Proverbs 28:7-9

Proverbs 28:7-9
​English Standard Version
​7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
    but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit
    gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
    even his prayer is an abomination.

---

The wise man keeps the Law, for it is a reflection of the character and nature of his God and God's blessings are upon those who hear His Word and obey it (not the prosperity gospel, for the blessings the LORD has in store for His people may be in heaven, though we may get a glimpse of some of those blessings here on earth, but we should be laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven).  The one whose actions are driven by their passions, who lacks self-control is an embarrassment to their family who bears the same name as them (specifically in the case of a son who carries on the family name another generation).  If a man focuses on making himself rich in this world here and now, he will more than likely be on equal footing with all the lost poor people when he stands before the Great White Throne.  That is not to say that there are not saved people blessed with material blessings or that God's people shouldn't be good stewards of what He has entrusted to them, but our goal in life should not be to accumulate wealth for ourselves.  Doing so shows that we have a materialistic mindset that is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ (He said so much when He said, "You cannot serve both God and mammon."  Mammon is a fancy word for material possessions or "stuff" as we would say in our modern-day vernacular.

The person who is concerned with earning money and acquiring stuff will usually not listen to the Law of the LORD, because it is illogical to that man that this is the way to acquire wealth.  That is the contrast that Solomon is making here.  People can trust in the LORD to keep His covenant, or they can trust in their stuff to provide for them and try to be in control of all their stuff and imagine themselves as little gods.  To such a man, even prayers to the LORD which as for help or plead for forgiveness are an abomination because He doesn't want to believe that he needs either help or atonement.

That's a short section of Scripture today, but it had a common theme, and I want to give us a chance to meditate on it, for Jesus had much today about how wealth can hinder a man from entering the kingdom of God/heaven.  I've included several of the passages that I made allusion to below since it was a short passage today sot that you could cross-reference this passage with those ideas and start to see that a desire to acquire wealth is something that we should watch out for in someone who proclaims to be a child of God, and especially someone who claims to be a preacher and teacher of the Word of God, an apostle, and evangelist, etc.


Matthew 19:23-30
English Standard Version
​23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.



Matthew 6:19-24
English Standard Version

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.


1 Timothy 6:6-10
English Standard Version
​6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.