Roles

With the dismantling of USAID, we see polarizing reactions. On one side, we hear that children and other unfortunate people around the globe will starve. On the other, we hear that corruption and waste will finally be exposed and terminated.

If you hope this column will discuss the happenings at USAID, you’ll be disappointed. For the sake of honesty, I had never heard of the organization until the news about its spending practices broke last week. I have not done any research into USAID. I have read dozens of pro and con posts on social media, but that amounts to zero research.

Our questions about USAID and other organizations within government can be best answered by asking broader questions: What is the role of government? And does giving away money fit into the role of what a government should do?

The Biblical story of Joseph is fascinating. Joseph goes from slavery to prison to the number two man in the Egyptian government. His story begins in Genesis 37 and runs through the remainder of the book. If you want the deep details, I encourage you to read those chapters, but here, we will concentrate on his work in the Egyptian government.

After years in prison, his rise to governmental power happens instantly.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, has two dreams. He dreams of seven fat cows coming up out of the Nile River. Then, seven skinny cows come from the river and eat the fat cows. His second dream is similar: seven plush, mouth-watering ears of corn grow on one stalk, then seven ears with hardly any corn, small, not worth eating, grow and devour the seven good ears.

The dreams bother Pharaoh to the point that he wants someone to interpret them. Joseph, who has interpreted dreams for other prisoners, is recommended to him; Pharaoh summons Joseph from the prison.

Joseph explains to Pharaoh the meaning of the dreams. Egypt will experience seven years of great plenty. The harvest will be beyond bumper crop good. Then, there will be seven years of basically no crops and, therefore, seven years of famine.

Immediately, Pharaoh declares that only Pharaoh will have more authority in Egypt than Joseph and places Joseph in charge of Egypt’s food distribution program (Genesis 41).

During the seven years of plenty, Joseph gathers all the extra crops and stores them away. When the seven years of famine strike, Joseph sells the food to whoever has the money to purchase it (Genesis 42:6).

There comes a point in the famine when people have no more money to buy food. The government has it all. Then the government, through Joseph, begins to take the people’s assets in exchange for the food in the silos. Finally, when nothing is left, the government takes land for food. When the land is gone, people are placed into government service. Joseph then moves people from the farms to the cities. Eventually, Joseph gives them seeds to plant crops and charges them a twenty percent flat tax on the increase. (Genesis 47:14-26). The people are happy with this arrangement because “thou hast saved our lives” (Genesis 47:25).

I am not advocating that people give up their personal property, land, or freedom to receive food from the government; I am only retelling what the Bible says happened. However, it is interesting that God, who had spoken to Joseph several times, never once said, “Look, Joseph, the people are drained dry. They have nothing left to give. Be compassionate, give the food away.” Also of note is that Joseph is one of the few Bible personalities in which Scripture records none of his sins. Since the Bible paints such a high picture of Joseph, maybe the reason for  God’s silence about giving the food away has more to do with the role of government than Joseph’s actions as an individual.

There are many forms of government worldwide: Republics, Dictatorships, Communism, Socialism, Monarchies, even Tribalism—the list goes on. God instructs the people and those in government on what He expects from each and what our roles should be.

God ordains all power, and resisting that power is resisting the ordinances of God (Romans 13:1-2).

The government has a God-given responsibility to promote good and be a “terror” to evil by administering punishment for evil deeds (Romans 13:3-4). The same passage also tells the citizenry to “do that which is good.” Therefore, good citizens behave themselves, while the government administers justice when wrongdoing arises. Here is the establishment of a judicial system within the government. This system will include a police force to investigate crime and catch the bad guys, a court system to determine guilt or innocence with fairness to society and the accused, and a correctional system to administer punishment, such as jail time or whatever. How each government sets up its system to provide law and order is up to them, but God has established the purpose.

Romans 13:6 informs us that taxes are needed for the government to enforce the law.

In summary, citizens should live godly lives, obeying the laws of the land. The government should not have ungodly laws and protect the people from those who commit evil, thus giving the people the freedom to live productive, happy lives. This responsibility of government extends beyond a police force to include a military to protect the people from any foreign invasion that would disrupt the lives of the populace.

The government’s role, as ordained by God, is to protect the people through an internal police force and a military to protect them from foreign threats. The taxes raised by the government (Romans 13:6) are for this purpose, nothing else. God did not intend for a government to feed the poor or help those in other nations.

People will now shout that this is not a Christ-like attitude. Isn’t a Christ-like attitude a Biblical attitude? The Bible commands individuals and churches to feed the poor and care for the sick and those down on their luck. The Bible never tells a government to give to the poor. God established government and the role He wants government to play: protect the people through proper laws and protecting the nation from enemy forces.

Imagine if the government, churches, and people would fulfill the roles God has given them. Suppose the government only raised enough tax dollars to pay for the police, judicial system, and military. How much more would everyone have to enrich their lives and help those in need? Some of that extra money people would have would also go to churches and other charities, which would help those that the private individual could not reach.

Long story short, if the government, people, and churches did what God has ordained them to do, government agencies such as USAID would not be necessary.