Today is one of those rare Sundays when there is absolute unity of purpose in all four lessons for the day. The common theme here is our priorities. Lets be clear on this, it is not a sin to be wealthy, it is unhealthy to make the attainment of wealth our principal goal in life.
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The Old Testament Lesson comes from the beginning of the book of Ecclesiastes, one of my favourite books. It has always been a source of great comfort to me that the expression of the sentiments here stated have a place in Holy Writ. If we accept Solomon as the writer of this text then we understand that this man of wealth and wisdom has everything he could possibly want or need. Stately palaces, 1000 concubines to satisfy his carnal needs, more rich food than is healthy for him, opulent wardrobes, more servants than he can find use for and hundreds of sycophants fawning over him. So is he happy? No, he is bored with life and this text eloquently expresses his ennui. The man who can't possibly imagine anything in life that he could want that he does not already possess is bored with life.
Were I reading today's lessons I would not confine myself to few verses selected out of context.
Let's look at the Psalm
Although it may be so that poverty may shorten our lives money can't extend our lives indefinitely. And we can't take it with us. We all share a common mortality. Nor, as the saying goes, can we buy our way into heaven. The gift of grace is freely given to all who believe.
In Colossians Paul talks about the things that give true meaning to life. As he expresses it the things of this world are not what gives our lives meaning but the spiritual capital we amass in Christ is what we should strive to attain.
The rich man in Christ's parable was a prudent investor. If his fields yielded a bumper crop it would have been imprudent to allow that crop to rot in the field. However, if his only intent was to store those grains so that he could live a life of leisure and contentment then he runs the risk of suffering from the same sense of discontent expressed by the writer of Ecclesiastes.
Once more hyperbole is used to emphasize a point. I can't say it better than the following quote:
Luke 12:13-21
Christ's kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world. Christianity does not meddle with politics; it obliges all to do justly, but wordly dominion is not founded in grace. It does not encourage expectations of worldly advantages by religion. The rewards of Christ's disciples are of another nature. Covetousness is a sin we need constantly to be warned against; for happiness and comfort do not depend on the wealth of this world. The things of the world will not satisfy the desires of a soul. Here is a parable, which shows the folly of carnal worldling while they live, and their misery when they die. The character drawn is exactly that of a prudent, worldly man, who has no grateful regard to the providence of God, nor any right thought of the uncertainty of human affairs, the worth of his soul, or the importance of eternity. How many, even among professed Christians, point out similar characters as models for imitation, and proper persons to form connexions with! We mistake if we think that thoughts are hid, and thoughts are free. When he saw a great crop upon his ground, instead of thanking God for it, or rejoicing to be able to do more good, he afflicts himself. What shall I do now? The poorest beggar in the country could not have said a more anxious word. The more men have, the more perplexity they have with it. It was folly for him to think of making no other use of his plenty, than to indulge the flesh and gratify the sensual appetites, without any thought of doing good to others. Carnal worldlings are fools; and the day is coming when God will call them by their own name, and they will call themselves so. The death of such persons is miserable in itself, and terrible to them. Thy soul shall be required. He is loth to part with it; but God shall require it, shall require an account of it, require it as a guilty soul to be punished without delay. It is the folly of most men, to mind and pursue that which is for the body and for time only, more than that for the soul and eternity.
Matthew Henry
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The Old Testament Lesson comes from the beginning of the book of Ecclesiastes, one of my favourite books. It has always been a source of great comfort to me that the expression of the sentiments here stated have a place in Holy Writ. If we accept Solomon as the writer of this text then we understand that this man of wealth and wisdom has everything he could possibly want or need. Stately palaces, 1000 concubines to satisfy his carnal needs, more rich food than is healthy for him, opulent wardrobes, more servants than he can find use for and hundreds of sycophants fawning over him. So is he happy? No, he is bored with life and this text eloquently expresses his ennui. The man who can't possibly imagine anything in life that he could want that he does not already possess is bored with life.
Were I reading today's lessons I would not confine myself to few verses selected out of context.
Let's look at the Psalm
Although it may be so that poverty may shorten our lives money can't extend our lives indefinitely. And we can't take it with us. We all share a common mortality. Nor, as the saying goes, can we buy our way into heaven. The gift of grace is freely given to all who believe.
In Colossians Paul talks about the things that give true meaning to life. As he expresses it the things of this world are not what gives our lives meaning but the spiritual capital we amass in Christ is what we should strive to attain.
The rich man in Christ's parable was a prudent investor. If his fields yielded a bumper crop it would have been imprudent to allow that crop to rot in the field. However, if his only intent was to store those grains so that he could live a life of leisure and contentment then he runs the risk of suffering from the same sense of discontent expressed by the writer of Ecclesiastes.
Once more hyperbole is used to emphasize a point. I can't say it better than the following quote:
Luke 12:13-21
Christ's kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world. Christianity does not meddle with politics; it obliges all to do justly, but wordly dominion is not founded in grace. It does not encourage expectations of worldly advantages by religion. The rewards of Christ's disciples are of another nature. Covetousness is a sin we need constantly to be warned against; for happiness and comfort do not depend on the wealth of this world. The things of the world will not satisfy the desires of a soul. Here is a parable, which shows the folly of carnal worldling while they live, and their misery when they die. The character drawn is exactly that of a prudent, worldly man, who has no grateful regard to the providence of God, nor any right thought of the uncertainty of human affairs, the worth of his soul, or the importance of eternity. How many, even among professed Christians, point out similar characters as models for imitation, and proper persons to form connexions with! We mistake if we think that thoughts are hid, and thoughts are free. When he saw a great crop upon his ground, instead of thanking God for it, or rejoicing to be able to do more good, he afflicts himself. What shall I do now? The poorest beggar in the country could not have said a more anxious word. The more men have, the more perplexity they have with it. It was folly for him to think of making no other use of his plenty, than to indulge the flesh and gratify the sensual appetites, without any thought of doing good to others. Carnal worldlings are fools; and the day is coming when God will call them by their own name, and they will call themselves so. The death of such persons is miserable in itself, and terrible to them. Thy soul shall be required. He is loth to part with it; but God shall require it, shall require an account of it, require it as a guilty soul to be punished without delay. It is the folly of most men, to mind and pursue that which is for the body and for time only, more than that for the soul and eternity.
Matthew Henry
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