Land-grabbing and the Bible


koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungbook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

18 March 2010


Biofuels is necessary in every country and especially in small countries that do not have much agricultural land to produce. So what they are doing is to invest in obtaining land in other countries that can produce for them biofuels in large scale and import it to their own country. The whole concept is all fair and well, morally as well, as long as the original owner of the land is sufficiently paid for the land. Paying for the land is not the minimum cost one can get for the land, but the cost that one calculate taking into consideration that the  person has to resettle and live the rest of his life from this budget. Sometimes the individual owner is sandwiched between two governments or two conglomerates or one government and one conglomerate who wants to obtain his/her land.

In some countries there are land hungry people who wish to get a free land. So what they do is that they see an open space and go and squat there. They erect a plastic tent structure and live there with their family, even though the land has a rightful owner.

In other countries the land hungry people form mass movements that uses youth to come and try to scare farmers off their farms so that they can take over the land. Governments condone this action and keep a close eye and close ear to the plea of the rightful owners.

Bill Gates is this week the second richest man in the world with billions of dollars to him. He is the owner of that. Is it right for his bank managers to say that it is not right that he has all the money but so many people have no money? Can they help themselves with his money because there is nothing wrong to be a Robin Hood, to steal from the rich and give to the poor? What does the Bible say?

The Bible says that God is the owner of everything. Why? Because He created it.

The Bible also do not support civil right movements or activism. Jesus was not an activist. He did not join a movement attempting to throw off the joke of the Romans oppressing them in Palestine. Jesus was not a fighter. Jesus had no house. He said that the jackals have houses but the Son of Man has no place to stay. Judas Iscariot belonged to a movement that wanted to create a political Messiah but Jesus was not interested and that was not His mission and He never outlined that type of political or civil activism for us as a mission either. Jesus did not say that the poor must make themselves rich by grabbing what they can get.

In the story of Jesus about the man from Jericho that was robbed by robbers in Luke 10:30ff, Jesus do not support the actions of the robbers but focussed on the actions of the man who came to take care of this one just being robbed. Land grabbing falls under the same category.

There are stronger statements against land grabbing in the Bible.


Amos 1:13

In this verse the Lord has a judgement against Ammon which is in Transjordan or modern day Jordan, for they did some terrible deeds and "in order to enlarge their borders". When someone enlarge their borders it means that they go beyond their lawful right of ownership and grab land that are not theirs. Whether you grab for other people in order to help or assist them, does not matter in the Bible. Fletcher's situational ethics is not biblically supported. Robin Hoodism is not in the Bible.


Amos 2:10

In this verse the Lord is saying to Israel that He brought them out of Egypt "that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite". This sounds to a quick reader like land grabbing, but that is not the case. The Amorites were desert dwellers who migrated into Palestine, which is not their territory and settled there. When God thus gave the land of the Amorites to Israel, it is because it is not theirs to start off with. The migrants were sent out to make space for Israel. Palestine was a migrant haven at that time. This was not colonialism and the modern anti-colonialism theology does not fit in this scenario of the Bible facts. The way this works, is that a relationship with God the Creator is necessary to be benefited this way and no other way. Local gods, superstitition, witchcraft, and any other gods of wood and stone will not help.


Proverbs 13:11

Solomon said that someone who has become rich by fraud will perish "wealth obtained by fraud dwindles".


Proverbs 15:27

Solomon also complained about unlawful profits and said: "he who profits illicitly troubles his own house".


Proverbs 21:7

Solomon acknowledged the life principle that "the rich rules over the poor and the borrower becomes the lender's slave".


Proverbs 22:28

Solomon said "do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set". Stay thus within your owner rights and to not unlawfully acquire more land, even if it is for a good purpose.


Proverbs 23:10

He said "do not move the ancient boundary, or go into the fields of the fatherless, for the Redeemer is strong, He will plead their case against you".


Whether one gives the land acquisition a beautiful name like land reform or land gifts to the poor or land assistance plan, unless the owner willfully agreed to sell the land, it is theft and unless he is taken care of financially well, it is also damage to that person and the Lord is the Caretaker of that victim.