In the midst of our class, one theme that I have noticed reoccurring often so far this semester is the fact that the laws of economics are part of the natural order, governing everyday life as we know it just as much as the other universal laws, do. Thus, in essence, the laws of economics are as integral a part of God’s creation of the world as the animals, plants, and humans are.
I have found this theme fascinating, for I believe that each part of God’s creation reveals a piece of His nature or of His heart that has not be replicated in the same way in any other place. Just as a painting reveals something about its maker, bearing his fingerprint in a unique way, so each portion of God’s creation reveals details about His mind-boggling brilliance, unfathomable creativity, and captivating beauty, causing those who would dare to look to come to know what He is like even greater than they knew before. Thus, the laws of economics, too, reveal something about the heart and nature of God, as a result of being a part of the order He has masterfully set into place.
To further elaborate upon this, one can look through the Bible and find remnants and pieces that point to the fact that the laws of economics display pieces of His nature, as they are found even there too. For example, in Genesis 1:28-30, after having created Adam and His wife, God instructs them to go forth, take dominion of the earth, and carefully tend to it. Thus, from the start, one finds that God’s heart was, in part, about those created in His image building homes and kingdoms of their own in the world He had created and carefully stewarding what He had created and that He considered this as glory to His Name. For another instance, in Exodus 20:15, one of the Ten Commandments is listed as, “Do not steal” (English Standard Version). What makes the inclusion of this commandment here particularly significant is that these were words of the covenant that God literally wrote upon stone as a tangible, sacred memorial to the fact that, after just having brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He was formally extending the covenant He had begun with Abraham, a man He had named as friend, to them, Abraham’s descendants, entering it and binding Himself to it with them as well. What this then shows about God is the fact that He considered the institution of private property as sacred enough to be included among the words of His binding covenant with His people.
Consequently, in light of these two passages, one finds that God created mankind, those beings made in His image, after His likeness, in a very specific way, with private property being something He holds as important. For He created His people, His sons and daughters, to share in the work He does, and by their being mini-kings and queens, they can better understand what it means for Him to be King of Kings, their King, and thus a deep, personal revelation of who He is found to be integral to their own everyday life, resulting in those who see it coming to know Him far more intimately.
Holy Bible. (2001). English Standard Version, Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway.
I completely agree that economics is a biblically supported science. I was reading over Genesis 41:41 where Joseph is put in-charge of distributing the grains and goods to the people. Little did I know Joseph was an economic genius. As we have been learning in class that economics is just the distribution of limited resources it gave me a whole new perspective on a story I've heard many times. I am interested to see in which other ways I'm interacting with economics without knowing it. I genuinely enjoyed reading your post, you did an excellent job at revealing the biblical perspective of economics.
I like the Biblical connection you are giving. Good job. The product does say something about the creator, but not too much when it comes to creating living things. God gave humanity free will so we can choose to obey him or be against him.
For the Ten Commandments, this is a form of government of God for the people. In economics, the government keeps order within the society. However, at the same time, it does not need to be said, given we as humans are taught it is immoral at a very young age. But it still needs to be a law, since if it is not, there will be no punishment if someone steals, regardless of circumstances. God still gives Christians enough freedom to be in positions of power, like how citizens are given control of the market. The government gives the people the responsibility to tend to the market as stewards, like how God did with Adam and Eve.
Finally, God can do things regular governors cannot. If a governor told its citizens that they belong to them, those citizens would think that governor is extremely arrogant and would maybe fear they would be a tyrant. This is not the case with God as God has far more power not only within his country but the entire world as well.
Thank you for reading this.