By Sugel Michelen
One of the most serious warnings that the Lord gave during his ministry, and that many do not seem to take seriously, is the one we find in Matthew 6:19-21:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
The focus of this warning is the first words that appear in the text: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.”. Now, notice that it doesn’t say there, “Don’t hoard money”; there he says simply: “Lay up no treasures.” A treasure does not necessarily have to be monetary; it encompasses all that our hearts love, that to which we incline with special delight, that which we enjoy above all else; in short, what in our eyes has value. It can be something big, or it can be small; it may be expensive, or it may have relatively insignificant monetary value. It can be something tangible (a big house, a luxury car, a pretty figure), or it can be intangible (fame, prestige, influence). “If they are earthly things – says the Lord – do not hoard them; do not make them your treasure. Do not live for the accumulation of such things, as if your happiness depended on it.
Now, since there has never been a lack in the history of the church of people who have interpreted this text, and many others of the Scriptures, in an inadequate way, it is necessary that we make some observations as to what this text does not mean.
In the first place, it is evident that our text does not censure the possessions themselves. Both the AT and the NT recognize the right to private property. It is precisely that right that underlies the eighth and tenth commandments: “You shall not steal… You shall not covet.” Stealing is wrong, as is coveting, because what by right belongs to another person is stolen and coveted. So this text does not forbid owning things.
Nor is the fact of having many possessions censored. Abraham was a rich and pious man. It is said of him in Gn. 13:2 that he “was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold”; and his riches were a provision from God. When his servant went to Laban’s house looking for a wife for Isaac, one of the things he told Rebekah’s family was that God had greatly blessed Abraham with material possessions (cf. Gen. 24:35).
And the same can be said of Job. When everything was taken from him, Job recognized that God had the right to dispose of his goods, since He had provided them for him: “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). God had blessed Job, and now that same God had allowed his ruin. But now notice how the story concludes: “And the Lord took away Job’s affliction, when he had prayed for his friends; and he doubled all the things that had been Job’s” (Job 42:10). “The Lord makes poor, and He makes rich,” says Hannah in 1Sam. 2:7 (comp. also Deut. 8:11-18; 1Tim. 6:17).
So the Bible does not teach that being rich is itself sinful. Paul tells Timothy, in 1Tim. 6:17: “Command those who are rich in this world not to be haughty, nor to hope in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us abundantly all things to enjoy. May they do good, may they be rich in good works, generous, generous”.
There it does not say: “Command the rich to get rid of their wealth, and distribute it to the poor.” He also does not forbid the rich to use their wealth (Paul says that God “gives us all things to enjoy”). What Paul asked that the rich be commanded was: 1) not to be haughty; 2) that they did not put their hope in their riches; and 3) that they be generous in doing good.
Nor is Scripture forbidding us to be cautious, save for the future, or make good investments. The book of Proverbs puts the ant as an example of wisdom that we must imitate, because the ant prepares its food in the summer, so that it does not lack in the winter (Pr. 6:6-8). The ant is farsighted, and a wise man is expected to be so too (cf. 2Cor. 12:14; 1Tim. 5:8).
The Bible extols prudence as a virtue, not as a lack of faith. The warned, the prudent, says Proverbs, sees evil and hides, but the simple pass by and receive damage (Prov. 23:3; 27:12). It is one thing to strive for tomorrow, and quite another to anticipate for tomorrow. The first is a sin, the second is a virtue.
© By Sugel Michelen. All thought captive. You can reproduce and distribute this material, as long as it is not for profit, without altering its content and acknowledging its author and origin.