Should we hoard? What will rescue us in the day of calamity?
There are 3 main themes in this chapter.
1) Your wealth cannot save you
When terror strikes, missiles are indiscriminate. They hit the poor and the wealthy alike. It’s foolish for those with money to think they are immune to many of the problems of the world. Their troubles are only delayed. This from the richest man in the history of mankind.
“Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death” (v. 4).
“When the wicked man dies, his expectations come to nothing, and hope placed in wealth vanished” (v. 7)
“Anyone trusting in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage” (v. 27)
2) Wickedness will not prevail in the long-term, only righteousness will do so.
This whole chapter compares wickedness and righteousness. It’s counter-cultural as we don’t like to call anyone “wicked.” Add to that “wicked” people are everyone else, not ourselves.
The wicked man is the one who stretches the truth (v. 3), gets money that isn’t necessarily based on truth (v. 1), one who slanders his neighbor (v 10, v. 12).
Those who are dishonest will find that they and their children are not among the blessed.
3) Hoarding is not of God.
One can prepare, but the mentality of hoarding is to save everything oneself. Godliness is being generous in teh day of disaster.
“One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor” (v. 24).
“A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water” (v. 25).
“People will curse anyone who hoards grain, but a blessing will come to the one who sells it” (v. 26).
I read this morning from one who is Kyiv ministering to the needs of the people. He is a foreigner but he stays. This gave me thought: