We should fear in receiving material blessings
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the
strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me’” (Deuteronomy 8:17).
It
seems that those who believe in our Lord Jesus greatly delight in receiving
material blessings. When we constantly
seek after blessings and wealth, it appears that we are serving both God and
material possessions at the same time (Mt. 6:24). This is not pure faith; it is rather a form of
syncretism. We should serve God if it is
God and serve material possessions if it is material possessions. However, we find ourselves serving both God
and material possessions. Perhaps we may
not even realize that we are serving God for the sake of material gain. This idolization of material wealth ultimately
enslaves us, leading us to live entirely for the pursuit of material gain. We study for the sake of material gain, work
for the sake of material gain, and even practice our faith for the sake of
material gain. Therefore, when we pray,
we often seek God's blessing in material wealth, and when we receive blessings
from pastors, we greatly appreciate prayers for material blessings. Both our lips and ears eagerly long for
blessings related to material wealth. Our
hands and feet are also occupied with the pursuit of material blessings. This is because our hearts are fixated on
materialism. The words of Jesus come to
mind: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (v.
21). Our hearts have been captivated by
the treasures of this world. We are
addicted to the riches of this world. We
must be cautious. We must fear loving
money (1 Tim. 6:10). We must fear
receiving material blessings. We must
not hastily seek material blessings from God.
In
Deuteronomy 8:17, we see that Moses had a fear. This fear stemmed from the concern that the
Israelites might say in their hearts, " My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
Even though God had indeed given them
the ability to acquire wealth (v. 18), Moses was afraid that the Israelites
might attribute it to their own abilities and strength. In other words, Moses feared that the
Israelites might become prideful and forget God (v. 14). When was it that the Israelites were at risk
of becoming prideful? It was when their
possessions became abundant (v. 13). In
other words, when the Israelites entered "a good land" (v. 7), a land
that didn’t lack nothing for them (v. 9), where they would eat and be satisfied
(vv. 10, 12), build beautiful houses and dwell in them (v. 12), where their
herds and flocks increased, and their silver and gold multiplied, that their
possessions became abundant. This is
when the Israelites were at risk of becoming prideful. Moses feared this. We too should fear. We should fear that we might become prideful. We should be wary of becoming so satisfied and
full that we forget God. Especially in
this prosperous land of America where it may seem that we lack nothing, we
should fear becoming so full and prideful that we forget God. We must guard against the fat of heart within
us. We may unknowingly become so filled
with desires and greed that we become slaves to them. We should fear our hearts becoming prideful. What should we do then? We should enter the wilderness ourselves. And in that wilderness, we should humble
ourselves. In other words, rather than
living in the lap of luxury in a prosperous city, seeking after material
blessings, we should enter the wilderness ourselves, experiencing poverty and
hunger, and seek after the blessings of the wilderness even more. What are these blessings of the wilderness? They can be summarized in one or two points:
(1) The blessings of the wilderness are essentially the
blessings of character.
In other words, the
blessings that God gives us in the wilderness are primarily humility. God leads us into the wilderness to humble us
(vv. 2, 3, 16; see also Hos. 2:14). We
should cherish this humbling blessing. We
should recognize that being humble before God is far more precious and
significant than being exalted in the eyes of the world. Therefore, we should enter the wilderness
ourselves, prostrating humbly before God in prayer. We should believe that the place where we
enter our inner chamber and pray before God is the highest place in God's eyes.
When we do this, God will lift up the
humble prayer and use it to manifest the exalted and great nature of the Lord.
(2) The blessings of the wilderness are the blessings of
the Word.
Look at Deuteronomy
8:3 - "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with
manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man
does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the
LORD." God led the Israelites
through the wilderness for forty years not only to humble them but also to
teach them that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes
from the mouth of the LORD. We should
enter the wilderness ourselves and come to understand that we do not live on
bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Therefore, out of reverence for God, we must
keep and observe His commandments (v. 6).
We should fear receiving material
blessings. The reason is that material
blessings can lead us to become proud and forget God. Therefore, we must be cautious when material
wealth increases. We should be vigilant
when our businesses prosper. We should
stay awake when the number of congregants grows. We should be cautious when our bellies are
full and we become affluent. We must
guard against our hearts becoming fat. We
should be wary of becoming slaves to greed and desires. We must be vigilant not to forget God's word. We must enter the wilderness ourselves. Instead of desiring to enjoy the world's
abundance in the midst of the city, we should prefer to enter the wilderness
and receive the blessings of character and the Word that God bestows. We must turn the lonely wilderness into a
solitary garden (Hosea). In the
wilderness, we must lower ourselves, becoming even more humble through the
sacred discipline of God. Our character
should be shaped in the wilderness. And
we should be delighted to hear God's voice in the wilderness. Furthermore, we must listen to God's voice and
obey. In doing so, we can enjoy the
blessings of character and the Word that God bestows. We should be deeply afraid of seeking material
blessings in the world while rejecting the blessings of character and the Word
in the midst of the city.
With a heart that prays for spiritual blessings,
prosperity, and material blessings to be bestowed upon the members of our
Victory Presbyterian Church family,
James Kim
(Fearing that the 'blessing' of material wealth,
when not led with humility by God's word, can become a curse.)
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