A Different Kind of Economy – The Law of God and Public Policy

A Different Kind of Economy
The Law of God and Public Policy

The Law of God presents a different economic standard.

“You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:19, 20

The Law of God establishes a different standard and objective for the economics of a nation. The Law of God introduces a “divine economy” which holds more promise for human flourishing than the mere pursuit of material wealth. The Law of God is not opposed to wealth; it only insists that wealth, whatever the level any individual may enjoy, be used in a manner consistent with the tenets of love for God and neighbor.

The word “economics” derives from a Greek term which means, simply, “the management of a household.” Questions of economics, therefore, are directed at discovering the best ways of helping people live together in society, in love for God and one another. The pursuit of material wealth, while it has become the default mindset of the American economy, is by no means the only possible standard and objective a society might embrace. Nor has it proven to be a reliable currency for transactions promoting the practice of neighbor love.

The Law of God commands that the affairs of a people be governed, not by the accumulation of wealth, but by the practice of justice. As we have seen, justice describes a state of affairs among people in community which reflects the character of God and is defined by neighbor love at the human level. The Law of God sets forth a program for pursuing an economics of justice, rather than an economics of material wealth. We scarcely know even how to begin thinking in such terms.

The Lord Jesus Christ came, as part of His program of redemption, to enable people to realize the economics of justice set forth in the Law of God: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations…. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law” (Is. 41:1, 4). In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus announced that He had come in order to bring to the world the “year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:17-21), a code word indicating the arrival of the Kingdom of righteousness (justice), peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He explained that greatness in His Kingdom—in the Kingdom of justice—was grounded in knowing, doing, and teaching the Law of God (Matt. 5:17-19). Indeed, Jesus insisted, it is not possible to practice justice apart from the Law and all the Word of the Lord (Matt. 22:34-40).

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.