April 19 Old and Poor

April 19   

 Old and Poor

Pr 28:22 ¶ He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye,

and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

If your reaction to this verse was the same as mine you may have wondered “Why is wanting to be rich an evil thing?”  An example may help us understand what this verse requires.

A few years ago a successful lawyer in the town I live in wanted fast riches and thought gambling in Casinos’ was the answer. He wound up borrowing money from people you should never borrow from. Then he gambled away that money. To save his kneecaps he decided to rob a bank. But since he was a lawyer, and college educated he knew how to avoid being caught. Go to a big town, a couple hours away, and cover the license plate with masking tape so no one could read the plate number.

“Be on the lookout for a red pickup truck with tape over the license plate.”  He actually made it about two miles before they arrested him! I bet when the guys in prison found out he was a lawyer they all wanted his advice, until they learned how he got caught.

Our verse says “he that hasteth to be rich….”  The people who run telephone scams from Nigeria love people who want to get rich in a hurry.

But what about the Evil eye?  It does not mean that the person is an evil criminal that does immoral things. The person could even be a Christian and be afflicted with an evil eye when it comes to riches. It means the way they look at people who have a lot of money, is evil.  

And it means the way they look at what they have is also evil. It is a twofold problem. First they are envious of people who have more than they do. “They have too much”. Secondly they despise what they have.  “I have too little”. That attitude is the evil part.

In 1^st Kings 21 we find the story of Naboth’s vineyard. It was near king Ahab’s palace and Ahab wanted it. But Naboth said it was not for sale because it was an inheritance. So Ahab went back to the palace, threw himself on his bed and pouted. Jezebel asked what was wrong and when she learned he was pouting over Naboth’s vineyard she set up circumstances that resulted in Naboth’s death. Then she told King Ahab he could just go and take it. After all wasn’t he the king.

There we have the story of a king who was pouting because he did not have enough! So it doesn’t really matter how rich or how poor a person is. Our verse today can affect anyone who wants to have something right away.

It still baffles me that so many people have not figured out if you spend more than you have, it will eventually catch up to you. Now I am not suggesting that having things is wrong. It is not even wrong to have some goals and work and plan to get something you would like. What is wrong is trying to get rich, or live that way, in a hurry.

People have complained to me that they are so poor they can hardly make ends meet.  Perhaps I am not as sympathetic as I should be, when I see they have a new car in the drive, the latest phone with a $100+ monthly fee, and the latest TV with another monthly bill for cable. They want me to look at the pictures of their boat on an expensive tablet or Ipad. I wonder how they afford all that?  Simple. Credit cards with an 18% interest on their unpaid balance. No wonder they are always short of cash.

Our verse does not condemn any of those things. It says that people who are in a hurry to get rich, (or live like they are) will wind up poor. Suggesting to people they could get along with a few less electronic toys, and stop piling debt on top of debt is out of the question for many who want it all and want it now. They could not imagine how awful life would be if they didn’t have what they think are necessities.

Our verse suggests that they try to imagine what it is like to be old and poor!

This is not a new problem. Ahab was depressed when he could not have Naboth’s vineyard. Solomon, a very rich man, penned the verse we are considering today. He had learned that money and things did not equal happiness.  As you consider this verse you can think of many people who have fallen victim to wanting too much too fast. They seldom have a happy ending.

The Bible has some thoughts on our topic today. May we consider them as we review the blessings that God has given us. Before we gain more we need to learn to be content with what we have. These verses imply we should not seek more to gain contentment but learn to be content with what we have before we acquire more.   

 

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment

let us be therewith content.

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: