Rags Versus Riches

Rags Versus Riches

5Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 6Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. 7O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 8First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. 10Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it. 11Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. 12They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed. 13They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances. 14They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth.

Proverbs 30:5-14

Winning the lottery or getting some other financial windfall plays itself out in the imaginations of almost everyone. We imagine how our lives would be different, better, easier. Sure, there might be higher taxes, strained relationships, and uncontrollable spending habits, but that would be better than poverty, right?

Proverbs 30 contains some profound thoughts about riches, as well as thoughts on God’s character; false accusations; mockers; and pride.

Read Proverbs 30:1-33

Agur, the writer of these proverbs, prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor riches!” (Proverbs 30:8). Some people imagine that money can solve all their problems. Others believe that it will solve none of them. Both miss the point—it is the love of money that is at the root of evil (see 1 Timothy 6:10). Having too much money can give us the false impression that we don’t need God. Like the apostle Paul, we should learn to live whether we have little or plenty (see Philippians 4:12), but our lives are likely to be more effective for God if, like Agur, we have “neither poverty nor riches.”

Make Agur’s prayer your prayer. Ask God to keep you from desiring material wealth, knowing that it isn’t eternal and will one day be gone. At the same time, pray that God will strengthen your trust in him to provide for your needs.