Government Stimulus | Like Nehemiah or Naaman?

I have had many ask me what I feel about the Coronavirus stimulus. In October I shared a series of messages on changing the world by picking the right leaders. One of my encouragements was to choose a government that chooses compassion. Why? Because God is very concerned for those in need. So much so, that He ordered worship and civil authority with patterns of caring for the poor.

Three tithes were mandated and one of them was specifically for the care of the poor. In Deuteronomy 14.28-29, scripture specifically says, “Do this that God may bless you.” I want God’s blessing on America. Deuteronomy 15.11 we read a command to be openhanded toward those who are poor and needy. Proverbs 19.17 and 28.27 are further examples of God’s heart for the needy and the blessings promised for our awareness and action in caring for them.

At the simplest of levels, I do not have a problem with a government that does what scripture commands.

I can already hear the arguments. I am aware of all the issues of the current stimulus discussion. Is everyone in need? Is it wise stewardship to give out checks indiscriminately? What about deficit spending and generational debt? Isn’t that immoral? I am in agreement with all that. That is why I say at the base level, I support a government that cares for the poor. But I do not think those are the issues we need to discuss.

To me, the bigger issue is do we see money as the answer to our problems? Do we see stimulus as the solution? Are we putting our hopes and faith in federal government resources? Or are we lifting our eyes to the heavens from where our help comes? Does our help come from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth?

Nehemiah vs Naaman

There are two men in scripture who get government “stimulus” to fix their problems. We can compare Naaman in 2 Kings 5 and Nehemiah in Nehemiah 5. Read these two chapters and look for these contrasts:

Naaman first went to the government even though he was told by the Israelite slave girl to go to the man of God.
Nehemiah first went to God (Nehemiah 1) and after four months of prayer and fasting, he went to the government (Nehemiah 2).

Naaman saw the resources (gold, silver, clothes) as the means of securing his saving. He expected that to fix what was wrong with him.
Nehemiah saw the resources (timber, supplies, food) as his means of serving. He used them to honor the One whom he knew could right what was wrong.

Naaman became offended when the incredible resources (nearly $3mil today) did not get him what he wanted.
Nehemiah became defender of the poor with the resources he received, teaching others by example to be a blessing to those in need.

How to be a Nehemiah with the Stimulus

First, keep your eyes on the true Giver.

If your boss, business, family, or government is seen as your ultimate provider, you will be in a world of hurt when those let you down. They will let you down. Nehemiah said in verse 15-16 of chapter 5, “But out of reverence for God, I did not act like this. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall.” Nehemiah would not give up his Kingdom calling and focus on God for all the money in the world.

Second, Nehemiah imitated the true Giver.

In verses 14 and 17, he says for 12 years he used the food allotted to him to feed 150 people at his table…every day…150 people! He could have put a tax burden on them. He could have taken real estate. Instead he chose generosity and care. He used the government resources at his disposal to imitate the true Giver and show care and compassion for people.

Third, Nehemiah understood you cannot out give the true Giver.

God met everyone of Nehemiah’s needs. He is the giver of all good gifts. But God also provides for us, you and me, the perfect gift. Our greatest need is to be forgiven and restored to God. So God gave His Son, the perfect lamb that takes away the sins of the world. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9.15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Paul says I cannot fully explain it, I can just give thanks for it. You cannot out give the one who gives you everything.

We should note that it did not end badly for Naaman. Though he struggled, he ultimately obeyed and became a worshiper of the true Giver. Jesus says of him in Luke 4.27, of all the lepers in Elisha’s time, Naaman was the only one to be healed. There is nothing God cannot touch, redeem, and restore in your life. He is the answer, not anyone or anything else — including government stimulus.

My hope for you is that you use your stimulus resources as Nehemiah. Bring glory to God and bless people.

WHAT TO MAKE OF ALL THE TROUBLE

These are strange times; unlike any I have seen in my lifetime. There are so many uncertainties and we seem to be focused on all the trouble. There is political trouble. Marital and family troubles. Church troubles and trouble within our own souls. In Matthew 6.22, Jesus tells us the eye is the entrance to your heart and mind.

Focus on trouble and you will be troubled

Not that we are to be blind to trouble. We are to be aware of trouble. Jesus was careful to explain to His disciples the trouble that would come with the end. In Matthew 24, He said there would be wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, and this would be just the beginning. They should expect to be tortured, killed, and hated by all nations. False prophets would arise and there would be mass deception.

Jesus said these troubles were to function as a sign to them (and us) that God is up to something much bigger! They were to be a signpost to the deeper work of God in our midst.

Matthew 24.30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (NIV)

Similarly, the apostle Paul was aware of his troubles. In 2 Corinthians 11, he has a long list of troubles he has endured. He was constantly in danger. To top it off, in chapter 12, he speaks of a thorn in his flesh that he prayed three times would be removed. That trouble, however, was not his focus. All that trouble, he learned, was to point him to a much bigger and deeper work that God was doing in Paul.

In 2 Corinthians 12.9 he writes, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NIV)

God at work in our trouble

The deeper work of God happening in Paul is that God was teaching Paul about His sufficient grace. His troubles were but a signpost directing Paul to great trust in God’s strength when he felt weak.

When we see trouble, don’t focus on trouble. Ask, “What deeper thing is God doing? Towards what might this trouble be pointing me?”

I have found in the midst of our national troubles, God is redirecting the focus of many in His Church. I would love to hear your comments on what redirecting you may have discerned. Please post and share.