“Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings, Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” Proverbs 23:4-5
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—the American Dream. Our media bombards us with the idea that we should pursue whatever makes us happy. If fame makes us happy, we should chase it. If academic degrees make us happy, we should acquire them. If pleasure makes us happy, we should seek pleasure. And if money makes us happy, then, whatever it takes, we should pursue wealth!
As a high school student, and not yet a Christian, I bought into the lie that money would make me happy. As I thought about college and the future, I spent many hours in the career counseling center searching for jobs that would lead to wealth and prominence. Money and fame were my two main criteria for deciding the direction I wanted to pursue in life. In my own way, I was pursuing the American dream.
Times are tough and money makes the world go ‘round. Shouldn’t we work hard to pursue the American dream? Shouldn’t we exhaust ourselves to provide happy lives for our families? I mean, if we work hard to make money, shouldn’t we enjoy it?
Well, maybe not. As Christians, what should be our posture toward wealth?
Proverbs 23:4-5 teaches that the Lord alone provides financial security. This proverb wraps up a section that argues that an intimate relationship with God and obedience to His law form the foundation for a wise, happy life. This verse teaches us to trust in God’s provision and to expend our energy serving Him.
But why shouldn’t we trust in wealth to provide security? We need money. Everything from food to entertainment has a cost. Why does God command us not to weary ourselves to gain wealth? Verse five shows that riches were not designed by God to provide ultimate security.
Wealth is transitory, like an independent, illusive eagle. Eagles are amazing creatures. They symbolize freedom and independence. And wealth, like an eagle, can fly away without notice, at uncatchable speeds, to unreachable heights. The American financial crisis proves this biblical truth. In a matter of weeks, days, and even hours, many millionaires lost everything. All the time and energy they spent to accumulate riches vanished overnight. They couldn’t have done anything to prevent it because wealth, like an eagle, comes and goes as it pleases. And when wealth flies away, those who have spent a lifetime building barns realize the futility of their lives. King Solomon, the wisest man in the Bible, amassed riches, women and armies, but concluded that excessive toil for unstable things amounts to a meaningless existence (see Ecclesiastes).
God did not design wealth to provide ultimate security; nor should we make it the object of our faith. Proverbs 23:5 literally says about wealth, “Your eyes fly to it and it is gone.” If our eyes fly after wealth, which sprouts wings and flies away, we will develop an impoverished faith. If the eyes of our faith dart here and there looking for riches, we will never be satisfied. But when we fix our sight on our faithful God and on obeying Him rather than on accumulating riches, He will provide for our needs and we will learn contentment.
Proverbs 23:4-5 shows us that we must trust the Lord for financial and spiritual security. In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus assures believers that if we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, He will meet our material needs. While those who pursue earthly riches will end up estranged from God, those who trust God and expend their energy to please Him will receive eternal reward.
Not only can we trust God for our financial security, but we can trust Him for our spiritual security. Just as the Bible prohibits us from over working to become rich, we cannot work at all to gain salvation. Instead, the Lord has provided for His people’s spiritual need. Ephesians 1:3-14 details the Father’s provision for our spiritual needs through the death and resurrection of His Son. God has promised us an inheritance with His Son—an inheritance of eternal, resurrection life. And He has given us His Spirit as a down payment securing this inheritance. He has proven His ability to fulfill this promise by raising Jesus from the dead. And if God can raise the dead, He can surely provide for our financial needs. So, don’t over-work to gain worldly wealth, but trust in God’s faithful provision.
The wise person trusts in God for financial security. When Christians labor to gain temporal wealth, we develop an impoverished faith. If God can raise the dead and restore broken people, He can surely give us our daily bread.