"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. " - Prov 10:2
" My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
--So are the ways of every one that is --greedy of gain--; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. -- Proverbs 1:10-19
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We are in the book of Proverbs, and are looking at the 2nd verse (our first text this week). As we have indicated earlier, we are going at the book from a topical standpoint (as best as we can) trying to collate similar topics together from the book to get a holistic perspective.
The topic today is "Ill-gotten gains" -- money made through dishonest dealing. The proverb itself is very clear -- that money is not going to help you in any way (it brings more trouble), and this behavior is contrasted (as is typical of most of the proverbs) with the behavior of the righteous, who are delivered from the fear and penalty of death.... now that is PROFIT!
Wealth is a difficult thing to handle well... in this world, sometimes one has to make moral judgments when it comes to the acquisition and maintenance of ones fortune.
Christ's comparison of a rich man trying to enter heaven, with the image of camel trying to thread the eye of a needle ... recorded for us in all 3 Synoptic Gospels ( Mat 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25) gives us a dramatic picture of the difficulty in reconciling a material with a spiritual life.
This is directly related to the issue we are talking about --- if those riches were obtained dishonestly, they are a barrier to entry. Similarly, trusting in ones riches for protection and well being is also putting our trust in the wrong place... hence Christ's conclusion... it is well nigh impossible for rich people to enter heaven -- UNLESS --- it is the will of God, who makes all things possible through His Son!... Hallelujah!
Lets look at some proverbs that dig deeper...
SET A: RICHES ARE NO PROTECTION AGAINST CALAMITY
Pro_11:28 "He that trusteth in his riches --shall fall---: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch." -- Here is confirmation of what we have just said... trusting in ones riches (they DO offer some protection) is not a guarantee against failure... but pursuing the path of righteousness makes us fruitful!
Pro_13:7 "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." --- Being rich may make you look good in front of the neighbors, but in God's eyes, you are poorer than the poor, because in His eyes, you have NOTHING OF VALUE!
Revelation 3:17-19 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. "
Having no material needs is no indication that you are spiritually rich -- in good works, in relationships, in peace, in joy!!!
Pro_22:16 "He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that ---giveth to the rich---, shall surely come to want. "
? This is not a proverb that will encourage those that embrace a policy that gives tax breaks to the wealthy. Don't get mad at us, we are not socialist in our thinking, we are just telling you what the Bible says! Please note, that giving to the rich, is considered --just as reprehensible--- as oppressing the poor to gain them. Small wonder our national budgets don't balance!!
Pro_23:5 "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven."
A final word on the foolishness of chasing after gold... riches are temporary, even in this life. A man may work all his life to put together a fortune... but... (a) he is so busy making money he has not time to enjoy it (b) his fortune will pass to others who may dissipate it with loose living or mismanagement. What good did it to do to that person? The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus the beggar is one we should be mindful of here... (Luke 16:19-31).
Material riches distract from true Spiritual Wealth!
SET B. WICKEDNESS BROADLY DENOUNCED
Wickedness in general is most roundly condemned, we are just listing the proverbs that reference that concept here...
Pro_16:12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.
Pro_11:5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
Pro_12:3 A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
Pro_13:6 Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
Pro_14:32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death. ( This means that dying is not a source of fear for the righteous... but it is something the wicked should be very afraid of)
Pro_21:12 The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.
Pro_26:26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation. { Don't just pretend to "love" the people in your congregation that are like you... you will be found out!!!! }
Pro_30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
This set of proverbs is just on "Wickedness", there are a further 89 that deal with the topic of the "Wicked"... and we will examine those next week, God willing.
SET C. RICHES OBTAINED THROUGH HONEST MEANS
Does this mean that God's people are destined to be poor on this earth? Not at all. Let's take a look.
Pro_30:8 "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:"
This Proverb really says it all. We have said that all we need in for a good Christian walk is to persist in GRACE & TRUTH, being content with Health, Food, Clothing, and Shelter.
Grace and Humility go hand in hand --- as we recognize our daily need for forgiveness, we can extend that forgiveness to others -- not being arrogant in our pride at being "Christian" , but recognizing that but for the grace of God, we would be exactly like those we condemn. Boasting is excluded!! ...
The Preacher says, spare me from poverty (we are allowed to pray that!)... but more importantly, spare me from riches!... Give me what I need, not what I WANT (because there is no end to wanting..)
Pro_14:24 "The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly."
Wisdom brings riches with it. These have NOT been got by dishonest means, but by the favor of God in orchestrating circumstances, and giving the righteous the wisdom to make good choices ... investing/divesting/giving etc.
Pro_19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Again, the favor of the Lord is shown to generations of those that Love Him... which includes inheritances from our fathers, that we are born into. Just as we had nothing to do with acquiring those riches, it is interesting to see that the Lord says, finding a good WIFE .... is very similar to coming into a substantial inheritance !!!
Pro_22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Wisdom indeed! Your good name makes a way for you in the ranks of the wise, the rich, the powerful... the favor of God turns circumstances to your benefit. Why would we disregard those benefits for a lump of gold?
Pro_22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Pro_24:4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches
Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. Pro 27:24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
Seeking the Lord first, adds to us, everything that we need --- and if we are shown to be capable of handling riches... those will come to us as well!!! Riches are not a bad thing... but they need to be kept in perspective.
Prov 27:23 above also encourages us not to rest on our laurels or our accumulated wealth like the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21). We are to be diligent in being good stewards of the wealth that has been entrusted to us and look to manage it wisely... especially as we have seen in the proverb... "for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." We need to keep them chained down ! ?
SET D: DIFFICULT TEXTS
Pro_11:16 "A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches."
Pro_13:8 "The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke."
This last set of proverbs are a little more difficult to process.
The first one shows us two SIMILAR things... a gracious (Kind/Precious/well favored/beautiful) woman keeping her honor (Kabod... or weight or glory), and a strong(powerful/violent/oppressive) man retaining his riches. What we are reading is an expression of truth... riches gained by violent means are kept by violent means... honor and glory gained by righteousness is kept by righteousness.
The second proverb can be translated as ... the "covering(pitch or henna covering/dye ) /bribe/ransom" of a mans life are his riches... they can be used to get him/her out of trouble... but this is compared with poor people not listening to rebuke! .... again... the best way to process this is to to view it as an expression of truth... riches are a convenience and a covering (true). Poor people having no time for "religion" or "faith in God" is understandable... they blame him for their circumstance and rightly so, but do not trust in him to provide... and are deaf to his commandments. Does this apply to all the poor? Perhaps not, but it is a general statement of truth.
TAKEAWAY:
Riches are a gift from God, and a sacred trust, to use them well. Pursuing wealth for its own sake brings a lot of issues... chief among which is losing trust in, and turning away from, God! As the Apostle Paul tells Timothy..."For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. " - 1 Ti 6:10.
Money in and of itself is not evil... it is necessary, a covering, a sign of wisdom and the Lords favor. The love of money, trumping God's commandments, and creating all sorts of undesirable behavior, and unpleasant consequences are what the Word warns us against.
Let us strive to build up riches in Heaven --- because that is what Christ recommends we do -- leveraging our earthly wealth to build for ourselves houses and mansions in heaven, where thieves do not break in and steal!
Hallelujah!