“Up until the Depression, recession had a moral character. It was supposed to purge the body economic of the greed and excess that attends a business expansion.”—James Buchan – British Novelist
Some of you may have heard of the horror film series The Purge which debuted in 2013. I’ve never seen them. The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near-future. However, the country is a dystopia —an imagined society with great suffering that is totalitarian (has a dictator), or is post-apocalyptic (after a nuclear war or great tragedy). The US in these movies celebrates an annual national holiday known as The Purge,” a day in which all crime, including murder, becomes decriminalized for a 12-hour period. To PURGE means to rid or free someone or something of an unwanted quality, condition, or feeling. We hear the word purge describing folks with body dysmorphia or bulimia who binge then purge themselves of food, or businesses that purge records for security purposes. The purging of criminal activity seems to be the movie’s point.
King David, after murdering his loyal soldier Uriah and sleeping with his wife Bathsheba, had remorse over his greed, violent plotting, and selfishness. He cried out to God for forgiveness, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7) Hyssop was a bitter mint used for medicinal purposes and for spiritual cleansing and purification. David not only wanted to rid himself of his iniquity, transgression, and sin, but of his bloodguilt and its most dire consequence—separation from God. He pleaded, “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.” (vs.) David wanted to be purged of evil and restored to God’s presence and the joy of His salvation.
Since the pandemic we’ve experienced record inflation, some believe it’s led by corporate greed and mortgage rates. Financial gurus say that a recession—a period of economic decline during which trade and industrial activity is reduced, is necessary to stave off inflation, so the topical quote atop this blog warrants reflection. If a recession is supposed to hold moral character such that it is purposed to purge us of greed and excess… I wonder if it’s working? I certainly hope so. In the 17th century the definition of recession was a temporary suspension of work or activity. That sounds like an economic Sabbath, a time of financial rest. What would that rest look like in your home, church, or business? We could use some holy purging.
