Proverbs
Managing your money (various
Proverbs)
To be clever enough to get all that
money, one must be stupid enough to want it says G K Chesterton’s priest-turned-detective, Father Brown
He’s
right, of course, to want money in abundance, and to spend your life in pursuit
if it, is a form of stupidity, but where does wisdom lie in financial
affairs?
Two
disclaimers: today we aim not detailed advice on the administration of money,
nor do I claim personal expertise in this area, instead we are going to turn to
the book of Proverbs, a book full of practical wisdom on all aspects of life,
including money:
If
there is one word that sums up the teaching of Proverbs about money is
‘prudence.’ It probably betrays his Scots Presbyterian words, but it’s a word
often on the lips of the Chancellor, Gordon Brown. It’s a word defined in the
dictionary as:
‘cautious practical wisdom,
discretion, care in providing for the future’
So we are going to look at the hallmarks
of a prudent Christian in the managing of money in the book of Proverbs:
A prudent Christian avoids
dishonest gain
Proverbs 1 speaks of an invitation
to financial skulduggery:
"Come along with us; let's lie
in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul; 12 let's swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;13 we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with
plunder; 14 throw in your lot with us,
and we will share a common purse"—Prov 1.11-14
but
warns
My son, if sinners entice you, do
not give in to them. Prov 1.10
The
temptation to get rich by dishonesty is real. And so is the pressure of peer
pressure: ‘come along with us’
but
the Bible warns of the reality of judgment and ultimate ruin:
19
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the
lives of those who get it. Prov 1. 19
We need to beware the temptation to
financial impropriety. We need particularly to beware the pressure of
workmates, office culture, or family members to operate in a way that is less
than fully Christian in terms of financial integrity. Whether its handling our
money or others, whether its completing a tax return or some other form
requesting financial information, as people living for God we need to heed his
word: if sinners entice you, do not
give in to them
There is such a thing as
self-inflicted poverty. Of course most people who are poor are not poor because
of their own idleness but, according to scripture, some are
Proverbs satirises the sluggard and
asks:
This is not about person who is unable
to work because of ill-health of because of the vagaries of the job market, but
someone who doesn’t want to work. I know someone like that. He finds
work, well, tiring, and therefore he prefers wherever possible not to do it.
Such a person is exhorted to take a lesson from that tiny, but industrious
creature, the ant:
The
ant works hard and provides for its future but Mr Can’t-be-Bothered descends
into poverty through his own deep inactivity. Possibly he’s a bit of a dreamer
– always dreaming of finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, perhaps a
win on the pools or the lottery, or just hoping like Mr MiCawber that something
will turn up – but never actually getting down to doing anything. Proverbs
observes:
He who works his land will have
abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Prov
12.11
Well, what about us, if we
recognise a little of the sluggard in ourselves, let us consider the ant! It
may be that in some area of our life characterised by inactivity or
procrastination, the Spirit of God is urging us to get a move on. Perhaps as a
result of this very sermon something you have been thinking about doing, you
should actually do!
Yes the Bible commends hard work,
but it cautions against over-work and the kind of relentless pursuit of wealth
that wrecks marriages, ruins family life, and leads to an early grave:
Do not wear yourself out to get
rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. 5
Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely
sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. Prov 23.
4-5
‘Show
restraint’ what a wonderful word of wisdom to the modern world. Recognise that
wealth doesn’t last – get things into proportion
In
fact if you are going to pursue anything don’t run after wealth but seek God
and his kingdom and his righteousness. That, and not your money, will stand you
in good stead on the day of judgment:
Wealth is worthless in the day of
wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Prov 11.4
What good is a healthy bank balance
and a villa in Spain when you stand before for the judgment seat of God? Only
righteousness – only a right standing with God through grace – will be of any
use to you or me on that day
Proverbs 30 gives us a prayer that
we could all make our own:
‘Two things I ask of you, O LORD’
prays the speaker, Agur:
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread. 9
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the
LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God. Prov
30.8-9
Don’t give me riches Lord because I
might disown you and say ‘Who is the Lord’. The great danger of wealth
is self-sufficiency of saying ‘I don’t need God’ The very wealthy person, in
the short term anyway, can say ‘who is God?’ because his money can deceive him
into thinking he is control of his life and can meet all his needs from his own
resources.
Incidentally, this is a constant
danger run by relatively well-off churches like ours – its why a friend of mine
prefers deficit budgeting
Millions of Christians in the
wealthy west have bought a book publicising the Prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles
4, but I wonder whether it’s really the Prayer of Agur that we actually need to
pray: don’t give me riches, or I may have too much and disown you.’
The second half is ‘don’t let me
become poor, because I might dishonour your name by breaking your
commandments.’ (Children in prison in Eastern Europe for stealing food)
The Prudent Christian wants neither
to be rich, nor poor, but merely to have his ‘daily bread’ – that is, to have
enough to live on. May God save us from having too much or too little
When at the age of 51 John Wesley
thought he was dying he wrote his own epitaph – it was a bit premature because
he lived for another 37 years, but it revealed something of his attitude to
money:
Here lieth
the Body of John Wesley
Who died of
a consumption in the fifty first year of age
Throughout his life Wesley aimed to
give away everything he didn’t need, to have enough, and no more. To him it was
a sign of success, not failure, to die with less than £10 in the bank. He knew
the limitations of money
That brings us to our final point:
How we treat the poor is a
profoundly spiritual issue. It is a key indicator of the quality of our
relationship with God. So concerned is God for the poor, so identified is he
with the their needs, that to give to them is to give to the Lord; to oppress
them is to dishonour the Lord:
He who oppresses the poor shows
contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God. Prov
14.31
He who is kind to the poor lends to
the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Prov
19.17
There are echoes here of Jesus
teaching ‘whatever you did for the
least of these you did for me’
Well what about your family budget?
There are many calls on our income: the mortgage has to be covered, the bills
have to be paid, there is the deposit for the holiday, a youngster at
university, our giving to the work of the Gospel here - all are important but
if we are biblical in our thinking there will be a place in our family budget
for the poor aswell. And there should be a substantial sum set aside for them
if our heart is in tune with God’s heart of compassion. For those of us with
reducing financial obligations - if the
mortgage has been paid off and the kids have left home - it may be a growing
amount:
He who is kind to the poor lends to
the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Prov
19.17
To be clever enough to get all that
money, one must be stupid enough to want it said Father Brown. If our lives in this important area are
moulded by the Word of God we won’t be stupid enough to want money, instead we
will have wisdom to make prudent decisions that please God.