CENTRAL TRUITH: Christian attitude towards wealth creation must be determined by Biblical principles.
MEMORY VERSE: a faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. --Proverbs 28:20.
LESSON TEXT
Proverbs 28:19-20; 13:11; Isaiah 65:11-12; 1 Corinthians 6:12
Proverbs 28:
19. Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
20. A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 13.
11. Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Isaiah 65:
11 “But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall in the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”
1 Corinthians 6:
12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.
INTRODUCTION
The rise of gambling in our society is a challenge Christians must not take for granted. Although gambling seems to gain acceptance by government and the larger society to the extent that some consider it as a means of wealth creation thereby equating it to other forms of business, it is necessary for us to determine its moral and ethical implications. Therefore, this lesson is meant to help us understand the moral and ethical implications of gambling and to help us educate those involved to abstain.
LESSON
According to the prophet Isaiah (65:11-12) those who refuse to trust the Lord and disregard Him but rather seek fortune and destiny from other sources will be destroyed. Fortune and Destiny were names of gods Israel worshipped at the time in her attempts to know the future. Food and drink were set before those idols to seek to please them. Such people, according to the word of God, are destined for destruction, for they refused to listen to and trust God for their fortunes and deliberately chose to go on sinning. The sin for which some of Israelites were condemned was trusting in luck rather than God. The translation of Isaiah 65:11 by James Moffat is as follows: ‘’but ye who have forsaken the Eternal, ye who ignore his sacred hill, spreading tables to Good Luck, pouring libations to Fate, I make the sword your fate.’’
In the same way those who have decided to seek their fortune and destiny through any form of gambling (Luck) can be likened to those Israelites who chose to put God aside and worshipped the ‘’god of fortune and destiny.’’ By implication those people may have the fortune they desired but may not have desired satisfaction and for that matter a future as indicated in Proverbs 13:11.
We are therefore admonished in Proverbs 28:19-20 to work diligently to earn a living and not have the ‘’get-rich-quick’’ mentality which may eventually lead us to ruin. In 1Timothy 6:9-11 the apostle Paul cautioned Timothy and for that matter all believers against the inordinate desire to get wealth and encouraged a life of godliness with contentment.
Commenting on this scripture, William MacDonald indicated that desiring to be rich leads people into temptation. He continued that in order to achieve their goal of making wealth, people are enticed to use dishonest and often violent methods. Such methods include gambling, speculation, fraud, perjury, theft, and even murder which often lead people into a snare (or trap). When the person becomes addicted, the desire becomes so strong that he cannot deliver himself from it. The desire for money also brings with it cares and fears, which entangle the soul. (Believer’s Bible Commentary). Greed has led many to resort to all manner of gambling as a means of making wealth. Remember that faithfulness to God, not greed, determines success in life.
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
- To what extent should a Christian be involved in promotional offers through the media?
- Is the legalization of National Lottery enough justification for Christian involvement? Explain.
- Advance Biblical arguments for or against international lottery as a way of recruiting manpower from one country to another.
DAILY BIBLE READING
Monday: Covetousness (Proverbs 28:18-20).
Tuesday: Gambling Condemned (Isaiah 65:11-12).
Wednesday: Dishonest Gain (Proverbs 13:11).
Thursday: Avoid Addiction (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Friday: Dignity of Work (2 Thessalonians 3:10; Genesis 2:15).
Saturday: Responsible Stewardship (Mathew 25:14-30).