Financial Wisdom November 7, 2021
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Introduction
Introduction
One of the greatest temptations that the Israelites faced was the temptation to worship idols. They were constantly Ured into the belief that offering sacrifices to various gods would produce success in their personal lives, success in their work, and success with regards to their community. The temptation to worship idols was a temptation to believe that these things could enable them to exert control when life felt out of control.
Today the temptation is not so much to worship before a sculpture of stone or wood. Today the temptation is to worship money. Today we're not tempted to walk into a building filled with incense and a giant statue. But today we're tempted to believe that the status of our bank account, the income we have, the money we have in our retirement savings... all these things will give us security, will give us time to spend with family, and will make us truly happy. We are tempted to worship money.
And yet Christians are also tempted to have wrong attitudes with regards to money. Sometimes we are seeing all money as evil. And people who have a lot of money are unethical people who have taken from others. A lot of times our views of money are shaped far more by our family and our close friends and our culture then they are molded by God's word. We are a people desperately in need of God's perspective on this topic of money. So today we're going to dig into the book of proverbs and get some financial wisdom to help us live our lives with regards to our money.
I love this quote:
There is no aspect of life which tests a man’s character more than his attitude towards money (Luke 16:11).
There is no aspect of life which tests a man’s character more than his attitude towards money (Luke 16:11).
Isn't it true that our attitude towards money is one of the best tests and measures of our character? By studying the proverbs you will find wisdom to know how to make, spend, and save money. But also we will see that our relationship with money is not just a matter of numbers. Many of the biggest financial problems we face are actually spiritual problems.
OK let's get started.
So first of all we need to ask the question how are money and God related? To put it in a different way we live in a world that God created. In such a world how do we think about money?
God and Money
God and Money
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
God owns everything. And not only does he own everything but...
18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
God gives you the strength, the ability that you need to actually work to make money. God let you wake up today.
And you know the cool thing about what God does with money is when God gives it he doesn't add sorrow and grief into the mix.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
Many of the figures in the Old Testament that we greatly respect such as Job, David, Solomon and others enjoyed God's financial blessings. Additionally in the New Testament many of those that joined the church and drove the growth of the church were generous, wealthy believers.
Do all wise people get rich?
Do all wise people get rich?
Before we dig into some of what the proverbs say about wisdom we need to answer the question are all wise people wealthy? Or rather we need to face the reality that not all wise people are wealthy. Really it isn't a question as much as it is a reality. People who act wisely, work hard, plan ahead will generally thrive financially. People who choose foolishness, laziness, and living only for the moment will generally suffer financially.
But we must remember that proverbs are maxims not promises. Sometimes fools receive inheritances to make them wealthy. Sometime wise people make catastrophic mistakes or bad things happen to them causing them to lose it all.
In addition the new testament talks about the persecution we face as believers. We must face the reality that there will be times we face financial loss because of our faith.
The best proverb on money today
The best proverb on money today
Really here is the best passage on money we will cover today.
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 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.
Isn’t this such an eye opening prayer on money? Not too much that we turn our back on God and not too little that we sin to get money.
Ok, let’s talk about money itself. Many times Christians make the mistake to think that money itself is evil. There is almost this guilt around making money for Christians. But we need to remember that money itself isn’t evil or good.
It can be compared to air. It’s neither good or bad but we need it to survive.
Paul wrote the passage many of us think about here:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
It is the “love” of money that is the root of all sorts of eil.
Money can be helpful
Money can be helpful
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
Money can build friendships
20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
Wealth can help you weather disaster
15 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
Money helps you provide for those in need.
17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs also recognizes that:
It is hard to be poor
It is hard to be poor
Friends and family can avoid you thinking you want something.
7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them.
In poverty you can have a greater temptation to steal or do unethical things to earn money.
9 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.
It's tempting to spiritualize poverty and sacrificed for the sake of serving God. But quite frankly it is hard to be poor. And proverbs respects this reality.
But in so much as money can be helpful money is also very dangerous.
The danger of money
The danger of money
One of the biggest goals of advertisers is for you and I to believe that their product will satisfy some of our most deeply held desires. They want us to believe that having their thing or the result that they promise will leave us more satisfied than anything in the world. But this isn't true. We need to remember this everyday. We need to burn it into our memory that money will not satisfy in the end.
17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
It's so tempting to think that if you just had one more thing or a bigger house or a better car you would be happy. But the reality is the love of money leads to all sorts of sins. Virtually every one of the 10 commandments is broken or can be broken when we start to love money.
In addition to the temptation that money gives us too to worship things rather than the creator of all things money also is like a vapor. It can disappear quickly.
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.
24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?
It's frightening how much we try to rely on money and how quickly it can disappear. Or how quickly it can show up.
That was one of the most reassuring and yet scary things about fighting leukemia with Isabelle. In a very short amount of time our family incurred great expenses related to everything we had to do to care for Isabelle. But we also received extraordinary gestures of generosity. Money disappeared and showed up miraculously.
One of the other dangers of money is that we are tempted to trust money instead of God.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
is so tempting for as when we have money to place our trust in it. But the startling warning that Jesus gives to us was that sometimes the message of the gospel is choked out by the lies that money tells us.
22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Consider that... Jesus holds out the reality and the offer of eternel life and a relationship with God in this life and wealth has the potential to choke out the life giving message that Jesus holds out. Wow!
Now you might ask at this question honestly, is godly wisdom better then wealth? Because some people throughout history have argued that well I can be godly or incredibly wealthy. Being incredibly wealthy sure seems like a good way to live in this life and it sure seems like a lot of fun... why not?
Well, proverbs teaches us that the wisdom that God offers is actually better or more important than wealth.
Wisdom is better than wealth
Wisdom is better than wealth
16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.
8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.
I love this quote by Bruce Waltke:
“‘It [money] can buy a house, but not a home; it can put food on a table, but not fellowship around it.’”
“‘It [money] can buy a house, but not a home; it can put food on a table, but not fellowship around it.’”
1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Wow this last one should stop each of us in our tracks….what do you invest the most time in in your life?
As believers we must keep a perspective that reminds us of the day of judgement.
Contentment
Contentment
Wow, I feel like I'm taking forever to get around to talking about what proverbs teaches us about how we can manage and make our money. But I think it's important here for us to wrestle with one more thing.
I think the first thing to remember about contentment and money is that God is committed 2 you and I. He's committed to the righteous.
3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
We need to trust that we can trust God.
We need to trust that when God gives us blessing that blessing will truly be fulfilling.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
As the writer to the Hebrews reminded us:
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So how do we pursue contentment?
I love this quote:
“Contentment works not by adding to our circumstances, but by subtracting from our desires.’”
“Contentment works not by adding to our circumstances, but by subtracting from our desires.’”
When we are willing to subtract from the desires we have we can find greater contentment. When we are willing to seek God's will first, we can find greater contentment.
Some of the most content and at peace men and women throughout the world have lived with very little in terms of wealth and yet have remained extraordinarily wealthy in terms of happiness and joy and peace.
So even as we dig into what proverbs has to say about acquiring money, let's remind ourselves to pursue contentment enjoy. Because it is in contentment, it is in pursuing gods well that we find true joy and meaning and purpose that we will never find in pursuing money.
OK, now that we've talked about contentment and a number of other areas of understanding money and the book of proverbs let's talk about how you make money :)
How to make money according to the Proverbs
How to make money according to the Proverbs
Work Hard
Work Hard
Really this shouldn't come as a surprise to us. It shouldn't come as a surprise to us if we've spent much time in the proverbs. It shouldn't come as a surprise to us if you were here last week and we talked about being a sluggard versus the diligent worker.
But this message is crucial in this day and age where get rich quick schemes abound. Then you may find that the young people you are trying to encourage about their work may not believe that hard work will actually provide for their needs because they've been fed the lie of so many stories of people online who do a little bit of work and make a lot of money. One of the greatest services you can do is to both remember the value of hard work and encourage others in it.
4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
Sometimes it’s tempting to be so picky about job hunting to find just what fits you that you missed the importance of simply working hard or you simply do what it takes to provide.
Don’t sin to get rich.
Don’t sin to get rich.
Now this principle may seem obvious at first blush. But it's not obvious when you are tempted to lie on your taxes. It's not obvious when you have a great need to provide for your family and a financial opportunity means compromising just a little bit on your integrity.
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
The balance that we need to strike in the scriptures is that proverbs does not promote socialism or communism. But it's also greater than a dog eat dog capitalism.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
Is gambling and the lottery ok for Christians?
Is gambling and the lottery ok for Christians?
Here's a fun topic to talk about especially with the conversation around the casino continuing in Terre Haute. The reality is that in the United states hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on gambling every year. We actually spend more on gambling than we do on groceries. So what are some biblical principles with regards to gambling?
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
Gambling encourages people to hope for money without working for it.
23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
Gambling encourages irrational pursuits of money
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Gambling often takes advantage of people.
Now we can have conversations until the cows come home about whether or not any Christian should dabble in gambling or not. But perhaps the most challenging passage in the proverbs with regards to gambolling for me is this one.
11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Many people who have received great fortunes very quickly have been similarly quick to waste the fortune or the fortune destroys them. Even if you win in gambling that wealth you dream of may not be the dream you think it is.
How to spend money
How to spend money
Oh look the Bible also talks to his about how we spend our money. I know you were hoping to get advice on what to do with all the money you have :) but in all seriousness how we handle our money and what we do with what God entrusts to us reveals and forms our character.
Be generous
Be generous
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Giving generously requires balance and intentionality. Proverbs would challenge us to not give to someone who is a sluggard and does not want to work. But proverbs and the rest of the Bible would also encourage us to be generous towards the poor even when they are in part at fault.
Budget
Budget
15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Be proactive, plan.
Avoid debt
Avoid debt
7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
One of the biggest problems with debt is that we presume to know the future. When we take on a debt such as credit card debt or even a house purchase or some other debt we assume we know what the future will hold. The Bible calls us to humility and to wisdom with regards to the future.
9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Save money
Save money
8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.
15 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
Fools spend all of their income and even more than that when they get paid. Wise people prepare for the future, for retirement, and for more.
Wise people also consider carefully whether to get things like life, car, and home insurance.
Leave an inheritance.
Leave an inheritance.
Wise people also manage their resources so that they can bless their children.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
And honestly you don't have to accumulate a mountain of wealth to pass on a fortune to your children. Just careful intentionality over a lifetime will enable you to bless your kids. Even for those of you in the latter years of your life careful thought and intentionality with regards to your finances and will and estate will help provide for an bless your children.
When I speak with men and women in poverty this family support is something they don’t have. Encourage, train and instruct your kids as well.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Pursue wisdom, not wealth.
Pursue wisdom, not wealth.
10 Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
We will never be satisfied by material things. If you’re ever tempted to pursue ultimate satisfaction in material things then just go read the book of Ecclesiastes.
Remember you can’t take it with you
Remember you can’t take it with you
Remember that no matter how much wealth you accumulate and how wisely you manage it, you can't take it with you.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Remember the gift Christ gave us.
Remember the gift Christ gave us.
Amazing thing is that while the proverbs warns US against taking on the debts of others, Jesus took on our debt. You may live your life concerned about your finances and debts and money but as believers in Christ Jesus we have been blessed extraordinarily by what Jesus gave to us through the cross.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
[1] Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 120.
[2] Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 124.
[3] Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 124.