Rural Economy

Here, in a compilation of quotations and Bible verses, you will find practical, biblical instruction for life:

Custom vs. Inspiration
The Folly of Popular Customs
The Validity of the Scriptures
The Testimonies and Today
Discovery of the Lost Law
God's Covenant With Us
The Strongest Meat Not For Babes

The Biblical Lifestyle
The Most Favorable Occupation
Land-Based Economy
The Inheritance
Meeting the Problems of Farmers
Promises for the Land
Diligence vs. Slothfulness
Stewardship of the Land
God's Care for the Poor
Family Businesses
Home, the Center of Education
Parents, their Children's Physicians

Economic Principles
Wealth and Riches
Usury
Financial Slavery
Borrowing and Lending
Making Money Without Working
Where to Put Your Money
Honesty in Trade
Relieving the Oppressed
Suretyship
Forbidden Partnerships
Separation from the World
Worldly Protection Policies
The Christian's Protection Plan

The Christian's Protection Plan

"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Psalm 34:7

"How graciously and tenderly our heavenly Father deals with His children! He preserves them from a thousand dangers to them unseen." 3T 373

"We cannot know how much we owe to Christ for the peace and protection which we enjoy." GC 36

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." Psalm 37:23, 24

"Then, as now, persons were subject to misfortune, sickness, and loss of property; yet so long as they followed the instruction given by God, there were no beggars among them, neither any who suffered for food." PP 531

"With Him there can be no such thing as failure, loss, impossibility, or defeat." DA 490

"If we surrender our lives to His service, we can never be placed in a position for which God has not made provision." COL 173

"I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Psalm 37:25

"Whatever may come, strength proportionate to the trial will be given." SC 125

"He guards His children's still. . . . He measures every trial. . . . His people will be safe in His hands." MB 121

"The Father's presence encircled Christ, and nothing befell Him but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us. He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. . . . Nothing can touch him except by our Lord's permission, and 'all things' that are permitted 'work together for good to them that love God.'" MB 71

"The poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless." Psalm 10:14

"The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down." Psalm 146:9

"And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." Isaiah 46:4

"Not one soul who in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. His word is pledged. . . . The promise given to Joshua is given to all: 'If thou wilt keep My charge, . . . I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.' Zechariah 3:7. Angels of God will walk on either side of them." PK 587

"God's people . . . are assured of the unceasing guardianship of heavenly angels." GC 513

"There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief." Proverbs 12:21

"But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." Exodus 11:7

"The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just." Proverbs 3:33

"Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." Proverbs 1:33

"Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." Psalm 50:15

See also Psalm 121; Proverbs 2:8; 3:6, 24-26.

"When the children of Israel were journeying through the wilderness, the Lord protected them from venomous serpents; but the time came when, because of Israel's transgression, impenitence, and stubbornness, the Lord removed His restraining power from these reptiles, and many of the people were bitten and died." 8T 50

"By stubborn rejection of divine love and mercy, the Jews had caused the protection of God to be withdrawn from them." GC 35

"Though surrounded by unconquered foes, they were safe under the protection of God as long as they were faithful to Him." PP 499

"To this people were committed the oracles of God. They were hedged about by the precepts of His law, the everlasting principles of truth, justice, and purity. Obedience to these principles was to be their protection." COL 287

"The Lord has given His holy commandments to be a wall of protection around His created beings." 1BC 1105

"The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." Psalm 37:31

"Those who take God at His word, and obey His commandments with the whole heart, will be blessed. He will be their shield of protection. But the Lord will not be trifled with." CD 411

"There is danger in departing in the least from the Lord's instruction. When we deviate from the plain path of duty, a train of circumstances will arise that seem irresistibly to draw us farther and father from the right. . . . Angels of God will preserve His people while they walk in the path of duty; but there is no assurance of such protection for those who deliberately venture upon Satan's ground." Ev 607

"To connect with an unbeliever is to place yourself on Satan's ground. You grieve the Spirit of God and forfeit His protection." 5T 364, 365

"It is God that shields His creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. But the Christian world have shown contempt for the law of Jehovah; and the Lord will do just what he has declared that He would--He will withdraw His blessings from the earth and remove His protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law and teaching and forcing others to do the same." GC 589

"The Lord is removing His restrictions from the earth, and soon there will be death and destruction, increasing crime, and cruel, evil working against the rich who have exalted themselves against the poor. Those who are without God's protection will find no safety in any place or position." 8T 50

"That time will soon come, and we shall have to keep hold of the strong arm of Jehovah. . . . Our minds must be stayed upon God, and we must not fear the fear of the wicked, that is, fear what they fear. . . . Could our eyes be opened, we should see forms of evil angels around us, trying to invent some new way to annoy and destroy us. And we should also see angels of God guarding us from their power; for God's watchful eye is ever over Israel for good, and He will protect and save His people, if they put their trust in Him." EW 60

Worldly Protection Policies

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." Psalm 118:8, 9

"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." Psalm 146:3

"Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Psalm 127:1

"I was shown that Sabbathkeeping Adventists should not engage in life insurance. This is a commerce with the world which God does not approve. Those who engage in this enterprise are uniting with the world, while God calls His people to come out from among them and to be separate. Said the angel: 'Christ has purchased you by the sacrifice of His life. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." ' Here is the only life insurance which heaven sanctions.

"Life insurance is a worldly policy which leads our brethren who engage in it to depart from the simplicity and purity of the gospel. Every such departure weakens our faith and lessens our spirituality. Said the angel: 'But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.' As a people we are in a special sense the Lord's. Christ has bought us. Angels that excel in strength surround us. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of our heavenly Father. Even the hairs of our head are numbered. God has made provision for His people. He has a special care for them, and they should not distrust His providence by engaging in a policy with the world.

"God designs that we should preserve in simplicity and holiness our peculiarity as a people. Those who engage in this worldly policy invest means which belong to God, which He has entrusted to them to use in His cause, to advance His work. But few will realize any returns from life insurance, and without God's blessing even these will prove an injury instead of a benefit. Those whom God has made His stewards have no right to place in the enemy's ranks the means which He has entrusted to them to use in His cause.

". . . Through this union with the world, faith becomes weakened, and means which should be invested in the cause of present truth are transferred to the enemy's ranks. Through these different channels Satan is skillfully draining the purses of God's people, and for it the displeasure of the Lord is upon them." 1T 549-551

"What if life should be prolonged? What if temporal gain should be secured? Will it pay in the end to have disregarded the will of God? All such apparent gain will prove at last an irrecoverable loss. We cannot with impunity break down a single barrier which God has erected to guard His people from Satan's power." Ev 606, 607

Separation from the World

"The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." Numbers 23:9

"The question may be asked, Are we to have no union whatever with the world? The word of the Lord is to be our guide. Any connection with infidels and unbelievers that would identify us with them, is forbidden by the Word. We are to come out from among them, and be separate. In no case are we to link ourselves with them in their plans of work. But we are not to live reclusive lives. We are to do worldlings all the good we possibly can." GW 394

"The Lord himself has established a separating wall between the things of the world and the things which he has chosen out of the world and sanctified to himself. The world will not acknowledge this distinction; they claim that it is needless. The servants of mammon make every effort to break down the barriers, and destroy the line of demarkation between the holy and the profane. Many of the professed followers of Christ are determined to break it down, and to maintain concord between Christ and Belial. But God has made this separation, and he will have it exist. In both the Old and the New Testaments the Lord has positively enjoined upon his people to be distinct from the world, in spirit, in pursuits, in practice, to be a holy nation, a peculiar people, that they may show forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. The east is not farther from the west than are the children of light, in customs, practices, and spirit, from the children of darkness. This distinction will be more marked, more decided, as we near the close of time." RH January 8, 1884

"False brethren who, while at heart friends of the world, exert an influence in the church. These are the most efficient workers that the great deceiver can employ. They are constantly seeking to lessen the enmity between the church of Christ and his deadliest foe. They supply the connecting link whereby he can unite the church and the world. Here lies our present danger,--a danger against which we must constantly guard." RH July 18, 1884

"The Israel of God in these last days are in constant danger of mixing with the world and losing all signs of their being the chosen people of God. . . . The same injunctions rest upon God's people now, to be separate from the world, as rested upon ancient Israel. The great Head of the church has not changed." RH June 25, 1861

Forbidden Partnerships

"Those who had recently rededicated themselves to the Lord at the altar set up before the ruins of His temple, realized that the line of demarcation between His people and the world is ever to be kept unmistakably distinct. They refused to enter into alliance with those who, though familiar with the requirements of God's law, would not yield to its claims." PK 570

"The principles set forth in Deuteronomy for the instruction of Israel are to be followed by God's people to the end of time. True prosperity is dependent on the continuance of our covenant relationship with God. Never can we afford to compromise principle by entering into alliance with those who do not fear Him." PK 570

"It is not the open and avowed enemies of the cause of God that are most to be feared. Those who, like the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, come with smooth words and fair speeches, apparently seeking for friendly alliance with God's children, have greater power to deceive. Against such every soul should be on the alert, lest some carefully concealed and masterly snare take him unaware. And especially today, while earth's history is closing, the Lord requires of His children a vigilance that knows no relaxation." PK 570, 571

"Sabbathkeepers should not be in partnership with unbelievers. God's people trust too much to the words of strangers, and ask their advice and counsel when they should not." 1T 200

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" 2 Corinthians 6:14, 15

"The world is to be warned, and God's people are to be true to the trust committed to them. They are not to . . . enter into business enterprises with unbelievers; for this would hinder them in their God-given work." 9T 19

"Thou shalt make no covenant with them." Deuteronomy 7:2

"Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul." Proverbs 29:24

"Their disposition to form alliances with the heathen and adopt their practices, was the cause of their sojourn and bondage in Egypt." PP 363

"Christ will never lead His followers to take upon themselves vows that will unite them with men who have no connection with God, who are not under the controlling influence of His Holy Spirit." Ev 620

Suretyship

"Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts." Proverbs 22:26

"A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend." Proverbs 17:18

"He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretyship is sure." Proverbs 11:15

"Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman." Proverbs 20:16

"I saw that God was displeased with His people for becoming surety for unbelievers. I was directed these texts: Proverbs 22:26 . . . Proverbs 11:15. . . . Unfaithful stewards! They pledge that which belongs to another,--their heavenly Father,--and Satan stands ready to aid his children to wrench it out of their hands." 1T 200

"My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler." Proverbs 6:1-5

Relieving the Oppressed

"We might learn much also from the Old Testament in regard to the labor problem. If men would follow the directions of Christ in regard to remembering the poor and supplying their necessities, what a different place this would would be!" FE 323

"Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard." Proverbs 21:13

"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." Psalm 41:1

"He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse." Proverbs 28:27

"He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want." Proverbs 22:16

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily." Isaiah 58:6-8

See also Ezekiel 18:5-17.