When making economic decisions, expectations are very important. We expect to retire at some point in the future and therefore we set some of our income aside for a pension. Similarly, we expect to earn a certain level of income over our career so we take out a mortgage based on the expectation that we will be able to repay it. There are also many things that we expect won’t happen but realise that there is a probability that they may occur (e.g. being made redundant, becoming seriously ill or having one’s car stolen). Unless these eventualities are covered by government provision, we can make provision for these risks through purchasing insurance or “saving for a rainy day”.
Joseph based his expectations on a prophetic dream.
The risk of bad harvests would not have been unknown to the Egyptians but it is likely that the severity of the seven-year famine would have exceeded the expectations of most. Left to their own devices, most Egyptians did not store up enough grain during the years of plenty but perhaps they were used to such saving schemes being managed by the government.
God knows the future, while we can only speculate. Does God still reveal secrets about the future through prophetic media? I believe that he can and does but in today’s scientific age we no longer see government policy influenced by such prophecies. Just like Noah several generations earlier (Gen 6:13-22), Joseph could have got it wrong. This would have led to a situation of over-saving. The sacrifice made by the people to store up for the future would have been in vain.
We also encounter instances in the Bible where God specifically tells people not to save or make provision for the future. One such example is where the Israelites are encamped in the desert having fled en masse from Egypt (several centuries after Joseph’s time). As described in Exodus 16, God provided manna for the people. Everyone was expected to gather in the morning as much as they needed for the day but no more. Anything stored up for the following day (with the exception of the Sabbath) would rot overnight.
So what is God’s instruction to us? I would argue that, unless we hear a specific word from God, we should adopt a default position of making saving and borrowing decisions based on rational expectations about the future. However, we should be listening out for when God is instructing us to be irrational. This may involve saving less than we would otherwise choose to save. Often God uses this as a test to help strengthen our trust in him as provider. It is for our own good as it frees us up to be generous to ourselves and others today knowing that our future needs will be met.
I am currently reading an autobiographical account of John Kirkby, founder of Christians Against Poverty (“Nevertheless”, Christians Against Poverty Books, 2003). Perhaps surprisingly for a charity that helps people to combat debt, Kirkby continually spent money that he didn’t yet have. His rationale for doing so was based on an armoury of words and prophecies from God instructing him to further the ministry in the faith that the necessary provision would arrive. Despite struggle, opposition and sacrifice, Kirkby’s faith was rewarded as the resources eventually came flooding in. By not waiting a year or two until securing a solid financial base before starting the work, Christians Against Poverty was able to provide a timely rescue to dozens of families who literally had bailiffs knocking at the door and needed instant help.
This idea of “living by faith” – essentially living day by day without making provision for the future, or even taking on debt, underwritten by God’s promises to provide – is a very popular theology in the church today. I would certainly not argue with it, as it is based on Scripture and frees us up to serve God fully without worrying about tomorrow. However, the story of Joseph suggests to me that there are just as likely to be times where God asks us to save more than seems rational to us. The faithful prudence of Joseph, just like the faithful recklessness of John Kirkby, impacted many lives.
As I have said before, there are many prophecies circulating at the moment suggesting that this year (2011) marks the start of a time of crisis and suffering, analogous to the start of the famine in Egypt. Perhaps, therefore, we are in a season where we need to take a leaf out of Joseph’s book and start to fill up, rather than empty out, the storehouses.
I don’t know whether I’m right to say this or what it actually means in practice, but it is something that I will seek to hear from God about. Your thoughts, as always, would be most welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment