Posted on 09/23/2014 6:13:35 AM PDT by WXRGina
This is a difficult column to write. It may earn me scorn from fellow conservatives who strongly trust in their hard-earned, stored provisions. But, it is a subject that has weighed on my mind. The question concerns Christians, not unbelievers. Is serious “prepping” something Christians should do? Prepping, as you may know, is the laying up of food, water, weapons, ammunition and other supplies for the event of future disaster, commonly referred to in the prepper community by the initials SHTF (“stuff” hits the fan).
There are Christian prepper communities. According to one such Christian website entry:
The prepper sees the imminent collapse of the American dollar, hyperinflation, breakdown of society and the [disintegration] of the city infrastructure such as roads, transportation, telecommunication, water supply, electricity, gas, etc. They start storing food, water, batteries for survival, and even guns and ammunition for protection of their hoardings. Many are looking for lands to buy and so the prices of farmlands and rural acreages have been driven up tremendously. Preppers are increasing in numbers every day in America, so some have called it the Prepper nation.
… Most preppers are mainly concerned about their physical wellbeing during bad times and disasters, so they focus on stocking up food, drinks, batteries and other items that are required for survival. Some are buying gold, silver and other precious metals as hedges against the U.S. Dollar and economic collapse. Others go further by looking for farmlands and equipment for renewable energy such as solar and wind powered generators. All these kinds of preparation are highly essential when the Great Tribulation occurs, but there are other more important things to consider as well.
The piece goes on to express the importance of being spiritually prepared in Christ. It admonishes us to not do our prepping out of fear.
The Bible tells us that God’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. What seems wise and right to us is not necessarily so, because the only true wisdom is God’s wisdom. The Lord is infinitely higher than we are, and our very limited minds cannot grasp the depth of the knowledge and wisdom of God, although as we seek His wisdom, He gives it to us, and we grow in it. The world tells us there is wisdom in laying up provisions for bad times to come, and there are also examples in Scripture of this, as in God warning Joseph in Pharaoh’s dream to store grain before the famine in Egypt, and God advising Noah to build the ark and load provisions into it for the duration of the flood. What else does the Bible say about this?
In Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV), Jesus says:
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Further on in verses 25 and 31-34, Jesus continues:
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
… 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
That passage makes it clear that the Lord wants us to put our faith in Him alone. Does that mean God does not want us to be serious preppers? In defense of prepping, some might point to Proverbs 21:20 (NIV):
The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
Is that an admonition to hoard, or more of a general comparison of the behavior of the wise man and the foolish man? Proverbs is full of such comparisons of the wise and foolish and the Godly and wicked.
The Bible stresses the importance of work and the folly of laziness. However, there is a big difference between hardcore prepping and laziness. Just because some of us may not be serious preppers does not mean we’re lazy. There are many of us who have thought about prepping but have little to no space for storing a lot of provisions. Neither does everyone have enough money to spend on extra supplies, other than a little here and there, although even without much money, you could still build up quite a collection over time.
Is prepping in keeping with God’s instructions for us? Not if you look to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6. But, if we do choose to prepare, how much is enough? Three to six months’ stockpile of food, water and other supplies? How could we ever know how much we would need? The answer is that we can’t know, and I believe therein lies the key to the whole issue. I don’t believe there is anything inherently wrong with prepping, but as Christians, our faith must not be in our supplies or our ability to procure them. God makes it clear that He wants to be the sole object of our faith and trust. Seek Him first, and “all these things will be added unto you.” All we have comes from Him. “Unhealthy” prepping is when it becomes more important to us than trusting the Lord to know what’s coming and what we will need.
Psalms 37 is a marvelous chapter that contrasts the righteous with the wicked. It declares that the man who trusts in God will be taken care of by the Lord in every way, but the wicked will quickly perish, even though for a time it seems that the wicked prosper. In verses 23-25 (KJV), David writes:
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
The Lord knows what’s coming, and He knows what we will need. He will give Christians the things we need when we need them. I’m not advocating lying down and “doing nothing,” because I don’t believe prepping is a bad thing, but we must keep it in perspective. While prepping can be a great help in certain situations, it is not what saves us or takes care of us. Only the Lord does that, and while we may choose to be preppers, as Christians, we must always keep our focus on Him.
I have a friend who keeps one. Breeding pair in a large aquarium inside. Some up north do trout also.
Wow! I’m jealous. We just bought this land two years ago and it was just timber and scrub brush. I’v got a long way to go before I get to that.
You are contextually challenged aren't you. Why don't you try thinking first before you decide to post.
But then don't answer the question posed
Coward
Don't quit your day job to become a bible scholar alex
I’m sorry, but I’ve tried to communicate the purpose of my column to you, but I seem to be unable to get it through.
duckbutt: “The whole point of those scriptures is that we’re not to worry”
NO!, it is rebuking lack of faith in God to provide, that is why he says “O ye of little faith”
In decades of association with the far right I have seen many tend toward a reliance on self and a lack of faith. This is bad. At the same time the lack of long term planning or preparation by the general populace is shocking. Prepping is a biblical concept, but that doesn’t mean every Christian should be a prepper. John the Baptist roamed about with lame clothes and a limited diet. Sometimes God will call someone to go against what they “know” is good judgment. Sometimes that might be overprepping. Come on how stupid was it to build an ark the size Noah was building. For the disciples it was underprepping, by going out without anything. Generally however preparation and providing for your own are COMMANDED.
A note to extreme preppers: You can have 50 years of food, 1000sq ft of weapons and a tank, and STILL have everything taken from you and starve or be killed in an apocalyptic scenario. You cannot rely on yourself, rely on God, and make wise preparations.
Black Agnes: “The very best preps are self sufficient skillsets and the tools you need to carry those out.”
Definitely.
moovova: “We prep in many ways ...Why would storing up food and other supplies be any different?”
Yes, you could argue that insurance, and 401ks show a lack of faith. Having those things and not other preparations may be double-minded.
WXRGina: “Joseph is mentioned in the column, as is Noah. Those were peculiar situations the Lord initiated.”
So would an apocalyptic scenario be something the Lord initiated.
roamer_1, CynicalBear: “home grown tilapia in an aquaponics system.”
Now you’re talking :-) Great system combined with passive solar. Water is thermal mass.
There is the essence of my column. Thank you, Prophet2520.
What do you mean, 'back on earth'?? Shall I sell all I have and join them in the ditch? Shall I poison my body to join them in the hospital? Shall I maim myself and join them at the gate? That's ultimately just one more hand held out for alms, and the negation of all that I could do with what YHWH has given me. What good does that do me or them? That isn't Christianity, it's communism. The rising tide sinks all boats, eh?
By "back on Earth," I mean "back in the real world," where, for most of history, human beings have perennially been undernourished, poorly clothed, disease-ridden, etc. - as witnessed by the fact that life expectancy throughout the world was under 35 years until after the Medieval Period.
As for "shall I sell all I have..." etc.: I have made absolutely no statement - or even insinuation - as to what you, personally, should be doing.
The sole purpose of my original posting was to point out that the quoted passage in Matthew makes it abundantly clear that Christ said that we should take no care for the morrow, should not concern ourselves with acquiring riches or even such basic necessities as clothing.
My only question remains: How can this [i.e., the abject poverty in which most of humanity - and even most of the Faithful - have lived in the last 2,000 years] be reconciled with the passage in the Gospel according to Matthew [which clearly states that people should not attempt to better their situations by "giving thought" to securing basic necessities].
My own speculation is that Christ was convinced that the End Times were immediately impending. (This also would explain certain other passages such as Luke 9:27 "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste of death before they see the kingdom of God.")
Regards,
Are you referring to the personal question which you posed concerning my employment/financial situation - probably as a prelude to launching an ad hominem fallacy-ridden attack on me / on the validity of my question?
I have not even presented an argument up till now. Instead, I have only been asking how other folks reconcile the cited passage of Matthew (which clearly enjoins us to NOT prepare) with the obvious practical need to prepare.
Regards,
There is no need to be insulting!
I have merely cited Scripture and asked how others here interpreted it.
Of course, I have my own tentative interpretation - which I am not attempting to ram down anyone's throats.
A little more civility when engaging in polite discourse would become you.
Regards,
I actually wanted to respond to your previous utterance (quoted above) - not to your last posting.
My response: Yes, a majority of 21st-century Americans are in the enviable possition of being able to afford those things. If someone wants to purchase a 50-lb sack of flour, he can do so for a few bucks.
But for most of recorded history, this has NOT been the case. God did NOT give most of the Faithful in the Middle Ages a full larder, adequate employment, etc.
Christ appears to have fulfilled his promise to YOU, but not to the majority of the Faithful, most of whom - through no fault of their own - were denied basic necessities.
I have difficulty reconciling the REALITY which prevailed for most of the previous 2,000 years with the promises made in Matthew.
Don't attack the messenger (i.e., the person posing this question).
Regards,
My tagline...
“I have difficulty reconciling the REALITY which prevailed for most of the previous 2,000 years with the promises made in Matthew.”
Scripture passages are not meant to be taken out of the context of the rest of the bible or even common sense. He also said it rains on the just and the unjust.
But keep in mind scripture also points to a 1260 year period of what some might call tribulation. That spanned roughly from 538 A.D. to 1798 A.D. Further, I think you may have some misconceptions about the availability of food, especially to believers in the last two thousand years.
Perhaps your interpretation thereof, what you say it 'clearly' says, is what is at fault. Upthread you had stated that the Bible is contradictory between Matthew and Proverbs - I would assert that you're reading it wrong.
My only question remains: How can this [i.e., the abject poverty in which most of humanity - and even most of the Faithful - have lived in the last 2,000 years] be reconciled with the passage in the Gospel according to Matthew [which clearly states that people should not attempt to better their situations by "giving thought" to securing basic necessities].
Answered above, except to address this idea that man has lived in 'abject poverty', which I resoundingly reject.
Do not confuse the impositions of the Medieval Roman church and the feudal system as 'Christian'.
Were you to read the passage in context vs 24 illuminates vs 25 - serving God or mammon
Has nothing to do with enjoining one not to prepare - but everything to do with choosing God over the world.
One could look at the Greek too - it is evident that prudent care is never forbidden by our Lord - with merizein ton meaning "dividing or distracting the mind". That is what is being addressed. Prudent care is never forbidden by our Lord, but only that anxious distracting solicitude
Instead, I have only been asking how other folks reconcile the cited passage of Matthew (which clearly enjoins us to NOT prepare) with the obvious practical need to prepare.
Just to throw darts.
Then perhaps you can be constructive and not throw darts by mischaracterizing the scriptures
Of course, I have my own tentative interpretation - which I am not attempting to ram down anyone's throats.
Which you haven't even put forth - only denigrate others
A little more civility when engaging in polite discourse would become you.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. . . .
Thanks, by the way, for your measured, calm, and reasonable replies!
Regarding your statement above (your resounding rejection of my observation): Are you saying that there aren't any examples of the Faithful being forced - despite the assurances presented in Matthew - to live in abject poverty?
Regards,
Examples abound, no doubt.
Does Matthew promise the lily, in all her glory, that a deer won't come along, tear her up by the roots, and turn her into poo?
Does that detract from the beauty of the lily in the here and now?
Don't mistake me now - Some of the richest people I know are sown in rocky ground. Beauty and wealth are subjective terms.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.