Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
Genesis 49:11,12
The contemporary gospel hymn, Blessed Be Your Name, by Matt Redman, begins “Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful.” Singing that always sounds strange to me. I have usually focused on blessing His name when things are difficult. However, it can sometimes be as difficult to praise God when we are distracted by frivolous blessings.
America has been given unprecedented blessings of wealth even frivolous wealth. If we look at the passage before us we see something that common sense ought to tell us. Such blessings still come from God. In the picture, Judah tied his donkey to the vine. His focus was on the sweetness of this blessing. God gave life to the vine. He caused it to bear fruit for our enjoyment. During the cold war The Soviet Empire devoted its resources to military prowess. In America we were focused on increasing the wellbeing of our citizens. But making people wealthier enabled us to strengthen our military as well.
And yes, we wash our clothes in wealth which seemed frivolous to the Soviet leaders. I remember a joke I heard years ago in a seminary class. In Amos 4:6, referring to famine, the prophet declares that there will be “cleanness of teeth in all their cities.” We all laughed at what sounds like a toothpaste commercial. But while our motivation to make our “teeth whiter than milk” was shallow, dental hygiene has improved the overall health of Americans.
We became healthier in many ways. In the 20th century Americans had grown taller and stronger than our European counterparts who came from the same stock. I remember being cynical about medicines sold over the counter in America because they only addressed the symptoms of illness. But on my first trip into the former Soviet Union I discovered that the people there longed for anything that addressed the symptoms of minor things like headaches and sore throats.
China, which is still a communist country, learned this lesson. During the years after the fall of the Soviet Union, they brought in capitalist measures to strengthen their economy. During those years of increasing individual wealth the government loosened their grip on the lives of their citizens, at least in some parts of that great country. I am not sure how these two things are related. Did their economy grow because they loosened their hold on people, or did they have to loosen their grip on individuals because of their increased prosperity? China has cracked down again on things like human rights and religious freedom while continuing to promote material prosperity. I wonder what the outcome will prove to be from this effort.
It is also important to see that increased wealth brings responsibility. You can use your wealth to be more generous to those around you. Or you can become more and more selfish. I have been impressed with companies that have devoted increased prosperity to increasing the lifestyle of all their employees. I know at least two fast food companies and a retail business that have increased the minimum they pay employees to at least twice the minimum wage required by law. I see this as good even if the demand for employees has driven wages up. Incidentally, the three companies I referred to raised their wages long before coved19 and its continuing effects on the job market.
There is a biblical principle of God's blessing on generosity. To a great extent our increased wealth is a result of past giving to the needs of others. And make no mistake, we will give account to God for how we use our material blessings.
I think you will enjoy Matt Redman’s music. This message of this hymn is wider than blessing God in good times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTpTQ4kBLxA&list=OLAK5uy_mgph29CwC_vLE3NLr3KbWByOQI6hDMGd4
