Laef Bilong Pipol Long Taem Bilong Bible​—Selen

“Hem sidaon long ples wea hem savve lukim pipol putim selen for temple insaed olketa contribution box. Hem lukim plande pipol wea rich givim staka selen. Then hem lukim wanfala widow woman wea poor tumas hem givim tufala coin nomoa.”—MARK 12:41, 42.

STAKA taem Bible story abaotem selen. Long olketa Gospel Jesus storyim difren kaen coin for teachim olketa important Bible principle. Hem teachim pipol taem hem story abaotem “tufala coin nomoa,” wea hem donation bilong datfala widow woman. Long narataem hem storyim coin wea olketa kolem denarius for helpem olketa disaepol garem stretfala tingting abaotem gavman. *—Matthew 22:17-21.

Why nao olketa wakem selen? Long taem bilong Bible, hao nao olketa wakem selen? Olketa iusim for wanem? Hao nao Bible helpem iumi for garem balance tingting abaotem selen?

Exchangem Samting, Then Iusim Spesol Metal

Taem pipol no wakem yet selen, olketa savve exchangem samting. Wanem olketa exchangem and duim for narawan mas barava fitim. Bat wei for duim olsem no evritaem waka gud. For datwan waka gud, man wea laek exchangem samting mas laekem wanem narawan laek givim. Nara samting, hem no isi long olketa man wea tekem kam olketa big animal or karem olketa hevi bag bilong grain for exchangem.

Gogo olketa hia luksavve olketa needim samting wea isi for karem for baem and salem samting. Olketa disaed for iusim spesol metal olsem gold, silver, and copper. Long piksa, iu savve lukim bisnisman wea iusim nekles wea olketa wakem from gold, silver or copper and samfala pis spesol metal for peim samting or peim man wea duim waka for hem. Olketa weim gud datfala spesol metal long stretfala scale bifor olketa exchangem witim samting. Tingim taem Abraham peim ples for berem waef bilong  hem Sarah, hem weim and givim silver for fitim datwan.—Genesis 23:14-16.

Long taem Jehovah givim Law long olketa Israelite, olketa greedy bisnisman iusim raverave scale, and no stretfala samting for markem hevi bilong samting, for ravem pipol. Jehovah God barava heitim man wea no honest so hem talem olketa bisnisman long Israel: “Iu mas garem olketa stretfala scale, stretfala samting for markem hevi.” (Leviticus 19:36; Proverbs 11:1) Distaem tu olketa wea salem samting mas no forgetim hao tingting bilong Jehovah abaotem wei for greedy and no honest, hem no change.—Malachi 3:6; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

Hao Olketa Wakem Coin Bifor

Luk olsem olketa wakem olketa firstfala coin long Lydia (wea hem Turkey distaem) long samting olsem 700 B.C.E. No longtaem bihaen, long samfala kantri olketa man for wakem samting from metal wakem staka coin, and pipol long olketa kantri wea Bible storyim start for iusim coin.

Hao nao olketa wakem coin? Man for wakem samting from metal bae aotem metal wea hem melt finis from fire (1) and pourim insaed olketa raon mould for wakem coin wea no garem piksa, wea olketa kolem flans (2). Then hem bae putim flans midol long tufala pis metal wea garem mark or piksa long hem (3). Then hem hammerim mekem flans garem piksa (4). From olketa waka fast tumas, staka taem piksa bilong olketa coin no barava stap long midol. Olketa wakaman savve chekim olketa coin, weim for mek sure hevi bilong olketa semsem, and maet katemaot eni extra part (5).

Man for Changem Difren Selen, Tekem Tax, and Bank

Long first century C.E., pipol tekem olketa coin from samfala kantri go long Palestine. Samfala wea go long temple long Jerusalem tekem coin from kantri bilong olketa. Bat olketa wea lukaftarem temple savve acceptim samfala kaen coin nomoa for peim tax for temple. Olketa man for changem selen duim bisnis long temple and staka taem olketa askem big fee for changem olketa coin from difren kantri. Jesus tok againstim olketa greedy man hia. Why nao olsem? Bikos olketa mekem haos bilong Jehovah for kamap “haos for [olketa] market insaed” and “olsem cave bilong olketa man for steal.”—John 2:13-16; Matthew 21:12, 13.

 Pipol long Palestine mas peim tu samfala tax long gavman. Wanfala nao hem “tax” wea pipol wea againstim Jesus kwestinim hem abaotem. (Matthew 22:17) Samfala nara tax hem tax for road, and tax long samting wea pipol peim and salem long nara kantri. Staka wea tekem tax for gavman long Palestine garem wei for no honest, and pipol heitim olketa. (Mark 2:16) Olketa wea tekem tax garem staka selen bikos olketa ravem pipol wea peim tax and keepim extra selen for olketa seleva. Bat samfala wea tekem tax acceptim message bilong Jesus and lusim wei bilong olketa for no honest. Wanfala wea duim olsem nao hem Zacchaeus. (Luke 19:1-10) Distaem tu, eniwan wea laek followim Christ mas honest long evri samting, wea minim tu saed long bisnis.—Hebrews 13:18.

Olketa bank tu deal witim selen. Olketa changem selen from difren kantri, givim loan long pipol, and peim interest long pipol wea mekem investment or sevem selen witim bank. Jesus storyim olketa bank hia long tokpiksa abaotem olketa wakaman wea boss givim selen long olketa for duim bisnis.—Matthew 25:26, 27.

Balance Tingting Abaotem Selen

Long klosap evri kantri distaem, pipol mas waka for selen for peim wanem olketa needim. Disfala toktok wea God talem King Solomon for raetem bifor hem fitim tu distaem: “Selen tu savve protectim man.” Bat Solomon sei hao wisdom hem gud winim selen bikos hem “mekem man gohed for laef.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12) Bible nao garem wisdom olsem.

Jesus helpem olketa wea followim hem for garem balance tingting abaotem selen taem hem sei: “Nomata man garem staka samting, evri samting hia no mekem hem laef.” (Luke 12:15) Olsem olketa disaepol bilong Jesus long first century, iumi wise taem iumi iusim selen long gudfala and honest wei, and no laekem tumas selen.—1 Timothy 6:9, 10.

[Footnote]

[Box/Olketa Piksa long page 26]

 Information Abaotem Olketa Coin

● Long first century long Palestine olketa iusim copper lepton, wea olketa kolem tu mite, wea smol winim olketa nara coin. Wanfala wakaman wea waka for 15 minute nomoa bae kasem tufala lepton. Tufala coin wea widow woman putim long contribution box long temple maet hem lepton coin.—Mark 12:42.

● Silver drachma hem Greek coin. Man mas waka for klosap full day for kasem wanfala coin hia. (Luke 15:8, 9) Evri Jew man savve peim tufala drachma for temple tax evri year.—Matthew 17:24.

● Silver denarius hem Roman coin wea garem piksa bilong Caesar, so hem nao why hem fitim for evri Jew man iusim datfala “selen [coin] for peim tax” long Roman gavman. (Matthew 22:19) Man mas waka for 12 hour long wanfala day mekem boss peim hem wanfala denarius.—Matthew 20:2-14.

● Silver shekel wea olketa wakem long Tyre, olketa iusim long Palestine long taem wea Jesus stap long earth. Thirti “silver coin” wea olketa hed priest peim Judas for tekem olketa go long Jesus maet hem olketa shekel wea olketa wakem long Tyre.—Matthew 26:14-16.

Barava size bilong olketa coin