Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 22:7 (day six)
This proverb is more than a morality tale about the consequences of loving money; it is also about the entropy of worldly systems. Every economic and political system favors the rich and powerful. It is systemic in the truest sense of the word. This is not because of the economic or political persuasion itself but because of what Paul calls the spirit of the world. This undertow pulls and tugs every system toward one trajectory: enslavement. The kind of enslavement doesn’t matter, whether political, economic, or cultural; the spirit of the world finds a way to lock up our time and resources to completely disable our ability to leverage all God has given for his Kingdom.
Jesus would say, “Don’t be naive. Be shrewd. Don’t be duped by worldly systems. Whether a lot or a little, be free to make the most of the resources God has given you.”
Pastor Danny, you have surpassed Adam Smith, J.M. Keynes, and Milton Friedman in a single stroke with your insight into this passage of scripture and your commentary upon it.
Russell Hern
Presuming that governments favor the rich and tend toward enslavement, would this be a reason that many governments go through cycles of prosperity and need it even collapse. Could these cycle be eliminated if they practiced the year of jubilee mentioned in Leviticus?