Modern businesses say that they exist “to make a profit” and “provide a service.” Some even add “to care for the well-being” of their workforce. But often, this concern is more pragmatic than anything else. A happy worker is a more productive worker. It is more a concern for the bottom line than for the worker on the assembly line.
The Lord handed down to Israel a unique set of principles for doing business. Take, for example, the law of release. Every seventh year the land had to be left uncultivated so that it has a Sabbath rest to be more productive. The law of release stated that people laboring under their debt when the Sabbath year arrived were granted release from their debt. Whether the release was permanent or temporary has been debated. Either way, sharp people in business, knowing that the year of release was coming, wouldn’t want to make a loan where the repayment would be delayed or even possibly canceled. But God instructed them not to be “mean-spirited” and complete the loan anyway.
A similar provision related to the situation of those in a state of bankruptcy had no option but to sell themselves — their only remaining asset – into slavery. The law of release stipulated that such slaves would be allowed their freedom when the Sabbath year arrived. Understandably so, some businessmen were reluctant to let free labor go. But God told them not only to let them go but to give them “a generous farewell gift.”
What should be the attitude of the Christian businessperson? If he doesn’t provide a product or service, he’ll be out of business, and if he doesn’t turn a profit, he’ll go bankrupt. So, those two objections are “givens.”
But what should his attitude be toward those he works with or those who work for him? To answer this question, we need to remember that the Christian businessman is a Christian first and a businessman second. His business activities provide the environments in which his Christian convictions shine through. Nowhere will this be more evident than in the way he treats people. But how should he treat them? He should remember that he is not dealing solely with a human-machine, but a person – a person whom God made and for whom Christ died, and whose well-being is one of God’s concerns. So the Christian businessman’s primary concern should be how to treat people who have eternal worth in a way that pleases God. For God, generosity is a given, and with God, a generous approach means business!
Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in everything you do. (Deut. 15:10) NIV