What the Bible says about Wealth, Lesson 5

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmfmD68wcY

What the Bible says about Wealth

Lesson 5 (Old Testament Conclusions)

Text: Deuteronomy 8:10-19 “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. ”

Intro: over the past few lessons we have taken a look at what the bible says about wealth. But we have remained in the Old testament, looking at this issue form the different periods contained there, such as before the law, after the law, the books of wisdom, and then the period of the minor prophets. WhIn this lesson we are going to try to wrap all of the Old Testament into a few conclusions. Then as we continue, we will turn our attention toward the New Testament for examination.

It is also worth noting that this study has by no means be an all inclusive study about what the bible says about wealth, that would be simply a study that would take many many lessons to cover. Rather the purpose was and is to generalize some of the key aspects, and apply them to our lives as we strive to grow to become more like Christ, and be obedient to all the Lord has commanded us to do. Let us strive to be found faithful with all manner of wealth, as well as every other aspect of our lives.

That being said, lets look back to the Old testament and see if we can conclude what it teaches us about the proper view point of wealth.

Old Testament Conclusion concerning Wealth,
1. Conclusion #1.
  1. Proper View of one’s Wealth has always been an important part of a Right Relationship with God,
    1. Job 1:21&22 “And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”
      - after loosing all he had, his attitude toward God was still proper.
        
        He never charged God foolishly,
        
        remember at the end of this book, his friends had mis represented God, and He held it against them. See Job 42:7-9
      - We ought to realize, our situation in life is not determined by what we have, or what we do not, it is determined by the relationship we have with God.
    2. Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”
    3. One of the great tragedies of the writings of the minor prophets was that many people in Israel sought after Wealth with more zeal and ambition than they sought after a proper relationship with God.
      - I will point back to Exodus 33, when God told Moses, that he would give the people of Israel His: Promise (promised to the fathers), His Protection (sending an angel before them), and His Provision (a land of milk and honey), but not His Presence.
        
        Moses rightly choose to tell him, if you don’t go, then don’t send them.
    4. If we desire to have a proper relationship with the Lord, the our viewpoint of Wealth will be in accordance with his will.
2. Conclusion #2.
  1. Faith Governed the Behavior of Old Testament Saints with the Regards toward Wealth,
    1. we see this in the way individuals helped one another,
      - the Laws God gave in order to help the less fortunate in the community,
        
        the Gleaning laws as seen in Ruth, leaving the corners of the field for the poor, even in the charity tithe, given to help the less fortunate.
    2. Job 31:16-23 “ If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; 17 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; 18 (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering; 20 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21 If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate: 22 Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone. 23 For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure. ”
      - Job showed that he used his wealth properly,
        
        contrast that with what Micah wrote,
    3. Micah 2:1&2 “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.”
      - These take advantage of the poor, simply because they have the wealth and power to do it.
    4. It was Faith in God that drove the Good to the Works of Good, not the seeking of wealth.
  2. The difference between Cain and Able,
    1. Genesis 4:3-6 “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted…”
      - Why did the Lord not have respect toward Cains offering?
        
        It is not about meat, and vegetables, but about the attitude of giving,
        
        look at vs. 5, and Cain was very wroth, this does not necessary mean this was an attitude that happened after the offering was rejected. It is possible that this was his attitude as giving, and the reason for that is in vs.7, if thou doest well, and the idea here is if you remain cheerful.
        
        The difference was the attitude of the giving in the gift, we will see more examples of this in the New testament.
3. Conclusion #3.
  1. God Considers Enacting Justice for the Poor a key Responsibility of those Blessed with Wealth,
    1. Amos 8:4-6 “ Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, 5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? ”
      - as already stated one of the major issues during the time of the minor prophets was injustice for the less fortunate.
      - Many of the wealthy choose to take advantage of the situation rather than helping the situation.
        
        For instance if I see that you are short this month, and I offer to give you $100, and all you have to do is write me a check for $120. am I helping or taking advantage?
    2. With the way the laws were set up to govern the people, the gleaning process, the leaving the corners, allowing people to freely eat from the roadside, it is obvious that God has a desire to see the ones blessed with wealth to help those who do not.
    3. Add on top of that the charity offering they were to give, this is 10% on top of the 10% Levitical offering, and again it is clear that God desires for those who have to bless those who do not.
    4. We saw in the story of Job, that he had a desire to help those around him that had need.
4. Conclusion #4.
  1. One Should remember the Lord in Every Aspect of Life, including Wealth,
    1. When Abram came back from rescuing lot and all the others, his first priority was to offer a tithe to the priest of God, Melchizedek.
    2. After that, the king of Sodom came to Abram, and asked him to let them men go back home, and he could keep all the spoils.
      - Abram refused to take any of it, He had already made a promise to God, and did not want the king of Sodom to get any credit for the blessings God gave Him.
    3. Abrams first priority was to bring Honor to God,
  2. All Wealth is a Gift from God,
    1. From the text, we should remember that all wealth comes from God,
    2. this includes our ability to obtain it,

1. 1. 1. - Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,…”