Sermons on Proverbs 30:8

… It reminds us of what is said in Proverbs. In Proverbs 30, verse 8, the writer says, Give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me just enough to satisfy my needs, Lord. For if I go rich, I may deny you and say, Who's the Lord? And if I'm too poor, I may steal and insult God's holy name. Listen, God knows just the right amount to give us in every area of our life. Okay, so what is the secret of his contentment? It came down to who he knew, not to what he had. The secret of contentment is found not in what you have. It's found in who you know. Hebrews 13, five says, let your way of living be without coveting and be content with such things as you get for he has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. When you have Christ in your life and you're having a close friendship and relationship with him, praying and digging into His Word and becoming more like Him each and every day. …

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… financial gold for every Christian. The writer says, two things I ask of thee, do not refuse me before I die. Keep deception and lies far from me. And here it is. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but feed me with the food that is my portion. Lest I be full and deny thee and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be in want and steal and profane the name of my God. Do you hear what he's saying? He's saying, God, don't give me so much money that I forget my need for you. But don't give me too little money that I'd be tempted to do something that would profane your name. Give me just what I need. That's the goal for every Christian. We're looking at what the Word of God, specifically Proverbs, says about how to be successful in your work and in your relationships in every area of life. And last time, we began looking at the Solomon secret for success in our financial life. …

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This narrative seems to tell us, first of all, that God's people shall always have enough Do they need drink in a parched land—they shall "drink of the brook." Do they need food, "I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." Elijah never had short commons. He had no luxuries—just bread, meat, and water—but these were enough. No doubt, Jezebel's priests fed much more sumptuously and many of God's servants not as well, for we read of Obadiah that he took the Prophets of God and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them bread and water. Now Elijah did get on better than this for he had bread and meat while they had only bread. God, however, was not pleased to give Elijah dainties. Delicate things are not promised to the children of God—and His Prophets, at any rate—should not seek after them. They that fare delicately and are clothed sumptuously are in kings' houses and are often nothing better than reeds shaken by the wind. Let us learn, then, from this, that although God will provide for the needs of His people, yet He has never promised to give them more than enough. The promise runs, "Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure," but it goes no further. We are instructed each day to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," which means, "Give us a sufficiency." And, indeed, if God's Inspiration had not taught us so to pray, wisdom would teach us to do it, for Agur's prayer is one which philosophy might justify as well as Grace—"Give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me with food convenient for me." It is that middle path of the, "enough," which is, perhaps, the most pleasant, and certainly the most safe. "Having food and raiment let us therewith be content."— …

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Every age has its own special sins and temptations. Impatience with their lot, murmuring, grudging, unthankfulness, discontent, are sins common to men at all times, but I suppose one of those sins which belongs to our age more than to another, is desire of a greater portion of worldly goods than God has given us,--ambition and covetousness in one shape or another. This is an age and country in which, more than in any other, men have the opportunity of what is called rising in life,--of changing from a lower to a higher class of society, of gaining wealth; and upon wealth all things follow,--consideration, credit, influence, power, enjoyment, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Since, then, men now-a-days have so often the opportunity of gaining worldly goods which formerly they had not, it is not wonderful they should be tempted to gain them; nor wonderful that when they have gained them, they should set their heart upon them. And it will often happen, that from coveting them before they are gained, and from making much of them when they are gained, men will be led to take unlawful means, whether to increase them, or not to lose them. But I am not going so far as to suppose the case of dishonesty, fraud, double-dealing, injustice, or the like: to these St. Paul seems to allude when he goes on to say, "They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare;" again, "The love of money is the root of all evil." But let us confine ourselves to the consideration of the nature itself, and the natural effects, of these worldly things, without extending our view to those further evils to which they may give occasion. St. Paul says in the text, that we ought to be content with food and raiment; and the wise man says, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me." And our Lord would have us "take no thought for the morrow," which surely is a dissuasion from aggrandizing ourselves, accumulating wealth, or aiming at distinction. And He has taught us when we pray to say, "Give us this day our daily bread." Yet a great number of persons, I may say, nearly all men, are not content with enough, they are not satisfied with sufficiency; they wish for something more than simplicity, and plainness, and gravity, and modesty, in their mode of living; they like show and splendour, and admiration from the many, and obsequiousness on the part of those who have to do with them, and the ability to do as they will; they like to attract the eye, to be received with consideration and respect, to be heard with deference, to be obeyed with promptitude; they love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats; they like to be well dressed, and to have titles of honour. Now, then, I will attempt to show that these gifts of the world which men seek are not to be reckoned good things; that they are ill suited to our nature and our present state, and are dangerous to us; that it is on the whole best for our prospects of happiness even here, not to say hereafter, that we should be without them. …

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