Posted on 04/23/2020 6:20:27 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5).
There are people that want things, there life is all about what they can acquire. They want food, they want money, and those things are not the priority of life—at least should not be for the child of God. Money flies away. They say that money buys happiness, well, money flies away, too. Again, he says, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?” That is, things that are not certain, even as Paul says in First Timothy 6: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17).
Don’t trust in riches—they are nothing but uncertain. A man could spend the rest of his life working and scraping, digging, bleeding, and sweating to get a bank load of money. That bank could fail, and you would be lined up with everyone else like in the days of the depression.
“Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” (Isaiah 55:2).
A man that is rich in the Lord Jesus Christ—who can steal that? There has never been a bank robbery in heaven.
“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?” That is the biggest source of trouble that the Bible talks about—our eyes will get us into trouble. In Genesis 3, the woman looked on the tree. In Joshua 7, Achan looked at the Babylonish garment. In Second Samuel 11, David looked upon Bathsheba.
Riches are certain to fail you, and riches are uncertain. “. . . they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.”
If you inspect the proverb, man’s foolish lust for financial independence is seen. Solomon warned about looking at women and wine, and he warned here about the desire or lust for wealth. Most never acquire riches. Wealth is seen, desired, pursued, expected, and even counted; but as quickly as it appeared to view, it disappeared. The only sure thing in this financial discussion is Solomon’s lesson – riches are an illusion!
Working hard your whole life to be rich wastes your life, as the rich fool learned, when He heard the voice, not of Father Time, but of the great and dreadful God, Who said, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:16-21). Jesus taught, “Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).
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