Easy money will keep you from being wise because it turns you from the Lord to focus on yourself. And self-focus is ultimately self-destructive: Easy money “takes away the life of its possessors.”
Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
It takes away the life of its possessors (Prov 1:19, ESV).
Remember how to get started on the path of wisdom? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7). If we desire to be wise, we begin by focusing on the Lord, continue by focusing on the Lord, and end with focusing on the Lord. We must admit our weakness, own our failure, and trust in Jesus for life and security. He rewards us with wisdom, instruction, righteousness, discretion, and attractiveness.
We forfeit all these gains when we turn inward. We begin to doubt God’s Word. We think that Jesus is neat and all, but he can’t really help us in the trenches of life. What we really need is a more diversified portfolio to protect us from a recession. Then we get proud in our choices, confident with the future, and less needy for a Rescuer. We lose the trust of those we care about the most, and we never really obtain stable lives.
Solomon’s conclusion is that easy money “takes away the life of its possessors.” It is like a bar of uranium that looks so shiny and pretty. It has a lovely glow about it, and might be nice to touch. But the closer I get to it, the more it harms me.
That’s why Jesus came to break the cycle of sin and misery and lead us to God. Our greatest financial need is not for better money management, but for rescue. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). Our hearts constantly entice us to find our community and security in wealth, so Jesus gave up all his wealth to bring us lasting security and community with him.
Don’t buy it. It’s not worth it. Next week, I’ll give some practical tips on how you can reject easy money and pursue wisdom instead.
This post was first published in 2012.
We are creatures made for community. Anything that destroys this is self-destructive for us. The bible shows the way to build real community. LETS STUDY IT TO FIND OUT!