magine a person who routinely wanted to have things that he could not afford and habitually borrowed money in order to get them. Imagine this person getting to the point where he was expending up to one-half of his income just to pay the interest on this debt. Now imagine 250 million people doing this all at once and you will have a good idea of the how the federal government operates its checkbook.
Believe it or not, there are economists (some would call them illusionists) who maintain that this is good for us. They are marketed under the label of Keynesians, and they really think — now don't laugh — that a strong economy is fueled by deficit spending. Thus, politicians want to "jump start" the economy by borrowing more money.
When God gave Israel the law through the mouth of Moses, he squarely addressed the subject of national debt. He made it very clear that debt, though not necessarily sin, was most definitely a curse visited on a wayward and disobedient nation. Among the blessings promised to Israel as a result of obedience to God is the following:
You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them (Dt. 28:12-13).
On the other hand, Israel would be the borrower if the people did not obey God:
The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail (Dt. 28:43-44).
Obviously, God does not condemn debt in and of itself; He does not set a "no debt" standard. The question, then, is not, "Will there be debt?" The question is, "Who will be the debtor?" According to Deuteronomy 28:12-13 (and the preceding verses), a flourishing economy is the result of obedience to God. Prosperity does not come by borrowing money. In fact, a debtor Israel signified a problem. Israel the creditor, however, was a sign of blessing.
Note, also, the terms used to depict the position of affairs where Israel is the lender to many nations. God makes Israel "the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath" (Dt. 28:13). These are terms of rule and dominion. Israel, as the lender, calls the shots. Israel obtains a real measure of control over the nations to which it lends. This truth is also seen in Proverbs: The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Prov. 22:7). This prominence is a blessing. The golden rule — he who has the gold makes the rules — is a biblical principle.
Just as Israel was blessed in its position as lender, it was under God's curse in the position of borrower. An Israel which must go into hock to furnish its necessities is in desperate circumstances: God is against it. Instead of Israel having dominion over other nations, other nations have dominion over Israel. Israel has come down lower and lower, and God has made it the tail (Dt. 28:43-44). Rather than Israel gaining from the labor of foreign nations, foreign nations are gaining from the labor of Israel.
What does God's dealing with ancient Israel have to do with modern America? Plenty. First, God did not ordain laws for Israel which were out of sync with the order He created in the universe. In the law, God not only communicates His will; He discloses the way things work in the real world. Under God's common grace, anyone who operates financially in accord with biblical principles will benefit to some extent from that obedience, even if that person is unregenerate. It rains on the just and on the unjust, and even the wicked may prosper (Mat. 5:45; Jer. 12:1). The truth of Proverbs 22:7 is not limited to ancient Israel. It follows that a nation which relies on debt will sooner or later end up serving other nations. Debt simply does not buy prosperity — it buys slavery.
Second, this passage carries an important application for the church. When the covenant passed from the nation of Israel to the New Israel, the Christian church, God did not rescind all that He had spoken before. Christians are not justified by the law, but we are to fulfil the law as a result of our salvation. So there is a continuum between the old covenant and the new, between the nation of Israel and the New Israel. This includes the blessings for obedience, and the curses for disobedience.
The church, as an institution, must obey God economically and financially. If the church is operating with a debtor mentality, and finds itself in the position of borrower rather than lender, it is a sign that the church has fallen into disobedience. The disobedience may not necessarily be limited to the financial arena, but it will certainly be manifest there. We know that God is working in His church toward His own good ends, and that over time His glory will be displayed in His people. However, we have no reason to think that the church will escape punishment in the short term if we do not obey God in all things. If the church is not taking dominion in the world, or if it is economically depressed and dependent upon the unregenerate, then Christians need to examine the church for sins requiring repentance.
A caveat: a debtor mentality must not be exchanged for the "name it and claim it" mentality prevalent in the creed of too many today. Making material wealth our goal is prohibited to
Christians, who are commanded to have only one God (Mat.
6:24). At the same time, we need to realize that there is a connection, decreed by God,
between obedience and economic prosperity and between disobedience and debt. Christians, families, churches, and regenerate
nations need to seek after obedience, trusting God for the blessing.
