Category Archives: Money / Finances / Wealth

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Correction, Greed, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Love, Loving / Kind, Lying / Deceiving, Money / Finances / Wealth, Offering Sacrifices, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

Reconcile with Both God and Man When You Sin

As followers of Christ, many of us have been brought up and taught as children to focus almost exclusively on the New Testament rather than the proper approach of building a foundation on the Old Testament and then continuing to build on it with the New Testament. They are two parts of the same relationship and commitment between Jehovah and His people. They are not two unrelated agreements. Because many of us don’t have a strong foundation in properly understanding the content and context of the Old Testament, it can sometimes be difficult to apply it. We started with the New Testament (the end of the history), and now we are trying to figure out the Old Testament (the beginning of the history). We go about it in reverse order and without the benefit of fully understanding the language and culture of the Old Testament people.

A good tool to remember that can really help motivate you to continue studying the Old Testament passages and looking for applicability in your life is the following wisdom provided by our Lord, Yeshua, Himself. All the law and the teaching of the prophets are summarized as loving God and loving one another.

Matthew 22:35-40

35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

The chapters that precede Leviticus 6 discuss various offerings to be made as part of reconciling to God for our sin or guilt. Leviticus 6 reminds of the need to also reconcile with people whom we have sinned against. It also provides a very tangible incentive discourage the actions described that come about from greed or coveting and represent sin against God and fellow man.

Leviticus 6:1-7

Guilt Offering

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD, and deceives his companion in regard to a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or through robbery, or if he has extorted from his companion, 3or has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins in regard to any one of the things a man may do; 4then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or what he got by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him or the lost thing which he found, 5or anything about which he swore falsely; he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering. 6“Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering, 7and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.”

As the Holy Spirit reveals to us our sin, we must seek to reconcile ourselves with our heavenly Father to be sure, but also seek to reconcile ourselves with those whom we have sinned against.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Hearing from God, Money / Finances / Wealth, Obeying God, Provider

Jehovah Is Bigger Than The Missions He Gives Us

We can often get wrapped up in how big a challenge appears. We can think as if we have to make it happen all by ourselves. We do well to consider, however, that if God is the one who told us to go accomplish the mission, then He already knows how He will enable us to accomplish it. He will provide. We need only listen and obey, even if we don’t see how He will finish the task with us and through us.

Exodus 38:21-31

The Cost of the Tabernacle

      21This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were numbered according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses. 23With him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skillful workman and a weaver in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and fine linen.

      24All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the wave offering, was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25The silver of those of the congregation who were numbered was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 26a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. 27The hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28Of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their tops and made bands for them. 29The bronze of the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. 30With it he made the sockets to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the bronze altar and its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar, 31and the sockets of the court all around and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pegs of the tabernacle and all the pegs of the court all around.

Think about how overwhelming the mission could or perhaps did appear to Moses and the Israelites to build the tabernacle. They were in the desert, not in a land of plenty! Jehovah laid out very specific instructions and a grand scale for the tabernacle. The people could easily have thrown up their hands and made excuses why it was not possible. They could have quit even before they started. They did not. And consider what they accomplished!

Are you facing a mission or challenge that Jehovah has called you to complete? Does it feel overwhelming? Do not be discouraged or find reasons to reject the challenge. Instead, trust in Him, seek Him, and obey His instructions and guidance. You will be amazed at what He can accomplish through His people.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Money / Finances / Wealth, Peace / Rest, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness, Worry/Anxiety

Can Worry Add Even An Hour To Your Life?

It is easy and natural to worry. We can worry about our family, our jobs, our children’s performance in school or extra curricular activities. We can worry about our favorite sports teams winning or losing. We can worry about what we will be doing next week. There are lots of reasons we can choose to worry.

But what does Jehovah have to say about worry? Actually, He has a lot to say. One such verse to explore is short and to the point.

Philippians 4:4-9

      4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I do want to make a point that there is a difference between “worry” about something and taking action to address a situation that needs you to do something. I need not “worry” about my future finances when I walk with Jehovah, but He expects me to plan wisely, consistent with His word, and to exercise self control and manage my affairs well. Let us be careful to avoid the mistake of saying “not to worry” means we ignore the situation. This would be wrong and lead to many troubles.

Rejoicing always sounds tough for most of us… but just because it is different than what we expect, does not mean that it is wrong. Often, what we have become accustomed to is wrong and we need to seek God’s way in the Bible and change our ways. Paul was more than just talk on “rejoice always”. He rejoiced even under persecution such as when he was beaten and put in prison. He rejoiced in the sovereignty and love of the Lord Jesus!

Be thankful for what we have in Christ and what He has already provided us even as we come before Jehovah to ask for our needs or requests.

When we focus on what is good, honorable, right, pure, lovely… we can truly learn, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to be anxious for nothing.

I leave you with a common expression you may have heard before for consideration and reflection.

“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

Do you know who said this first? It was Jesus, as documented in Matthew 6:27.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Father / Yahweh, Giving, Money / Finances / Wealth, Provider

When Jehovah Moves His People, There Is Plenty

How glorious it is to see Jehovah work through His people to accomplish His goals. He moved the people so much in preparing for and building the Tabernacle that they actually continued to bring so much that it was more than what was needed. Moses actually had to restrain the people from continuing to bring more!

Exodus 36:1-7

The Tabernacle Underwritten

      1“Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.”

      2Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. 3They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, 5and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.” 6So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

There are a few things to notice in the passage. The obvious one is that when Jehovah moves His people to work together to a common goal, His goal, they will succeed in accomplishing much. There was so much that the people had more than they needed in materials and skilled labor.

The second part that really stands out to me is that Moses stopped the people from bringing more. The need was met. He did not need to collect a bunch of extra stuff from the people in order to stuff the treasury with extra valuables. He knew he could count on Jehovah to provide what they needed in the future as well and recognized it was most honest to tell the people that the need had been met.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to show you where He wants you to give of time, talent, and treasure. Check it against the truth of scripture to be sure it is from Jehovah and not your own desires. Then give joyfully and generously. If you are the one receiving and coordinating the funds for a project or mission, be honest. Collect only what you need and do not continue taking from the people in excess of the need. Trust in Jehovah to provide in the future for His next project!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Giving, Money / Finances / Wealth, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Working Together For His Kingdom

Jehovah calls His people to come together willingly to give of their possessions and abilities to further the kingdom of God. He does not force us to give. It is amazing what we can accomplish to help one another and glorify Him when we each bring what we have to offer and work toward a common goal. Of course, it glorifies and honors God most when we come together to work toward a common goal that is consistent with His instruction and guidance.

Exodus 35:20-35

Gifts Received

      20Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses’ presence. 21Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. 22Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the LORD. 23Every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. 24Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the LORD’S contribution; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. 25All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. 26All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair. 27The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; 28and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the LORD had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the LORD.

      30Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31“And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; 32to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, 33and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. 34“He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35“He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.

Prayerfully reflect how you are working with other believers to glorify God’s kingdom. Are you offering your possessions or money or time and talent? Are you working together or just content to remain alone? Are you working toward what our Creator and Father calls us to do, or toward your own goals and interests?

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in responding to this message and any changes you may need to make in your life to live more fully in obedience to Him and in fellowship and cooperation with fellow believers.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Help / Serve Others, Money / Finances / Wealth

Whoever Is Of A Willing Heart

Jehovah does call His people to contribute both things of financial value as well as their time, effort, and skill to the glory of His kingdom and support of His people. He calls us to give “of a willing heart” rather than out of obligation.  He does not “need” any one of us, but wants us to joyfully be a part of His people and His kingdom on earth. When we obey Him and give of our time, effort, skill, and money we can accomplish a lot together as a body of Christ!

Exodus 35:4-19

    4Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, 5‘Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze, 6and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats’ hair, 7and rams’ skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood, 8and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, 9and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

Tabernacle Workmen

      10‘Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded: 11the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12the ark and its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen; 13the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light; 15and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance of the tabernacle; 16the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 17the hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords; 19the woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.’”

Do not get hung up on comparing your gifts to others as if we are in competition with one another. Instead, do an honest assessment of the gifts God has given you and use them joyfully to further His kingdom working with other believers. Some have more money than others and that is helpful. Others have specific skills that can be used and that is helpful. Let us pull together joyfully as God’s people to work together and bring glory to His kingdom as we share the good news of Jesus our Messiah with the world!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Giving, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Money / Finances / Wealth, Speaking, Through Prophets

Jehovah Wishes To Dwell Among His People

Jehovah wishes to dwell among His people. When He first created man and woman, He put them in the garden of Eden where He could be with them. We see again as He leads His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness that He again wishes to dwell among them. It is love that draws Him to His people. Love for His people. He will lead, if only they will follow.

Exodus 25:1-9

Offerings for the Sanctuary

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. 3“This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9“According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

Jehovah wants to dwell among His people, if they will choose to be His people. As we progress through the scripture from Old to New Testament we see again His desire to dwell among us. He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of each believer in Christ. He is our loving Father. We should welcome Him into our lives joyfully and with thanksgiving and praise. Who are we that the Creator of all things should want to dwell among us? For those who accept His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are His children.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Money / Finances / Wealth

Give To Jehovah What Is His

Consider you are an owner of a business. Do you care how your employees spend the company’s money? Do you want them to spend in a way that is consistent with your instructions when you gave them access to the money or just spend however they feel best, even if completely selfish and not furthering the business? Is it any different if we consider a family situation in similar fashion?

Of course we care! Whether we are running a company or leading a family, we have limited resources and it is important to use them wisely and consistent with our guiding values and purpose. Anyone who does not see this… just let someone have access to your checkbook and tell them to spend your money however they want… and you will quickly understand the point. You appreciate those who use the resources appropriately and correct those who do not.

Would it matter if they only wasted half of your money? What about 25%? We care about how they use all or any of the money. We gave instructions with the money and we want them followed, or next time we give the money to someone else.

So why do so many people have a problem with understanding that God (Jehovah in Hebrew) cares how we spend the money and other resources He provides to us?  Typically we struggle with this concept because we don’t want to submit to Him in regards to finances. We prefer to do things our own way. We may even be “generous” and set aside 10% of what He gave us and then tell Him we will manage the rest our way. This is not honoring God, but rather honoring ourselves.

Give to Jehovah what is His. It all belongs to Him, so manage all your resources, time… talent… money, to further the kingdom of God.

Luke 20:21-25

 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

       9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

      10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Malachi 3:10

   8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Have you submitted all your finances to be stewarded on behalf of God or are you holding some back for your own purposes? This does not mean writing a big check to give all your money to a church. Not at all. It means stewarding wisely all that you have and spending in such a way as to be responsible and further the kingdom of God. Obey His general commands regarding money as we find them in the Bible. Take time to learn to pray effectively and seek God’s specific instructions for you, if any, regarding money. Remind yourself it all belongs to Him and you are only the servant who is asked to take care of it and manage it on His behalf.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Money / Finances / Wealth

Why Does God Want My Money?

“Why does God want my money?” Many will ask themselves this when they do not want to obey His instructions about money. They would rather keep it all and decide for themselves how much to give, if at all, and to whom. It is a trick question, really. God does not want your money… He wants your heart.

Matthew 6:19-21  19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The point is that God warns us we can not have two masters. We can not serve both God and money.

Luke 16:13  13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

He wants us to choose Him over money.

Matthew 6:33  33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God knows that helping us to consciously choose to put Him first will put us on the right path in life. We will not only please Him, but find more joy in life as well and live with the right priorities. Many who choose to serve money find ruin and destruction.

1 Timothy 6:9-10  9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

“Does God really care how much I give?” Yes. Once again, whether you use your money to honor God or to serve yourself is quite telling as an indicator of your heart.  If you are trying to calculate the bare minimum you can give God and “get by” you are missing the point. He wants your heart. God especially does not like when we lie to Him or cheat Him, claiming before Him or before men to bring a certain amount and then refusing to do so. Yes, He gets angry.

Malachi 3:8-10  8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Acts 5:1-11  1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

      7Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

Perhaps the better question is not “Why does God want my money?”  but rather “Why am I unwilling to trust God with the money He provided me?”

Prayerfully consider your finances and ask God to help you obey Him. What changes should you consider with your finances so that you are in obedience to His word?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Money / Finances / Wealth, Righteousness / Serving God

Wealth Gained Through Righteous Effort Should Not Be Condemned

Using God’s gift of wisdom to achieve wealth and financial gain is not wrong, if done in a righteous way in which you plan and invest wisely, avoid deceit and trickery, and live according to God’s commands. Joseph was a man who was faithful to God throughout his life in good times and in bad. God blessed him with the ability to interpret dreams and then God used that gift to place Joseph in a significant leadership role as governor over all of Egypt. Through Joseph, God blessed the descendants of Israel (formerly known as Jacob) and he also blessed Pharaoh, making him very wealthy and protecting his people from famine.

Genesis 47:1-27

Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen

      1Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.” 2He took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6“The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”

      7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” 9So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.” 10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence. 11So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to their little ones.

      13Now there was no food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is gone.” 16Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent, and the cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left for my lord except our bodies and our lands. 19“Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Result of the Famine

      20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s. 21As for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 24“At the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25So they said, “You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.

      27Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous.

Many will complain that Joseph took advantage of the people by taking all they own for Pharaoh. This view just simply does not stand up to careful scrutiny. The people were thankful to Joseph for feeding them and keeping them from death. Further, once Joseph had gained everything for Pharaoh, he allowed the people to work the land and keep the large majority of what they grew. Even though Pharaoh “owned” it all, Pharaoh only collected 20% or 1/5. This is incredibly fair… I can hardly resist comparing this to what we consider a “free” nation of the United States of America today, in which the government takes higher personal and corporate income tax than Pharaoh did! At least Pharaoh owned what he collected income from.

Joseph used the gifts God gave him in a righteous manner to glorify God, support God’s people, and even to fulfill the duties of the position under Pharaoh that God had placed him in and to do so very effectively… and he became wealthy along the way.

Wealth should not be despised, but rather only unrighteous behaviors and attitudes should be despised and rebuked. Wealth developed by righteous people is often used to glorify God and help His people. We should be thankful to God and give Him the glory and avoid resenting His servants who become wealthy. Perhaps we should even try to learn from those who gain wealth righteously rather than condemn them.

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