Against insecurity, Pluto promises to protect us from loss of property and health through money. Against misery, Pluto assures us that money does buy happiness. Against insignificance, Pluto convinces us, and everyone we know, that money is the measure of a person's importance. If we gain lots of money, then we will really be important in both our own eyes as well as the eyes of others. Against meaninglessness, Pluto encourages us to find life's meaning in working long hours, even giving up time with our family, to make lots of money. Against guilt, Pluto guarantees to justify all the harm we do to other people and the rest of creation to make all the money we can.
Yahweh looks at money differently. Of course he demonstrates his freedom in relation to Pluto by both giving and taking away wealth as he pleases. Even so, he teaches us that money is not the meaning of life as it is to Pluto and those loyal to him. Love is.
Yahweh warns us that, even when we earn money honestly, Pluto may still worm his way into our hearts through it. When we devote ourselves to Pluto, then even when we think we are serving Yahweh, we condemn poor people as morally inferior. By doing so, we wrongly justify our indifference toward them.
Yahweh teaches us to pray for just enough money to get by. Since the meaning of life lies in a right relationship with him, we don’t need to spend our lives earning money. Instead, we may live as witnesses to him. When we live that way, we rightly look to Yahweh to provide us with the money we need to do so.
Yahweh wants us to protect the poor from the rich. He also wants us to see wealth distributed fairly. To ensure this, he calls us to celebrate a year of jubilee, once every fifty years, when all debts are cancelled, all lost property is restored, and everyone starts evenly again (see Leviticus 25:8-55).
Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.
