The Treasure Principle
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 10:2
Nothing – How’s your portfolio doing? Of course, for most of us that’s a pointless question. We don’t have a “portfolio.” We don’t have treasures stored up here on earth. We live paycheck to paycheck. In these times, there are a few more of us who find the “portfolio” question a bit misapplied. But don’t worry. Be happy. Treasure isn’t what you think it is.
The Hebrew verse arranges the words a bit differently than what we find in English. The emphasis of the proverb comes right at the beginning. NO PROFIT! “Not do profit treasures of wickedness.” The literal meaning helps us see something lost in translation. The emphasis is not on “treasures.” The verse does not say “the treasures that result from wickedness.” It says the treasures that have the quality of wickedness. What are the treasures of wickedness? Well, they aren’t money. The wicked don’t value money any more than the righteous. What the wicked value is what gets them what they want. Their treasures are the means of possession, not the possessions themselves. The Hebrew word (‘otsar) carries a pictograph of “the first to destroy a person.” No wonder the Messiah tied the heart to the treasury of our desires.
So, what are those means of possession? We might be a bit more familiar with them than we are with portfolios. It seems that the treasures of wickedness are independent of tax brackets. Where would we look for a summary of these gems? Well, we could start with the rabbinic commentary on Proverbs found in Galatians. Paul gives us a list. You might notice that the “treasures” are not things, but rather actions. Things are just the result of our actions. It’s the verbs that count in this treasury.
Paul mentions immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, disputes, factions, envy, drunkenness and uncontrolled behavior. There are no deposit slips for these “treasures,” but they certainly can be stored up in a person’s life. Erase those images of exotic automobiles, vacation homes and fat bank accounts. That’s not what matters in this general ledger. What matters is the walk of your life. You can be poor as dirt and still have a vault full of the treasures of wickedness. Of course, having a big portfolio doesn’t protect you against these gems either. The only substitute that really counts is righteousness. Righteousness delivers. You see, in the end the only real measure of success is not the collection of toys or the means by which the toys came into your possession. In the end, the only real measure is deliverance from death. Without that, you might as well read Ecclesiastes and buy a bullet for your Glock. Nothing that inhibits deliverance has any value at all! Everything that encourages deliverance is of inestimable value!
Next time someone says that the rich are wicked because they are rich (a very common political mantra these days), remind them that the treasury of life contains verbs, not nouns. Do a behavior inventory before you consider the assets.
Topical Index: treasures, ‘otsar, Proverbs 10:2, behavior, wealth, success, Galatians 5:19
Speaking of treasures, and ill gotten gains, I’m wondering just how wicked our banking system is.
Don’t the Muslims have a point?
Psalm 15:5 seems pretty clear on the subject:
He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken
There is a reason why Jesus spoke so often of the burden of wealth and how the temptations of wealth (to hord, to accumulate, to lust after) separate the wealthy from right relationship with God. Of course, possessions themselves are not the issue but the method and ethics of acquisition (usary, for instance), the intent for accumulation (power, creature comfort, self-aggrandizement), and how wealth is used (to expand itself, to enable immoral/unethical pursuits) DOES matter. Skip’s point “Nothing that inhibits deliverance has any value at all!” also applies to the extended burden the individual places on the community. If service and worship are not the purpose for wealth, the community also suffers from the by-products of selfishness, greed, and neglect – bitterness, resentment, jealousy, and lust for the very possessions that separate us all from God. Skip has taught over and over our faith walk is always in context of the wider community. We miss something important if we are only focused on ourselves.