Dr Greg Bahnsen - Proverbs: Proverbs 10:15, 16, 22 (A Righteous View of Riches) (Part 32)

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Proverbs, chapter 10. I'd like to read, to begin this morning, verses 15, 16 and 22. But then we will be continuing in the theme of a righteous view of riches this morning from the book of Proverbs. Let's hear now God's word at Proverbs 10, beginning at verse 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. The labor of the righteous tends to life, the increase of the wicked to sin, the blessing of Jehovah, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow therewith. And thus far the reading of God's word. Money, money, money. It's a rich man's world, so we're told by a well known song that was performed by Abba. People like the subject of money because we like money itself. We're interested in riches. Well, not all of us are. There are plenty of people in this world interested in riches and plenty in the Christian church that are pushing for Christians to get ahead and be financially successful in this world. But there are also those who seem to glory in poverty. There are those who want to deny the natural inclination of men to be successful and get ahead. And their perspective is that wealth is really contrary to the will of God, that God sides with the poor, not with the rich, and that if you are rich that it's very likely you are not living a life that's pleasing to God. And so we have Ronald Sider and others writing books like rich Christians and people promoting the idea that material success in this world is something that should be very suspicious. Oh, and then of course, we have the reactions to those who warn us against the sin of wealth and the sin of greed. The reactions of those that seem to me anyway to be almost as extreme, almost as erroneous as that against which they are reacting, those who promote an almost God out of capitalistic success and try to vindicate anybody's selfish desire for financial success according to what we find in the word of God. And so here we have a great deal of interest in money all around us, some of it positive, some of it negative, almost all of it extreme. I want to suggest to you that if we want to show wisdom in our affairs, if we want to learn what it is to follow God's will and be righteous in this life, that we would do very well to listen to the book of Proverbs and all that it has to say on money and riches. It's much more than you might Expect, in fact, a good deal of what I'm going to be doing this morning will be simply covering a large number of passages that speak to this matter. There, of course, will be some exposition, but it just seems to me we need to master the whole picture about riches as it's found in the Book of Proverbs, because all of us, in one way or another, it seems to me, are falling short of the glory of God when it comes to this. Our attitudes as well as our activities need to be reformed. We need to stop being so foolish and so narrow and so unbalanced in our understanding of wealth and finances, and to begin pursuing this matter in a more God glorifying fashion. And so this morning I want to speak to you about a righteous view of riches. What I have done is I've organized the teaching of the Book of Proverbs on money and income and greed and all these other subjects under a number of heads. And so if you want, as you go through the book with me this morning and you, and you're taking notes, you could list these major themes that I'm going to be giving you and then passages that tend to support or illustrate that matter. And then I'd like to go back over those themes again when we get to the end. The first thing that we need to learn from the Book of Proverbs, the first and crucial insight about money and riches or wealth, is that wealth is not inherently moral or immoral. According to the Book of Proverbs. We have got things backwards when we start looking at money or wealth or riches, as in themselves, good or bad. Because as a matter of fact, they aren't. Proverbs 10:16 says the labor of the righteous tends to life, the increase of the wicked to sin. What we learn from that is that a man is going to use his possessions according to his character. The use of your money, the way you pursue wealth, how you spend your income, is going to be a reflection of your character. The labor of the righteous, by the way, the Hebrew often uses a term and the consequence of that term synonymously. So here labor means what you get for your labor. The income of the righteous tends to life. Righteous men use their money in a life promoting fashion way that's pleasing to God. But the increase or the income of the wicked, on the other hand, tends towards sin. And so income proves to be amoral. Not amoral, non moral. Get that Right. That is to say, money in and of itself has no moral qualification, but the use of money does. What we do with money is moral. Or immoral. But the income itself, the money itself, is but a tool to be used for either good or ill. Money does not make our character, but rather the use of money reflects our character. A second way in which we see that wealth is not inherently moral or immoral is in Proverbs 30th chapter, verses 8 and 9. So turn to Proverbs 38, 9. Hear, the wise writer prays to God, remove far from me falsehood and lies. Now listen to this. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny thee, and say, who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor and steal and use profanely the name of my God. You notice that the wise approach to riches, the righteous understanding of wealth, does not condemn or condone money, because the author recognizes that the problem, as well as the pleasures of money, all have to do with the attitude of one's heart. And. And so, in a sense, he tells us it's a blessing to be neither rich nor poor, because both of those conditions are equally a temptation to a life of covenant breaking sin against God. You see how wrong we have. We tend to think, well, if I just had enough money, you see, then that would show that I'm righteous and I could really promote the kingdom with all these good projects and so forth. Or we tend to say, if I could just be poor and get away from all my materialistic desires and so forth, then I'd really be a righteous person. The author of Proverbs says, you've got it wrong. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Because he says, if I have riches, then the temptation is there to be full and to deny God, to say, who is he? To just ignore the ways of the Lord, because the wealthy have this false security that they're really doing fine. On the other hand, those who are poor tend to be covetous, tend to be greedy, are tempted to steal, and in so doing profane the name of their God. So the first thing we need to learn if we're going to be wise and understanding people about money is that money is not inherently moral or immoral. It's only a tool. And it's equally a tool for good or evil. It's equally a temptation to good or evil. Money is not the issue. The second theme that I find in the book of Proverbs when it comes to a righteous view of riches is that poverty is not the worst thing that can happen to you. I know that may be hard to believe if you're down at that end of the financial spectrum. But poverty is not the worst, not by a long shot. And there are so many passages in the book of Proverbs that teach this that we have to take it for granted that the people living in the days of Solomon were just as as deluded about this issue as we are. They needed to be reminded over and over again. So Proverbs 15:16 to begin with, Proverbs 15:16, better is little with the fear of Jehovah than great treasure and trouble therewith. You'd be much better off to be poor but to fear God than to have a great deal of treasure and have with it all the trouble that comes from a sinful lifestyle. Proverbs 15:17. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. What a cutting proverb. What a cutting proverb that needs to be heard in our society. Here we learn it'd be better to have a very simple vegetable dinner, but to have love around the table than to have an ox in the stall out there. But a family full of hatred. Isn't that true? We see this promoted in a humanistic way in a number of rather melodramatic films and stories. But of course it really stems from the wisdom of proverbs, understood in a godly way. God says, have a vegetable dinner and love in your family rather than to be wealthy and have nothing but hatred among you. Proverbs 16:19. Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. The humility of poverty. That's meant as a pun. That's meant in two ways. The humility of poverty is, first of all the fact that we are down and out. Those who are poor don't have a whole lot to boast about to build themselves up with. They don't have a great deal of flashiness before the world. But you see what comes with that should be a humble spirit before God as well. And it's much better, the Bible says, to be of that lowly spirit, to be a humble man with those who are financially humble, than to divide the spoil with those who are arrogant and proud. You get the point. Poverty is not the worst thing that could happen to you, not by a long shot. Proverbs 17:1. Better as a dry morsel and quietness therewith than a house full of feasting with strife. Just a little crusty piece of bread in a quiet home is better than a house that has all the lavishness of a feast. But is filled with strife. My guess is, even within your own family circles, you've seen that, haven't you? You know it is to go to different people's homes, and often those who seem to have the least in terms of outward splendor in this world have the happiest homes. And you say, I'd much rather go and have a very simple meal there than to go where one of our relatives who has all this money, can put on this great lavish feast. And yet what is there is nothing but strife and animosity and hatred. And so again we see the trouble of discord in the house of the wealthy. Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool. Proverbs 19:22 that which makes a man to be desired is his kindness and a poor man is better than a liar. I hope you take that to heart. Remember that a poor man is better than a liar. Better that you should turn out poor than that you should succeed and have the disposition of a man of deceit. Proverbs 28:6 puts it all together pretty well for us. Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. Now there's a verse worth memorizing and reciting to yourself every day before you go to work. Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. If you get rich, but perverse along the way, you haven't gained anything. You'd be better to be poor and still have your principle, still have your integrity, still have your honesty about you. And then Proverbs 28:11 has a very interesting way of putting this. We learn that a very wise poor man can see right through the arrogant rich. Proverbs 28:11 the rich man is wise in his own conceit, but the poor that hath understanding searches him out. I would imagine you can think of illustrations of that, too. People that are really down and out in worldly terms, who nevertheless have enough wisdom to see right through their rich neighbors, to search out their hearts, and demonstrate a great deal more wisdom about life than those who have got it made in this world. See? And so we find out, secondly, that poverty is not the worst thing that can happen to us. A third principle in the book of Proverbs about riches is that righteousness is preferable to riches. That, in fact, is the axiom from which those preceding comparisons were drawn. And since that Is the axiom that all of those poverty is not the worst comparisons are built upon, then that axiom should actually be our conclusion. That axiom should form our priorities as we approach riches. Proverbs 16:8 expresses it most succinctly. Proverbs 16:@ the eighth verse, Better is little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. From God's point of view, if you are righteous and have a little, you're far ahead of the person who is unjust and has a great deal. Proverbs 16:16 tells us, how much better is it to get wisdom than gold? Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver. Hold that up as a mirror to yourself this morning and ask yourself, what is the condition of your heart? You can find out by answering this question. If you had the choice between wisdom and wealth, which would you take? If you would just go on at the same financial level to which you've become accustomed right now, or even had to take a step or two down, but you could have great wisdom and understanding so that though outwardly there's no splendor to your life, but inwardly you understood the things of the Lord, understood his world, how to live here? If you could have wisdom, but you wouldn't have any great success in the world, would you prefer that the silver and gold? You know, the problem is I have to be honest with myself. I hope you're honest with yourselves. That's a tough decision. You know, when we don't really have to make it, we can be really. Oh, of course I choose wisdom. I'm not so sure. I have times when it seems like money is so desperately needed to pay the bills or to do things we want to do that I think the temptation would be very great to say, well, you know, wisdom can wait, take the money and run. But who wrote this was a man who was given what you all want. One wish. He can have it. God said, solomon, what do you want? And it's yours. Wow. What would you take if you had that situation? And you know what Solomon chose? And he pleased God so much because Solomon said, I wish I had wished wisdom above all wisdom, rather than silver and gold. Then Proverbs 22:1, we need to keep moving here. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor, rather than silver and gold. And so this just reinforces the idea that righteousness is preferable to riches. We have seen three basic principles. Each and every one of the proverbs that supports them is worthy of its own sermon. I honestly believe Believe. But we'll never get through this book if I do that. So let's just make sure we keep up with the general principles. First, wealth is not inherently moral or immoral. Second, poverty is not the worst thing that can happen to you. And third, righteousness is preferable to riches. Fourth, and this is something that may surprise you, the book of Proverbs says, don't romanticize poverty or riches. Don't romanticize poverty or riches. Proverbs is a surprising book. You see, it doesn't promote an unrealistic idealism about life. Even if we must not endorse and must not promote them, we must not live in oblivious of certain harsh social realities about economics. And Proverbs is real down to earth about that. Proverbs says, here's some harsh truths you better deal with. Not that God promotes them, not that God condones them, not that the advice is that we should follow after this, but it's just a fact of life you're going to have to deal with. And so Proverbs often descriptively tells us what is the case rather than what ought to be the case. Proverbs reports on regrettable states of affairs in the world not to condone them, but rather to advise us not to live with our head in the clouds. Let's not be romantic about poverty or about riches. And I have three sub points here that I want you to pick up on. First, poverty is a disability. Poverty is a disability, and let's not pretend otherwise. Proverbs 10, verse 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty. Money does in fact afford protection from misfortune. Poverty does in fact destroy people. Let's not pretend otherwise. Let's not be so idealistic, so romantic that it's just something to glory in if you're poor. No, you're much better off if you have the strength and protection of wealth. My family understands that. Not that we have a great deal of wealth, but you can be very sure there are times, I bet, in your life too, when some misfortune has come into your life. And you say, this is so grinding, this is so hard, this is so depressing. If we just had a sufficient bank account to go and pay for this problem. Maybe it's a car repair. How often have you been in a situation where you had to borrow money from someone just to keep the car running so you can go to work to pay them off? Now that's really debilitating. That's destructive. And of course, people with Health problems, other sorts of problems. Money can really help in this world. Let's not deny that. Proverbs 22:7 tells us further that wealth brings authority and power. Wealth brings leverage. In this world, there's no doubt about it. The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. You're much better off to be rich and to have the authority and influence that comes with that than to be in a servant's position, to be poor and borrowing from people. And so poverty is a disability. There's nothing romantic about it from the standpoint of the Book of Proverbs. Secondly, the harsh reality is that money wins friends. Not that the Bible condones that, mind you. But you better deal with that. You better not pretend that it's other than that, because you're just not going to get along well in this world if you think that isn't true. Money buys friends. Proverbs 14:20. The poor is hated even of his own neighbor, but the rich hath many friends. Proverbs the 19th chapter, verse 4. Wealth adds many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend. Proverbs 19:6, 7. Many will entreat the favor of the liberal man, that is to say, the man who is liberal in his giving, the beneficent man. Many will entreat the favor of the liberal man. And every man is a friend to him that gives gifts. All the brethren of the poor do hate him. How much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words, but they are gone. This is a very sad thing. You've seen it again. You've seen it. The Book of Proverbs is talking so down to earth. You've seen this in your life. It isn't as though God thinks this is good, but God says, if you're going to live in a sinful world, you better take it into account. Money buys friends. That's a harsh reality. Thirdly, however, the book of Proverbs says wealth has its own liabilities. Poverty is a disability. The harsh reality is that money wins many friends. And yet wealth has its own liabilities. In the first place. What does money buy? What kind of friendship? Fair weather, friends. That in itself is a lot liability. If you were a wealthy man, you know what you would be doing all your life? You'd be wondering, are these really my friends or are they only here because I give them gifts? What a wretched way to live your life, always in fear of fair weather. Friends have people who turn against you when the money is gone. Secondly, wealth has a liability because rich men are under a much greater strain than the poor. Proverbs 13:8 speaks of that very realistically. The ransom of a man's life is his riches. But the poor here is no threatening. When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose, and that gives you a carefree life. See how practical, how down to earth Proverbs is where the wealthy man is exercised to prevent losing his money because he fears the robber's threats, or he spends a fortune to meet his commitments. The poor man's a real poor target, isn't he? And he can live carefree, ignoring the concerns which bring that high anxiety to the rich. The rich man gives his fortune for his life. The poor man says, hey, you ain't going to get anything from me anyway, so I'm not worried. He doesn't hear any threatenings. Proverbs 18:11 tells us that wealth is a liability because it lures us into a false security. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall, in his own imagination there is a truth to the fact that wealth helps you and protects you. We've already seen that. But this proverb says, but in the mind of the rich man, man, he thinks it gives a lot more protection than it really does. He thinks it's a strong city and a high wall, but it's only in his imagination, and so he's deceived into a false security. Proverbs 18:23. One more illustration of this principle is that money does not tend to meekness or humility or courtesy. You will see, we read the poor uses entreaties, but the rich answers roughly, when you have money, you don't tend to be a meek and humble and courteous person. But the lack of money almost nearly demands those qualities in social relations. If you're poor, you need to use entreaties, you need to show courtesy, you need to be humble before others. The rich, you see, are very tempted to have hard hearts and to answer roughly and not take account of how they should respond to others in a God glorifying way. So wealth has its liabilities. So you see what we're getting at here. To go back to the main principle, we shouldn't romanticize poverty, but we shouldn't romanticize riches either, because poverty is a disability. Don't think it's great to be poor? It isn't, and the Bible doesn't promote such nonsense. Secondly, there's a harsh reality you have to do deal with. Money buys friends. But thirdly, wealth has its own liabilities that have to be dealt with. We have a fifth principle I want to move on to, to generalize and keep us reading. That's the principle that we should be level headed in our financial affairs. The book of Proverbs is real down to earth. If I could say that again. Proverbs 13:7 tells us that we cannot always take men at their own valuation. We cannot evaluate them on their outward demeanor. Proverbs 13:7. There is that Feigneth himself rich, yet hath nothing. There is that Feigneth himself poor, yet hath great wealth. Proverbs knows the wiles of man's heart. Proverbs says there are people who put on a real great act, that they've got money. You know, a few, don't you? They live in your neighborhood. They love, you know, by either the car they drive or the kind of parties they put on, or the clothes that they wear or what they say about themselves. They love to give the impression they've got it made, they're successful. Fact of the matter is they have nothing. On the other hand, there are people always poor mouthing themselves, always, you know, putting on the sack they haven't got enough and driving a car that doesn't, you know, match up with how much money they have and so forth because they don't want people to think they've got it. They don't want to be an easy target. And the fact is they've got plenty. Book of Proverbs knows how deceitful people can be in that regard. So be level headed in your financial affairs. This is a very sad observation about the games people play over the issue of money. And then Proverbs 20:14 is also some level headed advice for us. It is bad, it is bad, saith the buyer. But when he has gone his way, then he boasts. That doesn't mean that you should act this way in your financial affairs. But this is just level headed advice to the inexperienced in the ways of the market. You see, people are always wanting to drive a bar. They want to buy poor and sell rich. And so just remember that, don't conduct yourselves that way. But when you're dealing with people, you better know that the person's going to say, oh yeah, that's really bad quality. Oh, that's really terrible. And then he drives the price down and then he walks away and he chuckles. He says, boy, this is really great. I got this really neat thing for a low price from this person. Then Proverbs 20:16, another piece of level headed advice, take his garment, that is surety for a stranger and hold him in pledge that is surety for foreigners. Book of Proverbs says you better recognize a bad risk when you see it and protect yourself against those who don't see a bad risk when they come up against it. So if you know a man who's been lending his money to strangers to take an outlandish illustration, by the way, I do think this is meant as hyperbole. It's overdrawing the picture so that we get the point even in lesser affairs. But when you see people who don't use their money wisely, then you better be very sure if you're going to loan to them at all, that you do so upon security. You know what these series of proverbs we've just looked at tends to do? Tends to kind of burst the bubble, doesn't it? Of our kind of Pollyanna, sickeningly sweet idealism about money and dealing with people, we tend to think if you're religious, you have to be dumb about money. If you're religious you have to be gullible and taken in by everybody. If you're religious, you have to not even be concerned about managing things in a way that will be successful in wise and worldly terms. Book of Proverbs doesn't support that kind of naivete. Book of Proverbs says be level headed, look at the way things money does buy friends. It isn't good, but it happens. Don't be ridiculous. Understand that people are trying to drive a bargain. And if you see people who are foolish in their use of money, don't support them with more. Or if you do take a security. Be very careful about the way you conduct yourself. So let's review here before we go on. Wealth is not inherently moral or immoral. Poverty is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Righteousness is preferable to riches. But don't romanticize poverty and don't romanticize riches. Be level headed in your financial affairs. And then the thing that sticks in the craw of some Christians, the Bible says it's morally good to seek financial success. It is morally good. It's something that you ought to do. In Proverbs 13:22. I think we have the clearest illustration of that. For there we read a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous. A good man wants to be successful enough to leave an inheritance. You know, we've gotten away from that perspective in our culture, you know, we've gotten to the point where we just hope we can get, you know, to the end of our lives and not have the bill catcher of collector catch up with us, right? Or if we can just get out, even then we're doing great. Book of Proverbs says there's nothing righteous about that. The righteous man is the one who builds up an inheritance to pass on. And if you want to see how far we are from the truth in this regard, it doesn't say leaves an inheritance to his children, but to his grandchildren. He leaves an inheritance and that's good. You should strive to be so wealthy that you, you can do that. Note also the many exhortations, the diligence and industry and hard work throughout the Book of Proverbs, along with all the promises that attend that kind of lifestyle. The Book of Proverbs says it is morally good to seek financial success. The next principle is that righteousness is financially rewarded by God. That's supposed to be an outlook that comes from the puritans, you know, know. And the puritans are the easy scapegoats in our culture. They're the whipping boys for everything that's gone wrong. But the fact is, the Bible teaches that righteousness is financially rewarded by God. Proverbs 21:5. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness. But everyone that is hasty hastes only to want. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness, and everyone that is hasty haste only to want. If you are diligent in your work, you're going to have plenty. Proverbs 24:4 and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A man of knowledge, a man of discernment and wisdom, is going to have a house full of very nice things, and it should be that way. Proverbs 28:19 20. He that tills his land shall have plenty of bread. But he that follows after vanity or vain things shall have poverty enough. A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished. God glorifying productive and faithful work brings plenty of blessing, and we should expect that to be the case. On the other hand, if you're hasty to be rich, then you're going to have a lot of want, a lot of sorrow in your life. And so we see that in the first place, it's morally good to seek financial success, and in the second place, righteousness is financially rewarded by God. However, there are Other principles, having said that, which tend to balance that out, not cancel that out. I'm not saying the Bible contradicts itself. I'm saying you better put this in total framework of God's word if you're going to understand it correctly. Because we also learn in the Book of Proverbs that greed is morally repulsive and brings in its own curse. That's a principle we'll take up in the second part of this sermon in a few weeks. We learn as well that the financial end does not justify immoral ends. You have to be ethically careful about the way you gain your wealth. We learn as well that riches are not trustworthy for this life or for the next life. And then finally, the Book of Proverbs, I think, can be put almost by way of conclusion. Its view of riches can be put by way of conclusion in the words of Proverbs 10:22, which we'll end with today. The blessing of Jehovah. It makes rich, and he adds no sorrow therewith. Well, we need to learn in this yuppie envious age all around us what we need to hear. In the midst of a materialistic culture that bombards us with the need for VCRs and fancier cars and nice clothes and big houses and financial success, what we need to hear is the pure, reliable word of God that advises us that the only unspoiled wealth is the blessing of God. The blessing of Jehovah. That's what makes a person wealthy. That's what gives riches. And when he does that, he doesn't add any sorrow with it. If we're going to avoid the immoral extremes that are pulling us in all these different directions about money, let's remember that the single thing that we should set before our eyes is to gain the blessing of Jehovah. For it alone is true wealth, and it alone is a wealth, wealth that doesn't spoil because of the sorrow that comes along with it. In a few weeks, then, we'll conclude this with those final principles of righteousness and riches as we see them in the Book of Proverbs. Let's pray. Lord, we ask you to take our lives and mold them according to the priorities of your Word. We confess to you that we often make our decisions about value. We often make our decisions about how to spend our lives and how to pursue wealth, how to spend our money. We make these decisions not based on a thorough study of your Word, not based upon a prayer that you should reform us and mold us according to righteousness, not based upon wisdom and insight as you can give it. But we make our decisions on such silly bases, on such selfish desires, on such worldly guidance and counsel as we see all around us. We ask you this morning, then, to take us and to bring us back to your word and open our eyes, that we might understand what you have to teach us there. So that our view of riches would not be one that leads to sorrow and misery, not one that leads to romantic idealism and to an naivete that is destructive. We ask, rather, that we would have a view of riches that is righteous, because it's the one that you have, the one that you would have us to follow. And we thank you that you offer us this, that you might guide our lives, that we wouldn't stumble in darkness, but have light unto our paths. For we pray in Jesus name. Amen.