We should fear in receiving material blessings (Deuteronomy 8:17)

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.)