Day 36: Don't 'follow the money'. - Proverbs 1 vs 8 -19

8-9 My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honour around your neck. 10-12 My child, if sinners entice you - turn your back on them!  They may say, “Come and join us, let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. 13-14 Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.”

15-16 My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. 17-18 If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. 19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. Proverbs 1:8-19 New Living Translation

The first seven verses of Proverbs said its purpose is to teach us how to live disciplined and successful lives, and to help us follow what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs were the words of a wise and loving parent teaching their growing child so that they could gain insight, knowledge, and discernment, and thereby avoid life's many pitfalls. It's no surprise that the first pitfall they warn about is money and greed! We often hear the phrase in crime drama's that to solve a crime one should 'follow the money'.

Verses 10 to 18 give an extreme example of what greed and the love of money can lead to; violent robbery and murder. The New Testament writer James gave a similar warning and said: “What causes the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You're jealous of what others have, but can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.” James 4:1-2

Now I'm sure no one reading this devotion will get involved in armed robbery and murder. But there are other areas where, as the writer of Proverbs says in vs 19, 'being greedy for money will rob us of life.' Christians may be tempted to gambling in the hope of winning a big one. Some play and yearn to win the lottery. We may be tempted to be dishonest in business and paying taxes. Greed and the desire for riches can ruin our lives. Listen to how the apostle Paul put it:

“Living a godly life with contentment is itself great wealth - after all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Notice that money and riches are not evil themselves - we need money to live in this world. It's the love of money that will cause problems. It's the desire to be wealthy that may make us take dishonest short cuts to get rich. Notice too Paul said, sadly, that he knew of believers who'd drifted from the faith and brought many sorrows upon themselves. May God make us like a bird that sees a trap that's being set, and has sense enough to keep away! Don't follow the money.