Chapter 3: Family
Updated: 1/20/20
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in his own image. In his own image he created him. Male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply. Fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26–28).
God made the dominion covenant with representatives of mankind. Adam and Eve represented the entire human race. This was a joint covenant. He made it with them as a family. This is why the family is the central social institution in history. The family exists in every society. Society is impossible to maintain without the family. This is because the dominion covenant cannot be fulfilled without the family.
The family will not exist in eternity. Jesus taught that there will be no marriage in heaven. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Instead, they are like angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). The family is exclusively historical. This means that the the dominion covenant is exclusively historical. There will be no multiplication of humanity after the final judgment. This is why all of the texts on family inheritance apply only to history.
Those who argue that the family will exist in heaven are like the Sadducees who tempted Jesus by raising a hypothetical question about a woman who became a widow seven times. She had married successive brothers. These were special marriages in the Mosaic law. We call them levirate marriages. “Levir” comes from the Latin word for “husband’s brother.” These were not normal marriages. The brother had died before he and his wife had a child to inherit the family’s land. His bother was required to marry the widow in order to father a child. The child would be part of his bother’s family line, not his. That child would inherit the dead husband’s land. The brother would not. There was a judicial qualification: the brothers had to live close together (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). Each of them was the nearest male relative (Hebrew: ga’al or go’el)—the blood avenger (II Samuel 17:7, 14) and the kinsman redeemer (Leviticus 25:47–55)—of the other. In all other cases, the Mosaic law prohibited a brother from marrying his sister-in-law (Leviticus 20:21). The Sadducees asked: which dead husband will be her husband in heaven? The implication: it could not be all of them. That would mean that heaven would allow polyandry. This was unacceptable to the Israelites. It was a trick question. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Their ecclesiastical opponents, the Pharisees, did believe it (Acts 23:6–8). They wanted Jesus to affirm either one or the other: resurrection or no resurrection. He avoided the trap by denying that there will be marriage in heaven.
The dominion covenant is not limited to the family, but the family is the initial training institution for dominion. This is where children learn about how the dominion covenant is obeyed in the society in which they are born and grow up. Different societies have different laws and traditions. But the basics of the dominion covenant are the same: marriage, biological multiplication, and stewardship under God. God holds societies accountable for fulfilling or not fulfilling the terms of this covenant.
The family provides the primary training for adulthood. The mark of adulthood prior to the fall of man was to have been marriage. “Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, he will be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). In Mosaic Israel, the primary mark for men was reaching the age of 20. At that time, the man became a member of God’s holy army. He had to make a payment to the sanctuary of half a shekel (Exodus 30:13). Prior to the fall of man, there was no holy army. For women in Mosaic Israel, the primary mark of adulthood was marriage, just as it had been prior to the fall. Women were not part of God’s holy army.
To inherit property from a parent, a man had to be circumcised. The fact that circumcision was basic to inheritance was made clear to Israel at the time of the conquest of Canaan. The men had not been circumcised in Egypt or the wilderness. God required this before the conquest began (Joshua 5:1–9). The conquest was the inheritance that God had promised to Abraham (Genesis 17:8).
These marriage rules and inheritance rules no longer apply under the New Covenant. The covenantal sign is baptism. It is applied by the church to males and females. Adulthood is not based exclusively on marriage. Nevertheless, marriage is always the mark of entry into adulthood. The new family unit becomes responsible for dominion, just as the first family became responsible on day six of the creation week. This establishes a legal relationship (trusteeship) and an economic relationship (stewardship) under God. The family acts in the name of God (trusteeship) and on behalf of God (stewardship). This is point two of the family covenant.
The economics of the family universally includes these economic factors: future-orientation, uncertainty, and the division of labor. Without institutional ways of dealing with these economic issues, no society can exist. As the central institution in society, and also as a universal institution, the family provides greater social cohesion than any other institution. Without families, society could not exist. The social bond, which is not covenantal, is therefore derivative from the family bond, which is covenantal.
The bond of marriage is judicial. This is not merely an economic contract, which can be broken by mutual agreement. It is a covenantal bond, which is sealed judicially by a public oath before God and man. It cannot legally be broken by mutual agreement. The West has abandoned this view of marriage. Beginning in the final third of the twentieth century, divorce by mutual consent began to be recognized as legal by civil governments at all levels. This has had profound economic consequences on society. Economic uncertainty has increased for the former partners, the children, and the in-laws. Remarriage creates new questions about the division of assets and inheritance. It is worth noting that the first nation to adopt divorce by mutual consent was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This was immediately after the October Revolution in 1917 overthrew the Czar of Russia. This law led to so much disruption socially and economically that the dictator Josef Stalin had the legislature rewrite the divorce laws in 1936. The new laws resembled the laws in pre-revolutionary Russia.
1. Theology
God owns everything. His original ownership through creation established the providential character of the cosmos. The operations of nature are not impersonal. Neither are the operations of society, including economics.
As I have explained in the Teacher’s Edition, the family is not governed by the fundamental principle of the market: “high bid wins.” Husbands are not allowed to sell their wives to the highest bidder. The family is a covenantal institution, not a contractual institution. It is created by an oath under God. While the family operates in a world that is governed by contract and exchange, it is different. It is not governed by the market process. God holds the family accountable to a set of standards different from the market’s standards. A family prospers or fails in its God-assigned tasks in terms of a providential system of causation. It is not governed by the market’s criteria of efficiency.
The family is the primary covenantal agency of ownership (point one). The family is also the primary covenantal agency of economic inheritance (point five). Most of the assets accumulated by the parents are transferred to their children. The Ten Commandments linked ownership with marriage. “You must not covet your neighbor's house; you must not covet your neighbor's wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17). It is the fifth in the second list. Honoring parents is the fifth in the first list (v. 12).
I have already covered the basic theology of the family in the Analysis section. The family is the primary institution of the dominion covenant. But God has other important purposes for the family. First, the family reflects God’s being. This is an aspect of representation (point two). Stewardship is an economic aspect of representation, but reflection is more fundamental theologically. That is because God is more fundamental than man. The family is derivative. A covenatally bonded couple reflects the fundamental aspect of God’s being: His unity and plurality. “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26a). The words “let us” point to this plurality. This combination of unity and plurality is basic to every human institution. Adam by himself did not represent God in this way. “Then Yahweh God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him’” (Genesis 2:18). This is a uniquely Christian view of the family.
I have already mentioned the division of labor. This, too, is an aspect of the Trinity. Specifically, it is an aspect of what some theologians call the economical Trinity: the relation of the Persons of the Trinity in relation to the creation. Paul said that the creation was the work of the Son of God. “The Son is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, those in the heavens and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible things. Whether thrones or dominions or governments or authorities, all things were created by him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15–17).
Marriage also reflects God’s grace in redeeming mankind. The key passage is Ezekiel 16:1–14. Israel’s rebellion in turning to other gods was the equivalent of adultery (vv. 15–18). They literally risked sacrificing their children on fiery altars of these gods (v. 21). “In all your abominations and your acts of prostitution you have not thought about the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare as you thrashed about in your blood” (v. 22).
Marriage is to be morally and judicially holy for ethical reasons (point three). This is not an option. This is mandatory. Any practices that undermine the holiness of marriage point to God’s judgment of the individual violators in both history and eternity (point four). This also points to God’s judgment in history of the societies that tolerate such practices. Moses warned the generation of the conquest: “It will happen that, if you will forget Yahweh your God and walk after other gods, worship them, and reverence them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that Yahweh is making to perish before you, so will you perish, because you would not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 8:19–20).
The formation of covenantally mixed marriages is not allowed. “Do not be tied together with unbelievers. For what association does righteousness have with lawlessness? For what fellowship does light have with darkness?” (II Corinthians 6:14).
2. Implementation
In the Analysis, I wrote: “The economics of the family universally includes these economic factors: future-orientation, uncertainty, and the division of labor.” How should Christians understand this?
Rival covenantal outlooks have rival views of the future. This is why couples with different views of God, man, law, sanctions, and the future should not marry. There will be too much conflict if each partner maintains his or her original covenantal outlook.
Marriage is the most uncertain of covenants that people form. The couples know little about each other. They know little about their future as a couple. They create a permanent bond. Yet, around the world and throughout history, couples marry. They decide to bear uncertainty as a couple.
To reduce this uncertainty, unmarried couples should talk and talk and talk. Each should get some idea of what the other expects. They should come to a preliminary agreement on their goals. This reduces uncertainty. When marriages are arranged by parents, there is less discussion by the couple. The tradition of parentally arranged marriages is abandoned as soon as a society’s economic output enables young adults to marry without having to live under the jurisdiction of the groom’s father. This is as it should be. “Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, he will be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
Their discussion must consider the division of labor. Which partner should be responsible for which tasks? In a society in which wives are allowed to work for wages outside the home, this gets complicated. Sometimes wives earn more money than husbands. This can disrupt the family’s hierarchy of covenantal responsibility before God. Unmarried couples should discuss this.
There must be agreement about church membership. Under which church authorities will the family operate? This is the issue of hierarchy: “To whom do I report?”
There had better be agreement over the education of their children. If the wife works outside the home, she will not be able to teach them at home. If parents decide to send children to be taught outside the home, they must agree on what will be taught and by whom. This is the issue of Christian education funded by the parents vs. free education provided by the secular civil government. Is the school under the authority of parents who pay or under the authority of bureaucrats funded by the state? This is the issue of hierarchy. As home schooling becomes less expensive through online programs, the economics of private education begins to favor homeschooling or privately funded schools that use online programs. Parents should favor this over education by the state. This is the message of the story of Daniel and the three young men in Nebuchadnezzar’s school (Daniel 1).
1. Theology
God delegates ownership. Until the late nineteenth century, families were the primary owners of property. Through the family bond, people have benefitted from the productivity of the division of labor. The division of labor leads to interdependence. The family is the model of interdependence. It is an institution based on mutual service. God gave Eve to Adam because he needed a helper (Genesis 2:18). Adam had the responsibility of protecting Eve. There are mutual obligations. Paul wrote: “It is not the wife who has authority over her own body, it is the husband. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does” (I Corinthians 7:4).
Only since the late nineteenth century, beginning especially in the United States, did the rise of the limited-liability corporation begin to change this pattern of ownership. A limited-liability corporation allows investors to invest in a business without putting all of their assets at risk in case of the failure of the business. The business is legally liable, but not the investors. This allows much greater capital formation than partnerships do. The model for the limited-liability corporation is the church. Church members are not legally responsible as individuals if a church buys a building and then defaults on the mortgage loan. Even in the case of corporations, most are owned by families. Large corporations are major wealth creators, but small businesses and start-up businesses add most of the new jobs in most societies.
As corporate ownership has spread around the world, corporations in some areas of life have begun to replace family ownership. This became obvious in the United States with respect to agricultural production. The family farm, which has been the mainstay of civilization throughout most of human history, was steadily replaced by the corporation as the primary owner of agricultural land, equipment, and information. This development was one of the most important in history in reshaping economic activity. It also has begun to reshape the social bond. The family is a covenantal institution. The limited-liability corporation is not. It is a product of contract, not covenantal oath.
The family represents God in history. This is true of the disinherited Adamic family as well as the adopted Christian family. The dominion covenant was given to all mankind. This representation is the meaning of stewardship. But representation goes deeper than this. The man and woman who initiate the family are individuals. After the marriage begins, they are unified. The two become one flesh (Genesis 2:4). This is not a biological category. It is a judicial category. An unmarried couple can bond physically, but they do not thereby become one flesh covenantally. The judicial bond is established by an oath that is judicially binding in God’s eyes and therefore His court.
All representation is personal. The family represents God, who is personal. The marriage partners are unified covenantally, yet they are also individuals who are responsible before God. The family is therefore both one and many. This reflects the Trinity, which is also both one and many.
The family is the model for the division of labor. Genesis 2 reads: “Then Yahweh God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him’” (v. 18). The man needed help. Eve provided it. There was a division of labor. This is seen in the different curses associated with the fall. Eve would have pain in giving birth (Genesis 3:16). Adam would fight sweat, meaning difficult and unpleasant work, as well as thorns and thistles in the ground (v. 18). There was scarcity before the fall, meaning “room for improvement,” but henceforth it would be cursed scarcity.
Stewardship involves hierarchy. There are varying degrees of productivity across society. Some people get richer than others by means of their own productivity. This inequality of output is seen in both versions of the parable of the stewards. Screening in any field of endeavor is accomplished by means of assessing productivity. This is seen in Luke’s account of the parable of the stewards. The two profit-producing stewards were promoted. They became leaders of cities (Luke 19:17–19).
Jesus taught that successful leadership in a family is a mandatory prerequisite for holding either of two church offices. A man who seeks the office of elder in the church is to be screened in terms of his performance as the head of his family. “He should manage his own household well, and his children should obey him with all respect. For if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for a church of God?” (I Timothy 3:4–5). The same is true of deacons. “Deacons must be husbands of one wife. They must manage well their children and household. For those who have served well acquire for themselves a good standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 3:12–13).
All people are to honor their parents. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). This commandment has a promise attached to it: long life.
2. Implementation
The couple should create a lifetime plan for their wealth. They must be intensely future-oriented. The plan may be revised, but there should be a plan before they marry.
The family is to serve God economically. The mark of this subordination is the payment of the tithe to the local church. This means 10%. This goes back to Abram’s payment of a tithe to Melchizedek the high priest (Genesis 14:20). This is the model for Christians today.
It was this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. It was to him that Abraham gave a tenth of everything. His name “Melchizedek” means “king of righteousness.” His other title is “king of Salem,” that is, “king of peace.” He is without father, without mother, without ancestors, with neither beginning of days nor end of life. Instead, he resembles the Son of God, because he remains a priest forever (Hebrews 7:1–3).
Jesus is the high priest after Melchizedek’s priesthood (v. 17). “For such a high priest is suitable for us. He is sinless, blameless, pure, separated from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens” (v. 26). Christians owe their tithe to the local church, which represents Christ to His people. This is the storehouse of the tithe. “‘Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘if I do not open to you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on you, until there is no more room for it all’” (Malachi 3:10). This promise reduces uncertainty for tithing families.
There must be budgeting. Jesus told His people to count the cost. “For which of you who desires to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost to calculate if he has what he needs to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 1:28–30). Careful budgeting helps people become thrifty. This in turn enables them to save money. Savings reduce the likelihood of having to go into debt. “Rich people rule over poor people, and one who borrows is a slave to the one who lends” (Proverbs 22:7).
The couple should decide before the marriage whether the wife should work outside the home after the birth of children. This is a matter of the division of labor. The wife may be able to start a home-based business. This is ideal, but it is a highly uncertain endeavor. It can become highly profitable. If she decides to do this, and her husband agrees, then her husband should allow her to have independent income and independent wealth. This brings us to the issue of property.
1. Theology
God prohibits theft. The commandment against theft in the Ten Commandments represents the strongest support of private property in the history of religion, as well as civilization. This commandment is the core of the private property system. It is also the core of Western civilization. That is because Western civilization developed as an explicitly Christian enterprise. This commandment is inherently ethical. So is this one: “You must not covet your neighbor's house; you must not covet your neighbor's wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17). When obeyed, this commandment cuts off the motivation for theft.
Private property is a result of a specific code of law. A law defending private property is in fact a law defending individual ownership and responsibility. Ownership is a human right. It is not impersonal. A law defending private property also defends the right of contract. People are allowed to make promises to each other regarding future events. The civil government acts as a final enforcer of these contracts. The model for these contracts is the marriage vow. The family is a covenant, not simply the product of mutually beneficial contracts.
The Bible does not teach that husbands automatically become owners of a bride’s property at the time of the marriage. If the wife brought property into the new family, she may retain ownership if she wants to. Nothing in the Bible prohibits a pre-nuptial agreement that separates property ownership by the partners. Why is this true? Because the church baptizes males and females. Females have equal judicial standing with males before God. This leads to economic conclusions regarding the ownership of property. Because women have equal legal standing, their vows are equally valid with men’s vows. This was not true under the Mosaic law, which required a woman’s husband or father to confirm a vow (Numbers 30). Women were not circumcised. Christian women therefore have the derivative right to sign contracts with regard to their own money, as distinguished from the family’s money. This implication was not recognized by most Christian churches until the twentieth century. Women’s right to vote and retain ownership of property came because of humanist reformers in national politics. 2. Implementation
Your home should be a place of refuge: peace. Attaining this sense of peace and protection is important psychologically. Here is a wonderful biblical passage on this goal.
He will judge among many peoples and will decide concerning numerous nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any longer. Instead, they will sit every person under his vine and under his fig tree. No one will make them afraid, for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken (Micah 4:3–4).
Having your own place of rest and recreation is an important aspect of the Christian life. It is an important aspect of every religion’s way of life. This is why people like to own their own homes. They do not wish to be removed from their homes by an owner, which is the threat that renters face. There is a famous phrase in the culture of England: “A man is lord of his castle, no matter how humble it is.” A woman wants to decorate a home to reflect her tastes. She does not want to the owner of the home to evict her family. This is why you should consider becoming a homeowner when you can afford it. This is one of those areas of life in which debt is legitimate. If you can get a loan for a mortgage, and if you live in a region in which the lender cannot claim that you owe him any more than the return of the home, should you default on the loan, then you should consider becoming a debtor. This is a limited-liability mortgage. Your liability is limited to the value of the home. You do not place your other assets at risk when you take out such a loan. You secure a safe space for you and your family for as long as you make regular payments to the lender. Eventually, you will pay off the loan, and you will own the home “free and clear.”
However, if you accept a mortgage in which the lender can claim ownership of your assets other than the home in case you default on the loan, then you are at extreme risk. It is better to be a renter who is evicted by a homeowner than it is to be evicted by a lender who also has the right to take away your wealth up to the value of your debt if you miss a mortgage payment. If your employment conditions change, and you cannot make the payments, then you are in a terrible situation. You had expected to get peace from the ownership of your home, and now you get turmoil and loss. Debt is risky.
If a woman brings capital into the marriage, she may choose to have her fiancé sign a pre-nuptial agreement specifying that he will not gain ownership of this property after the marriage. He may choose to do the same with any property he brings. Because each of them may be bringing debt into the marriage, the debt-free partner may specify a clause excluding him or her from liability for the other’s pre-marriage debt. Each partner had better find out about the other’s debt before the marriage.
In some societies, lenders may require signatures of both marriage partners on contracts that will fund the purchase of jointly owned property.
1. Theology
God evaluates performance. Economic judgment always involves some system of reporting. Participants in the marketplace make decisions in terms of their subjective evaluation of costs and benefits. The model for this ultimately is the final judgment. In the final judgment, God evaluates the performance of every individual. He imputes value to the life’s work of everybody.
We must deal with an uncertain future. When couples marry, they make lifetime promises to each other. The individual partners have almost no understanding of what lies ahead. They agree to deal with an uncertain future as a team. They are convinced that they can achieve their individual goals better together than separately. The family is a covenant. It is sealed by a public oath: partner to partner, and both individuals to God. This oath is legally binding on the two partners. The oath is both individual and corporate. God holds the two oath-takers responsible. He also holds the family responsible as a corporate unit.
In this sense, the family rests on entrepreneurship: forecasting the future and then establishing plans to meet this uncertain future. There are criteria of performance. There will be judgment along the way and then at the end, when a partner dies. The criteria are not primarily monetary. They are ethical.
A business contract establishes legal obligations. These obligations must be upheld by the parties to the contract. Again, the model for this is the family. Two individuals make binding mutual oaths to each other. These oaths create legal obligations. Each partner becomes responsible for the care of the other in case of sickness. The family is the original insurance organization. It spreads life’s risks to two parties instead of one. We must deal with risks in life. Risks are somewhat predictable. We also must deal with uncertainty. Uncertainty is inherently unpredictable. The family helps us deal with both types of unexpected events. Ecclesiastes described the relationship of mutual dependence this way. “Two people work better than one; together they can earn a good pay for their labor. For if one falls, the other can lift up his friend. However, sorrow follows the one who is alone when he falls if there is no one to lift him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10). This is true of the division of labor generally, but the family is the model of the division of labor.
Judgment is essential in any cooperative venture. There is a division of labor in judgment. That is because there is a division of labor in responsibility. A person must stand before God on judgment day. God holds each person responsible for his thoughts, words, and deeds. Each person has greater knowledge about his situation than anyone else. With greater knowledge comes greater responsibility (Luke 12:47–48). Judgment comes from above. It comes from within. But it also comes from without. Spouses understand each other better than those outside the family do. They share in each other’s sanctions: positive and negative. They are better able to offer accurate advice than outsiders. They are also bound by love, or should be. They care for each other. They want to best for each other. They must persuade each other in order to gain full cooperation. All of this involves the exercise of judgement.
They must allocate family assets. It is clear that husbands do this, but Proverbs 31 describes a godly wife. She is a real estate speculator. She buys in search of profit. “She considers a field and buys it, with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard” (v. 16). This takes judgment regarding the output of land, how to identify a profitable price, and how to manage it. She is a manager. “She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from far away. She rises while it is night and gives food to her household, and she distributes the work for her female servants” (vv. 14–15). “She perceives what will make a good profit for her; all night long her lamp is not extinguished” (v. 18). She runs a business: “She makes linen garments and sells them, and she supplies sashes to the merchants” (v. 24). She knows how to manage the family’s capital. “She watches over the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (v. 27). This requires economic judgment. She does all this so that her husband can be a civic leader. “Her husband is known at the gates, when he sits with the elders of the land” (v. 23). He serves God by serving the community. She serves God and the community by serving her husband.
Service is connected with judgment. Point two of the biblical covenant is always connected to point four. Wherever there is responsibility there is hierarchy. There is also judgment: the application of general principles to specific circumstances.
Developing judgment takes time. It takes an increasing knowledge of general principles (point three), always judged in terms of the Bible. There is a back-and-forth relationship between biblical knowledge and the knowledge of how it applies. There is positive feedback: wisdom unto wisdom. This is the biblical doctrine of progressive sanctification. As we grow older, we are supposed to exercise better judgment. This is why rulers in both church and state are called elders. Job said: “With aged men is wisdom; in length of days is understanding” (Job 12:12). A young psalmist knew that he was an anomaly: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for I meditate on your covenant decrees. I understand more than those older than I am; this is because I have kept your instructions” (Psalm 119:89–99). So did Elihu, the young man who wisely counseled Job, unlike the other three counsellors. He first warned the other three not to rely on their age as a source of wisdom.
Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up and said, “I am young, and you are very old. That is why I held back and did not dare to tell you my own opinion. I said, “Length of days should speak; a multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in a man; the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. It is not only the great people who are wise, nor the aged people alone who understand justice (Job 32:6–9).
Nevertheless, he kept silence until the other three had presented their judicial cases against Job without success.
In the family, two people stay with each other in close proximity for most of their adult lives. They develop together. As judges, they should improve. The marriage should improve. They should develop wisdom. Solomon failed to do this. He married too many women (I Kings 11). Yet Solomon is the great example of a judge in the Old Covenant. He gained an international reputation as a judge (I Kings 10:1–10). But he had terrible judgment as a family man. He did not match his ability as a judge in civil matters in his office as a husband.
2. Implementation
A husband should take the lead in religious instruction. The Passover is the model (Exodus 12). So is this: “The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak. Instead, they should be in submission, as also the law says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church” (I Corinthians 14:34–35). This is a biblically inescapable arrangement. It requires husbands to become knowledgeable about the Bible and its applications. Husbands must develop biblical wisdom, which is a matter of judgment.
The discipline of the children is in his hands. He must set the standards. He must then enforce them. “Teach a child the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn away from that instruction” (Proverbs 22:6). “Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they will not be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21).
He should become knowledgeable about diet and health. He earns the money that buys the food. But what kind of food? What do family members need for good health? His wife may research this, but he must decide. This takes judgment.
He must make decisions about his children’s education. He may choose to delegate this to his wife if she decides to teach the children at home. But he has the final say regarding the course of study.
Throughout history, families have been the primary wealth creators. Until 1800, most families ran small farms. Only after 1800 did population growth and urbanization change this social pattern. In cities, family-owned business created most of the wealth until the late nineteenth century. Only with the rise of the limited-liability corporation in the United States in the late nineteenth century did this begin to change.
Families that create businesses must be future-oriented. They must be willing to bear present uncertainties for the sake of future profits. The possibility of loss or bankruptcy is high in the early years of any business. Most people are unwilling to bear this degree of responsibility. They prefer a predictable salary to the lure of profit and the accompanying threat of loss.
For anyone who wants to improve the lives of others, the lure of starting a business should be high. Few businesses ever change society, but millions of small businesses add to individual welfare. Customers get access to a wider range of choices. Employees learn the skills that are associated with success: hard work, predictable output, time-management, a willingness to solve problems, and attention to details. As the business grows, their maturity grows. They learn to accept greater responsibility.
A business is a tool of dominion. It is a way for families to begin to impact local communities in a positive way. The net income generated by a business strengthens the family’s finances. It also allows employees to meet their family obligations. A society’s per capita wealth increases. More people experience the benefits of an increasing standard of living.
Insurance is a great invention. It reduces risks of catastrophic financial losses. By purchasing insurance, a family can protect itself against losses that would otherwise bankrupt it. There are several kinds of insurance for families: life insurance, fire insurance, accident insurance, and health insurance. When I say “life insurance,” I mean term life insurance. There is no savings program involved. The survivor gets paid only if the partner dies. A husband should buy a life insurance (“death insurance”) policy on his wife. She should buy one on his life. If the other person dies, the survivor gets enough money to live without worries for several years. These policies are inexpensive for young adults, who have few assets and who need money if a spouse dies. They can buy policies that pay large amounts of money: five or more years of living expenses. This is what a survivor needs, especially a wife who does not own a small business or work for a salary.
1. Theology
God mandates growth. This ethical requirement cannot be maintained apart from a system of inheritance. It is fulfilled by long-term economic growth through inter-generational inheritance. It is not a one-generation requirement. The family historically has been the chief engine of economic growth. This began to end only in the late nineteenth century. Family inheritances are supposed to multiple capital in history. This means that heads of households should provide money in their estates for their children and grandchildren. This wealth should build up over time. There should be compound growth per capita in covenant-keeping families. The Bible is clear about the accumulation of wealth for the sake of the heirs: “A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous person” (Proverbs 13:22). Inter-generational wealth should increase. Such wealth testifies to God’s covenantal faithfulness. “But you will call to mind Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
The biblical concept of inheritance is best understood in the context of the family. It applies in all five covenants, but the model is the family. It applied before the fall of man. We read in Genesis 1: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply. Fill the earth, and subdue it’” (v. 28a). With the curse of death, inheritance became biologically inescapable. People cannot hang onto their possessions in history. One way or another, heirs will claim whatever the deceased leave behind.
Usually, the primary heirs are the children of the parents. In preparation for the transfer of wealth, the Bible requires parents to teach their children. The institution of the Passover under the Mosaic covenant stressed teaching inside the family.
You must observe this event. This will always be a law for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that Yahweh will give you, just as he has promised to do, you must observe this act of worship. When your children ask you, ‘What does this act of worship mean?’ then you must say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Yahweh's Passover, because Yahweh passed over the Israelites' houses in Egypt when he attacked the Egyptians. He set our households free’” (Exodus 12:24–27).
Covenantal continuity is provided by the family. This is where children first hear about God and His relationships with His people and the world. They also see how their parents apply God’s laws inside the family. Solomon wrote: “Teach a child the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn away from that instruction” (Proverbs 22:6). The first nine chapters of Proverbs are in the form of verbal instruction given by a father to his son.
Paul offered this series of commands. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (which is the first commandment with promise), ‘so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. Instead, raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1–4). Children who honor their parents inherit long life. This is the inheritance that most people seek above all others. It is universally sought after. It is tied judicially to a family law governing children, according to Moses (Exodus 20:12).
The larger the number of heirs, the smaller the inheritance for each. The Bible says that large families are a blessing. “See, children are a heritage from Yahweh, and the fruit of the womb is a reward from him. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man that has his quiver full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts his enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3–6). But this blessing, if repeated by successive generations, rapidly disperses the original inheritance. Even large fortunes are dispersed within a few generations unless the children are taught to multiply their inheritances from their parents. The children must believe what they are taught. They must also develop the skills required to increase wealth. Rare are the children of rich men who master these skills. Their parents send them to colleges where they are taught by salaried bureaucrats, not by entrepreneurs. They tend to become salaried employees rather than entrepreneurs.
Parents should judge the spiritual commitment of the heirs. The inheritance should not be used to benefit covenant-breakers. We are not to subsidize evil. We are not to place the family above the kingdom of God. Isaac was ready to pass the inheritance to Esau, despite Esau’s bad behavior in marrying Canaanite women (Genesis 36:2), and despite the fact that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob for a plate of stew (Genesis 25:29–34). Isaac’s decision was wrong. It meant disinheriting Jacob, a covenant-keeper. But there can be an exception based on service. An adult child may not be a Christian, but he or she takes care of a sick or mentally failing parent in the parent’s old age. This form of service deserves a reward. The child is to be treated fairly. “Look, the pay of the laborers is crying out—the pay that you have withheld from those who harvested your fields, and the cries of the harvesters have gone into the ears of the Lord of hosts” (James 5:4). This payment is not a matter of grace. It is payment for services rendered.
The family is in charge of the education of the children. The model is Passover. Fathers must teach their children about the God of history and liberation. They must also teach them God’s law.
Now these are the commandments, statutes, and decrees that Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you might keep them in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess; so that you might honor Yahweh your God, so as to keep all his statutes and commandments that I am commanding you—you, your sons, and your sons' sons, all the days of your lives, so that your days may be prolonged. Therefore listen to them, Israel, and keep them, so that it may go well with you, so that you may greatly multiply, in a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you would do.Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is one. You will love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. The words that I am commanding you today will be in your heart; and you will diligently teach them to your children; you will talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. “The words that I am commanding you today will be in your heart; and you will diligently teach them to your children; you will talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:1–8).
It is legitimate to delegate part of this task to specialists in teaching certain skills, but parents must maintain authority over the content of education for as long as their children are minors. This is basic to the continuity of the family covenant through the generations.
2. Implementation
Parents must strive to build an economic inheritance for covenant-keeping children. They should not reduce this inheritance by leaving wealth to covenant-breaking children. This is difficult for parents to accept. They place their covenant-breaking children’s welfare above the welfare of the kingdom of God.
It is legitimate for parents to pass on a portion of the inheritance before they die. They can then watch what their children do with the money. Long before this test, parents must teach their children the basics of wealth management: identifying purpose, developing a plan, budgeting time and money, avoiding consumer debt, exercising thrift, and investing in their own career educations and the educations of their children.
Wealthy parents can use trust funds to transfer wealth over time. It may not be wise to allow the heirs to inherit all of the money at once. They may squander it. A trust establishes criteria for inheritance at various ages. But the trustee must be trustworthy.
There is the issue of old age. Aged parents sometimes fail mentally and physically. Who will care for them? Specific children? These children deserve a larger share of the inheritance. Professional care givers? This is expensive. It will deplete the inheritance.
If there is a great deal of money, charitable organizations should become heirs. Parents must decide which ones are most likely to maximize the return on the money as stewards of God’s kingdom. Which ones extend the specialized goals of the parents?
The family has been the primary institutional source of wealth creation in history. Generally, this has been through family-owned businesses and farms. Until about 1800, farming was the main business of most families, but this is no longer true in economically developed nations. Agriculture has become the domain of corporate business, not family business.
Capital accumulation is tied to innovation in many fields of endeavor. As we grow richer due to increased capital, including ideas, the opportunities for wealth creation multiply. The division of labor extends far beyond the family. Business is capitalized more easily and with greater effect through limited-liability corporations, which can raise investment funds and hire specialized talent. This is why the family has been steadily eclipsed as the primary source of wealth creation. But the family has not been eclipsed as the primary institutional source of ethical training, which is the long-term basis of wealth creation. Businesses are good for expanding wealth, but they are not good for teaching ethics. They are governed primarily by monetary accounting: profit and loss. They are not governed by the threat of final judgment. They have no souls to damn. But their owners, managers, and employees do. So do their customers.
Families provide stability for society. The question then is this: “Has God equipped Christian families to become models for all other families?” He has. He has given them His law. He has given them the Holy Spirit, who in turn empowers covenant-keepers.
All families are responsible before God for subduing the earth and multiplying, but only covenant-keeping families are also called by God to build His kingdom. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33). God has given covenant-keepers the long-term advantage. Isaiah proclaimed: “For see, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or be brought to mind” (Isaiah 65:17).
Never again will an infant live there only a few days; nor will an old man die before his time. One who dies at one hundred years old will be considered a young person. Anyone who fails to reach the age of one hundred years old will be considered cursed. They will build houses and inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build a house and another live in it; they will not plant, and another eat; for as the days of trees will be the days of my people. My chosen will fully outlive the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor give birth to dismay. For they are the children of those blessed by Yahweh, and their descendants with them. Before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear (vv. 20–24).
This will be an aspect of history, not eternity. There will still be sinners. There will still be death. Sinners will die early. “Anyone who fails to reach the age of one hundred years old will be considered cursed.”
Covenant-keepers benefit from the productivity of covenant-breakers. Covenant-breakers benefit from God’s common grace, which He grants to them. But covenant-keepers inherit. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Again: “A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous person” (Proverbs 13:22). God has tilted the playing field of history to favor covenant-keepers.
Then there is family size. A couple who jointly decide to have one more child can influence that child and grandchildren. One more child will involve accepting greater responsibility. This is what extending the kingdom of God requires: greater responsibility. One more child also involves a greater multiplication factor. Second, a family that adopts a child brings stability into that child’s life. The new environment will almost always be more supportive than an orphanage’s environment. The child is more likely to succeed in life. The child’s confession of faith as an adult is more likely to be Christian. Adoption is a model for redemption: the transition from membership in the disinherited family of Adam to the inheriting family of Christ.
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To read the entire book, go here: https://www.garynorth.com/public/department197.cfm.