A. In the previous lesson, we considered how that our attitude toward money allows money to be a blessing to us and not a curse.
B. In our present lesson, we will consider what godly means we should use to obtain money and what ungodly ways we should shun.
II. HARD WORK BRINGS A PROFIT
A. Time and time again, the Proverbs contrast the results of diligence with the results of laziness, idleness, and wasteful pursuits.
1. “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (10:4)
2. “He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.” (12:11)
3. “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor.” (12:24)
4. “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.” (13:4)
5. “In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (14:23)
6. “The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.” (15:19)
7. “He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.” (28:19)
B. God provides all the tools for our profit, but we have to supply the effort.
1. Notice Proverbs 6:6-11.
a. The sluggard is advised to observe the diligence of the ant that works for its food.
b. The sluggard’s poverty is the product of his laziness. Had he worked, God would have blessed him with all he needed.
c. “The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, so he begs during the harvest and has nothing.” (Prov. 20:4)
d. “Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.” (Prov. 20:13)
2. Notice Proverbs 24:30-34.
a. The sluggard was blessed by God with a field and a vineyard, but they bear no fruit and are ruined because he did not work to cultivate them.
b. “Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle man will suffer hunger.” (Prov. 19:15)
c. “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, but will not even bring it back to his mouth.” (Prov. 19:24)
3. Even the rich are compelled to work or else suffer the loss of their wealth (see Prov. 27:23-27).
C. Therefore, God’s plan for our profit is this unmistakable prescription – get to work.
1. From the time that Adam was cursed from the garden, it has been man’s lot to work for his bread (Gen. 3:17-19).
2. The children of Israel were told to work for six days of the week and to rest on the Sabbath (Ex. 20:9-11). By the work of their hands, God blessed them with gain.
3. Today, the principle of work still applies.
a. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands.” (1Thess. 4:11)
b. “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” (2Thess. 3:10-12)
D. While God prescribes that we work for profit, our lives must consist of more than just work.
1. “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it.” (Prov. 23:4)
2. Notice Ecclesiastes 2:18-26. Excessive labor and the stockpiling of wealth is ultimately vanity because the laborer will die and leave his wealth to someone else.
3. It is better that we should do all things in moderation. Let us work for our bread, work for the Lord, and be content with what we have (Phil. 4:11-13; 1Tim. 6:6-10).
E. God also allows for other honest means of obtaining gains.
1. The Bible endorses the practice of exchanging goods and services for profit (Matt. 25:27; Prov. 31:23-24; Acts 5:4).
2. God allows for gifts to be given without expectations of payment, return, or interest (Luke 6:34-35; Acts 2:45).
III. DISHONEST GAIN
A. Some people are under the false impression that one can only get ahead in this world at the expense of someone else. Therefore, they seek to take that which does not rightfully belong to them and cheat God’s laws of work and profit.
B. Theft has always been a violation of God’s law.
1. The eighth commandment to Israel was, “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15).
2. In Ephesians 4:28, Paul wrote, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good…”
C. Many common business dealings are dishonest and sinful.
1. Rather than exchanging fair value in goods and services for fair prices, so many of our modern business practices are based on deception, fraud, and outright scam.
a. False advertising and empty promises deceive many people into bad business deals.
b. Legal maneuvering and “fine print” provide loopholes by which some conduct dishonest business legally according to the laws of the land.
2. Such practices are abhorred and detested by God (Prov. 11:1; 20:10, 23).
D. Much of America profits today on the industry of debt.
1. The Bible does not condemn the practices of borrowing and lending, but it does speak on the topic of interest.
a. The Israelites were not allowed to collect interest from one another but only foreigners (Deut. 23:19-20).
b. Notice Proverbs 28:8 – “He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.”
c. We are not expressly prohibited from gaining interest on loans, but we should consider whether such profit is in harmony with neighborly love or godly wisdom (Prov. 6:1-5; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26-27).
2. Many Americans are burdened with oppressive debt.
a. This burden is of their own creation, but opportunistic lenders take unfair advantage of desperate and ignorant people.
b. “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave.” (Prov. 22:7; see also Deut. 15:6)
E. Many people are tempted by the dishonest gain of bribery.
1. Persons in authority within governments and corporations are especially susceptible to bribery.
2. Some of the most despicable acts of history have been committed for bribery.
a. Treasonous men like Benedict Arnold betrayed their countries for bribes.
b. Wicked rulers of the Jews oppressed orphans, widows, and the poor for bribes (Isa. 1:23).
c. Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus for a bribe (Matt. 26:14-16, 47-50; 27:3-10).
3. “A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice.” (Prov. 17:23)
F. Gamblers hope to acquire something for nothing without working or paying for it.
1. Gamblers are lazy and profit only by chance and others’ misfortune rather than by honest industry.
2. The dishonest gain of gambling includes playing the lottery, sports betting, and even casual betting among so-called friends.
3. The driving force of gambling is greed. The gambler is not satisfied with what he has, but rather he is consumed with acquiring more. Such covetousness is condemned in God’s word (Col. 3:5).
G. A wicked person may obtain wealth by these dishonest means, but the end of such things is spiritual ruin.
1. “Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.” (Prov. 10:2)
2. “He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.” (Prov. 15:27)
3. “Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” (Prov. 20:17)
IV. CONCLUSION
A. Money can be a blessing to us if it is obtained in godly ways. Otherwise, it will ruin us.
B. In our next lesson, we will answer the question: How shall we use money?