Chap 8 Which One: Poverty or Prosperity = Praise

"It is He (God) who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." (Deut.8:18, parenthesis added). If we follow His commands and walk in His ways, "the Lord will grant you abundant prosperity...you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none" (Deut.28:9-12). In fact, Deut.23:13 specifically tells us that we are to be the head and not the tail, always on the top and never on the bottom. 

The foregoing was spoken to Israel, God's 'holy people', and contained promises concerning their well being if they followed His commands (laws). According to Gal.3:7 and 3:29, if we "... belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed." These promises were spoken to Abraham "and his seed" (Gal.3:16 emphasis added, Eph.3:6 & Ro.9:8). 

According to Gal.3:17 one covenant does not set aside a previously established one. Today we must still obey His commands before the Lord will grant abundant prosperity; however, the Old Covenant laws have been fulfilled by Jesus (Matt.5:17-19 & Col.2:14). We now follow the New Covenant commands which include: 

1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut.6:5, Matt.22:37 & Mk.12:30). 

2) Love your neighbor (John 15:17, I John 4:12 & Ja.2:8). 

3) When teaching, teach that Jesus is appointed by the Father to judge both the living and the dead, and that whoever believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name (Acts 10:42-43). 

4) Watch for Christ's return (Mk.13:34). 

5) Be a light unto the gentiles that through us the Word may bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Acts 13:47). 

The keeping of these commands in our hearts will bring prosperity (Prov.3:2) 

The question under discussion here is, "Does the Lord want us prosperous?" If so, what is this prosperity's relationship to the Feast of Tabernacles. This is not meant to be a study on how the Lord grants prosperity. That would be the subject of a separate study in and of itself. I would however like to list some guidelines from the Word concerning what actions on our part will hinder the flow of God's prosperity in our lives. We know that we must seek the Lord first (Matt.6:33), not asking for things with wrong motives (Ja.4:2) nor with greed in our hearts towards money (I Pe.5: 2). To receive we must believe we receive when we pray (Mk.11:24), act from love (I Cor. 13:3), and not worry about storing up treasure on earth (Matt.6:19). From Prov.28:13 we learn that he who conceals sin will not prosper, and from Ps.49: 20 we learn that a man with riches but no understanding is like a beast that perishes (see also Prov.2:5). 

Ignoring discipline is one of the other things which leads to poverty and shame (Prov.13:18). Poverty also comes as a result of laziness (Prov.6:10-11; 19:15 & 24:30-34), excessively sumptous living (Prov.21:17), and folly (Prov.28:19). Poverty is considered a curse and called down upon the house of Joab (II Sam. 3:29) and upon the very children of wicked and deceitful men (Ps. 109:10 - note, see Ps.37:25-26 which states that the children of the righteous should never have to beg). 

I would like to now begin our discussion of whether the Lord desires us to be prosperous by examining the 23rd Psalm. Verse 5 says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." That showed me something I had never seen before. God will take care of us now, not just when we get to heaven, and He will do so in the presence of our enemies. Ps.25:13 makes it clear that those who fear the Lord will spend their days in prosperity. This goodness from God is bestowed upon those who fear Him in the sight of men (Ps.31:19). If we fear the Lord (have reverence for Him), we will lack no good thing (Ps.34:9). We are clearly promised in Ps.84:11 that our God will not withhold one good thing from those whose walk is blameless. In fact, the Lord delights in the well being of His servants (Ps.35:27). Indeed He even says that He has brought us to a place of abundance (Ps.66:12). 

The blessings of the Lord bring wealth, and God adds no trouble to that (Prov.10:22). We are told that prosperity is the reward of the righteous (Prov.13:21), and that through Jesus we are now righteous (Phil.3:9 & Ro.4:22). Heb.11:6 even tells us that it is necessary for us to believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. That verse is tied in with faith. If you will recall, Gal.3:6 told us to consider Abraham because he believed God and that belief was credited to Him as righteousness. According to Matt.6:33 we are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. After we have done so, God's promise to us is clear; namely, all those things previously listed will be given to us as well. It is therefore imperative that we have faith that God will reward those who seek Him. 

Giving to the poor with a good heart and the right motive is lending unto the Lord, and He promises us that He will reward the giver for what he has done (Prov.19:7, Prov.11:25, Prov.21:13 & Lk.11:41). The rich young man did not understand what Jesus was really saying. We have often heard that that story in Matt.19:15-24 teaches poverty, or at least denies the concept of prosperity on this earth. However, let's look carefully at exactly what it does say. In verse 21 Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me." There can be no doubt that had the young man done as Jesus requested he would have had treasure in heaven. However, had the rich young man been able to do as Jesus asked with a good heart and the right motive, he would have been blessed now. 

Had he truly given up all and followed the Lord, he would have received one hundred times as much "in this present age" (Mk.10:30, emphasis added). NOT JUST IN HEAVEN, BUT HERE NOW. The two things - rewards in heaven and rewards here - are not incompatible. While persecutions come with the abundance listed in verse 30, we should recall Prov.10:22 wherein God tells us that He does not bring trouble with His prosperity. Therefore, the persecutions in verse 30 must not be from God. If it is from satan then we do not have to accept it. Rather, we can stand against it and rebuke satan in the name of Jesus. We should also remember that according to Matt.27:57 a rich man from Aramathea named Joseph was one of Jesus' disciples. Joseph trusted Jesus, not his riches, and no where in Scripture are we told that Jesus told him to sell all he had. The rich young man could not unburden himself from his reliance upon his wealth; therefore, he was not able to truly follow the Lord. If he could have done so, he would have had all of God's promises active in his life, both here and in heaven. 

In the literal Greek, I Tim.6:10 says that the LOVE of money is the root of all KINDS of evil. Notice, it says the love of money, not the money itself. You don't have to have money to get caught up in the love of it. I Thes.5:22 says to avoid every kind of evil; yet, III John 2 offers this prayer, "I pray that you may prosper and that all may go well with you, even as your soul prospers." Prosperity then, in and of itself cannot be evil. We must look back to the admonition found in Matt.6:33, "Seek first His kingdom." II Chron.14:7 states, "... the land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God; we sought Him and He has given us rest on every side; so they built and prospered." The opposite of this is found in II Chron.24:20 wherein we are clearly shown that they did not prosper because they had forsaken the Lord. 

The Lord tells us in Malachi 3:10 to bring our tithes into the storehouse "test Me in this says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." The Hebrew word for "floodgate" used there is the same word used for "floodgate" in Gen.7:11. Imagine, just as much blessing pouring out on you as did the rain did no the wicked at the time for the flood. At this time I do not mean to get into the question of tithing at a given percentage. The point being made here is that giving unto the Lord leads to prosperity, and He even tells us to test Him in this. Indeed, we are told to call down His blessings upon our own heads (Ps.67:1). The Israelites did so when they offered their tithes and firstfruits unto Him (Deut.26:15). 

Jesus is now our High priest (Deut.26:4 & Heb.7:17), and He places our offerings before the throne in heaven. As such, I can call down the blessings of the Father upon my people - both my natural family and my brothers and my sisters in Jesus. When we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (Ps.37:4). A close look at the story of the prodigal son in Lk.15:31 indicates that the son who stayed was upset with the one who had left and then returned. The Father in that parable clearly said that everything he had already belonged to the one who stayed. However, the one who stayed never asked. Ja.4:2 says quite clearly, "You do not have because you do not ask God." 

Since I delight in Him, I want to be sure that my desires are according to His will. Ps.118:25 (a portion of the major Psalm read during the Feast of Tabernacles) says "O Lord, save us; O Lord grant us success." In the literal Hebrew that last part, "grant us success" says "make to prosper." The blessing of the Father was being called down upon the people. Ps.122:9, one of the ascending Psalms read each night during the Feast of Tabernacles, says "for the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek Your prosperity." FOR THE SAKE OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD!!! We are to seek His prosperity for the sake of the house of the Lord? But why? I thought the Feast of Tabernacles was about praising God; here now, and eventually face to face with Him. 

That is the key which unlocks the teaching of prosperity. See what it says in II Cor.9:11; "you will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." When I am prosperous I can give more, and God will be praised more. That's why Matt.6:4 says to give to the poor in secret. If they don't know what man delivered the gift, they can only thank and praise God. 

I know that it is difficult for a rich man to get to heaven. But for the rich man who is not trusting in his riches, who has not put all his faith in these earthly treasures, but knows their true purpose as set forth above, the difficulty is overcome through Jesus. Abraham's possessions were so great that He and Lot had to separate because the land could not support their herds (Gen.13:6). When Solomon had his priorities straight, the Lord blessed him beyond measure (I Ki.3:13). 

We are told in Prov.4:7 that wisdom is supreme and that we should therefore seek wisdom. What happens to us when we do? Among other things, when we seek wisdom according to the Scriptures, we find prosperity as a bi-product. Prov.3:14-16 says "blessed is the man who finds wisdom ... long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor." This is not a one time promise either. Prov.24:3-4 states that "by wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established, through knowledge it's rooms are filled with rare treasures." 

These are not just spiritual treasures alone. Prov.15:6 says that the house of the righteous contains great treasure but the income of the wicked brings trouble. God makes it very clear in Eccl.2:26 that to the sinner God gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. We know according to Ps.112:3 that wealth and riches belong in the house of the man who fears the Lord. According to Prov.8:20-21 God is actually walking along the paths of justice bestowing wealth upon those who love Him, and is actually making their treasuries full. God has no shortage. Ps.50:10 tells us that He owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. God wants us to be prosperous. 

After satan was finished taking from Job (Job 1:12), the Lord returned unto him twice as much as he had before his time of testing (Job 42:12). According to John 10:10 the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. According to Ex.22:4,7&9, when the thief is caught he must pay back double that which he has taken. It was satan who took the things from Job. He was allowed to do so by the Lord, but it was satan who took them. At that time Christ had not died on the cross, satan had not been defeated, and the Holy Spirit had not opened Job's eyes or ears thereby enabling him to act upon the fullness of God's Word. 

However, now satan has been defeated through Christ's death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit has come, and we have been given power over satan. Be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that Job was not a man of faith. Ez.14:12-14 makes it clear that God considers him to be a great man of faith, ranking him with Noah and Daniel. However, Job was by no means perfect in his walk with the Lord. According to Chapter 3:25 Job said that "what he feared" and what he dreaded had come upon him. He must have been worried about his wealth or prosperity, something which we are not to do. Phil.4:6 clearly admonishes "do not be anxious about anything," but in everything, by prayer, petition, and thanksgiving present our requests unto God. This also includes our request to be provided for in the material sense. 

I am not forgetting that Peter said "silver or gold I do not have" (Acts 3:6). That was true as of that very moment; however, Peter had what was needed to do the job at that time - he had the name of Jesus. The crippled man was healed. Money wasn't what the crippled man needed. In Lk.8:43 the woman with the issue of blood had spent all she had on doctors and still was not healed. Money was not what she needed at that moment. Jesus gave her what she needed: by faith she was healed. While Jesus did not own property, he had a treasury which was apparently large enough for Judas to steal from and not have the loss noticed (John 12:6). Jesus was the most prosperous man in the world. While as a physical man He was poor compared to His heavenly glory he had whatever was needed to do every job that had to be done. He had total control over every situation. 

Let's return to Peter for just a moment. All the money the believers shared was laid at the apostles feet in Acts 4:32-35. This prosperity was distributed as needed. In Acts 2:41 we know that there were at least three thousand believers added at Pentecost alone. If the average family at that time gave the equivalent of only $200 during the entire year to the apostles they would have had about $ 600,000 available to give to the needy. It appears that with possessions being sold, much more was in fact offered. The point is, when silver and gold were needed they were there in abundance. 

I know that the Lord delights in the well being of his servants. I know that I should seek the prosperity of the Lord for the sake of His house, being generous so that this generosity will result in thanksgiving to Him. I know that as a direct benefit of that praising He will bless me and that gives me even greater cause to thank Him and praise Him (Ps.67:5-6). I know that all my needs are met according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Phil.4:19). I know that I can approach the throne of Grace with confidence (Heb.4:16), and I can make my requests known unto the Lord. I know my God cares for me and wants to provide for me. 

According to Gen.26:1 God told Isaac to plant crops in the midst of a famine. When Isaac did as the Lord had directed, he received a hundred fold return that same year. The widow in I Ki.17:14 did as directed by Elijah, the man of God, and she was also provided for in the midst of famine. 

I do not need to have large sums of money in a bank account. That bank account is subject to inflation and other possible losses. I know that all my needs and desires, including the need and desire to give unto the Lord, are met. I know His will, and I shall not allow satan to keep me poor, for then I cannot give as directed - on every occasion. Since I know I can ask according to God's will, knowing that I received when I ask (I John 5:14), I can with right motives accept God's prosperity, and then generously give to others. satan keeps us poor to steal some of the praise which belongs to God. I know that with prosperity satan will bring temptation, but now I know who the prosperity is from and what it's purpose really is. Through the strength of Jesus I can overcome that temptation. Not on my own, not as a "self motivated" man, but as a new creation in Christ Jesus, giving all glory to Him. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not delight in my well being. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not provide for all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not provide a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not say prosperity is the reward of the righteous. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not say poverty is the result of ignoring discipline. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not promise me 100 times as much if I forsake all else and follow Him. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not tell me to seek His prosperity for the sake of His house. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not want me to be prosperous so that I could be generous and thereby direct praise to Him. 

If He wanted me poor - He would not tell me to gve to the poor because then they would no longer be poor. 

Remember, always seek first the kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you (Matt.6:33), not subtracted, for satan takes, God is a giver.