Equality breaks
things. This is why the international symbol of a lot of “equality” or social
justice movements is a fist, because fists smash and break things, just as
equality does. The thing equality breaks the most is the mind. The minds of
both conservatives and progressives on many issues are limited because many
submit their thinking to a bad idea like equality, which breaks things.
Conservatives
tend to believe in equality of opportunity. They believe that people are
basically equal and that disparities of outcome essentially come down to
whether or not people take advantage of their opportunities. This idea doesn’t
make sense because even given basically the same opportunities two siblings
will have different lives. Because of this understanding of equality of
opportunity, conservatives tend to think that individual choices and aptitude,
or dedication, are the basic reason for inequality in society. The wealthy got to
where they are because they work harder than anyone else, the poor got to where
they are because they are lazier than someone else. The West rewards those who
take their opportunities, so the conservative would say take your
opportunities.
Progressives
tend to take the idea of people being equal even further. They tend to believe
in equality of outcome, that all people should be represented in all
[desirable] fields of life equally. They believe that not only should people be
considered equal, but they should be equal in wealth, possessions, and more. Equality
of outcome is perhaps one of the most pernicious evils in the world, and the
most consistent dystopian idea to be presented as utopian. Because progressives
are more beholden to the idea of equality, they believe that disparities in
society are a result of systemic injustice. They must be! Correct? Because if
people are essentially equal than the only reason society is not more equal is
that the powerful have stacked the system against the less powerful. Therefore,
where an injustice exists it is almost always the result of some structural
oppression whether by race, class or otherwise. Don’t look to the individuals
as being at fault for their bad actions, look to the social structures of the
society around them.
Both
conservatives and progressives are wrong. First, to different degrees and in
different ways they have both fallen for the lie of the possibility of equality
between people. Second, inequalities in our society are not all driven from
personal choices, or all driven from structural biases. The truth is that it is
a mix of both, stemming from an even more basic truth: there is no such thing
as equality between people. I have established this in previous articles (for
example here and here). This is a radical concept for some
people, but it is vital to accept if we are going to address theses issue of
inequality in society.
Because the
Bible does not ever promote the idea of equality, but instead often rebukes it,
and because those who were inspired to write the Bible understood the fact that
humans are not equal, the bible does not come at this problem from the left or
the right, but from a place of understanding human nature. It recognizes the
importance of individual choices, but also the need for constant social reform
and breaking down of corrupted and oppressive structures. From the Bible’s
perspective those with less power need to be incentivized to make good
decisions that help them prosper, but the powerful also need to be restrained
so they do not utterly corrupt all of society. Let’s explore how the Bible
shows us the need for both.
There is a
very interesting passage in 1 Samuel that explains why David was able to build
popular support for his kingship;
“1 David departed from there and escaped to the
cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard
it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress,
and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in
soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were
with him about four hundred men” (1 Sam. 22:1-2).
When David
was on the run from Saul, men started to gather around him. Men who were in
debt, in bitterness of soul and in distress. In other words, they were being
oppressed by the system. Some might react there and say, but Matt, wasn’t it
more likely these people were just not competing well in the society of that
day; that they had made bad decisions in their lives? Maybe. But note what
these men were like. They are not ordinary run of the mill guys.
The account
of David’s adventures with these men shows they were nothing but ruthlessly
competent and capable. They were leaders among men and from among these men
came some real notables;
“8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had:
Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his
spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.
9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the
son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines
who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose
and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to
the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men
returned after him only to strip the slain.
11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite.
The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground
full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his
stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines,
and the Lord worked a great victory.
13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about
harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines
was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and
the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said
longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of
Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the
camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by
the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He
poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I
should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of
their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty
men did” (1 Kings 22:8-17).
These are
not weak men incapable of competing in their day. They are the
crème-de-le-crème of the Israelite society. These are the kind of men that you
build an ancient government around, because in the ancient world you needed
fierce and dangerous men to lead your nation in battle against the fierce and
dangerous men of other societies. These were the kind of men that Saul could
have used to drive out the Philistines and establish peace for Israel in the
land. But instead, like David, these capable men had been shut out by a corrupt
system, forced into destitution. This was a continual problem in Israel, we see
it all through Scripture.
We read in
the book of the prophet Isaiah, God’s condemnation of how the powerful had used
their position to crush the poor. They had plundered the possessions of their
own people, using debt and power to take what they willed;
“13 The Lord has taken his place to contend; he stands to
judge peoples. 14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders and princes
of his people: “It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor
is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the
face of the poor?” declares the Lord God of hosts” (Isa. 3:12-15).
They had
confiscated or bought up all the land so as to control it for themselves;
“8 Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to
field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the
midst of the land. 9 The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing: “Surely many
houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant. 10
For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall
yield but an ephah” (Isa. 5:8-10).
Israel’s
corruption had turned the guardians of the people, the elites, into the
oppressors of the people;
“21 How the faithful city has become a whore, she who
was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. 22 Your
silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water. 23 Your
princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a
bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the
fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them” (Isa. 1:21-23).
The wealthy
used their power to corral and harass the poor, rather than to protect them.
Because of this injustice, through the corruption of the system, the land would
be judged;
“1 Behold, the Lord will empty the
earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter
its inhabitants. 2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the
priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with
her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender,
so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor 3 The earth
shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has
spoken this word” (Isa. 24:1-3, not the word earth here can be translated land,
i.e the land of Israel).
This passage
is either pronouncing judgement on the land (Israel), or on the earth, but
either way it is condemning the powerful using their wealth and power in
corrupt ways.
Indeed, even
David himself failed to attend well to the predatory rich during his reign, to
such a degree he nearly lost the throne himself to his son Absalom. Absalom was
able to use the distress of the people to gather support for his kingship (2
Sam. 15:1-6). “Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for
judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Sam. 15:6).
The Scriptures
recognize how the system can be turned against the people; how the wealthy can
use their wealth to increase their own power and position and crush the poor. Because
of this God set in place laws that required the cancelling of debts, for
example the year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, and other laws pertaining to
releasing fellow Israelites who were enslaved through unfortunate circumstances
or decisions. The Scriptures recognized that people were not equal and because
of this society would become unbalanced, and therefore it would need to be
reset from time to time. The “great reset” in the Bible was the concept of
periodical freedom from debt. This is the context of Isaiah 61;
“61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon
me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to
the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn…” (Isa. 61:1-2).
This
passage, which many will recognize as being part of the foundation of the
ministry of Jesus in Luke chapter 4, is intricately bound up in the biblical
concept of periodically releasing people from their debts and the slavery
incurred by debt, so the land would remain stable. Central to God’s judgement
on the Israelites was their continual refusal to enact these laws of justice;
“13 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a
covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of slavery, saying, 14 ‘At the end of seven years each of you must
set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six
years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not
listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 You recently repented and did what
was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made
a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, 16 but then you
turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and
female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought
them into subjection to be your slaves.
17 “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by
proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I
proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares
the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth” (Jer.
34:13-17).
God’s law
required a periodical resetting of the economy so that people could be restored
to their land and be able to provide for themselves and continue to contribute
to society. You would own something and be happy. That was the intention of
these laws. This was central to God’s ideal for his people, “And you shall
consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all
its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return
to his property and each of you shall return to his clan” (Lev. 25:10).
The simple
response many conservatives will give to this examination of the need for debt
forgiveness is that this was just something for ancient Israel, not modern
nations. But this could not be further from the truth. Michael Hudson in his
book …and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and
Redemption From Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year, proves conclusively
that the predatory rich who enslaved their populations were central to the
collapse of the ancient Assyrian, Babylonian and other civilisations. The law
of the word of God was written in this ancient context to seek to protect the
Israelites from this same fate. This is the fate of all civilisations that
allow debt to roll on unchecked. The predatory rich enslave their own people,
weakening a society and making it vulnerable to incursions from outside threats.
This was true from Egypt to Rome and all the civilisations either side.
Conservatives
today recognize that people can make bad decisions with debts, the Bible does
this as well, “One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in
the presence of his neighbor” (Prov. 17:18). A lot of debt in our culture today
is from people making bad decisions and borrowing what they could not possibly
pay back. But this is not the full picture.
To buy a house
today is something many people cannot afford without a very large debt. But the
way the housing industry has been overtaken by wealthy investor buyers means
people without much means have a choice to make: either buy a house and take
out a crushing debt (that enslaves their decisions for decades) or stay in the
rental market and pay someone else’s debt off and face constantly increasing
rent payments and less control over your own home. You can say in the technical
sense that those who get a home loan chose debt, but in the Scriptures, someone
was in debt whether it was to finance or to their landlord, it was effectively
the same thing. What is really happening is people are being squeezed into two
increasingly bad positions which put them at the mercy of those who have far
more than they need. Today’s economy is increasingly being stacked against
those who have not; this is crushing the poor, “The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
Conservatives
are wrong. Debt is not just about personal choices. Progressives are wrong.
Debt is not just about systemic abuses. It is a combination of both, but as
society gets in more and more debt the structures in place that favour the
wealthy far outweigh personal choice. Conservatives and progressives are both
wrong that equality is possible. There will always be inequalities in a
society, this is unavoidable. But it is manageable. God’s law gives all
societies wisdom about how to manage these inequalities. A regular reset of the
economy or a regular releasing or wiping from debts can bring balance, help
people retain their land, possessions, family structures and dignity.
One of the
reasons so many ancient Mesopotamian societies could survive for so long in
such harsh conditions was that kings believed it was their sacred duty to
periodically wipe debts. This kept people on their land and kept them producing
to provide for themselves and from their surplus, for society. These
civilisations fell when the wealthy were able to gobble up all the land for
themselves, and the kings did not stop them. I will explore this further in
future pieces, but for now, let’s meditate on what the Scriptures say about
this topic, and ask ourselves: do we really think we are wiser than God when we
say, forgiving debts regularly can’t work? Because that is how many people
today think. We will explore this more in the future.
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