Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Bible and Economics...


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Originally uploaded by paynehollow
Part of an ongoing series looking at all the many passages in the Bible that deal with wealth and poverty issues. You can see the links to the other passages in the series under the heading "The Bible and Economics" below.

I began looking at the "wealth" of material (ha!) found in Psalms on this topic back in September, offering findings from the first ten Psalms. Today, I offer some passages from Psalm 24 to Psalm 37, which especially focuses fairly specifically on the notion of "the wicked" oppressing the poor...


The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it, for God founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters...

~Psalm 24: 1-2

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in God.

Fear the LORD, you saints, for those who fear God lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

~Psalm 34: 8-10

My whole being will exclaim,
"Who is like you, O LORD ?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."

~Psalm 35:10 (Note: the whole chapter is about God delivering the Psalmist)

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for God knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright...

But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.

In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off...

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

~Psalm 37: 7-22, 25-26

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