Monday 26 December

Nehemiah 5:1-7:3

They were charging 1% interest and Nehemiah was very angry.  I can’t imagine how he would react to the economic norms of our day.  I’m increasingly feeling that the Lord must find them disgusting.  The word of the Lord through Nehemiah (I think it is fair to say that it was the word of the Lord even though it doesn’t explicitly say it.  At the very least it surely must be seen as the standard for God-fearing people) commanded the nobles and officials to not only give people back the interest they had paid but also the land and property and people they had confiscated as well.  The conclusion is unambiguous - you take a loss rather than worsening the plight of the poor among you.  Throughout the whole bible this seems to be the stance; the Proverbs repeatedly speak of power needing to be used to benefit the marginalised rather than for personal gain.  And what does money bring if not power?  So I am more and more acutely convicted that I need to use my dosh to help the poor.  Or, perhaps more accurately and perhaps more difficultly, I must ensure that my use of my money does not trample the marginalised.  I feel this must have enormous consequences for what I purchase and where I invest, to say nothing of where I get my mortgage from and who I choose to work for.  I don’t think I can just shrug off this challenge and mosey along with my fellow-Londoners.  If I want the Lord to remember me with favour I probably need to give up some of my rights.  I probably need to forego good portions of my salary.  For the Lord loves ‘these people’ and he will remember everything I do for them.

Revelation 18:1-17a

“Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself.”  It is regularly said that God doesn’t care whether you are poor or rich as long as you are generous.  I agree.  But the description of Babylon, the defining feature of this sinful, arrogant power lies much closer to one of those states than the other.  I think it would be true to say that the rich live on the dangerous border-regions of the Christian faith.  I suspect there are few things more perilous than following Jesus and being rich.  For when you are rich it is so much easier to justify spending on yourself.  And when you are rich it is so much easier to think that your riches are due to your brilliance, your skill and your glory.  When you are rich there are so many more areas where you have to make a call on what to give and what to keep.  When you are rich there is so much more possibility to give yourself luxury.  When you are rich it is so much easier to start to look just like Babylon.  And - we should never doubt it - Babylon will be tortured.  Babylon will weep in torment.  For what brings smoke to God’s nostrils is when people that He has made take more than their fair share of the stuff He has made.  What God will not tolerate is people thinking they deserve more than God has allotted them and people claiming as their own the turf He has given to others.  God will consume those people with fire.  He will bring them to ruin in just one hour.  And I know I need to be careful about this because I know I am rich.  I know He has given me an abundance.  But very little of it is for me to keep.  And none of it is due to my greatness.

Proverbs 31:10-20

Goodness. For a minute there I thought I was listening to Beyonce.  Either that or something by the Spice Girls.  God seems to be a fan of Girl Power.