The early Hebrews considered wealth to be an integral part of human
perfection and, moreover, what ought to be.[1]
The ideal man was wealthy and leisured, and yet occupied with honorable work.[2]
In the Torah, as long as the Hebrews as a people obey God, including dutifully
acting as stewards rather than as selfish exploiters of the land that God has
provided, poverty should be nonexistent in Israel. “There need
be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is
giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God.”[3] Blessed wealth is a reward for fidelity to Yahweh, whereas poverty
here is indicative of, or even punishment for, disobedience, which will
evidently always be the case in Israel, for, “There will always be poor people
in the land.”[4] The conditionality leaps off the page, as does the notion of
collective justice, and yet wealthy individuals, including business practitioners, are held to account. The ethic of work is upheld even though labor in Genesis is due to original sin.
The full essay is at "Ancient Judaism on Wealth."
[1]. Charles R. Smith, The Bible Doctrine of Wealth and Work (London: Epworth Press, 1924), 21.
[2]. Smith, The Bible Doctrine, 22, 33-34.
[3]. Deut. 15:4-5.
[4]. Deut. 15:11.
