One of my favorite parables given by the Lord Jesus is that of the Good Samaritan. When asked, who is my neighbor, Jesus describes a Jewish man who is attacked and as a result sustained several injuries. Two other Jews pass by him offering no help. Oddly enough, a Samaritan decides to help the man though his people have been at odds with the Jews for quite some time. The Samaritan provides care for the Jew then ensured that he receive ongoing care when taking him to a nearby inn. After hearing the parable, those listening could plainly see that by going out of his way to demonstrate mercy, the Samaritan truly exemplified what it means to be a neighbor. It also shows us how to treat others and offer grace regardless of the person.
God’s purpose for civil government also comes to mind when considering this passage. The civil government derives its authority from God to bear the sword as we are told in Romans 13 which readers can ascertain means punishing evil and conversely protecting people’s rights. So, in the case of the parable, the civil authorities in protecting the interest of the man robbed and society have a moral obligation to apply appropriate punishment to the thieve. So, when acting in a just matter, civil authorities treat the citizenry as the Samaritan treated the Jew in the sense that all of God’s societal spheres are to reflect His character.
If ten people were gathered in a room and had the opportunity to express their thoughts on civil government numerous comments regarding the government doing too much, not enough, not doing things right, or that some policies are downright evil could be expressed for hours on end. Some underlying philosophical thoughts posed in this discussion may include, ‘it is not what we do but how we do it’ or ‘it is not so much what can we do but what should we do?’
Those questions along with the Good Samaritan Story and God’s purpose for civil government bring state lotteries to mind. To put it plainly, for the various state governments to profit from a lottery system an interaction takes place between the lottery player and the state which mirrors a typical wager. In the end, one participant loses their money while the other participant takes that money without providing anything in return which many regard as stealing. While most state lotteries began several decades ago as a weekly drawing, opportunities to play are now available daily. To maximize earnings from lottery systems, players are offered numerous games to play in which the states entice players with the possibility of winning huge fortunes when there is often a better chance of seeing lightning striking twice within minutes. Not only that, but strategies are also devised to determine the placement for lottery sales. The locations have been notoriously placed in poor disadvantaged areas where people like those in others see the lottery as a way out of their poor financial situations. Sadly enough, reports have shown that gambling increases during bad economic times which proves this point. States ignore the hardships of gambling incurred by those who consistently lose large sums even their paychecks at times. Carrying all this out to a logical conclusion, states through perpetuating gambling are advancing poverty and do more to diminish the overall quality of life than enhance it.
The fiscal and economic effects of lottery systems have been staggering. Knowing that there is a steady flow of funds coming from lottery receipts, policy makers are given a false sense of security and fail to fund programs such as education as they normally would. When the lottery was implemented in Maryland in the early 1970s, citizens were sold on the notion that there would never be a need for property tax increases. This has certainly not been the case as policy makers believe their priorities exceed those of individuals, families, and businesses. Not only that, with lottery funds improperly used states have turned to citizens by raising taxes though lottery funds were intended to fix programs like education. Over the past 20 years in Maryland, there have been two boondoggles for education, one in 2002 known as the Thornton Commission and now the Kirwin Commission. Advocates for each policy have scrounged for money to pay for these programs despite our state’s addiction to gambling as a policy measure.
The lottery, as other forms of state sponsored gambling are a tax. Had the government not implemented gambling people would spend their money in more practical ways. As opposed to the way gambling is approached, people would not go to a barber whom they only thought there was a slight chance of getting a good haircut. Yet, states like Maryland entice people to put their money up for grand winnings despite the incredibly slim chances of winning.
In terms of a tax, the Maryland Lottery System has generated $1.73 billion since it’s inception in 1973. Now, consider if the state had not offered the citizens these opportunities to wager in hopes of fulfilling a void that cannot be met by material gain. The $1.73 billion would have been spent to achieve the maximum use of resources and would go towards meaningful risks not those based on chance. Consumers would exchange their dollars for something of at least equivalent value rather than the uncertainty that comes through buying chances. Considering people’s awareness of the needs in their community, a great portion of funds that would otherwise be gambled would certainly go to charity. Not only that, but citizens’ liberty would also be protected since under the status quo taxpayers fund the gambling infrastructure regardless of whether they gamble.
The most damaging aspect of the lottery and state sponsored gambling in general is that the state(s) through public policy go out of their way to appeal to man’s greatest weakness. By that I mean, to quote John Calvin, our hearts are like idol factories. The Book of Romans begins by telling us that by virtue of man’s corrupt heart he(we) has exchanged the truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator. Speaking of the truth, Jesus says in the Gospel of John: I am the way, and the truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus told those who wanted to follow Him to give up everything to be his disciples which should make us consider how much value we place on material goods. This all comes down to faith. Are we going to trust in the almighty Sovereign Triune God who works through everything according to His good pleasure to bring Glory to Himself while providing for the benefit of those who love Him or a spiritually bankrupt system that can never provide rest for our souls? We must wake up and realize that the civil government(s) for decades has perpetuated public policy through gambling to our spiritual detriment. So, we can see by doing so they have failed to reflect God’s character as the Good Samaritan did and as Jesus demonstrated in so many ways.
In His Image 