Do not wear yourself out to get rich

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.” (Proverbs 23:4)

 

Many people might wonder on what meaning the title, ‘Do not wear yourself out to get rich’. Because, in the world where people try to get rich with bloodshot eyes, the phrase sounds like shouldn’t to be rich. If someone tries to be rich with own cleverness, the person might have to be eventually suffered damage of oneself. It’s a world where every individual, family, and country want to live rich than others. Not only the countries of democracy that advocate capitalism but also communist states that haven’t recognized private property perform the capitalist policies. Yet ‘Do not wear yourself out to get rich’ in the text is like ‘don’t try to be rich’, what on earth does that mean?

 

There might be times when some get hesitated and wondered if the Bible is wrong or God is strange. But if you just stay as in such doubtful state of mind or abandonment, you will be reduced to a loser of faith. Listen to well the following verses of the Bible in mind. The verses are 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” and Gospel of Luke 16:8 “~ For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” The former is the Bible words delivered us through Paul the apostle, and the latter is what Jesus himself said. The Christian people have a worldview of both this world and the afterlife at the same time, believing in God’s providence. Therefore, we must avoid in this world to be a rich only with own cleverness.

The process of becoming rich is closely related to the matter of politics and eating. People often say, “Everything is to make live with eating.” And we’ve heard these words a lot “Empty sacks will never stand upright.” which means “It is first to get full the stomach above all.” It’s the same words to ‘Geumgangsan-do-sikhukyeong’ of meaning “A loaf of bread is better than the song of many birds.” We also have heard often this, “There’s nothing to be worry about when the back warmed and the stomach filled.” And it is said when we say goodbye, “Let’s have a meal together next.” In the above phrases, the words related to eating appear every time. And there is on the premise in the sentences a meeting between people. When persons meet, they hold discussions this or that about something. That is a political look of human life. The scene in the Bible text is assumed that the appearances sitting with governmental official and eating food. Here, the official is a field employee for oppressive politics in the era of despotic monarchs that time. In the text, the reason of his meeting with the employee is in order to do consent an injustice because of his selfish object, or he would have been forced by the staff. In that case, he might have a chance to gain wealth by cooperating with official.

It’s no problem just to eat food with someone itself, what’ would be wrong? To have meals on the time or finding good food as possible is basically desirable for life and health. But ‘excessive desire for eating’ is a quite dangerous. People who like to eat excessively are possible to be tempted with eating. A person who serves good food to someone has some intention and purpose behind the behavior. It’s because people don’t spend money and time for others without any reason. It is common such person tries to approach and offer good food another because of own greed. Also the person who answered to invitation would have any intentions for selfish gain too.

Although it is general to practice social life of help with each other by a relationship like ‘crocodile and crocodile bird’, to have an relationships of impure intention with someone can inflict damage upon each other. This is because if you try to use the other person by a selfish greed, it eventually leads both sides to misfortune. So the Bible says in Proverbs 23:6, “Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies.” We call people who are materially rich the rich. In fact, if we have a lot of money it’s good that we can do whatever we want. So anybody of us would expect inside mind to become the rich. However, if you try to be rich by your own cleverness, your soul will be damaged, even though you could be rich on much money.

 

If the Lord God of all things permits it, anybody can be rich. Therefore, it is essential that one should not try to be rich by own cleverness, but fulfill the task given to oneself only with sincerity. The wealth gained from own cleverness disregarded faith, will someday fly away certainly. How sad and futile would it be if the wealth collected by every means available could not protect one’s soul, but rather called for anger?

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Apr 11th 2021)