In my first 2 installments in this series, we have explored the origins of poverty, several biblical patriarchs and their relationship to money, as well as what the “wisdom books” of the Old Testament have to say on the topic of finances. In this article, we will explore God’s dealings with the nation of Israel beginning with Joseph in Egypt and ending with them in the Promised Land.
Joseph
In Genesis chapters 37 through 50, we read the saga of Joseph. Most folks know this story from a gazillion Sunday School flannel-graph presentations, so I will simply summarize it here.
- Joseph was sold into slavery because his older brothers hated him.
- He ended up in Egypt and, through his godly wisdom, rose to be chief steward of a rich Egyptian’s household.
- He was later falsely accused of attempted rape by the Egyptian master’s horny wife, and then ended up in prison for it.
- While imprisoned, his godly wisdom was so impressive, he became the lead prisoner in the jail. During that time, God used him to interpret dreams for other prisoners.
- After awhile, his ability to interpret dreams came to the attention of Pharaoh, who had a dream his pagan advisors could not interpret. Joseph was able to correctly interpret that dream and, as a reward, was promoted from prison to be the prime minister of Egypt.
- Joseph successfully prepared the kingdom for a coming famine and, as that famine spread throughout the Middle East, his father Jacob sent his older brothers to seek food in Egypt.
- Though he was in a position to wreak major revenge upon his brothers, Joseph dealt with them mercifully and, after it was all said and done, the entire family emigrated to Egypt in order to survive the famine.
Some quick points here and then we will move on.
- Joseph maintained a righteous lifestyle and good attitude despite the many major injustices inflicted upon him, never becoming vengeful or bitter, though he had every right to be.
- It seems that Joseph never got mad at God, blaming Him for his misfortunes when everything went south on him.
- Because he exhibited diligence and godly wisdom in all his dealings, he consistently rose to prominence wherever he found himself, even in prison.
- Though Joseph had to endure lengthy periods of poverty, God eventually redeemed him out of them all, finally exalting him to a place where poverty was never again an issue.
The Children of Israel
We will continue this discussion with the Book of Exodus and, again, we will summarize the story. Here we find that the children of Israel had explosively multiplied and prospered in Egypt for 400+ years, to the point where the Egyptians became alarmed at the size of the Jewish population. A Pharaoh arose who didn’t remember Joseph’s role as savior to the nation and decided to take action, enslaving the Israelites and oppressing them at every turn. God raised up Moses to deliver the Israelites from their bondage, and through a series of miraculous events, finally got Pharaoh to set them free. We will take up the narrative where the Israelites fulfilled the prophesy given by God to Abraham 400+ years earlier:
Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Genesis 15:13-14And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.’ And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
Exodus 11:1-3Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
Exodus 12:35-36
Ever wonder how a bunch of slaves acquired all the gold, silver, fine cloth, and precious stones, etc. required to build that big fancy tent and its furnishings God commissioned — not to mention that solid gold cow they crafted while Moses was up on Mt Sinai! — while they were in the wilderness?
This is your answer!
Please note that, while the Israelites gave a significant portion of their wealth to build God’s tabernacle, the Law given to them by God through Moses required only a tenth — the tithe — as part of their regular worship. And that was only a tenth of the increase (profit) they made through their agricultural activities.
Let’s now fast-forward to the end of their 40-years in the wilderness as they are standing at the threshold of the Promised Land after the unbelieving generation had died off. We will take up the narrative in Deuteronomy 8:
Boy, Moses just said a mouthful and that wasn’t the half of what is recorded in this book! Now, let’s unpack this chapter:
First, Moses begins and ends this passage with admonitions against disobedience and idolatry, that for the Israelites to experience the blessings of the Promised Land, they must stay true to God and His commandments. He also warns against them allowing their riches to seduce them into spiritual complacency and a sense of entitlement, rather than them being mindful of and grateful for the fact that God was the One Who blessed them and their labors.
This has not changed under the New Covenant. The second we start worshipping money, success, and their trappings or engage in a “born on 3rd base, thinking we have hit a triple” attitude and start taking credit for God’s blessings, we have just started the countdown timer on our next financial disaster. Why? Because God will withhold His provision and His protection over that provision, allowing Satan to steal our wealth until we get out heads screwed back on straight and repent!
Second, notice that God not only supernaturally provided food and water to the Israelites while they were in the wilderness, but their clothes and shoes didn’t even wear out for 40 years! This fact is repeatedly stated as Moses reminds them of God’s supernatural provision.
Third, please note the financial blessings promised here:
- Abundance of water, vital to an agricultural economy
- Abundance in their crop harvests:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Vines (grapes)
- Fig trees
- Pomegranates
- Olives
- Honey
- Bread without scarcity (i.e., no droughts)
- No lack of any kind
- Abundance of mineral wealth (iron, copper)
- Beautiful houses
God, speaking through Moses, then makes an astonishing statement:
And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Deuteronomy 8:18
Did Moses really just state that the ability to get wealth is God-given for the purpose of establishing His covenant with their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob)?
Yep! that is precisely what he said!
The Blessing of the Law
Now let’s fast forward to Deuteronomy 28, where in the first 14 verses we find the blessings that come from obedience to the Most High:
Again, we have an admonition to obedience, but what blessings attend that obedience! Those blessings would come upon the Israelites and overtake them.
Those blessings are unlimited by geography or location or type of business venture. Their enemies would be defeated. The Lord would command blessings upon their equivalent to a bank account and everything they put their hand to would prosper. God would make them a holy people and all the other nations would look on the Jews and be afraid of them because of the Lord’s protection. The Lord would prosper them with goods and children and profitable agriculture. The Lord would ensure that there was plenty of rain to water the crops. They would have plenty of money to lend without having to borrow. They would be the head, not the tail; above, not beneath.
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
2 Corinthians 1:20
As believers, we have access to these selfsame promises, with the same qualifying condition: obedience to the Most High!
The Curse of the Law
The entire remainder of Deuteronomy 28 comprises the “Curse of the Law,” a lengthy list of the curses the Israelites would suffer for abandoning the Lord in favor of other gods. I’ve addressed this in some detail elsewhere, but that article was focused on divine healing, rather than finances. Because of the length of this passage, I have omitted the verses not directly concerning finances; I have left the verse numbers in place so you can see where I skipped:
I think this list is pretty self-explanatory and requires no summarization, analysis, or commentary. This laundry list of calamity describes the plight of both Jews and Gentiles alike who are living lives ruled by “whatever was right in their own eyes,” rather than in submission to the Lord Jesus. The vast majority of the world has found itself in one or more of these tragic states of existence throughout human history, even to this day.
The crucial point I want to make about the Curse of the Law is the same one I made concerning divine healing:
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law , having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)…
Galatians 3:13
Jesus became a curse for us by hanging on the Cross, taking upon Himself our inability to meet God’s standards through our dead religious works, and transforming those of us who believe into the righteous, the healed, the prosperous, and the delivered all as a free gift which we could never afford to purchase were it for sale, could never earn through our own efforts were it a wage, and could not deserve through our own feeble attempts at “goodness” were it a reward for holy behavior.
In conclusion, the same redemption from sin purchased for us by Jesus’ finished work of the Cross also purchased us redemption from all the sickness and disease as well as the poverty-inducing situations described above!
Thanks for reading!
New Testament Warnings About Riches The Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Psalms
