Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. 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. (23:4-5)
On the way home yesterday I was behind a car with the following bumper sticker–”Money talks. Mine always says “good-bye”! I thought it was pretty funny and then this morning I read Proverbs 23:4-5 and thought, “Wow, I guess that sticker was true too.” Money does not last. It cannot be counted on. As soon as you think you have it, it sprouts wings and flies away.
However I think the real emphasis of Solomon’s words is in the first part of verse 4–”Don’t wear yourself out to get rich.” Don’t let money consume you, control you. Don’t let it determine the direction of your life. It’s not worth the pursuit. Money is a good tool but a rotten god.
Paul warns Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:9-10: People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Usually when I think of someone with a “love for money,” I think of the Rockefellers, Hughes, and Gates of this world. You know, the really rich people…those are the people with the problem. But that is not the picture Paul is trying to paint. It is the desire to get rich, the eagerness to have more and more. It is the false belief that joy and satisfaction increase as my money and possessions increase. It is an easy trap to fall into and we live in a culture that certainly infects us with this belief.
So how do we know if we are infected with the love of money? When we wear ourselves out to earn another buck so we can get more stuff. When we ignore God’s command to rest and add more and more hours to our work schedule. When we earn more, but give less.
I just read an article in Newsweek that lauded the fact that over $260 billion was given to charity last year by Americans. It was the highest total in our nation’s history. The problem is that that total represents a little less than 1% of the nation’s income. In other words, the average American gives less than 1% to charitable causes–churches, relief organizations, etc. What’s even more ironic is that those who make over $100,000 a year typically give the least. I am reminded of Jesus’ words: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt 6:21) and To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).
Again money is not the problem. It is our attitude toward it. As Paul goes on to say in 1 Timothy 6: Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share… (6:17-18). This command is for us.
Lord, teach me to be generous with all the blessings that You have given me.