FRAUD IN
BUSINESS DEALINGS
Memorise: Ye shall
not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. Leviticus 19:11
Read: Nehemiah
5:1-13, 5 And there was a great cry of the people and of
their wives against their brethren the
Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our
daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and
live.
3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged
our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money
for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren,
our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our
daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage
already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our
lands and vineyards.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and
these words.
7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the
nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his
brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said unto them, We after our ability have
redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye
even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their
peace, and found nothing to answer.
9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye
not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our
enemies?
10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants,
might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their
lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth
part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of
them.
12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will
require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the
priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this
promise.
13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out
every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this
promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation
said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did
according to this promise.
Bible in one year: Psalm 21-26, Titus 2:1-3:15
MESSAGE!
God hates extortion; hence He prohibits it. In our Bible reading, after
the children of Israel returned to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, the rich ones
among them began to extort the poor until they cried out to Nehemiah. Nehemiah
rebuked the rich who did this, and he asked them to make restitution. When this
was done, there was great joy in the land. We see a similar situation in the
case of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector who
amassed wealth by defrauding the poor. The day he received Jesus Christ, he
immediately decided to share his wealth into two and give one part of it to the
poor. Thereafter, he offered to apply the Mosaic Law on restitution, by
restoring fourfold of whatever he fraudulently received from people (Exodus
22:1). Jesus did not tell him that his step on restitution was unnecessary,
rather He reinforced it. Luke 19:9 says:
“And Jesus said unto him, This
day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”
Moreover, restitution equally effects employer-employee relationships.
In Leviticus 19:13, God warns against extorting your workers:
“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him:
the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the
morning.”
Do you know it is wrong to withhold your worker’s salary or wages a day
beyond the agreed date of payment? There are employers who sit on their staff
salaries for weeks and months and expose them to untold hardship, and yet they
expect their staff to be faithful in their work. That is wickedness! Such
employers must make restitution by releasing the salaries and paying an
inconvenience allowance. However, if the employer genuinely does not have the
funds to pay the staff and he explains the situation to them before hand, he is
exonerated. Some people trade with the salaries and benefits of their staff for
months before releasing their pay. They do this to derive gain for themselves.
This also is wickedness. Why is it that retired people who contributed all
their working years to a fund cannot access their money or receive their
pension after retirement? God hates fraud, whether it is perpetrated by an
individual, organisation or government.
Key Point
When you occupy a
public office, you are accountable to God and to the people you are serving in
that office.
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