The Bible has much to say about how we, as the redeemed, should handle money. We’ll wrap up our look at what the Bible has to say about wealth by looking at a warning and then look at the promises of God concerning our needs.

Warning Against Wanting To Become Rich

But 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. For 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.

        1 Timothy 6:9-10

Is acquiring material wealth your primary goal in this life? Is it your dream to become rich, have a big house, drive fancy cars, perhaps own a boat, and travel to the four corners of the earth? Is it your desire to be wealthy and live “the good life?” If you have answered any of these questions with a “yes,” then this passage is for you. In fact, even for those of us who do not prioritize wealth, this passage is invaluable in reminding us of the dangers of falling into a love of money. 

“But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare…” Pretty straight forward, isn’t it? If we prioritize, after our family, the accumulation of material wealth, we are falling into temptation and a trap. Just like anything, in this world, that sparkles and makes promises to us, the desire to become rich is certainly one of the greatest traps. It’s a spiritual trap and one that the enemy would love for us to fall into. When we surrender our lives to Christ and receive spiritual eyes to see the spiritual battles going on in our life and the lives of others, we begin to see the futility of seeking material wealth over that which is of God and lasts for eternity. 

But not only is wanting to become rich a temptation and a trap, Paul continues: “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires…” Have you noticed that those with the largest amounts of money usually have turmoil of some kind in their lives? Are marriages strengthened with wealth? Wealth doesn’t usually strengthen a marriage rather it usually serves to bring struggle into it. Are relationships fortified when vasts amounts of money are at stake? Not usually, rather suspicion and skepticism often creeps into the scene. Why is this? God’s Word reminds us that this temptation, this trap of wanting to be rich brings with it baggage and its baggage that we were never intended to carry. “Many foolish and harmful desires” describes the things that come into the life of someone who wants to become rich. Notice that it says “many” foolish and harmful desires. It’s not just this or that from time to time that describes the desires in the life of those wanting to become wealthy. Those desires usually change the entire course of the person’s life and usually not for the better. We see it all of the time in the lives of the wealthy. It’s not uncommon to see the wealthy dealing with sexual immorality, broken marriages, estranged relationships, drug and alcohol abuse, and depression and anxiety. Why? This life is about a relationship with God not a landscape given to us by which we should run after material wealth and the accumulation of things. But there’s more. 

“But 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.” The end game to chasing after material wealth is “ruin and destruction.” While we can often observe this ruin and destruction in people’s lives during this life, it is the spiritual ruin and destruction that comes from a lifetime of chasing after things that brings the greatest consequences. Remember Jesus’ words, “how difficult it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” It’s not impossible but it is difficult. That’s what the allure of money can bring, it’s a temptation, a snare, it brings many foolish and harmful desires into our lives, and it leads to spiritual ruin and destruction. If you’re a born again believer in Jesus Christ, no doubt you can “Amen!” this passage. But should you still be outside of Christ, having never surrendered your life to Christ, you may very well be under the illusion that this does not apply to you and that all of this talk about pursuing wealth is just foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18, 2:14). To you, I would simply say, God loves you, Christ died for you, and the life you will have in Him is far superior to any life you will put together for yourself through the pursuit of material wealth. But there’s still more.

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil…” There it is again. This snare, this trap brings many foolish and harmful desires into our lives if we allow it. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil. The “root” means that this love of money is where it all begins and evil will begin to creep into your life as a result of your love of money and prioritizing material things above godly things. After family, when money is the focus in a person’s life, we will generally see the person move away from any spiritual disciplines designed to strengthen and protect them. Listening to the prompting of the Spirit of God, immersing themselves in the Bible daily, and regularly attending church, where they can worship God with other like-minded Christians, all will slowly exit the life of an individual chasing money, even if those things we once a part of their lives. Paul says it this way, “for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith…” Money or Christ? We cannot serve both, Jesus reminds us of that! (Matthew 6:24) So, loving money and what it can bring into our earthly lives will certainly mean that we will wander, and for some, they wander so far that the things of God are completely foreign to them. What a tragedy! 

But Paul has one more thing to say, “For 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.” It’s completely self-inflicted. “Pierced themselves” means that they did it to themselves. And with what do these people pierce themselves? Grief. Happy are not those who have the most material wealth, life teaches us that every day. Happy are those who find a vibrant, life-changing, soul-saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. And the treasure that we find in Christ isn’t just for the here and now, this treasure lasts forever and ever (Matthew 6:19-21). 

The Promises Of God

Let’s end by looking at two promises of God for anyone who has been saved and belongs to Christ. The first is out of the Old Testament and the second will come from the New. 

But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

    Psalm 34:10b

The problem that some, in the Christian faith, run into is that they might not actually know that the truths of scripture are to be claimed, spoken, prayed, and applied to our lives. This promise is such a verse. “But for those who seek the Lord”…that means that their relationship with God is the most important thing to them. Before family, money, or any other pursuit in this world, “seeking the Lord” means that He takes priority. And what is the promise? These people “shall not be in want of any good thing.” Did you catch that? If we are seeking the Lord with all of our heart, prioritizing Him above all other things, we will never be lacking in the area of any good thing. 

Every promise of God in scripture carries with it two criteria. We have to meet both in order to claim the promise. The first covers all of God’s promises. First, we have to be born again, saved, and Spirit-filled. These promises are not for the unbelieving world rather only for those who belong to Christ. But secondly, each promise, found in scripture, brings with it a specific criteria. In the case of this promise, we must be seeking God. If we have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ and are seeking Him everyday above all other people and things, then we can know that we will never be in want of any good thing. What a promise!

The second promise regarding wealth and God’s provision in our lives is from the words of Jesus Himself.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

    Matthew 6:33

There it is again…seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness first! The priority has to be on Christ and none other. No person, pursuit, or pleasure can eclipse our relationship to Him. And the promise? “All these things will be added to you.” What things? If you look at the context, Jesus is saying that He will take care of making sure that we have everything necessary in order to live in this life. This is a description of the perfect provision of God. Again, we have to meet the criteria, but if we do, we can rest in the perfect provision of God. This isn’t saying that we are lazy and sit on the couch playing video games while waiting on Him to pour the blessing out of heaven. But this does mean that as we are willing to be obedient to do what God has called us to do, He will take care of the rest. Compare that to the turmoil and anxiety of those who are seeking to build their own kingdoms on earth. 

We can seek material wealth or we can seek the kingdom of God. The way we prioritize our time, our money, and our relationships will usually indicate which one we have decided to seek. Choose wisely!