Lord, who made the lion and the lamb,
Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof”
You decreed I should be what I am;
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan,
If I were a wealthy man?
In our daily trials and troubles, it is not uncommon for us to think, like Tevye, “Oh, if only I were rich! I would finally be happy and secure!”
This wishful dream is a lie.
You may not be around to enjoy it
Once, when a man asked Jesus to intervene for him in an inheritance dispute, Jesus told the man to “beware of covetousness.”
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Luke 12:15
Jesus then told the parable of the rich fool. In the parable, a rich man was blessed with a plentiful harvest on his land. After the man had enlarged his barns and stored up the plenty, he decided to quit working and enjoy the pleasures of life.
God had other plans, however, and the man died that night.
And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luke 12:19-21
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
You cannot take your money with you
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1 Timothy 6:7
Material things are only available to us as long as we are here in this material world. Their purpose is to sustain our physical body so we can focus on the important things. Needlessly acquiring material wealth is a distraction.
Work less, wear less, eat less, and we shall be a great deal wiser, healthier, and wealthier people than by taking the course we now do.
Brigham Young
The only things that we will take with us are the knowledge we have gained in this life and the personal character we have developed through our choices in this life. The restored Gospel of Jesus Christ also allows us the opportunity to take with us into the next life the covenants we have made here, including temple sealings to members of our family.
Your money may be stolen from you
And behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them.
Helaman 13:31
Helaman taught that wicked people grow angry with prophets, “who testify of your sins.” Instead they support demagogues who tell them “do whatsoever your heart desireth.” When that happens, the Lord will curse their riches and their money will become “slippery.”
The inevitable result of widespread wickedness is widespread poverty since no one can be trusted. Cheating and thievery become common and civilization collapses. However, thieves cannot steal one’s testimony of the Gospel and they cannot steal a person’s integrity.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Matthew 6:19-21
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The economy may falter or fail
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
Genesis 47:15
In Egypt, Joseph foresaw that seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Fortunately for the Egyptians (and for Joseph’s family who came down from Canaan), Pharaoh gave Joseph the responsibility of storing up large amounts of food and seed during the years of plenty.
During the famine years, the economy of Egypt failed completely. First the people gave Pharaoh all their money in exchange for food from Joseph’s stores. Then they gave all their livestock. Finally, the hungry people gave up their lands and their freedom to Pharaoh in exchange for bread.
As the famine ended, Joseph gave the people back some land to cultivate and seed to plant. In turn, the people were to henceforth pay Pharaoh 20% of their increase. Genesis 47:25 records that the people were actually happy to pay this tax to the government that had saved their lives!
There are two lessons in Joseph’s story: 1. The larger world of the weather and the economy are not under your immediate control, 2. The Lord will care for His own (as He did for Joseph’s extended family).
Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
It is good to work and provide for oneself and one’s family. It is smart to plan and store up for the future. But money and material goods are means to an end. They should not be our goal. The path to happiness, and in fact the only path to true security, is to follow the commandments of God.
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 11:28
Source: Brigham Young, “The Word of Wisdom, etc.” Remarks delivered in Tooele, Utah, August 17, 1867, Journal of Discourses 12:122.
But money does save some people, i.e. the super wealthy. As wealth accumulates at the top, those at the top are being saved and the rest of us are being sacrificed. Moreover, if there is no life after death we are talking about the whole ball game when we talk of distribution in this world.
Lew, I think the opposite is true. Money can “save” the poor, not the wealthy. I use the standard of “sufficient for our needs.” For those who are below this standard, the sick, the hungry, the homeless, money is the obvious, immediate solution. This is why I support the concept of a basic universal income.
I admit that what is “sufficient” is a subjective standard. I leave it to individuals, and their relationship with God, to decide for themselves where to draw the line. But I believe those who hoard MORE than they need, especially the extremely wealthy, are thieves, and that THEY are the cause of poverty.
If this year has taught us anything, it’s that it wouldn’t take much to bring us all down to an equal playing field. And whether it’s all of us at once, or just individually, I would hope to have my trust in something eternal when it happens. The ironic thing is, if you seek the kingdom of God above all else, you’ll find joy beyond what any dollar amount can buy, so why not just make that your focus? The world knows how to distract and entice doesn’t it?