latest model year vehicle, while our Bibles are ten years old, and in some instances gathering dust. To buy something just because we can afford to is not a good enough reason to make the purchase.
God is going to call us to account as stewards, not only of the spiritual gifts he has lent us, but also of the temporal blessing of life He bestows. This scriptural teaching is brought to the light in the parable of the unfaithful steward, and in its context, deals primarily with how we dispense with all of the material goods, given to us by God. Let’s read:
Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
Some of us Christians are under the impression that after we have worked, and receive our salaries, 10% belongs to God and the rest is ours to do as we very well pleased. Nothing can be further from the truth, because, after returning 10% plus offerings, the rest in its entirety belongs to Christ, to be used solely in harmony with His revealed will, not to splurge, nor to keep up with the Jones’s. This is one of the ways in which many are brought to financial ruin, since unbridled spending have characterized most of their actions. Let’s read:
Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
The servant of the Lord has given us very timely counsel, by which we may avoid, or recuperate from the snare of debt. And if these counsels are faithfully adhered to, God is more than willing and able to enable us in our recovery, but we must be determined, deliberate, and consistent in following the guidance thus given. Let’s read:
[A.H pp 393>394] The world has a right to expect strict integrity in those who profess to be Bible Christians. By one man's indifference in regard to paying his just dues all our people are in danger of being regarded as unreliable. Be determined never to incur another debt. Deny yourself a thousand things rather than run in debt. Avoid it as you would the smallpox. Make a solemn covenant with God that by His blessing you will pay your debts and then owe no man anything.
Take care of the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves. Do not falter, be discouraged, or turn back. Deny your taste, deny the indulgence of appetite, save your pence, and pay your debts. Work them off as fast as possible. When you can stand forth a free man again, owing no man anything, you will have achieved a great victory.
We therefore end with a sobering caution from God who is more practical and down-to-earth in all His instructions than many of us may ever realize. After going to such lengths, to warn us, instruct us, and to make us wise, He expects that we will stand up and take notice, by obeying His word, since that is the only appropriate response that will be accepted. Let’s read:
Proverbs 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.
God bless!