“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 23:22
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One of the most reliable measures of any economy is employment. When employment is high, the economy is healthy; when it is low, the economy struggles. This is because work is fundamental to a healthy economy. Indeed, without work it’s difficult to see how there could be any economy at all. So it’s no wonder that we have laws protecting people’s right to work, providing a fair wage, ensuring just and timely compensation, ordering the safety and security of the workplace, supporting standards of quality and workmanship, and so forth. In recent years, two major work-related questions have arisen in the American economy, and on each of these the Law of God can shed some light, if we will allow it to do so.
The first of these relates to poverty and welfare. From the 1930s to the 1960s a massive federal welfare program was set in place to care for the needs of poor people in America. By the 70s and 80s plenty of voices could be heard calling out for reform of a system that was creating more poverty than it was solving by supporting an “underclass” of citizens dependent on the government for their wellbeing. One solution that emerged from the welfare crisis was what has been called “workfare.” This is the idea that people should be encouraged to work as long as they can and should not be dependent on “handouts” except as a final resort. Such a view has Biblical foundations in the idea that human beings, made in the image of God, were made for work (Gen. 1:26-28). Work is not a curse; rather, it is part of the image of God in people that allows them to take responsibility for their wellbeing at the same time they make a viable contribution to the economy.
In the gleaning laws of ancient Israel we see the roots of this “workfare” idea. But we also see a statute designed to curb greediness, as each landowner was required by law to leave a portion of his unharvested crop for the poor to glean. This meant that a man, in order to show love for his needy neighbor, was required to forego a certain amount of income and profit so that those who, for whatever reason, had become poor could provide for themselves through dignified work. Workfare might be even more effective in our society if business owners could make it part of their business plans to use some of their profits and personal income to create more jobs or to supplement other local businesses needing to hire workers. Either of these principles would be consistent with the Old Testament laws about gleaning.
The other problem relates to immigration and the hiring of illegal aliens. As the laws governing this aspect of the American economy come up for review, Biblical law could shed the light of love on this situation. God commanded His people to love the sojourner (Lev. 19:33, 34) and to make it possible for strangers from other lands to find work in Israel without having to become citizens. Yes, they would have to abide by the Law of God while they were in the land, but the people were expected to recognize the value and importance of making room in their economy for guest workers from other nations. This is not a new idea in the American economy, but it is one that could be expanded and improved.
God’s Law insists that every person should have meaningful work and be a contributing part of the local economy and society. The Apostle Paul showed his understanding of these principles when he exhorted the Ephesians to take up meaningful employment, so that they would have means to share with others, and the Thessalonians when he said that anyone who would not work should not eat (Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:10). Thus the Law of God points the way to an economics, not of greed and gain, but of love for neighbor.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
VP Economics of Love
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