Posts Tagged: greed

“A Warning against Gangs and Other Forms of Greedy Gangster Activities”

Gangs come in various sizes and flavors. So does greed.

Take Proverbs 1:10-19 for example. Yes, they were around in ancient times as well! Did you really think that gangs were a modern phenomenon?

“Prov. 1:10      My son, if sinners entice you,

                        do not consent.

Prov. 1:11       If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

                        let us ambush the innocent without reason;

Prov. 1:12       like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

                        and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

Prov. 1:13       we shall find all precious goods,

                        we shall fill our houses with plunder;

Prov. 1:14       throw in your lot among us;

                        we will all have one purse”—

Prov. 1:15       my son, do not walk in the way with them;

                        hold back your foot from their paths,

Prov. 1:16       for their feet run to evil,

                        and they make haste to shed blood.

Prov. 1:17       For in vain is a net spread

                        in the sight of any bird,

Prov. 1:18       but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

                        they set an ambush for their own lives.

Prov. 1:19       Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

                        it takes away the life of its possessors.”

The enticements of a gang are many. Love of violence (and control?) for its own sake, easy money, and being “one of the gang”—literally—all play their part. But in verses 18 and 19, the father-teacher points out something that the gang does not tell its recruits: Evil and violence are self-defeating. Indeed, evil and violence are not so much a quick way to easy money, as they are a quick way to an early grave.

But notice how verse 19 is not content to simply point out the danger of gangs. “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors” (italics mine). This broadens the warning to include more than the danger of gangs.

The same Hebrew word that is used for “unjust gain” in 1:19 is used in connection with the taking of bribes in Prov. 15:27

            “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,

                        but he who hates bribes will live.” (English Standard Version)

Notice the word “whoever” in this verse. This proverb is not just talking about the danger of gangs for a young person. It is generalized to involve anyone who takes a bribe.

Similarly, Proverbs 28:16 speaks of the danger of a ruler taking a unjust gain:

“A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

                        but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.”

Apparently, those in positions of political authority were especially prone to shorten their days, their very lives, with unjust gain. Imagine that! Political corruption and cruelty! I’m certainly glad that we don’t have that these days! (Yes, you’re right: I am being ironic, if not sarcastic.)

But lest we too quickly let our own selves off the unjust gain hook, perhaps we should think more deeply about the danger. Let me personalize the matter by asking myself some uncomfortable questions.

In what way might I be profiting by the cruelty of others? Have I ever bothered to examine my investment portfolios to see specifically the investments that my Edward Jones folks are doing on my behalf? Am I as innocent in these matters as I would like to believe? The question answers itself. And frankly, I don’t like the answer.

And what about taking credit for things I don’t do? Or, at least, for things that I don’t do alone? I don’t intentionally plagiarize, but I do sometimes “accidentally” forget my source. Is it really so accidental?

What about hogging all the attention? I’ve always struggled with that. Still do. All people need some positive, concentrated attention if they to thrive. By always wanting to be in the limelight myself, do I shade out other people and stunt their growth? Such an attitude is not so different from what Proverbs 1:19 warns us against. Even a small gang of Me, Myself, and I is quite deadly. Self-preoccupation not only harms others. It is also toxic to me.

So how do I avoid becoming part of a gang or being a gang? I need to keep in mind constantly the dangers involved. And I need to remember that God doesn’t have a gang; he has a family, of which I claim to be a part. And isn’t that enough, really? I am not the center of attention and I don’t need to be. Loving God and loving people may not lead to easy money, but it does lead to a life that is well-lived and profoundly satisfying.

“WINNING BY WITHDRAWING”

Rabbi Abraham said:

“I have learned a new form of service from the wars of Frederick, king of Prussia.  It is not necessary to approach the enemy in order to attack him.  In fleeing from him, it is possible to circumvent him as he advances, and fall on him from the rear until he is forced to surrender.  What is needed is not to strike straight at Evil but to withdraw to the sources of divine power, and from there to circle around Evil, bend it, and transform it into its opposite.”  (Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim, volume 1, page 115)

Andy Stanley made a similar point in a podcast he calls, “You Might Also Like.”  He says that you can’t overcome the temptation of greed by saying, “I’m not going to be greedy!  I’m not going to be greedy!”  Rather, we overcome greed by . . .  Well, frankly, you need to listen to his podcast on You Tube.

I have tried too often frontal assaults on the evil that assaults me.  How many times has that actually worked?  I don’t know precisely, but I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere between zero and nil.

Do you remember an old cartoon strip called “Cathy”?  Cathy was a single young lady who was always going on diets.  In every frame of the cartoon segments that chronicled her diets, she gained weight.  I can identify.

So, perhaps it would be good if we tried Rabbi Abraham’s approach and Andy Stanley’s approach.  Perhaps we should withdraw to God.  Maybe life wasn’t meant to be lived by ourselves.

Even if you don’t believe in God—and who of us really does believe in God all that much—you can act as if there is a God.  Take the empirical approach.  The Scripture says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8a)

What have got to lose?  I mean, besides the chronic losses you suffer when you attack your problems head-on?  Withdraw to the source of your strength, of all strength.  Your attack might go much better when you have done that.

“UNTIL QUAILS COME OUT OF YOUR NOSES!”

 

“. . . until it comes out of your noses . . .”

 

Numbers tells a common tale of human greed, stupidity, and faithlessness.  The people of Israel were in the wilderness of Sinai, on their way to the Promised Land.  The LORD God was providing manna for them every day, except for Sabbath.  However, God was thoughtful enough to provide them a double portion of manna on the sixth day, right before Sabbath.

 

However, many of the Israelites decided that God’s faithfulness was pretty boring.  They were tired of manna.  I can hear them now: “Manna for breakfast, manna for lunch, manna for dinner!  Fried manna, boiled manna, manna salad, manna casserole!  WE HATE THIS MANNA!”

 

God’s response?  He told them that he would send them plenty of meat, and that they would eat until the quail he would send would come out their noses!

 

Now before you (or I) go off on these ancient Israelites, we probably ought to consider our own selves.  A little boy asked his mom, “Do we really need to thank God for leftovers?!?”

 

Right!  Most of us have probably wondered the same thing.

 

A friend of mine and I were talking about work before our corporate worship service today.  He has his own business.  I asked him how business was right now.  He said something like the following:  “Almost too good,” he replied.  “But whenever I hit a time when I don’t have a lot of work on the horizon, I start getting worried and cry out to God.  Then he sends me a whole bunch of work, and reminds me of the story of the Israelites complaining about not having any meat.  God says to me, ‘Pretty soon, you’ll have work coming out of your nose!’”

 

Complaining is a very serious sin.  And it was not unique to ancient Israel.  Paul refers to the events of the exodus from Egypt, and warns the Corinthian believers against falling into the same horrible trap.

 

“NLT  1 Corinthians 10:1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.

2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.

3 All of them ate the same spiritual food,

4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did,

7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”

8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.

10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.

11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

 

These Scriptures and my conversation with my friend have left me with uncomfortable questions about myself.  Am I taking God’s faithfulness for granted?  Am I regarding His faithfulness as routine or boring?  Am I complaining, when I really have nothing about which to complain?  Do I really want God to discipline me by giving me what I want until it comes out my nose?

 

How has your nose been here of late?

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