Money talks. But we don’t talk about money. It’s one of those taboo topics. Why? Perhaps because it hits so close to home. Our money is our security. It is our key to every locked door. It is our god (little “g”). Money is powerful. It can be the root of all evil or it can do great good. It all depends on how it is used. So we should talk about it. Especially in the church where we talk about the things in life that really matter.
This week Proverbs gives us all some good, practical advice on how to use our money wisely.
Proverbs preaches against fast money. According to the Israelite sages, money that is quickly made (and quickly spent) is unstable and easily lost. An estate quickly acquired in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. (20:21). Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it. (13:11) In a culture that values fast food, fast cars, and instant-gratification-impulse-buys, Proverbs advises us to slow down when it comes to our money. Be more deliberate. Be more careful. Be more conscious of what you are buying and what you are supporting with your powerful dollars and cents.
Proverbs also warns us about the unstable, unsteady character of a person who wants to get rich. The faithful will abound with blessings, but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished. (28:20) The miser is in a hurry to get rich and does not know that loss is sure to come. (28:22) The person who wants to get rich is not content with what he already has. He wants more. And he usually wants more quickly. It’s really hard not to be this kind of person living in America today. We are constantly ambushed by advertising meant to tap into our selfish, self-centered, and greedy desires. We are constantly deluded into thinking that we need and even deserve the bigger house, the better car, the faster computer, and the latest in style. Proverbs warns us that such greed leads us fast to shaky moral ground. It also leads us to an uncertain, unstable state of discontent, where we cannot be at peace with what we have because all we can see is what we don’t have.
Finally, Proverbs advises us to be prudent with our money. Prudence isn’t a virtue highly admired among us any more. Parents no longer name their daughters Prudence.[1] But it is a biblical virtue to which our scriptures consistently point. To act prudently is to act with care and thought for the future. To act prudently in the proverbs sense is to act with care and thought for the future keeping the Godly ideals of righteousness, justice, and equity in mind. Being prudent with our money, then, will require us to slow down and carefully consider each purchase. Is this purchase just? Is this purchase righteous? Will this purchase promote equity amongst the people of God? Being prudent with our money will also require us to overcome our selfish greed as we act with care for the future, not just our future. This means slowing down to consider whether our money, our investments, our tax dollars are going towards building, sustaining, and redeeming God’s creation so that there can be a future for all of God’s children.
Proverbs gives us a lot to think about and talk about when it comes to our money. So I pray that the words of my mouth, the meditations of my mind, and the feelings of all of our hearts are acceptable to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.
[1] Ellen F. Davis, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, (Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 2000), pg. 118.
Dan
Teri
Leave a Reply