● Overview.
○ In this chapter, King Solomon shares his
vast knowledge of money. Much of this
wisdom is also shared in the Book of Proverbs.
He also looks beyond the subject of money and he deals with the values
of life, the things that really count.
There is more ways to be rich in life, and there are many ways to be
poor. In this chapter, Solomon issues 3
warnings.
● Verses.
○ Verses 5:1-7 Don’t Rob the LORD
■ After Solomon’s visits to the courtyard,
the marketplace, the highway, and the palace; he next visits the temple, the
magnificent building whose construction he supervised. Solomon observes the worshipers praising
GOD, praying, sacrificing, and making vows.
He noticed many who were not sincere in the worship and leaving in a
worsened spiritual condition than when they entered the temple. He noticed these people were robbing GOD of
the reverence and honor that were due because of the insecure and hypocritical
worship they offered.
■ In verse 1, “Guard your step/Keep thy
foot” means “be careful/watch your step”.
When you enter the house of GOD, we should have the attitude of being
open and ready to listen to GOD, not to dictate to him what we think he should
do.
● During Solomon’s time, GOD dwelt in the
temple. As believers we should still
worship with this attitude, as if GOD’s glorious presence existed as in the
Temple.
● Harboring unconfessed sin in public
worship is to ask for GOD to rebuke his judgment. (Isaiah 1:10-20, Amos 5, Psalm 50).
● Because Jesus has fulfilled all the
sacrifices in his death on the cross, people no longer have to offer animal
sacrifices to the LORD as in the Old Testament. Instead, we offer spiritual sacrifices: our
bodies (Romans 12:1-2), people won to the Savior (Romans 15:16), money (Philemon
4-18), praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15-16), a broken heart (Psalm 51:17),
and our prayers of faith (Psalm 141:1-2).
■ The most important part to worship is to
be more ready to hear and to obey the Word of GOD. Sacrifices are not a substitute for
obedience (I Samuel 15:12-23). Only a
fool thinks he can deceive GOD with an offering without obedient faith.
■ In
verses 2 and 3, Solomon looks at careless praying. Prayer is a serious business, similar to
marriage, where it should be entered soberly, not lightly or carelessly, but in
fear of GOD.
● How many preparations would we made if we
were to appear before the White House?
We would prepare our words carefully and we would exhibit a proper
behavior. How much more important is it
when we appear before GOD in prayer.
● Solomon warns about hasty and too many
words in our prayers.
● We should prepare our hearts to help our
make our prayers acceptable, because the mouth speaks what the heart
contains. (Matthew 12:34-37). If we pray only to impress people, we will
not get through to GOD.
● John Bunyan, author of “Pilgrim’s
Progress” stated: “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than
words without a heart.”
● Verse 3 is an analogy or comparison. Just as many dreams show that this person
sleeping is a hard worker, so many words show that the person praying is a
fool. (Proverbs 29:20)
● Charles Spurgeon said “It is not the
length of our prayers, but the strength our prayers makes that differs.”
■ In verses 4 through 7, Solomon looks at
making vows to the LORD.
● GOD does not require his people to make
vows in order to be accepted, but GOD gave the opportunities for them to
express their devotion if they felt led to.
(Numbers 30, Deuteronomy 23:21-23, Acts 18:18)
● Solomon warns us about making foolish
vows or promises to GOD. In the
Israelite culture, making vows was a serious matter. Vows were voluntary, but once made, they
were unbreakable. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)
It is foolish to make a vow you cannot keep or to play games with GOD by only partially fulfilling your
vows. (Proverbs 20:25) It is better to not vow than to make a vow
to GOD and break it. It is better still
to make a vow and keep it.
○ Solomon warns about 2 sins: the first was
making a vow with no intentions of keeping it and the second sin was making the
vow but delaying to keep it - hoping you could get out of it or lying to
GOD. When the priest (angel = messenger)
comes to collect the sacrifice or gift, the person would ask that the vow would
be forgotten.
● GOD holds us accountable for what we say
and promise. GOD can dismiss a
vow. If the providence prevents us from
fulfilling a vow, GOD can release us.
If we make a vow to impress others, GOD can make us pay for our careless
words.
● People can make an empty vow because they
live in a religious dream world, they think that words are the same as deeds as
mentioned in verse 7. Their worship is
not dependable, so their words are not dependable. They enjoy the good feelings that come when
promises to GOD, but these do more harm than good. They
dream about fulfilling their vows, but they never get around to it. They practice make-believe religion that
does not glorify GOD or builds Christian character. (Psalm 66:13-14, John 4:24)
○ Verses 5:8-9 Don’t Rob Others
■ Solomon next travels to City Hall where
he once again witnesses corrupt politicians oppressing the poor. The government officials violated the law by
using their authority to help themselves and to not serve others. (Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 24:17).
■ Solomon, remarkably, was not surprised by
any of what he saw. He did not approve
of their unlawful practices, but he knew enough about the human heart and how
it could interfere in the complicated bureaucracy of Israel.
■ Matters of the poor were tied up in the
red tape of bureaucracy. The various
officials pocketed the money that should have gone to the innocent poor man.
■ Solomon concludes it is better to have an
organized government with a king, even though it could be corrupted, than to
have an anarchy. A few dishonest people
may profit from corrupt practices, but everybody benefits from an organized
authority.
● The idea is to have a government that is
both honest and efficient, but with man’s heart being what it is, the
temptation to dishonest gain will always be there.
● Lord Anton wrote to Bishop Mandell
Creighton in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts
absolutely.”
○ Verses 5:10-20 Don’t Rob Yourself
■ Here Solomon demolishes the several myths
that people hold about wealth. Because
people can hold to these illusions, they rob themselves of the blessings GOD
has for them.
● Wealth brings satisfaction. (Verse 10)
○ Some people treat money as a god: they
love it, make sacrifices for it, and they think it can do anything. These thoughts can fill their minds, their
lives are controlled by getting it and guarding it, and they experience a sense
of security.
○ The person who loves money is never
satisfied. (Luke 12:15)
■ This person first loves money and then he
next loves more money. This begins the
disappointing pursuit that can lead to other problems. (I Timothy 6:10)
● Money solves every problem. (Verse 11)
○ Money is needed in this world to
live. The thing to remember is that
money is not a “cure-all” for every problem.
Solomon observed that once a person acquires wealth, relatives and
friends start showing up to enjoy the wealth, only to find it slowly eaten up.
○ John Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist
Church stated - “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
● Wealth brings peace of mind. (Verse 12)
○ Joe Louis the boxer said - “I don’t like
money actually, but it quiets my nerves.”
○ Solomon concludes that possessing wealth
is no guarantee that your nerves will be calmed and your sleep will be
sound. Solomon concludes the common
laborer sleeps better than the rich man.
○ John Rockefeller, at the age of 53, was
the world’s only billionaire, earning about a million dollars a week. Even though he was a sick man who craved
crackers and milk, he could not sleep because of his worry. When he started to give his money away, his
health changed drastically and he lived to celebrate his 98th birthday.
○ It is good to have the things that money
can buy provided you don’t lose the things money can’t buy.
● Wealth provides security. (Verse 13 - 17)
○ These verses paint a picture of 2 rich
men.
○ The first man who hoards all of his
wealth and ruined himself by becoming a miser.
○ The other man made sound investments, he
lost his wealth and he went right back to where he started from, and he had no
estate to leave to his son. He spent
the rest of his days in the darkness of discouragement and defeat. Thus he did not enjoy life. Like us, he brought nothing into this life
and he took nothing out of this world at his death. (Job 1:21, Psalm 49:17, I Timothy 6:7)
○ The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke
12:113-21).
■ This man thought all of his problems
disappeared when he became rich. He was
immediately faced with the problem of providing bigger barns for his wealth
(profits). He thought he would be safe
and secure for many years, but he died that very moment. His money provided no security at all.
○ Solomon was not advocating poverty or
riches, because they both have their problems.
(Proverbs 30:7-9)
■ In verses 10 and 11, we always want more
than we have. Solomon observed that
those who have money and seek it obsessively never find the happiness it
promises. Wealth also attracts
freeloaders and thieves, causes selfishness and fear, and ultimately ends in
loss because it must be left behind.
(Mark 10:23-25, Luke 12:16-21)
No matter how much we learn, if you try to create happiness by
accumulating wealth, you will never have enough. Money in itself is not wrong, but loving money
leads to all sorts of sin. Whatever
financial situation we are in, don’t depend upon money to make you happy. Instead use what you have left for the LORD.
■ Solomon warns against the love of money
and the delusion that wealth can bring.
We need to accept our station in life and enjoying the blessings that
GOD gives to us. The thing that is good
and fitting is to labor faithfully, enjoy the good things of life, and to
accept it all as the gracious gift of GOD.
(Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:12-13, 3:22)
■ There are 3 ways to gain wealth: we can
work for it, we can steal it, or we can receive it as a gift. (Ephesians 4:28) Solomon sees the blessings of life as GOD’s
gift to those who work hard and who accept work as a favor to GOD.
■ Solomon also concludes that the ability
to enjoy life's blessings is also a gift from GOD. Solomon expands upon this thought in Chapter
6. The unhappiness of people who
possesses wealth, but are not able to enjoy it. We can thank GOD for the food we eat, but we
should also thank him for the taste buds which allow us to enjoy flavors and a
healthy digestive system that functions properly.
■ In verses 19 and 20, God wants us to view
what we have, whether it is much or little, with the right perspective, as our
possessions are a gift from GOD.
Although our possessions are not our source of joy, they are a reason to
rejoice since every good thing comes from GOD.
We should focus more on the giver then the gift. We can be content with what we have when we
realize that with GOD we have everything we need.
■ Verse 20 suggests that the person who
rejoices in GOD’s daily blessings will never have regrets. The time to start storing happy memories is
now. (Psalm 90:12)
● This verse also could suggest that the
believer who gratefully accepts GOD’s gifts today may not fret to worry about
how long they will live.
● The people who have the most birthdays
live the longest, but those who complain about birthdays will have very little
to enjoy
● Taking each day as it comes and using it
to serve the LORD.
● Conclusion.
○ Do we truly know the fear of the LORD
when we approach him in our prayers?
○ Solomon concludes his discussion of the
futility of wealth in happiness in Chapter 6.
(Matthew 6:33).
○ The important thing in life is to love
the LORD, accept the lot he assigns us, and to enjoy the blessings he
graciously bestows upon us.
○ Idolatry - Focusing on the gifts instead
of the giver.
■ If we accept GOD’s gifts but we complain
about them, we are guilty of ingratitude.
■ If we hoard GOD’s gifts and not share
them with others, we are guilty of indulgence.
■ If we yield to GOD’s will and use what he
gives us for his glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied.
No comments:
Post a Comment