November 15, 2017
OH, LORD, WON'T YOU BUY ME A MERCEDES BENZ?
Proverbs 23:1-11
Mike Williams
Central Truth
Each possession brings with it the burden of ownership and the anxiety of potential loss. As we turn ownership over to the Lord and become His trusted caretakers, we are set free to serve Him without fear.
Key Verse | Proverbs 23:4–5
Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
(Proverbs 23:4-5)
Proverbs 23:1-11
1
When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what
1
23:1
Or who
is before you,
2
and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3
Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4
Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
5
When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
6
Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
2
23:6
Hebrew whose eye is evil
do not desire his delicacies,
7
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
3
23:7
Or for as he calculates in his soul, so is he
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8
You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
10
Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11
for their Redeemer is strong;
he will plead their cause against you.
Dive Deeper | Proverbs 23:1-11
When Janis Joplin made those words famous, the guy in this picture wore a large afro, a Fu Manchu mustache, and bell-bottom pants. Those are long gone, but the mocking lyrics stuck, and they say in a simple way, along with Proverbs 23, “Don’t envy or cater to the rich or waste your life building wealth.” It’s as simple as pressing the big red button that announces, “That was Easy.”
Let’s face it, though. At some point, we all have had to set the “Easy” button aside to deal with life’s details. Balancing the lure of endless monetary “opportunities” against Jesus’ call to commit all to Him doesn’t always have easy answers. Should we stretch to buy that bigger "something"? Can we fit a new "something else" in the budget?
I tend to interpret this kind of passage as a warning to me not to envy what the “rich guy” has. There are two guys in this Scripture: the rich guy and the wanna-be-rich guy. What if I am the one blessed with money, good family, and the perfect image? When people have been in my presence, what is their takeaway? Do they think, "He’s successful, got it all together?" Or are they encouraged to be a better follower of Christ because of the way I steward my gifts?
God has placed in our possession some level of wealth, notoriety, and influence. Those are neither to be rejected nor to become addictions, but to be embraced as our gifts back to Him.
I don’t know how the Lord is leading you to use the things He has placed in your control. I do know this: I get very attached to God’s good gifts to me, and I can only be His servant as He daily reminds me that He didn’t “give” those to me as owner, but He entrusted them to me as His caretaker. As a trusted caretaker, I have nothing to gain, nothing to lose, no fear, no envy, and Proverbs 23 does become "Easy."
Discussion Questions
1. What is the pressing motivation that drives your daily activity?
2. What is the one word your friends would use to describe you? Are you a person of integrity? Ambition? Compassion? Prayer? What do you want that word to be?
3. In making decisions, do you see yourself as the owner or the caretaker of the time, talent, and wealth with which you have been entrusted?
4. Are there specific possessions you have a difficult time turning over to the Lord and you fear losing?