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On several occasions, the Bible tells us of the warnings that the children of Israel were given; they were instructed to ‘remember’.
Having been delivered from slavery under their Egyptian rulers, 40 years later, God’s people were preparing to enter their promised land and move into the fullness of what God had planned all along for them. A true rags to riches story. But before they enter, they are given solemn warnings to be careful that they don’t forget the Lord who a) rescued them from their Egyptian captors, and b) sustained them miraculously in the wilderness.
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you — a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant — then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 (NIV, emphasis added)
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:10-14 (NIV, emphasis added)
One of the most popular verses, if not ‘the’ most popular verse that is referenced by preachers and teachers on the subject of wealth is from the same chapters of Deuteronomy that we have just looked at. Again it contains the same instruction:
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV, emphasis added)
So often, this verse is used to illustrate the fact that a) it’s okay for Christians to be wealthy, b) it is ‘us’ who produce the wealth through the ability that God gives us, and c) the covenant God made with his people was related to wealth. There can be no denying these facts. However, the main emphasis of this verse is the importance for us to ‘remember’ the source. If we backtrack to the preceding verse (v.17) we read the following words:
You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.
God was protecting his people from becoming deceived into thinking they had got this new found wealth purely because of their own abilities or endeavours.
One of the interesting things to consider here is that all of the people who were about to enter into the Promised Land (apart from Joshua and Caleb) were born in the desert. They would have heard stories and accounts from their parents about their years of slavery in Egypt and how God miraculously brought them out through Moses’ leadership. All their lives they lived in the wilderness. God’s daily portions of manna and quail were the norm. There was no land to farm, they didn’t have to trade, there was no need for commerce. God provided for their every need – he even made it so their shoes didn’t wear out. So here we have a couple of million Israelites with no experience of wealth, yet God continually instructs them to never forget where that source of wealth came from. Such is the power of money and the deceitfulness of the heart that God had to continually stress this point.
There’s no doubt that God wanted Israel to enjoy the land of plenty, full of choice food, fresh water springs, large herds and flocks, copper, silver and gold aplenty. Yes, God wants us to prosper and enjoy life – that was his intention right from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, and it is still his intention. But sin has entered our world; the selfish nature of mankind is now at large. This potentially changes everything, because the children of Israel now had the possibility that they would revel in their new found wealth and before you know it, could forget the very reason they had it in the first place!
Have you ever met a Christian like that? God clearly helps them through life’s trials and the Devil’s attacks. They are genuinely thankful at the time of deliverance, breakthrough or provision, but within no time at all they have forgot what exactly happened and go on living their normal lives as if they just got a lucky break.
In our dealings with wealth, at whatever level we are called to play at, let’s all remember where we have come from and who our source is!
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