How Biblical figures Handled Wealth - Extended

This is the extended list of how biblical figures handled wealth from the Building Faith and Finances Course, Module 4 personal exploration exercise.

Cain (Genesis 4:1-12)

In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. (Genesis 3-5)

Unlike his brother Abel, Cain did not give his best to God.  In doing so, Cain didn’t honor God as the creator and provider of his wealth.  Deep down, we don’t feel good when we don’t give our best to God.

Joseph (Genesis 37, 39-50)

So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”  But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:6-10)

Despite suffering tremendous betrayal and hardship, Joseph maintained his integrity and relationship with God.  Joseph exuded honesty and excellence in the midst of adversity.  His remarkable trustworthiness led to God entrusting him with knowledge of the future, which propelled him to becoming the ruler of Egypt (second only to Pharaoh).

Gideon (Judges 6-8)

But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. (Judges 8:23-27)

Gideon acted heroically in battling the Midianites, but his decision to ask for gold and make the ephod led Israel into idol worship.  Although he was in a position to make the request, the 50 pounds of gold he received was excessive.  If he didn’t have so much gold, he might not have made the ephod.

David (2 Samuel 7)

After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.” But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ (2 Samuel 7:1-7)

Rather than revel in his wealth, David thought of God and his honor.  He wanted to use what God had given him to build the temple.

Ahab/Jezebel (1 Kings 21)

Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”

But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.”

So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” (1 Kings 21:1-7)

Ahab was a childish, evil king.  He could not convince Naboth to sell him his vineyard, but instead of respecting Naboth’s desire to preserve his family’s estate, Naboth pouted like a baby.  It appeared that Ahab might have gotten over it, but his notoriously wicked wife encouraged him to murder Naboth and take his vineyard.  Rather than enjoying the wealth he had, Ahab used his position to frame Naboth for crimes he did not commit.  How do you respond when you aren’t able to get what you want?

Josiah’s Workers (2 Kings 22)

In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the Lord— the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.” Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. (2 Kings 22:3-8)

King Josiah was able to move forward with restoring the temple of the Lord, because his supervisors and workmen were trustworthy.  As a result, they were able to find the Book of the Law, which had been lost.  Great progress can be made with people of character in an atmosphere of trust.

Peter/Simon (Matthew 19:16-30)

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matthew 19:27-30)

In the previous example, when Jesus said it would be hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, Peter was shocked.  He and the other disciples wrongfully believed that the rich were righteous because God had blessed them with wealth.  Peter thought: if it’s impossible for the rich to make it to heaven, then what hope does a middle-class fisherman from Galilee have?  Jesus assured him that not only would he make it to heaven, but that he would be rewarded a hundred times over for his sacrifices.

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

Although Zacchaeus was a wealthy and most likely an immoral tax collector, Jesus went to minister to him at his house.  Was this an ideal conversion, where a sinner saw Jesus and repented on the spot?  Some commentators have observed that Zacchaeus pledged money to the poor and repayment for cheating only in response to the crowd (and that he might not have held fast to his pledge).  It could be that when Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house,” he was referring to himself and not Zacchaeus’s salvation.  In that case, Jesus would have been showing that no one is excluded from the kingdom of God.  Whatever the case, Zacchaeus did not allow his height, his profession, his wealth, or the crowd to get in the way of learning more about Jesus.

Ananias and Saphira

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Acts 5:1-11)

Peter made clear that Ananias’s sin was lying.  Ananias did not die because he failed to give all of the money from the sale of his property.  Ananias could have kept the property or given whatever amount he wanted.  However, Ananias and his wife Saphira cooked up a scheme to lie and say they gave all the proceeds from the sale of the property.  God wanted the giving in the church to be sincere.