Week 7: Proverbs (money, wealth, poverty)
Study in Proverbs: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY 4/18/2010
What do you think the bible say about money? What are some things God says about money and wealth and poverty?
What does the bible say about wealth? We either worship money or we worship God with our money.
How do we view money, wealth? We are stewards. We view all money as gifts from God and we give it, and use it for God’s glory, and kingdom. Spend, save, invest and tithe. Money is fleeting, temporary.
We tend to see rich and poor, but the bible actually talk about 4 types of people.
There are four types people:
2 kinds of rich and 2 kinds of poor
Righteous rich and unrighteous rich, and Righteous poor, unrighteous poor.
Righteous rich = give, generous, worship God with money, godly life, money as blessing
Unrighteous rich = rip people off, thieves, steal, gains wealth unrighteously, stingy.
Righteous poor = like Jesus, not because of sin, but work hard, but just poor. Injustice, oppression, generous, blue collar, restaurant
Unrighteous poor = get rich quick, lazy, lotto, gambling, lose money, waste… sluggard,
We normally think in terms of rich and poor… like robin hood, the rich are bad and the poor are good.. It’s not that simple. It depends if you are righteous… wisdom
Pr.22:2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. (NIV)
Wisdom proceeds wealth. Do you seek wisdom? This will help you to be righteous and help you to be wise in making money and wise in managing and stewarding money. Issue is not wealth it is wisdom. You can give lots of wealth to someone, but if they don’t have wisdom they will squander it. You see this with Lotto syndrome, big inheritance, etc.
WISDOM IS GREATER- Wisdom is better than wealth
Proverbs 8:18-21 With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. 19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, 21 bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
Pr.13:18 He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. (NIV)
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (think of investing as exercise, little by little, you be in better health, investments)
Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. (NIV)
Pr.22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (NIV)
Pr.22:4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life. (NIV)
When we have wisdom, we are able to deal with righteouness. We can make a budget, we can tithe, we recognize we are stewards and not possessors. We are servants of God and not lords. We recognize that wealth is fleeting and that more important than the wealth issue is a spiritual issue. Very practical…
Proverbs talk about working smart and hard. A lot of people work hard and not smart. People who want to get rich quick. Schemes, gambling: friend quit teaching to go pro poker… Wisdom is greater than wealth.
Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies
far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Wise – think beyond themselves, think for next generation.
Fool – look only at themselves. What can I buy for myself?
BLESSINGS – God blesses the righteous with wealth
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain and your vats with good wine.
Pr.10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. (NIV)
Pr.13:8 A man’s riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat. (NIV)
Proverbs 13:21 Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
RIGHTEOUS WEALTH – GENEROSITY, WISE LIVING
- Those with money must be generous
Pr.10:15-16 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. (NIV) 16 The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
Proverbs 11:24-26 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 26 People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
Pr.13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. (NIV)
Proverbs 18:11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.
Pr.19:4 Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him. (NIV)
Pr.19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. (NIV)
Pr.22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. (NIV)
Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.
Proverbs 29:7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
Wealth is FLEETING
Why is being rich or poor not “that” important? Wealth is fleeting. Holiness, righteousness is eternal.
Pr.11:4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (NIV)
UNRIGHTEOUS WEALTH (get rich quick, dishonest, evil, illegal, drugs, etc.)
- The wealth of fools will not last
Pr.11:16 A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. (NIV)
Proverbs 11:18 Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last
Pr.11:28Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. (NIV)
Pr.14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (NIV)
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (think of investing as exercise, little by little, you be in better health, investments)
Proverbs 15:27 A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.
Pr.18:23 A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly. (NIV)
Pr. 21:6 Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist.
Pr.22:16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich–both come to poverty. (NIV)
Pr.22:22-23: Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, 23 for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those der them. (NIV)
RIGHTEOUS POOR – INJUSTICE, single mom, hard working dad 1 income, widow
- Poverty is the result of injustice and oppression or circumstances
Pr.13:23 A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.(NIV)
Pr.14:20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. (NIV)
Pr.13:25 The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry. (NIV)
Pr.15:16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. (NIV)
Proverbs 16:8 Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.
Proverbs 17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, [a] with strife.
Pr.19:1 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.(NIV)
Proverbs 28:6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
Proverbs 28:19-20 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. 20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 29:13-14 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both. 14 If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.
UNRIGHTEOUS POOR – LAZY, SQUANDER, GAMBLING, GET RICH QUICK
– Foolish behavior leads to poverty
Pr.10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (NIV)
Proverbs 13:7 One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
Pr.14:23-24 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (NIV) 24 The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
Proverbs 15:6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.
Pr.20:13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare. (NIV)
Pr.21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.(NIV)
Pr.21:17 He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich. (NIV)
Pr.22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.(NIV)
Proverbs 28:22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.
WISDOM IS GREATER THAN WEALTH
Seven things we can gain from Proverbs:
- God blesses the righteous with wealth
- Foolish behavior leads to poverty
- The wealth of fools will not last
- Poverty is the result of injustice and oppression
- Those with money must be generous
- Wisdom is better than wealth
- Wealth has limited value.