“A king gives stability to a country by justice,
But one who overtaxes it brings it to ruin.” (Prov. 29:4)
The primary duty of a ruler whether he is a president, a prime minister or a king, is to deliver justice to hispeople. However, justice is the veryarea where most leaders are wanting. TheScriptures tell us what the LORD wants, “He has told you, O man, what is good, and whatthe LORD really wants from you: Hewants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently beforeyour God” (Mic 6:8). Today, we hear ofso many complaints against human rights both from oppressive regimes anddemocratic countries. We are notsurprised about the atrocities in oppressive regimes but oftentimes we wonderwhy justice is still denied in liberal societies.
What is justice according to the Scriptures? Justice is a primarycharacteristic of ADONAI. Only ADONAI isperfectly just and upright. He isequitable in all His judgments. Justiceis GOD’s idea, hence all interpretations of ‘justice’ must emanate from ADONAIand His Torah. All other human laws are imperfect and already corrupted andwill eventually result in a breakdown of the order of creation.
I believe there are three areas that the godly must observe to walk justly before ADONAI. These are:
· Giving GOD his due – “Hear O Israel, the LORD isour GOD, the LORD is one! You shall loveyour GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”(Deut 6:6). To GOD belong our spirits,souls, body and all our resources. Weowe Him everything! To walk justlybefore GOD is to walk in surrender to His sovereign will.
· Give your neighbor his due – St. Paul exhorted usto owe no man nothing except to love, for love fulfills all the requirements ofthe Torah. To follow the golden rule isto do everything that we are capable to do good and fast from everything thatis wrong according to the Law of GOD. Towalk justly with our neighbor is to share GOD’s blessings in our lives.
· Give yourself your due – GOD has provided thegodly with everything pertaining to life and godliness through His exceedinglygreat promises. Do not deprive yourselffrom all the benefits of your inheritance in CHRIST. To avail of all of GOD’s promises will ensurethat we are enabled to walk obediently in CHRIST. GOD bestowed His abundant blessings upon usnot just to share with others but also to enjoy it ourselves. If GOD wants us to enjoy according to Hiswill, it is a sin to deprive ourselves of that very joy!
To infringe on the liberty of another is to be unjust. To act contrary to theTorah of GOD is to be unjust. But tolove is to absolutely fulfill the just requirements of the Torah. Any act, therefore, that is not a directresult of one’s trust on ADONAI through His revelation in Scriptures is a sin.
According to wise Solomon, the surest way for a king or a president to ruin his country is to overtax it. The questionis, what is the right rate of income tax? According to the Torah, the tithe to ADONAI is ten percent. He owns everything, even our very lives andHe only asks for ten percent. Is anyonemore worthy of our all than ADONAI? Mypersonal opinion, therefore, is that anything more than ten percent isexcessive taxation and will ultimately result in a depressed economy. Why? Firstly, excessive taxation squeezes the disposable income of citizenswhose spending, savings and investments would be greatly affected. Secondly, excessive taxation squeezes theexpense budget of businesses, especially small business; and would discourageinvestors in expanding business and hiring more workers. Thirdly, less spending for goods ultimatelymeans less manufacturing and distribution which greatly affects hiring. Fourthly, excessive taxation encouragesdependence on government subsidy and welfare which is a disincentive toproductivity among citizens. There issomething wrong when government becomes one of the biggest employers and notprivate enterprise. It means there aretoo many politicians and politicians do not produce anything but spend thehard-earned money of citizens.
When citizens depend on government to support them, the government loses its foremost duty which is to serve ADONAIthrough service to its citizens. Thegreatest service that a government can do for its people is to encourage themto walk excellently in trust before their GOD. When the citizens trust GOD and obey His Torah, they become a governmentunto themselves and do not need a policeman to watch over them. Even civil servants would not need anyombudsman or corruption watchdog, when they view their work as a service ofworship towards ADONAI. First andforemost, they are citizens of heaven and are complete in YESHUA. It is YESHUA who holds them together as onetowards one goal. The foundation ofgovernment then is not the people but ADONAI. In fact, if ADONAI is the center of every activity, every citizen wouldhave internal governance and the Torah of GOD is written on their hearts.
מלאך
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