A Caution of Abundance
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· 1 viewMoney and possessions can be a blessing and it can be a curse. The cursings come when our hearts are turned from the Lord and focused on the possessions. We will look at four warnings about our possessions.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We all bow down before wealth. Wealth is that which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. It is a homage resulting from a profound faith that with wealth he may do all things.
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Augustine lived in the 5th and 6th centuries.
Speak about our society listening and giving credence to what rich people or celebrities say
you do not see regular people interviewed, they do not make for good TV.
commercials do not include testimonies of regular people
the news will tell you what celebrities say about our social issues of the day
for some they tell you because you will agree
others pretend as if they do not care what the celebrities say, but when the celebrities disagree they talk about it on their team’s news stations for a week after.
Today - We have come to a point in Solomon’s reign where he has become the richest and wisest man in the known world
This is a fulfilled promise of God
this is not a good thing - throughout his reign there have been signs that he is not fully devoted to the Lord.
that he is not a man after God’s heart like his father, David.
PRAY!
14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon annually was twenty-five tons,
Todays value would be about $3 Billion dollars
we do not know if this was at the peak or kind of an average of his reign
we do know this was just the gold that was being mined and brought in
15 besides what came from merchants, traders’ merchandise, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds of gold went into each shield.
17 He made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; nearly four pounds of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
These gold shields are for show…
it would be like the military parades that countries have
they are just for showing off, they serve no value for actual war
also shows the threat level that Solomon felt
no need for actual defensive weapons
18 The king also made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with fine gold.
19 The throne had six steps; there was a rounded top at the back of the throne, armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, one at each end. Nothing like it had ever been made in any other kingdom.
21 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, since it was considered as nothing in Solomon’s time,
22 for the king had ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
The author is giving all details to show how rich Solomon and the nation was
his throne - not another like it
ivory coated in gold
lions - a symbol of royalty
he is the king above all kings - on the earth
23 King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom.
24 The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
25 Every man would bring his annual tribute: items of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, and horses and mules.
26 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.
28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders bought them from Kue at the going price.
29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds of silver, and a horse for four pounds. In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.
A case is being made for the punishment that is coming
Solomon is violating the commands that God gave the nation of what the king was to do, or not to do
In Deut 17, they were not to accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. They were not to go back to Egypt for any reason. They were not to accumulate large amounts of horses.
and they were not to take foreign wives…
1 King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women
2 from the nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn your heart away to follow their gods.” To these women Solomon was deeply attached in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred who were concubines, and they turned his heart away.
Money and possessions can be a blessing and it can be a curse. The cursings come when our hearts are turned from the Lord and focused on the abundance of our possessions. We will look at four warnings about our abundant possessions.
We will also reference Luke 12:13-27 during these points
Jesus told a parable concerning a rich man and referenced Solomon in his explanation to His disciples.
1. Beware of Greed
1. Beware of Greed
If we consider Solomon a hero of the faith it is easy to look at this and see only that God has blessed him
do not get me wrong, God is the one who promised that he would be the wisest and that his riches would be greater than ever known.
10 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this.
11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to administer justice,
12 I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.
13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life.
Later in 1 Kings we get the idea that Solomon worked the people very hard to gain more and more wealth
I get the idea that there was never enough
Greed leads to all kinds of sins…
that does not mean that riches or abundance are evil
that is how greed operates in the hearts of those who do not have an abundance
you have and I do not, so you must be greedy
Greed has nothing to do with the size of your bank account, greed is connected to the heart
I want… desire… need… more and more and more
we trust in our abundance so much we do not think we need God
we have pride in our abundance where we believe we deserve or are owed an abundance by God
Solomon had too much gold
he was using it as eating utensils
silver was worthless as common as rocks
today about $60 per ounce
13 Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
most likely the younger of brothers… not because the younger ones are greedy
because if there is two, the older gets 2/3 and the younger 1/3
but it would all go to the older for him to divide
and now this brother is going I want my money and I want it now!
14 “Friend,” he said to him, “who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?”
I am sure that he got questions like this all the time… I wonder if there was ever an annoyance with it
do you see what I am doing here… and you want me to tell your brother to give you money
15 He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against ALL greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
Your life is not about your possessions
we make it out to be
I even have to watch myself in how I teach the kids
this thing is this many hours you have to work… is that worth it?
What Jesus is teaching is that your life is not about the possessions, do not chase after those things
then what is it about? The Lord! chase him and his righteousness
5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.
We are called to be content in the Lord, regardless of the worldly possessions we have or do not have
why… not because they are enough, but because He is enough and He will never leave or forsake you!
2. Beware of Comfort and Applause
2. Beware of Comfort and Applause
It is easy to begin to believe what people say about you
Everybody Loves Raymond - Ray on TV
when everyone tells you that you are great you can begin to believe it is true…
you do not have to worry about that from me, I constantly tell you things like,
you are not God…
God does not need you…
But we can believe the negative as well and forget that, ‘yes I am not God and he does not need me, but he chose me, died for me and saved me.’
Everyone came to Solomon because he was the richest and wisest
He had a great audience that wanted to hear all the wise things he had to say
that should have been very humbling… they are coming to hear me, I am simply a man that God gave wisdom to
should have been a way for him to point the nations to the Lord
I am always humbled that after so many years of me talking that you still come
it only shows God’s hand in the whole thing
Solomon had no worries
there was peace
so much that he is making shields that are only for show
he had not monetary concerns
he could buy what he wanted…
people that came to listen to him would bring him more gold silver and other gifts
16 Then he told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive.
17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops?
18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there.
19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
The rich man did not use his money to glorify the Lord
instead used it for his own comfort
I will build bigger barns… store even more
I will sit back and eat drink and be merry…
I will be comfortable!
Comfort is not sinful, like abundance, it is a gift
we are to use our comforts to glorify him, share our comforts as we are to share our abundance
3. Beware of Time
3. Beware of Time
Solomon turned to gratification now, over serving the Lord
He had acquired so much
He had 700 wives and 300 concubines
he had a throne that had no rival with any other king
everything was about propping him up…
satisfying himself now
19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.” ’
20 “But God said (anytime it says I will say… or you say… but God says, you know we are in the wrong) to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
The time is unknown
our stuff is just left for another…
had a man tell me about his stuff, he was very particular about it, yet I do not think it ruled him
he told me I want to do this and want things this way. But one day I will die and then people can do what they want with it.
they enjoyed their stuff, but were not ruled by it
their faith was in the Lord, not their things
we are to live life with an open hand
being thankful for all the Lord has given us, yet willing to use it all for his glory, for his kingdom
we cannot live with the attitude that we will serve the Lord with our possessions when I get to this status or this position
the entirety of our lives are to be devoted to serving him and advancing his kingdom
We do not know the how much time we have
but it is not based on our stuff
all the riches in the world will not keep us one day longer than the Lord has determined
our stuff does not change our eternal destination
though what we do with it might give us a clue about our eternal destination because it reveals our heart
4. Beware of Your Heart
4. Beware of Your Heart
Solomon’s heart was led away from the Lord because of the love he had for so many women.
3 He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred who were concubines, and they turned his heart away.
I would argue that it was also because of the possessions he had
he no longer relied on God, but on his possessions
that can be the same for us
it was not a life devoted to the Lord, but to his own glory and exaltation
22 Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.
23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
Do not worry about possessions… Life is so much more than that
even the most basic thing like food… do not worry about that
that does not mean that we do not work for our food and the basic things that we need
one of the ways God provides for us is through the work of our hands
but many tend to work harder and longer than needed and ignore what the Bible says about rest
because it is a way of exalting themselves
24 Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds?
25 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?
26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.
With all of his riches, not even Solomon was adorned like one of these wildflowers that God adorns.
who do not have to work to clothe themselves or to provide food.
Worrying = anxious, concerned
can you add anything to your life by being overly concerned about these things
It reveals that our heart is more concerned for ourselves, chasing after things of this world than about the glory of God
30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
A man’s contentment is in his mind, not in the extent of his possessions. Alexander the Great, with all the world at his feet, cries for another world to conquer.
Charles Spurgeon
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Babylonian Empire, known for its magnificence and wealth, exemplified the idea of abundant possessions.
They are coming in generations to come and will exile Isreal out of the promised land.
Yet, despite their towering palaces and overflowing treasures, they ultimately fell due to arrogance and moral decay.
we need to know that accumulating wealth without a heart chasing after the Lord leads to ruin; true abundance lies in the relationship with Christ.
The possessions we acquire are to be used for His kingdom and his glory.
