Give us a (PROGRAM) to solve our problems for us!
“Economic problems are best solved by people freely contracting with one another and with government limited to the function of enforcing those contracts.” — R. Nelson Nash
Are there some areas of our lives that we have relinquished our responsibilities, and therefore missed the opportunities to see God’s blessings?
Ancient Israel may have some insights to help us reflect on our present circumstances:
1Samuel 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
There seem to always be at least a few people within a community who desire to lead the rest of the community in a direction away from God; but it is a very troubling day when all of the leaders unite together in the endeavor.
Why would they want a king?
They begin their case by pointing out how old Samuel was. OUCH! Poor Samuel. They also informed him of his son’s misbehaviors, as if he didn’t know. Thank you Captain Obvious!
Why would they point this out? In a way, they were appreciative of Samuels leadership of the nation, but they were afraid his corrupt sons would ruin the nation if they were in charge.
Symptom #1: FEAR
Their solution was to have a king appointed over them like the other nations around them; which seems to indicate their desire to fit in. They were more concerned with what the other nations were doing & what they thought of Israel, rather than focusing on God, His instructions, and obeying Him. The grass is always greener in my neighbors yard, but forget about the incredible garden that God built in my yard.
Symptom #2: SELF-INFLICTED PEER PRESSURE
Also, they wanted a king to judge them rather than God. This is a huge red flag of brokenness. What would ever compel someone to consider trusting the judgement of a finite person rather than the infinite God who created them? From their flawed human perspective, they imposed a divine nature onto another human being. By this, they created their own “class” system that believes some people are more capable and deserving to receive wisdom from God and lead them.
Symptom #3: SELF-DISCRIMINATION (I’m not good enough, but others are.)
When we see these things happening right in front of us, it should displease us as it did Samuel. It should overwhelm our hearts to the point we drop to our knees, crying out to God.
As if their request couldn’t be worse:
1Samuel 8:19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Again, they reiterated their desire to be like the other nations and have a mortal man be their judge rather than immortal God; but they also wanted to abdicate their responsibilities and give that authority to someone else. The responsibility that they wanted to abdicate was not fighting battles (a king would still need to draft people into his army); they wanted to abdicate their relationship with God.
1Samuel 8:7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
They certainly had their relationship priorities mixed up.
Symptom #4: RELATIONSHIP IMBALANCE
Why would they want to reject the loving God when they have seen Him provide, protect, and prosper them time and time again without a king?
God had made it very clear multiple times before that He would fight their battles for them if they would simply commit to Him. After all, didn’t He raise up leaders from among them, like Moses, Joshua, & many Judges to fight the battles of the past without any kingship?
See: Exodus 14:13; Exodus 14:25; Deuteronomy 1:30; Deuteronomy 3:22; Deuteronomy 20:1; Deuteronomy 20:4; Joshua 23:3; & Joshua 23:10
Now they wanted to commit to and rely on a person and remove their commitment and reliance on God.
Root of the Symptoms: SIN (God isn’t good enough)
God warned them what would happen:
1Samuel 8:10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and YOU SHALL BE HIS SLAVES.
The best of their time, talents, and treasures were utilized for the king’s agenda rather than contributing to the flourishing of the people. As more “benefits” were demanded by the people from the king, or imposed by the king, new programs needed to be created by the king, which needed more resources and people to do the work (more chariots need more materials and people to build them, as well as more charioteers to drive them). THEY CHOSE to give authority to their king for certain “benefits”, that eventually turned into the kings plundering of the people with or without their approval. At some point, it just seems easier and more profitable to “unite” with the king and serve his agenda, in the short term.
Progressively relinquishing personal responsibility, liberty, and property, the individual’s motivation to be productive is also diminished. They are lulled to sleep by the “benefits” where, eventually, few want to produce in order to supply the consumption. As the consumption mentality increases, taking from the few that are willing to produce, the supply keeps reducing to limit consumption in a self-cannibalizing downward spiral. It is a system of taking from those who produce and giving it to those who only consume. Legalized plunder.
“…men will resort to plunder whenever plunder is easier than work… under these conditions, neither religion nor morality can stop it.”
“…since everyone else uses the law for his own profit, we also would like to use the law for our own profit. We demand from the law the right to relief, which is the poor man’s plunder.”
– Frederic Bastiat’s The Law (published 1850)
One would think Israel had learned from their history in Egypt:
- “Benefits” reeled them in. (Genesis 45:17–20)
- Prosperity and lavishness ensued. (Genesis 47:27)
- Comfort begets complacency. Complacency allows tyranny. Tyranny begets slavery. (Exodus 1:8–14)
- GOD SAVED THE DAY! (Exodus 3:7–10)
THEY WERE FREE!!! … Were they though?
At every difficulty, they grumbled to Moses wanting to return back to Egypt. (Exodus 14:12, Exodus 16:2–3, Exodus 17:3, Numbers 14:3–4)
Why would they relentlessly want to go back to Egypt to be slaves?
Israel’s slavery was not within the borders of Egypt but within themselves.
What do people do when the day of slavery comes?
1Samuel 8:18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, WHOM YOU HAVE CHOSEN FOR YOURSELF, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
It is a mighty conflict to choose what seems to be the right way (from a human perspective), but then complain about the results of that choice. It is one thing to make mistakes and learn from the consequences to do better next time; it is an entirely different matter to wish for change, but refuse to think, consider, and implement a solution.
How many people in history have complained about tyrannical government but refused to give up the benefits they receive from it?
This hypocrisy signals dependence and fear. Dependence on, and fear of, an entity that requires certain actions and behaviors is slavery. When slavery reaches its conclusion, the only thing left is for the people to cry out to God for His deliverance.
Leadership chosen by people, is a reflection of the people.
Leadership chosen by God, is a reflection of God.
How sad that it has to go through such extremes for some people to turn to and follow God and regain their personal freedoms? This is the nature of sin, and we should take it very seriously.
With God though, there is great hope.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. — 1John 1:9
Confess to receives God’s forgiveness that opens the door for God Himself to purify us… His way. His way is found in no other place than His written word.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. — 2Timothy 3:16–17
For those ready to be “fully equipped for every good work”, look no further than the Holy Scriptures to be purified, trained, and prepared for that work.
Though we receive God’s forgiveness, there still may be consequences of our choices to endure, but we can begin the process of renewal and reconciliation. Then we can discover God’s ways and how to properly apply them to our lives.
After returning to God, we must retain the responsibilities that God has given us. In so doing, we will have incredible opportunities to see God do amazing things through us.
For example, if the Israelites needed to go to war, where would chariots and the war implements come from? Where would the army, the horseman, and the commanders come from? If they needed food, where would the farmers, the supplies, and the cooks come from? If they needed schools, medical care, roads, who would build them, teach the kids, doctor the sick?
These needs already existed for the people of the nation. Who provided those needs before they had a king? Where did the resources come from?
The people freely and voluntarily produced whatever was needed for their communities without a king. Many times, God himself fought the battles and provided for their needs without the people lifting a finger; they just had to show up. If a leader was needed for any reason, God rose up the right person.
If there is demand, supply is at hand.
By establishing a king, the only result was unleashing a HUGE consumer of the nation’s production to be utilized for agendas that diminished the wealth and flourishing of the people.
What keeps people today from surrendering their “benefits” and retaining their responsibilities?
What keeps people from uniting together to supply the needs of their communities themselves?
Response #1: “We don’t have anyone to lead the charge.”
LEADERSHIP SOLUTION: If God rose up leaders throughout His-Story, will He not do it today? For this to happen, we must include God in the process, be patient for His timing and instructions, and obey when He speaks. Many times, He has already given us the instructions we need to live His way, if we only seek the answers in His written word. Be prepared, because the answer just might be you. (read the Bible stories about Esther & Gideon)
Response #2: I/we can’t afford to do that?
FINANCIAL SOLUTION: If the desire is to take control of any benefit, system, or program, it has to be funded somehow. Therefore, we must first have control of our own financial system that will finance whatever individuals need. If individuals within the community had control of their own financial system, then united with other like-minded people to solve the needs of the community, they would have taken back their freedoms, responsibilities, and the incredible opportunities that result in human flourishing.
Most people have no trouble pointing out what is needed in the community. It seems the main things holding us back, though there are many, is our own limited thinking & the access to the capital to fund them.
This cannot be done quickly from the top down. It must happen over time from the bottom up; starting with one individual learning and taking over control for themselves, then helping others do the same. It’s not as hard as it sounds; it seems hard because we have been trained to think a certain way and we must overcome our way of thinking first. It is a process.
For anyone who desires to stop abdicating their responsibilities to others, who wants to break free from the centralized legal plunder system, and who would prefer having more control over their lives and their communities, should consider reading a short, 92-page book by R. Nelson Nash titled Becoming Your Own Banker: Unlock the Infinite Banking Concept. His second book is a great addition, titled Building Your Wearhouse of Wealth. Mr. Nash has taught as many people as he could for decades, prior to his passing in 2019, how to easily take control of their own financial system, so they could also take control of other areas of life. It’s not a secret. The solution has been around for hundreds of years, hidden right under our noses by distractions and noise. Some have discovered it, implemented it, and reaped incredible results. More need to be made aware.
…Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:31–32
Whatever the form of “bondage”, is really just a reflection of the people who choose it. The ONLY way to freedom is knowing the Truth, then applying the Truth.
Excerpts from ‘Becoming Your Own Banker’:
“Economic problems are best solved by people freely contracting with one another and with government limited to the function of enforcing those contracts. The absolute best way to do so is through the magnificent idea of dividend-paying whole life insurance. It has more in common with banking than it does with life insurance. A better name would have been a ‘banking system with a death benefit thrown in for good measure.’ It has been around for over 200 years and stood the test of time. It is not compulsory. It is not a government sponsored idea. It preceded the income tax idea by a long time. It is Private Property! Also, the only people who participate in this idea are people who truly care about other people. What a great group of people to be engaged in business with.” — R. Nelson Nash
If this message is difficult to believe, perhaps the best thing for the reader, is to continue letting God purify you and teach you His ways. Then you will be ready to begin the process of retaining YOUR responsibilities, & participating more fully in GOD’s opportunities.
