Proverbs 16:8

As Ben said, tonight we are going to continue our study of Proverbs 16. We'll be looking at verse eight. If you'll turn with me there now, you can find that in page 539 of your Pew Bibles. Proverbs 16, eight says, better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. Tonight we're gonna be looking at the idea of wealth, righteousness, justice, and how and where these three things intersect. Because the Bible and Proverbs in particular have so much to say about money, it can be tempting to develop an imbalanced theology of money, and at times hindering the church's witness for Christ. It could be an overemphasis or distorting of God's promises to provide, producing prosperity theology. Or on the other hand, a strong focus on stories like the rich young ruler and the rich fool at the exclusion of other parts of the canon, producing other false theology, the poverty gospel. Basically the belief that Christians must be monetarily poor in order to live holy lives. That said, this evening's focus will not be a theological overview of money. As mentioned in previous weeks, the Proverbs are not intended to be universal truths and promises from God, but generally true and wise maxims given to us by God for wise and holy living. With these things in mind, let's turn our attention to Proverbs 16.8. First, wealth is inferior to righteousness. The better than format of this verse draws our attention to a contrast with two parts. Here we have a little with righteousness in the first half of the verse being contrasted with great revenues with injustice in the second half. And the only descriptor that we have given is that the former is better than the latter. Why? Like I mentioned before, a whole Bible view of wealth and money informs our understanding that it is not the quantity of wealth, a little, or great revenues that makes the former better. Instead, it's the contrast of how that wealth is earned and used, either with righteousness or with injustice. In fact, we have a great number of examples of men who, though flawed and sinful, used great revenues given to them by the Lord with righteousness. Abraham, Job, and David, to name a few. The Lord seemed far more concerned with whether they lived righteously and used their wealth justly than whether they were rich or poor. The same is true in this proverb. It is an exhortation toward a life of righteousness and justice with an emphasis on righteous and just use of wealth. Even with very little, righteous use of that small amount is better than vast sums of wealth used or earned unjustly. If we turn our attention to the word righteousness, here it refers to both honest dealing financially and the idea of a holy life consecrated to the Lord. The Lord desires our whole lives, including our finances, to be lived in holiness. Conversely, the injustice warned against in the latter half of this verse points both to legal injustice in terms of wealth and unethical conduct. So whether we have great riches or modest income, the Lord is concerned with our righteousness. And how we use our money is directly tied to righteousness. The other side of the coin is that failure to use money righteously is sin. Certainly, this would include sins such as bribery, stealing, laundering, falsifying financial documents, and other obvious unjust ways of using money. Yet, this proverb is not just an exhortation for the worldly, the financial lawbreakers, or the obscenely rich. We must each recognize this ailment of subtler sins that creep and lurk deep within us, the sin of greed. Greed is an internal sin, a species of covetousness or longing for that which you have but haven't been given. It's less visible in moments of active sin, and it's more evident in its long-term corrosion of our souls. There is a reason that scripture so repeatedly describes greed as deadly. Ultimately, greed is finding greater satisfaction in the things of this world than God himself. Greed often points to the deeper belief level sins of self-reliance and faithlessness. Greed is the opposite of trust in God's faithfulness to provide. It is a striving after self-security rather than resting in him alone. Some out of fear or desire for control cling tightly to what they own, constantly reaching for more rather than trusting the Lord to be the sovereign, kind one who gives and takes away. Friends, this temptation toward unrighteousness lives within each one of us, and it is no small thing. Both Ephesians 5.5 and Colossians 3.5 call greed idolatry, placing greed in the category of false worship and allegiance, one of the strongest condemnations possible in scripture. And without an answer to this sin, each of us stands guilty. But secondly, let's look to Jesus, who is our model for righteous and just living. In every way and in complete perfection, Christ modeled for us a life of righteousness and righteous use of all that was entrusted to him. Philippians 2 tells us that though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. In humility, Christ laid aside heavenly riches, privileges, and entitlements that he rightly deserved. His life on earth modeled for us true sacrificial living, living in the world but not being of it, and never allowing wealth or worldly pleasures of any kind to control or dictate his decisions. This also played out in his teaching. In Luke 16, 19 through 31, Jesus told the chilling parable of a rich man, finely clothed, who daily walked past a poor man, covered in sores, who longed just to be fed from the scraps of this rich man's table. Both men died. The poor man, carried to Abraham's side, was looking down on this rich man in the fires of torment. This unrepentant injustice of this man's life, including his unrighteous use of wealth and ignoring the needs of this poor man, led to condemnation. In contrast, in Mark 12, 41 through 44, Jesus commends the righteous generosity of the poor woman who gave all that she owned, even saying that she had given more than those rich who had put in great sums. Her faith and reliance on the Lord allowed her to give generously, even in her poverty. In both examples, Jesus clearly ties just and unjust use of money to personal holiness. But ultimately, Jesus did much more than just modeling or teaching sacrificial living and humble generosity. Philippians 2 goes on to say, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Christ, in his humility, defeated sin and death once for all on the cross so that now in Christ, injustice, greed, and self-reliance can be put to death. Christ paid the price for our idolatrous attraction toward greed and other unrighteous uses of money. And in Christ, through the Spirit, we can put those sins to death. We can now see him who is the faithful one who allows and guides us to be faithful with what he has given to us, relying fully on him. What we were powerless to do, Christ has done. Praise God. So lastly, church, in Christ, we are to pursue righteous stewardship of what we have been sovereignly entrusted by God. Truly, a little with righteousness is better than great revenues with injustice. How we use what we have been entrusted by God is a matter of righteousness, not just personal decision and preference. As points of application for us, first, examine your heart and ask yourself questions like these. Do I really see my finances as matters of righteousness? Are there clearly dishonest ways that I'm using my finances that I need to repent of? How much do I feel like I need in order to be content? And does this reflect God's righteous desire for my life? Are there ways that I can more closely align my budget to reflect the values of the kingdom of God? These can be difficult questions to answer, but they are questions worth working through. And lastly, Look to Jesus, our perfect model of righteousness, and by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh. In Christ, we are no longer debtors to the flesh, bound to live according to it. As those led by the Spirit and as sons and daughters of God, as the church and people of God, let us put off self-reliance and greed and dishonest handling of money And by faith and reliance on the Lord, let us pursue, whether with little or with great revenues, using what he has given us with righteousness. Let us be known as honest and generous people that we might reflect his righteousness to a lost world. He is worthy of our whole lives, including our finances. Praise be to the only wise God and to him be the glory forevermore through Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray together.