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ARNINGS ABOUT WEALTH (1)A Meditation on Proverbs 22:7
True conversion will always be reflected in one’s use of money. Martin Luther said, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind and the purse.” And of these three, it may well be that the conversion of the purse is the most difficult. The truth is that we are all very closely associated with our money, so that what we do with our money says a great deal about us, and our spiritual condition. And we can be sure that if the lordship of Jesus Christ hasn’t penetrated our wallets, it hasn’t penetrated our souls either.
John the Baptist understood the connection between repentance and how a person handled their money and possessions. He exhorted the people, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Lk. 3:8). In other words, fruits that show their repentance is real and not just empty rhetoric; fruits that relate to one’s money and possessions. John addressed three groups of people: the crowd, tax collectors and soldiers. He told the crowds, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” (vs. 11). To the tax collectors he said, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do” (vs. 13). He commanded the soldiers, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusations, and be content with your wages” (vs. 14). A positive response to John’s message would validate the veracity of their repentance. We can conclude that since repentance is the beginning of Christianity, a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we can also say that Christianity begins with a change toward our perspective and use of money.
Money is a monumental issue, which is why the Bible has about 2,350 verses on money and possessions, more than twice that which is devoted to faith and prayer combined. Jesus said more about money than he did about heaven and hell together. And 16 out of his 38 parables deal with money and possessions. This subject is obviously important, so it would behoove us to consider five warnings about wealth. However, by stating these warnings, I’m not saying that wealth is automatically or inherently bad—it isn’t. In fact, after addressing “Warnings about Wealth” we will consider “How to Acquire Wealth.” If God didn’t want us to acquire wealth he wouldn’t have provided us with so many clear principles for doing so, yet we must always be cognizant of the limitations and dangers connected with prosperity. Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said, after the rich, young ruler turned away from eternal life, because it meant turning away from his money god, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Lk. 18:24-25). These words alone should provoke a healthy fear of money. With this being said, let’s consider 6 warnings about wealth.
For starters, in our debt-ridden culture we need the reminder that debt is a form of slavery. “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Pro. 22:7). While borrowing money is not necessarily a sin, it does have many negative consequences like headaches, as you rack your brain trying to figure out how you’re going to pay off all that debt. One of the blessings of God is that of lending, instead of borrowing. God promised the Israelites if they walked in obedience, “The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow” (Deut. 28:12).
When it comes to buying things it might help if we ask our-selves, “Can I afford it?” rather than, “Can I afford the payments?” Car salesmen employ this strategy, because it gives the impression that you can afford more than you actually can. $200 a month doesn’t sound nearly as bad as $10,000. It’s fascinating how this whole concept of making payments has changed over the years. During WWI the vast majority of homes were owned outright. If you did have a mortgage, the average length of the mortgage was less than one year. By WWII the average length of a mortgage was 4-5 years, and it took a special act of congress to legalize mortgages over 7 years. Today, 20 year mort-gages are relatively rare; 30 year mortgages are common; 40 year mortgages are not uncommon; and there are even 90 year mortgages now, which means that parents are not only enslaving themselves, but also their children, and maybe even their grandchildren. If “the borrower is the slave of the lender,” are we really free? Again, it’s not necessarily a sin to have debt or to be a slave, but as Paul said of literal slavery, “If you can gain your freedom, do so.”
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ARNINGS ABOUT WEALTH (2)A Meditation on Proverbs 13:22; 28:19-20 and others
The second warning about wealth is to realize that a sinner’s wealth will be turned over to the righteous. “A good man leaves an in-heritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous” (Pro. 13:22). There are many examples of this in the Bible. When the Israelites left Egypt they plundered the Egyptians on the way out. “The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians” (Ex. 12:35-36).
Then, forty years later, when the Israelites finally made it to the Promised Land they inherited immense riches that the ungodly nations had been unwittingly storing up for them. On the edge of the Promised Land, Moses told the Israelites, “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cis-terns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deut. 6:10-12). In a world governed by a sovereign God, the righteous not only enjoy the fruit of their own labor, but they also enjoy the fruit of their enemies’ labor. Proverbs 13:22 is a warning for sinners, but a glorious promise and source of encouragement for the righteous.
Asaph confessed, “For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73:3). But why envy Bill Gates or Warren Buffet if all they’re really doing is accumulating a massive for-tune that God will—in due time—turn over to his people. Eventually, all the treasures of earth will belong to the Christians. Remember, it is the meek who will inherit the earth, and that includes its riches.
Third, eagerness for riches leads to punishment. “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished” (Pro. 28:20). I believe this hastiness for wealth is a warning against gambling and the lottery. While the Bible doesn’t explicitly condemn gambling, gambling does (often) violate many Scriptural principles. For example, gambling encourages greed, as well as materialism and discontentment with our possessions. Think of all the lottery players who dream big, because if they win they can finally purchase their dream home or a sports car or maybe a yacht. Such dreaming can be dangerous, due to the discontentment that results. This discontentment and desire for more, more, more drives many who end up in the grip of gambling and can’t break free.
Gambling can also discourage honest work. “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pur-suits will have plenty of poverty” (Pro. 28:19). Furthermore, gambling is a reckless investment of God-given resources. It’s a fact that the odds are better that you will get struck by lightning than that you will win a multi-million dollar lottery. Besides, acquiring a huge sum of money all at once is difficult for many to handle. “An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end” (Pro. 20:21). We all know of lottery winners or pro athletes or actors or rock stars that suddenly came into a large sum of money and it ruined them because they couldn’t handle it.
Fourth, there are many things money can’t buy—things which are much more valuable than money. Years ago the Beatles sang, “Money can’t but me love.” Sometimes they’re off base, but they got it right with that song. “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it” (Pro. 15:17). A good reputation is better than money. “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold” (Pro. 22:1). Integrity is to be preferred to money. “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways” (Pro. 28:6). Money can’t buy humility. “It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Pro. 16:19). Peace and quiet is better than money (Pro. 17:1). A prudent wife is not for sale; she’s a priceless blessing from God. “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD” (Pro. 19:14). And, of course, I would be remiss not to point out that salvation is free, and the righteous Judge cannot be bribed. “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” (Pro. 11:4).
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ARNINGS ABOUT WEALTH (3)A Meditation on Proverbs 10:22; 30:8-9
A fifth warning about wealth is that God can give you riches and sorrow at the same time. “The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it” (Pro. 10:22). God can give you riches with no sorrow, or he can give you riches with sorrow, and of course the difference is whether or not the riches were acquired as a result of God’s blessing.
Even among Christians, the assumption seems to be that money automatically brings happiness, but this is not the teaching of scripture, nor is it the testimony of many who have accumulated vast fortunes. O. J. Simpson confessed, “I sit in my house in Buffalo and sometimes I get so lonely it’s unbelievable. Life has been so good to me. I’ve got a great wife, good kids, money, my own health—and I’m lonely and bored….I often wondered why so many rich people commit suicide. Money sure isn’t a cure-all” (People Magazine, June 12, 1978). Cartoonist Ralph Barton wrote in a suicide note, “I have had few difficult-ties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, and from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up 24 hours of the day.” And you all know that much more anecdotal evidence could be provided to show that money alone doesn’t bring happiness.
Referring to the Israelites grumbling and complaining in Numbers 11, Psalm 106:14-15 says as a commentary, “But they had a wan-ton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.” The KJV translates the last verse, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” Also, commenting on the same episode, Psalm 78 tells how God rained down manna on the Israelites, the bread of the angels, which he sent in abundance. Then “he rained meat on them like dust…And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved. But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God arose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel” (Ps. 78:27, 29-31). God may give us what we crave and ask for, but if we’re not careful our requests may be accompanied by sorrow, judgment, or even death.
It’s one thing to have money; it’s another thing to enjoy it. Solomon understood that this enjoyment wasn’t to be taken for granted, since it is God-given. “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecc. 5:19). On the other hand, God may give a man “wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them” (Ecc. 6:2).
Last, but certainly not least, is the warning that wealth can cause us to forget or deny God. Agur prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God” (Pro. 30:8-9). The poor can profane God by stealing to make ends meet, while the rich are susceptible to amnesia—“Who is the LORD?”
Moses knew about this tendency to forget God, so he addressed it even before the Israelites entered the Promised Land and inherited overflowing treasures from the nations they would conquer. “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deut. 6:10-12; see also 8:11-14). When you forget God, arrogance and deception take over, which is why Moses also said, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth’” (Deut. 8:17). Furthermore, Moses warned the people, “And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish” (vs. 19). Unfortunately, the Israelites did forget God and provoke his wrath (Jud. 3:7-8). Before we look down our noses at those “bumbling Israelites,” let’s remember that “these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction…Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 11:11-12)
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