earching through the Scripture, we observe that at every occasion when The Lord spoke on the subject of wealth, He raised serious concern about the ease or difficulties of a rich man entering into the Kingdom of God.
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For any one just tuning in, I have in the past 5 series been considering and correcting the twist of the Scripture, on many Nigerian pulpits, which may have led to the devalue of the once cherished Christian vitues, which in event might have contributed to the present moral decadence in the country.
A certain wealthy religious leader (ruler) once asked The Master what he could do to inherit eternal life (Matt 19:16-24; Lk 18:18-25). He had kept all the laws from his youth. But Jesus told him,
"There is still one thing you lack - sell all you have and give the money to the poor - it will become treasure for you in heaven - and come, follow me".
The religious leader was very sorrowful at this statement. The Master watched him go away and then said to his disciples: "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God".
We note that The Master did not say it is impossible, but look at what He compared the possibility with :- a camel going through the eye of a needle.
Another person approached Jesus, asking Him to mediate between him and his brother over their father's estate. The Master replied,
"Man who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware of covetousness; For a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses"
(Lk 12:15). The Master then gave an illustration of a certain rich man, who in a certain year had a bumper harvest. His barns were full to overflowing, such that he couldn't get everything in (Lk 12:16-21). So, he proposed within himself to tear down the barns and build bigger ones. Then he would sit back and say to his soul: "Soul, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! eat, drink and be merry". But God said to him, "Fool! Tonight, you die; then whose shall those things be which you have provided?".
These words are similar to king David's in Psalm 39: 6,which says: "Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches and knows not who shall spend it".
The Master concluded: "Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven". This informs the Lord why He has serious and genuine concern for earthly wealth as most people may not handle it to His glory like this prosperous farmer whose story is just told.
Actually, a careful study of the utterances of the Lord on wealth, will reveal that He resents it more than favouring it. Speaking to a large crowd drawn from all Judea and Jerusalem, and sea coast of Tyre and Sidon with His disciples, He said among other things:
"Woe unto you that are rich! For you have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! For you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep" (Lk 6:24-25).
This statement of the Lord however, is mostly applicable to the rich ones, who are satisfied with their wealth outside God, who rule God out of their lives, those who do not use their wealth to honour God, those who have no time for spiritual matters, because any rich person who loves the Lord will certainly make heaven.
In chapter 16 of same St Luke, another parable of The Lord was recorded, which indicates His concern for wealth. There was a certain rich man who lived in luxury and affluence. Then there was the poverty-stricken Lazarus, whose body was covered with sore all over and he struggled with dogs to be fed with the crumbs that fell off the table of the rich man. Afterwards, both the rich and the beggar died. The angels carried the beggar to Abraham's bosom while the rich man landed in hell. The rich man in hell, cried for help, but was told: "Son, remember that thou in thy life time have received your good things and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now Lazarus is comforted while you are tormented" (Lk 16:25).
Since we do not take a verse in isolation but relate all together, we dare not conclude that poverty is a ticket to heaven while wealth is a ticket to hell or vice-versa. A poor man who rejects Christ will end up in hell while a rich man who accepts Him will enjoy the earth and later be crowned in heaven.
I have heard some prosperity preachers misinterpret Paul where he said that Jesus was made poor that we might be rich (2Cor 8:9) to mean material wealth. The statement cannot be misconstrued. Jesus went through all the sufferings that we can become rich spiritually and enter heaven.
There are quite a lot of good promises including wealth and good health in many Old Testament books but unfortunately they all have conditions attached to them. And obviously, when the conditions of the holy living that are attached, are not met, then the converse (opposite) of the promises, which are poverty, ill health etc come into play (Ex 15:26; 23:21-33). Had we continued to live on the Covenant of the Old Testament, we are all doomed. God, in His infinite mercy, knew that, that covenant was not going to profit us, so He gave us a New Covenant through Christ.
A careful study of the Old Testament will reveal that not only are conditions attached to earthly prosperity but there were very harsh curses on defaulters to the demands of the standard of holiness that were called for. For example, Deut 27:26 reads,
"Cursed is anyone who does not obey these laws and all the people shall reply, 'Amen'".
I encourage everyone to read Deut 28. It contains 68 verses, only the first 14 verses contain blessings and the blessings are only for anyone: "Who fully obey all these commandments (who shall hearken diligently)" (Deut.28:1) - God will set him on high above all nations of the earth, blessings shall come upon him and overtake him, blessing in the city, blessing in the field, fruit of the body, fruit of the ground, cattle, flocks etc etc. But, from vs 15 through 68 are harsh curses for anyone who shall not hearken - "Curses in the city, curses in the fields, curses on the fruit and bread, the curse of barren wombs, curses upon crops, curses upon the fertility of cattle and flocks, curses when in, curses when out, for the Lord Himself will send His personal curse. Confusion and a failure in everything, diseases - tuberculosis, fever, infections, plague and war etc etc".
It is because we cannot meet the demands of the Old Covenant in order for us to enter heaven that God gave us another one, which is by Grace through faith, sealed with the blood of Jesus. And thanks to Him that there is healing in the blood. There is deliverance in the blood and there is good health in the blood. I have been witnessing God confirm these over and over again and none with any condition, unlike in the previous Covenant. The only condition in the New Covenant is exercising faith and trust in the blood. I have however not come across abundant wealth for believers, or easy Christian life in the New Covenant (Testament). That is why we say that the Cross has two faces. Salvation, healing and deliverance from all menace of the Devil etc on one side and identifying with Christ in His suffering on the other side. This is why The Lord said several times that: "If you refuse to take up your Cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being my disciple." (Matt 10:38; Luke 14:27.
The instruction to whomever will be His disciple, to take up the Cross, was the major emphasis of Christ's teaching throughout His ministration on earth and it was well documented by all the gospel recorders. He did not make a covenant of material wealth as a certainty for following Him.
When on one occasion, the people went everywhere looking for Him, he had to confront them with the hard truth and told them,
"The truth of the matter is that you seek me because I fed you, not because you believe in me" (John 6:26).
He then charged them: "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but spend your energy seeking eternal life which I the messiah can give---" (Vs. 27).
My book "The Affliction of the Righteous \Two Faces of the Cross" explains these in detail.
Some people can be and are poor due to no faults of theirs. It could just be their cross, i.e. the trial of their faith. Some people are upright as far as human judgements are concerned, we can testify to it, yet, unfortunate things do happen to them. These are nothing new. The Preacher must have observed it also. So, he wrote:
"Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked and some wicked men as though they were good" (Eccl. 8:14).
The Lord was informed that, "Pilate had butchered some Jews from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem". Then the Lord asked: "Do you think they were worse sinners than other men from the Galilee. Is that why they suffered? And what about the eighteen men who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? Not at all" (Lk. 13:1-14).
So, if the gift of wealth is by being a Christian or by good work (talking of human judgement), then many in our midst, who are poor ought to be rich and many who are rich ought to be poorer than the Church rat.
In spite of the record in the Old Testament books, where obedience to God's commandments was the requirement for material wealth (the obedience which no one has been able to meet in any way), yet we have always had and we will continue to have both the rich and the poor among those, who according to man's standard are considered upright and even who God considers as righteous. Also, we have always had and we shall continue to have both the rich and the poor among the people who are morally deficient and we consider as terrible.
From numerous available records found in the Bible, we see clearly that being righteous (being a Christian) does not necessarily immune us from hardship.
And the Lord, confirmed this. Hear Him
"But I tell you a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian".
(Lk 4:25-27). These statements coming from the horse's mouth i.e. the Only One who has all the power to deliver, to do and undo, debunks the claim of Prosperity Teachers who teach that as Christians, we are immune to hardship. While it may please God to allow some of His children to escape a particular hardship, some may have to go through it. And no one has explanations as to why this is so. And it doesn't imply that those who do not escape the suffering are worse sinners or that they lack faith to escape or that God is punishing them for certain sins in their lives.
A number of the records of famine (scarcity) found in the Scripture, whether brought about by drought or by war were as a result of National / Communal sins. Of course there were those, who did not partake in the sins, but all the same, everyone suffered the consequences. For instance, at the time when the prophet Elijah pronounced drought in Israel (I Kings 17:1), which certainly was as a result of their intransigence, there were still "7,000 in Israel, all the knees, which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18).
That was God's declaration to Elijah. Yet, those 7000 righteous people went through the hardship. Only a widow in Zarephath, Zidon, had plenty. Certainly many of the righteous people must have been swept away by the famine. And it will be a bad error of judgement to conclude that this widow was more righteous than the other widows and other citizens who went through the hardship or even died by it. This was just as it pleased God.
The Bible recorded of Daniel that 'An excellent spirit was found in him' (Dan.6:3), yet he did not escape from being taken captive to Babylon in 605BC, where he most probably spent the rest of his life, right from the tender age, when he was taken. Prophet Ezekiel also suffered the same fate as Daniel. He was taken in 597BC, yet he was considered righteous.
