FBC Morning Light – October 13, 2022

Proverbs 28:6-7 and the Temptation to Admire Wealth

Well, a good Thursday morning to you. Today we're reading in the book of Proverbs again, where we're focusing anyway. I was reminded of, in one of the verses that we are reading today, Proverbs 28, verse 6, I was reminded of an age-old propensity of the human nature, I think it is, and that is to kind of hold up and extol those who are wealthy, who have a lot of money.

Who are rich and famous. You see it all the time in the modern culture, right? You don't see special TV shows showing you the lifestyles of the average and the impoverished. Not at all. It's the lifestyles of the rich and the famous.

I get the Wall Street Journal, and once a week there's a section in the journal that is entitled Mansions, and it shows some key properties that are for sale, these multi-million dollar homes that are for sale, and you look at the opulence of these places and you're just wowed by that.

I wouldn't want to live there, it would save my life, but it is incredible to see the kind of opulence that is afforded in such places. I also get Vermont Magazine, I used to live there, and there's a section in the magazine that shows real estate that's for sale, and these homes that are available for a million dollars or more.

Beautiful homes in the state of Vermont. We gravitate to those kinds of places, and we tend to think highly of them. And the people who are able to live there, because they're so wealthy. That is a propensity of human nature, I think, and Christians are not necessarily exempt from it.

James on Partiality Toward the Wealthy

In fact, this wasn't on our reading today, but I was reminded of it, in James chapter 2, James says to his brothers and sisters in Christ, he says, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

He says, if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, you sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, you stand there or sit here in my footstool, have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

So even James acknowledges that there is a propensity in human nature to extol the wealthy because of their wealth, and to kind of look down upon the poor. But this takes us back to our verse in Proverbs 28, verse 6 says, better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Many people, God is very kind and gracious and gives the ability to make wealth, and a person, just because he's wealthy, it doesn't mean he's perverse. It doesn't mean he's lacked integrity. But the point of this verse is that some people are lacking in integrity.

Some people are perverse, and it's by that perversion that they've been able to accumulate their wealth, and we've all heard the stories, we all know about it. But the focus of this verse is it's better to be a person of integrity, to live with integrity regardless of what that means in your bank account, regardless of the size of the house you live, the kind of car you drive.

It's better to live in a small home, nothing fancy, just basic provisions provided, basic furnishings, you got a kitchen, you got food on the table. Better to live like that and have your integrity than to be dwelling in one of the opulent mansions of the Wall Street Journal or the Vermont Magazine.

And to have accumulated your wealth in a perverse way, cheating, oppressing others, taking advantage of others. No, be a person of integrity regardless of what that means for your portfolio or your bank account, how nice of a house you live, or how expensive a car you drive.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich. So let's be content to be people of integrity and let God bless us financially or materially as he sees fit to do so.

A Prayer for Integrity and Contentment

So our Father and our God, I pray that you would deliver us from envy, the kind of envy that looks at the wealthy, looks at the riches that have been accumulated, sometimes even by perverse means, and envy that.

Instead, Father, may we be people of integrity, walking with integrity, and then just trusting you to bless us as you see fit. We pray in Jesus' name. All right, well have a good rest of your Thursday.

I trust God will bless you in it as you walk with integrity today. God bless.