Limited Good or Unlimited? Scarcity or Plenty?

Black Friday: even the words conjure up images of crazy crowds competing for those favorite gifts everyone wants for Christmas. Of course, the most desired items are in short supply. Or are they? Marketers use the scarcity principle—the theory that the objects we most want are scarce—to drive sales. The scarcity principle in the West is similar to the assumption of limited good in non-Western cultures.

Although Westerners recognize the limited supply of material goods, they imagine the world’s resources to be unlimited with enough for everyone. Other cultures, however, perceive a fixed quantity of things such as food, water, wealth, and land that everyone must divide. An individual or group’s share only increases when another person or group’s percentage decreases. Therefore, envy and conflict are common in cultures that assume limited good, both today and in biblical times.

Limited Good in the Bible

Old Testament

Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”… Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also… He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” 

Genesis 28:19-22

Because they knew that water was a limited resource, they quarreled over access. People assumed a limited supply of a precious resource such as water showed there was a limited supply of the most desired possession, which was honor.

After David defeated Goliath, the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul reacted furiously:

Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

1 Samuel 18:8-9

Saul lived in an honor/shame culture. In his mind, honor was a limited good. When David’s honor increased, Saul perceived that his honor as king decreased. Saul’s jealousy and envy led to conflict. He became obsessed with killing David.

New Testament

Traditional societies expected the wealthy to share with the needy, especially a limited good such as food. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) illustrates this expectation. When the man reaped an abundant harvest, he hoarded it rather than share it with his hungry neighbors, shattering the standard norms. Jesus condemned the man for his greed and called him a fool. His sin wasn’t his plentiful harvest but his failure to share that which was in limited supply for his neighbors.

Limited Good or Unlimited? Sharing or Hoarding?

Are we in the West so different from the rich fool in Jesus’ story? Does the fear of limited good drive our consumer lifestyle? We may not be as afraid of running out of material goods as we are missing out on the “next big thing” or falling behind in the status race. Some of us buy and buy and buy, desperate to satisfy some inner compulsion. Others hold onto their resources, worried about an unknown future. Generosity with our homes and time is even more challenging than with our money. Are we sharing, or are we hoarding?

As believers, we claim our “God will meet all [our] needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) God’s grace is an unlimited good. But do we live like we believe that? Are we living lives of scarcity or plenty? Are we sharing God’s boundless grace and love with those who need it, or are we hoarding it? John reminds us: 

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:17-18

The words of Pastor Peter Lord often convict me: “We live what we really believe; all the rest is just religious talk.” What is your life saying you believe?