False teaching about prosperity has blinded many to Biblical teaching. We don’t give to God for the purpose of getting from God, but it is true that God blesses those who give. The point of distinction is one of motivation. Do we give to get, or give to give honor and thanks to God?

In the movie “Wall Street,” starring Michael Douglas, there is a speech that was taken from real life. The speech goes like this: “Greed is good, greed is right, greed works. Greed cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all its forms, greed for life, greed for money, greed for love, greed for knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, mark my words,  will save the USA.”

The speech in the movie was based on a speech given in real life by a man named Ivan Boesky, an investment banker who was arrested in the 1980’s for stock trading violations. He later went to prison for his crimes, and the many ways he used people in his strivings to accumulate money began to be revealed.

In the Bible we get multiple examples of how the pursuit of riches can be deadly. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, was struck with leprosy because he couldn’t pass up a monetary reward in 2 Kings. Ananias and Sapphira died because of lying about money, in Acts chapter 5. The rich young ruler couldn’t enter the kingdom of God because of his grasp on money, in Mark chapter 10.  A rich man was tormented in Hades because he couldn’t give up his wealth in Luke chapter 16. And Paul warned Timothy that those who desire to be rich fall into temptations in 1 Timothy chapter 6. Everyone knows someone who got off track in their life because of the hunger to possess riches and wealth.

The book of Proverbs makes numerous references to wealth and riches and poverty. In fact, there are two proverbs that speak pointedly to the issue of greed and the lust for money:

Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. – Proverbs 15:27 ESV

Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man. – Proverbs 27:20 ESV

The core problem with the wealth game is that you never get enough. Many people get caught in the cycle of trying to get just a little bit more, contrary to the advice of Proverbs 23:4:

Do not weary yourself [with the overwhelming desire] to gain wealth; Cease from your own understanding of it. – Proverbs 23:4 AMP

Do not weary yourself…

Do you have any personal experiences with the torment of pursuing riches and wealth?

The Book of Proverbs isn’t exhaustive on the subject of finances, but it is right in line with the rest of Scripture on this topic.

PROVERBS ABOUT HOW WE GAIN PROSPERITY

There are three sources of financial prosperity according to Proverbs:

Prosperity Comes from the Hand of God

The Lord’s blessing is our greatest wealth. All our work adds nothing to it! – Proverbs 10:22 TLB

This verse, as well as all other teaching on prosperity in the Old Testament, has its roots in the covenant of the blessings of God as given to Israel through Moses. These blessings of prosperity are seen most clearly in Deuteronomy 28.

Blessings for Obedience
¹ “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ² And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. ³ Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. ⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. ⁵ Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ⁶ Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

⁷ “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. ⁸ The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ⁹ The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. ¹¹ And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. ¹² The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. ¹³ And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, ¹⁴ and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. – Deuteronomy 28:1–14 ESV

This passage is a clear covenant statement by God to His chosen people, that if they walk in obedience to Him they will be blessed, or prosperous. Everything to which they put their hands would bear fruit in abundance.

The obvious response to this passage today comes from those who say, “But I know people who follow the Lord who aren’t blessed materially.” But the verses don’t say it is God’s intent to make you rich.

God’s plan was to bless you in order that you might be a channel of blessing to others.

God doesn’t bless anyone so they can just sit back and revel in their “blessedness.” Israel’s purpose as God’s chosen and blessed people was that they might be a light to the Gentiles, all the rest of the people of the earth, and attract them to Yahweh, their God. All of our blessing comes from God in order that we might tell others of His desire to bless them as well.

What is your thoughts, ideas and situation with “being a blessing to be a blessing”? Does the passage in Deuteronomy impact or influence your situation?

So, first and foremost, all prosperity comes from God.

Prosperity Comes from Honesty and Integrity

We can be reminded as we go through this study of how interested God is in the means, as well as the end, in life—the process as well as the results; the journey as well as the destination. God cares not only about what we get but how we get it. If we secure material prosperity in a way that is not honest and lacks integrity, we can be sure that the blessing is not from God.

If we ruin our name in the pursuit of riches, we have lost something very important in God’s sight (Proverbs 22:1). It is better to have a little with righteousness than a lot with injustice (16:8). The wicked man with a house full of money also has a house full of trouble (15:6). Cheating someone in business in order to gain wealth is an abomination in God’s sight (11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23). Dishonesty, get-rich-quick schemes such as gambling and the lottery, and greed all violate principles found in Proverbs. Prosperity comes first from the hand and by the blessing of God, and next from honesty and integrity in life and in work.

Prosperity Comes from Hard Work and Diligence

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

This is the only one verse in Proverbs that speaks directly to the point of hard work and diligence. The reason there are not many proverbs dealing with hard work is because there are so many dealing with the opposite: laziness. The sluggard occupies a prominent place in Proverbs with many exhortations and warnings concerning his character.

Occasionally we will hear of a lazy person who is blessed with prosperity. But it is an accident and not intentional—they sort of fall into money through an inheritance, a sweepstakes, or some other event. Sometimes we hear people say there aren’t any jobs, but for the diligent and honest there are almost always jobs to be had. The lazy man is the one who turns down many jobs because they aren’t to his liking. The rags-to-riches stories which abound in American history are proof that, in a free-market society, prosperity awaits those who are willing to work hard.

Once we establish a measure of prosperity (whether small or great), Proverbs also is ready to guide us in managing what God has blessed us with.

What is your experience with attempts at “get rich quick” and being diligent and focused on the long haul?

PROVERBS ABOUT HOW WE GOVERN OUR MONEY

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. – Proverbs 11:28 ESV

This is the primary principle on the governance of money found in Proverbs There is nothing wrong with obtaining riches, but there is a great deal wrong with trusting in them instead of trusting in the One who gives them—and who can take them away. We are warned against greed and against putting our trust in transitory things like wealth so that nothing comes between us and God. Money is not given to us as a permanent possession, and therefore should never be the object of trust. God, on the other hand, is permanent and eternal, the perfect object for our trust. Therefore, we are to trust the Giver, not the gift, when it comes to material prosperity.

If we manage what God has given, we will have enough money to give away. And there are proverbs which direct our steps in that area as well.

Do you have any experiences where you trusted in riches, rather than God?

PROVERBS ABOUT HOW WE GIVE AWAY OUR MONEY

The guiding principle of stewardship which covers all areas of life in God’s kingdom is that we must give away what we have in order to keep it. Money, friendship, love, forgiveness—all will be returned to us in the abundance with which we give them away to others. That which we hoard will cease to grow and be a blessing to us or to anyone else. Indeed, one of the best ways to guard against greed is to give away something which you are clinging tightly to. When you release it, God blesses your generosity and returns the blessing to you which you have given for the benefit of others.

Do you have an example of blessings you have experienced in giving, rather than receiving?

The Purpose of Giving

The first purpose for giving of our prosperity is to honor the Lord.

1. To honor the Lord
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. – Proverbs 3:9 NLT

An extended passage from Deuteronomy 26:1–15 highlights the concept of giving to the Lord from the firstfruits of one’s labor. Moses is reminding the people of Israel how God redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into a land of great abundance. As an act of recognition and gratitude for God’s blessing, the Israelites were to take a basket of the first of the produce from their fields and set it before God as an offering. By this act they were saying, “Lord, this is my way of honoring You for what You have done for me.”

As a believer today, Egypt should be a picture of the slavery to sin which we have been redeemed from. If Israel were thankful for being redeemed from slavery to Pharaoh, how much more thankful should we be for our redemption from sin? If they brought one basket of produce to set before the altar of the Lord, we ought to bring several! Of course, no offering by either the Israelites or by us could ever acknowledge totally what God has done for us. But it is a way for us to say we are aware and appreciative of the blessing that is ours.

2. To help others
The second reason to give away what is ours is for the benefit of others. Built into the fabric of the Old Testament civil and religious code was the necessity for caring for those in need.

Be generous to the poor—you’ll never go hungry; shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses. – Proverbs 28:27 MSG

As we covered earlier, God blesses us so we may be a blessing to others. And the more we are a blessing to others, the more He blesses us. Whenever we receive blessing from God, we have the responsibility to come before Him and ask, “How would you have me use this wealth which you have entrusted to my care? Please show me who you want to be blessed through your gifts to me.”

Proverbs also reminds us that when we give according to God’s will, we become the beneficiaries of God’s provision.

The Provisions of Giving

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. – Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV

There is so much false teaching propagated about giving that we are sometimes hesitant to embrace what God really does say about it. The wrong teaching is that we give to God in order to get from God; that we sow a seed of money in order to reap a harvest of money. That is false teaching. What the Bible does say, and what we should believe unashamedly, is that God promises to bless those (to meet their needs) who give to meet the needs of others. When we give, God will always be faithful to meet the needs we have.

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. – Proverbs 11:24 ESV
Hoarding leads to poverty, but God increases the store of the one who gives liberally. Proverbs 13:7 repeats the same truth from a different angle:
One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. – Proverbs 13:7 ESV

These verses are the opposite of the modern approach of “Get all you can and can all you get.” The idea of giving as a way of receiving does not fly in the “Greed is good” economy. But it is God’s way and always works.

When we have an open hand, not only can we give from our hand to others but God can replenish our hand with more. But when God gives and we close our hand tightly around it, we can no longer give to others and God can no longer give to us. We get to keep what we have but we stop receiving. If we needed any confirmation of these teachings in Proverbs, we could easily turn to the words of Christ Himself:

<strong>give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.</strong> – Luke 6:38 ESV

His words could not be any plainer. The manner in which we give is the manner in which God will give to us. The Apostle Paul agreed saying:

<strong>And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.</strong> – Philippians 4:19 ESV

If the experience of Christians is to be measured, millions would validate these teachings. I have never met a believer yet who gave generously and was then abandoned by God.

Some of the most profound words in the Bible on money come near the end of the book of Proverbs. They are in the form of a prayer by Solomon:

<strong>⁷ O God, I beg two favors from you before I die: ⁸ First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs! ⁹ For if I grow rich, I may become content without God. And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.</strong> – Proverbs 30:7-9 TLB

That is an amazing prayer in that it asks for “enough.” If we have too much we face the temptation of getting our eyes off God and putting them on the money. If we have too little we face the temptation of stealing in order to get what we need. But when we have “enough” we are not tempted either way.’

How has been your experience in desiring “enough” and seeking a loving heart and relationship with God overcome your personal desires of this world?

Some people are gifted by God with a capacity to live with a lot or to live with little. If you are gifted either way, use your giftedness to live joyfully to the glory of God. Others (probably most people) don’t have that capacity. If they have a lot of money it burns a hole in their pocket and their focus becomes the money instead of God. Or if they have too little, they get their eyes on their financial obligations and stop trusting God. Therefore, the prayer in Proverbs 30 is asking God for what I can handle without being tempted in either wrong direction. It is asking God to let me be faithful over what He knows I can handle.

A favorite line from the Serenity Prayer is:

Trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

In the book, Run with the Horses, Eugene Peterson tells of seeing a mother bird teaching her young to fly. The mother and three little birds were sitting on a branch, and the mother kept edging her young out to the end of the branch until, one by one, they fell off and were forced to flap their wings and fly—which they all did. Flying is what birds were created to do, and giving is what we were created to do. Sometimes we have to jump off the end of the branch and trust God before we can learn what a blessing giving is.

We have a good example—God’s gift of Jesus Christ to us. As we learn to give like God gives, we will be blessed beyond anything the world has to offer.

Jeremiah, D. (2002). Powerful principles from proverbs: Study guide. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.