The
first recorded man tremendously blessed by God with riches was Abram
(exalted father) later re-named by God Abraham (father of many
nations). This is what our Bible records:
“When Abram was
ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God
Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my
covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.
Abram fell facedown,
and God said to him. “As for me, this is my covenant with you:
You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called
Abram, your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of
many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of
you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as
an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after
you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your
descendants after you.” (Gen. 17:1-7 NIV)
Out
of the thirty six parables of the Lord Jesus Christ, eighteen of
them, or one half, concerns money. There are at least two thousand
verses on money. Money is that important to God and to man. That is
why Jesus Christ said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4)
quoting from the Old Testament what God “His (our) Father told
Moses when the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years
being supplied with manna from heaven as their daily bread (Deut.
8:3). Stated otherwise, we live in this world physically by “eating”
bread and spiritually the Word of God.
The
Bible tells us that “All things were made by him; and without him
was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3 KJV). Connecting
this verse to Col. 1:14 to 17:
“In whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For
by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together.”Cross references:
Going
back to verse 14 of John, which says, “And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth”, obviously
the Lord Jesus Christ is the one being referred to in the aforequoted
verses. Therefore, God created riches or money, so man may live
comfortably, with the Bible as his “manufacturer’s manual”.
Although
the Lord Jesus was and is extremely rich without equal in money and
in everything, as he owns everything in this world (Ps. 24:1;
50:10-12), yet he was not carrying with him or keeping much money at
all. He did not establish a Central Bank where he could keep his
riches. He spends as the need arises. Thus, one day Peter told him,
Lord, the Roman government is asking for your tax money. He told
Peter “xxx go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the
fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou
shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them (tax
collectors) for me and thee” (Matt. 17:27, KJV). Generosity was a
virtue of Jesus Christ as evidenced by the fact that though Peter did
not ask him to pay tax money for him, he said, “give unto them for
me and thee”. What a blessing for Peter, someone paying for his
taxes without his asking!
There
is nothing wrong in being wealthy, provided it is gotten thru honest
and lawful means. The Bible says, …. For Abram was very rich in
livestock, silver, and gold” (Gen. 13:2 NLT). If one is a public
or government official, that one should be able to explain his source
of wealth, if inquired into.
God
gives us the “power to get wealth, that he may establish his
covenant” [old and new] (Deut. 8:18). The will and purpose of God
in prospering men is to spread the gospel, not to keep it for when he
goes out of this world, he can’t bring with him even a single cent
(Job. 1:21; Eccl. 5:15, 1 Tim. 6:7).
The
great Apostle Paul, said “And having food and raiment (clothing)
let us be therewith content (1 Tim. 6:8 KJV). Notice that Paul does
not even mention a house, much more an airconditioned one. Don’t
take this literally. It simply means, “be content with just
enough” for it is not good to keep too much money, especially, if
one is a public official, and more so when asked to explain the
source and no credible explanation is made.
In
Prov. 30, the wise Agur said, “Two things have I required of thee;
deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me neither poverty
nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full,
and deny thee, and say, who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and
steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Prov. 30: 7-9 KJV).
This simply means too much riches is not good, neither is it good to
be very poor for it might drive one to steal.
The
Bible tells us of Solomon’s wealth and splendor in this wise:
“The
weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,
not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all
the Arabian kings and the governors of the land. King Solomon made
two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold
went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of
hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put
them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Then the king made a
great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The
throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides
of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.
Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step.
Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. All King
Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the
Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of
silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's
days. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the
ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold,
silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. King
Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of
the earth.
The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God
had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a
gift--articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and
horses and mules. Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had
fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept
in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made
silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as
sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. Solomon's horses were imported
from Egypt and from Kue--the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of
silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them
to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.” (1
Kings 10:14-29 NIV)
King
Solomon’s annual income of gold was about 25 tons (vs. 14), and he
reigned 40 years. In gold alone, his riches was one million tons in
40 years. But these were tribute money - - clean money, included in
his SALN (Bible, in those days). The Bible tells us “So King
Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for
wisdom” (vs. 23).
It
is significant that the wise King Solomon whose riches could not be
surpassed by anyone before him and after him said: “The
blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with
it” (Prov. 10:22 KJV). Notably, Solomon’s riches
was a blessing from God. Is your riches a result of the
exercise or application of your God-given talent and hard work? If
so, rejoice forevermore, God has blessed you indeed, and no sorrowful
episode awaits your future. If not, it will be a curse unto you.
(FGBMFI Davao City Chapter Bulletin June 9, 2012)
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