Michael E. Cafferky, DBA MDiv

Southern Adventist UniversityJanuary, 2013

“Great peace (shalom) have those who love thy law; nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165

“…let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you.” Proverbs 3:2

Recall the Essential Question for Unit 1:

What makes some approaches, in principle, better than others for a Christian?

Hebrew Law is the foundation of not only Jewish ethics but also Christian ethics. (Barclay, 1973)

Fundamental principles followed by businesses in efficient markets: honor agreements, tell the truth, respect the autonomy of others, avoid doing harm to others.

(Quinn &Jones, 1995)

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40; see also Matthew 7:12)

Jesus quotes from books of the Covenant.

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. Deuteronomy 6:4-6

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself... Leviticus 19:18

Covenant: Covenant relationship with GodCovenant relationships with humans

Prophets (interpreters of Divine will): Drew attention to the deeply spiritual nature and broad application in specific situations.

Hebrew law involves the duty to go beyond explicit legal requirements.

When the duty is observed, the promise includes the hope of flourishing life (Deuteronomy 6:18; Friedman, 2001, p. 75).

Community perspective must be taken when evaluating the Decalogue as an ethical standard.

In Judaism community needs take precedence over but are not destructive of individual needs.

A random collection of arbitrary limits?

or

An interrelated, purposeful means to experience what our hearts truly desire?

Law = the means of experiencing shalom.

Experience

shalom

(True Prosperity)

Keep the Covenant Principles

Spiritual Well-being

Social Well-being Internation

al Well-being

Physical Well-being

Economic Well-being

Those who love Thy law have great peace (shalom). (Psalm 119:165)

The connection between shalom and the covenant recognized by:Moses (Numbers 25:12)Ezekiel (37:25-26) Isaiah (54:10) Malachi (2:5)

They call this relationship berith shalom (covenant of peace).

The connection between business and shalom is possible only because the relationship between shalom and the

moral-religious ethical principles in the Commandments

when followed by both buyers and sellers.

A call to fidelity to Covenant: deliverance from adversity and move to full prosperity.

Formalized Covenant: Promises of blessings in all of life including the market. Adversit

yin all its

dimensions

Prosperityin all its

dimensions

Covenant

When we recognize the Lordship of God in the market, we understand our duty in the market.

Blessings of prosperity are intended to be experienced by the whole community.

The blessed become a blessing to a wider, global market. (Remember God’s promise to Abraham: that his family would become a blessing to many nations.)

You shall have no other gods before me.

The ethics process is first of all a confession of faith in a gracious God.

Ultimately the contribution to shalom by the Commandments depends on the willingness of business leaders to be loyal to the One who gave the covenant principles.

The One whom we chose to pledge our allegiance of heart, mind and action is our Creator, Redeemer and Covenant maker.

Market activities and achievements may, if we let them, come between us and our relationship with God.

The highest reward we can ever hope to achieve (though not by our own efforts!) is the reward of having a saving relationship with God.

True prosperity comes when we choose the One who created and redeemed us as our ultimate reward.

Prosperity: an all-encompassing idea bigger than monetary wealth.

Warning: Don’t put ultimate confidence inOur own abilitiesProductivityCareerThe market

You shall not make any graven image…

God cannot be completely defined or comprehended.

God is limitless; we try to limit him.

Applies to physical and mental images.

We are tempted to put God in a market “box” that attempts to control him and place us at an advantage. Humility

Prosperity does not come by a process of magically praying to our own conception of who God is and expecting that he will respond by giving us wealth.

True prosperity A better understanding God and having a heart of willingness to be a co-worker with God in the market.

You shall not take the name of God in vain…

Sacred duty to avoid using God’s name profanely.

Any statement which deceives is forbidden.

Forbids lifting up God’s name in order to further our own ambitions.

The primary application: making promises.

Promise-making and promise-keeping is fundamental for success in the market.

Cautions against – Parading our religious faith for others– Invoking God as the Author of our plans.

Remember the Sabbath day…

Sabbath: Inseparable from work.

God’s secret to life in a covenant market.

A parable of salvation in which God’s creative deliverance results in Shalom.

Sabbath: The bridge between loving God and loving

one’s neighbor in the market.

A continuing positive influence in the market helping us to remain loyal.

A safeguard against market idolatry.

Taking Sabbath as a principle to the market:Preventing or healing injusticeManaging toilCelebrating workProtection against slights and insults Joy of working for the common good

Honor your father and mother…

Every new generation grows up thinking that it knows better than the parents.

While young people do know a lot, what they lack is the wisdom that comes from years of experience.

Honor our parents by submitting our own characters to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

An important tension = A reciprocal relationshipRespect eldersRespect the young

Duties toward each other are rarely one-sided.

If you want to experience a flourishing market, each has a duty to respect and honor the other regardless of the position.

To be faithful to covenantal principles, both parties will watch out for the other’s interest.

You shall not kill.

Like other commands, this one is comprehensive in scope:– Animosity – Malice – Hostility – Malevolence – Retaliation – Contempt – Murder– Injury–

Christians are expert at masking.

There is no hate so hateful as that exercised in the name of Christian love.

Community prosperity depends on a stable, safe, civil society.

When persons fear for their lives, business activities are curtailed.

Human life plays a key role in prosperity: “It takes a community…”

Fostering life promotes market prosperity.

Taking life destroys prosperity.

You shall not commit adultery.

Adultery brings the potential for reputation to be destroyed.

Marriage is not the only relationship that is covenantal in nature.

It illustrates the sacredness of all relationships in a covenant market.

Undermining relationships destroys prosperity.

You shall not steal.

On its surface, talks about stealing.

Stealing is an attack on:another person’s possessions.the dignity of the person and his/her work the commission to workGod since God is the owner of everything

Prohibits any act of deceit or treachery, any interference by third parties in the family and what the family possesses.

Stealing destroys the motivation to work and the fabric of human community.

Stealing creates market instability.

Negative:RobberyShoplifting ExtortionEmbezzlementBriberyTax evasionUsing company resources for personal

benefit without permissionMisrepresenting the truth about property

Positive:Work against selfishnessProtect and preserve possessionsCounter covetousness by giving liberallyCultivate contentmentBe temperatePay your debtsPursue and conserve the truthGive charitablyContribute your part to growing the wealth

of the community

You shall not bear false witness…

Primary issue at stake: Bringing false testimony against a fellow citizen in the justice system.

Broad applications:Silence under certain circumstancesFalse reporting ExaggerationCarelessness

Without an impartial justice system, the market becomes corrupt destroying initiative, diligence, & productivity.

If someone can contribute to justice by being a witness but refuses, this undermines the justice system.

You shall not covet…

The key for interpretation of all 10: Commandments are deep, broad principles.

Part of our acceptance of God’s promise is our commitment to work productively.

The flip side of this: Contentment.

It is only by living the tenth commandment that we can know true freedom, but living this commandment is impossible unless we have a heart that is transformed by God.

This command points back to the 1st.

Unfettered desire and greed are destructive.

When we spend time thinking about actions that are out of alignment with God’s plan for prosperity, we eventually find rationale to satisfy our selfish desires.

This commandment is a call to put limits on our desires so that market prosperity is fostered.

Paradox: By limiting our desires for prosperity we increase our prosperity. How?Controlling consumption of grain this year

provides more seed to plant for a larger crop next year. (a.k.a. “delayed gratification”)

By limiting our desires for personal prosperity we contribute more to community prosperity.

By limiting our desires for the economic dimension of prosperity we grow the reality of the other dimensions of shalom (physical, emotional, social, spiritual, international).

The importance of economics:Without the economic dimension of

prosperity included as we view the Ten Commandments, an important reality of life is glossed over or ignored.

As a set of principles that foster prosperity, these only “work” when:Prosperity is a community experience

not merely an individual matter.

We think about the impact of our actions on the whole community.

The idea of prosperity is widened to include the full experience of shalom in all its dimensions throughout the community.

Keeping the Commandments does not do away with the need for faith!The first commandment is a call for faith.

The faith necessary to keep the first commandment is that which can only be given by God.

Keeping the Commandments does not do away with the need for faith!The Ten Commandments represent a standard

of right and wrong behavior far greater than sinful humans can achieve of their own power.

The Law must be written on the heart, but such writing can be accomplished only by God.

Without the Grace and Righteousness of Christ given to us, we would never rise to the level of perfection demanded by the Law.

Law = the means of experiencing shalom.

Experience

shalom

(True Prosperity)

Keep the Covenant Principles

Spiritual Well-being

Social Well-being Internation

al Well-being

Physical Well-being

Economic Well-being

How might economic prosperity contribute to the full experience of all the other dimensions of shalom?

Deuteronomy 8:18 says: “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant [to make it stand up or arise] which

He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” In terms of the principles contained in the Ten Commandments, how does God give power to make wealth?