The Love of Wealth
June 3, 2019
Commentary
God promises material blessings to those who honor his principles but it does not imply that all wealth is a necessary sign of blessing (vv. 19-21). A common error of Judaism was to regard material wealth as always indicating the blessing of God. While it is true that the book of Proverbs promises material blessings to those who honor God’s financial principles it does not imply that all wealth is a necessary sign of blessing. Nowhere did Jesus magnify poverty or criticize the legitimate getting of wealth. In fact He has given us all things to enjoy (I Tim. 6:17). It is not wrong to possess things, but it is wrong for things to possess us. Our attention to wealth, possessions, social status and retirement benefits tends to cause us to trust that which man can provide rather than that which God has already provided. Our simple appreciation of the natural provisions of God are frequently overlooked in favor of the plastic provisions of our contemporary technology.
Don’t store up treasures on this earth where moth and rust can destroy and theives can break in and steal (v. 19). The believer’s attention needs to be directed toward the treasures in heaven rather than possessions upon this earth (v. 20). The only way man will ever overcome his natural inclination toward materialism and wealth is to place the priority of his possessions in heaven. Your heart will always be where your treasure is (v. 21). When our goal is to accumulate wealth in this life it occupies our heart and mind (vv. 22-24). That is why our writer says “No man can serve two masters” (v. 24). Either Jesus is our Lord or money is our Lord. You cannot be the slave of two masters. This statement is as true for those who do not have much money as it is for those who may already be wealthy. it may be more of a problem for those who don’t have money as they have a compelling desire to get it. The ultimate destiny of our lives is either earthly or heavenly and the concentration of our efforts will reveal where our real treasure is.
Application
I need to be careful as to how culture has affected my view of money and earthly possessions. In light of this passage is there anything I need to do differently?
Matthew 6:19– 24 (NET)
19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Illustration:
We are told that in the prairies of South America there grows a flower that always inclines in the same direction. The traveler may lose his way while crossing one of those prairies, and he may have neither compass nor chart by which to steer his course; but, turning to this lovely flower, he will find a guide on which he can implicitly rely; for no matter how heavily the rains may descend, or how violently the winds may blow, its leaves and petals invariably droop towards the north. If, whilst we live, we subserve a purpose analogous to that of this humble flower, we shall not have lived in vain. If we live to God, if we turn to him in faith, and love, and prayer, and service, as the prairie-flower turns toward the north, some seeing our good works, our comely life, will be led to “Glorify our Father who is in heaven. – (B. Wilkinson, F. G. S).