Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 46-48.
Though rulers are able to exercise authority over the people, the following verses provide a reminder that God has placed a limit upon the authority to tax in order to preserve the property rights of individuals.
“Thus says the Lord God, ‘If the prince gives a gift out of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance’” (Ezekiel 46:16).
It was perfectly legitimate for a prince to give what belonged to him to his sons. Every father enjoyed this same right. But what if a prince wanted to give more to his sons than what he possessed? What if he simply wanted more for himself? Was he at liberty, as a ruler over the people, to take whatever he wanted? The following verse answers this:
“‘The prince shall not take from the people’s inheritance, thrusting them out of their possession; he shall give his sons inheritance from his own possession so that My people will not be scattered, anyone from his possession’” (Ezekiel 46:18).
Though God used civil authorities for a purpose and Jesus acknowledged the necessity of some level of taxation (Matthew 22:17-21), God never intended for rulers to have unlimited authority over the property of the people. The wealth that each one has is a “gift of God” that is meant to be used and enjoyed by the one who possessed those things (Ecclesiastes 5:19). Civil authorities have no divinely-given right to confiscate wealth and property from people to such a degree that it hinders their ability to provide for their own, remain in their own land, and leave something of an inheritance to their children.
Tomorrow’s reading: Joel 1-3
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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