When the Wicked Prosper

Psalm 37:1-11

A year ago we moved out of the Chicago area, moving a couple hundred miles south, right into the heart of farmland.  We moved to a much, much smaller village surrounded by cornfields.  I drive to the next village to get our little poodle’s hair cut every few months, and I drive past mile upon mile upon mile of cornfields.  As each successive month would go by I observed the progress of the growth of the corn, eventually getting 8-10 feet tall.  By early-to-mid September, the corn had been harvested and the stalks withered.  Then just a few weeks ago, while driving between the villages, I saw the large farm equipment out cutting down the dead stalks.  From 10 foot tall stalks of corn to withered, and then cut down, all in a matter of several weeks.  This cycle can apply to people, as well.  King David observed this, and used this picture to describe some issues that could cause some distress.  Let’s look into our Psalm and see what we can learn today.

How many times have we looked at some godless people, those who do any sort of wicked and evil things, and they just seem to prosper.  They do not hesitate to do anything, no matter if it is wrong or if it hurts others, if it will help them succeed and prosper.  Yet we, who follow God’s Word and obey Him, are barely putting food on our table.  It is so easy to get upset within ourselves over this seeming lack of fairness.  We might even be envious of their ease at getting anything they want.  David saw this perplexing problem, both with his friends and acquaintances, and within himself.  Thus, the Lord inspired him to write that we should not be worried or anxious about how the wicked prosper, and certainly not be envious of them.  God promises that they will not endure, but will be cut off like the grass.  They may seem like a tall corn stalk today, but by tomorrow they are withered, and the next day completely cut down (vs. 1-2).

God is the Judge.  The wicked may think they can continue living their life of sin, and of oppressing others, however a day of judgment is coming for them.  They may flourish briefly, but their end is destruction.  We should never be tempted to envy them.  They may be prospering today, but by tomorrow they are gone, just like withered grass.  Asaph said the same thing in his psalm (Psalm 73).

Instead of being envious of the wicked and their success, Christians should trust in God, and be obedient to His Word.  Faith and obedience are inseparable.  We should cultivate joy in God, not in our circumstances (vs. 3-4).  To delight in the Lord means to take pleasure in discovering more about God, and following His will. When we spend time with the Lord, we learn what pleases Him,, and can pray for discernment to make wise decisions.  The Holy Spirit will then align our hearts desires with that of Scripture.  Doing this will set ourselves up to receive His blessings  (John 15:7).

When we commit our way to the Lord, we allow His will and Word to shape our thoughts, lifestyle, and goals (vs. 5).  We acknowledge God’s right to determine whether our longings fit His plans.  Commit means to roll our burden onto Him (I Peter 5:7).  We can entrust our plans, fears, and future to God.  He will act in His time.

As David continues, he reminds us that God will vindicate the righteous (vs. 6).  Justice may seem like it is delayed, but it is never denied.  We need to be patient.  Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.  David tells us to rest in the Lord (vs. 7).  Resting means having quiet confidence in God’s timing.  Evil may seem like it is winning, but we are instructed not to become filled with anger or wrath (vs. 8).  God promises that He will deal with these evildoers, that they will be judged (vs 9).

Next we see how David repeats that there will soon come a time that we look for these wicked, but they will be gone (vs. 10).  Just like those cornstalks, one day they are there, the next they are gone.  We need to keep an eternal perspective.  The wicked will vanish, but the righteous will remain.

We close with God’s promise that the meek will inherit the earth (vs. 11).  This echoes the teaching that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5).  Meekness is not the same as weakness.  Meekness is strength under control.  It is strength anchored in God’s promises.  As we close we need to remember that we don’t need to ever envy the wicked and their current prosperity.  Their end will come when God judges them.  Instead we should trust and delight in the Lord.  His justice is not always immediate, but it is always perfect.

Looking From God's Perspective

Habakkuk 1:1-13, 2:1-4

A little bug slowly crawls across a big canvas where a beautiful painting has been painted.  “I don’t know why these people call this painting beautiful!  It’s just a jumble of color.” the bug says to himself.  However, a person standing back and viewing the painting can see it like it truly is, a masterpiece.  Driving, or even walking on the streets of downtown Chicago can seem extremely chaotic.  However, when viewing the downtown streets from high above at a window of the Sears Tower, things seem to be moving smoothly.  Things can look much different when we look from a different perspective, a different viewpoint.  This can also be a problem when we look at troubles and difficulties in our own life, and we cry out to the Lord.  We are looking at them from one perspective, while He is seeing the whole picture.  This is the dilemma that the prophet Habakkuk had in our Scripture for today.

Not much is known about the prophet Habakkuk.  His ministry was to the southern kingdom of Judah, and likely during the reign of King Jehoiakim, around 609 - 598 B.C., shortly before the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of Jerusalem.  One thing that is unique about the Book of Habakkuk, is that it does not contain a record of his messages from the Lord to the people.  Instead, this book contains several dialogues that he had with God, filled with his puzzlement and confusion with what he sees going on in the world around him.

Like his fellow prophets, Habakkuk was distressed with the moral and spiritual condition of his fellow countrymen in Judah.  They were corrupt, and much injustice was happening throughout the land.  In addition, though they were outwardly giving lip-service to Yahweh, with the sacrifices continuing to be given in the Temple, and the Holy Days continuing to be observed, they were spiritually bankrupt.  The people worshiped false gods, mixing the worship of Yahweh with these demonic idols.  And now the prophet saw that the wicked Babylonian Empire to the east, who had brutally conquered many of the other nations around them, had now set their eyes on Judah, and his homeland’s destruction looked imminent.

As our Scripture begins, Habakkuk cried out to the Lord.  He does not understand what is going on, and he went to the Lord with his questions and puzzlement (vs. 1-4).   Though he knew that the people of Judah have deeply sinned against God, how could He allow an even worse country, one whose sins, wickedness, and evil were much greater, to come against them and triumph in battle and destruction?  Why didn’t God come to their rescue?

Habakkuk was not rebelling against God, but he was deeply troubled by the apparent delay in God bringing His justice and defense to His people.  His complaint was rooted in faith.  Habakkuk believed that God is just, which is why this seeming injustice was so troubling to him.  With their brutal destruction staring them in the face, instead of repenting and returning to the Lord, the people resorted to even more injustice and unrighteousness.

The Lord then brought His reply to Habakkuk’s cries (vs. 5-11).  He is not passive.  He isn’t just sitting up in heaven, impassively observing all that happens.  He was using the nation of Babylon to be an instrument of His to bring discipline upon His children.  God will judge the world for its sins against Him, but as we read in I Peter 4:17, judgment will start with God’s people.  Though they were very wicked, God used Babylon to discipline Judah.  This does not mean that He endorsed their evil, but He used them for His purposes.

Habakkuk was still troubled over this (vs. 12-13).  He knew that God was pure and just, which was why seeing such an evil nation as Babylon be victorious over them was so perplexing.  Why would a holy God use a more wicked nation to judge His own people?  Through all of this, though, Habakkuk didn’t abandon his faith, he just wrestled with it.  With this in mind, the prophet just positioned himself to watch and wait, and see what God would ultimately do (2:1-4).  He knew that God’s promises were always sure, though he might have to wait a while.

Today, believers may feel similarly when evil seems to prosper.  As we see with the prophet Habakkuk, it is not wrong to bring our questions to God, if done in a respectful and honest way.  Faith wrestles, but it doesn’t walk away.  As we have seen, God may use unexpected or even uncomfortable means to accomplish His will.  We must trust His purposes, even when they may seem difficult.  We are like the bug on the painting, or the person caught in hectic traffic.  God sees the whole picture when we don’t.

When God’s actions seem confusing, we must anchor ourselves in what we know to be true in God’s character.  His holiness and justice are never compromised.  God is always working, even through judgment.  His purposes are redemptive, even when they involve discipline.  In times of uncertainty, which we see so much of today, as Christians we are called to live by faith, not by sight.  This is not blind optimism, but confident trust in God’s Word.  We can cling to and confidently hang on to God’s promises.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Today’s Scripture is one that for many Christians might be familiar, and to others it might be brand new.  It is the account of two men, two men who were completely opposite in the conditions of their life while here on earth, and then also completely opposite in their life after death.  Let’s take a look at these two men.

As we begin, Jesus is telling His audience about these men.  Some Bible scholars believe that this is not a parable, a story that Jesus made up to teach His disciples and the folks in general some spiritual lessons.  They believe that Jesus was referring to two actual people.  Jesus, being the divine Son of God, would know what would have happened to them in the afterlife.  Either way, the lessons that He taught in this Scripture passage are real, and are eternally important.

The first person we are introduced to is a rich man.  He lives in a nice house surrounded by a gate.  He wears elegant clothes and dines luxuriously every day (vs. 19).  The other man, who is named Lazarus, is just the opposite.  He is a poor beggar, who is sickly and sits to beg just outside this rich man’s gate.  (He is not the same Lazarus who was brother to Mary and Martha, and whom Jesus raised from the dead).  He was desperately poor, he was sick, and he lived on the tossed out crumbs people gave him (vs. 20-21).  Though they lived a stone’s throw from each other, they couldn’t have been farther apart in life.  The sad part is that in all that time, the rich man gave no thought to the welfare of Lazarus.

Jesus continues on by saying that Lazarus died, and he was immediately taken to Abraham’s bosom.  That was a place of comfort and fellowship for the righteous who died before Jesus’ resurrection.  After His resurrection, Jesus then opened the gates of heaven for these believers.  Jesus recounted how the rich man also died, and went immediately to Hades, another name for hell, where he was in torment (vs. 22-23).  This is not symbolic, as some might teach.  This is a literal depiction of what happens after death - one goes either to heaven or to hell.  The rich man’s torment is conscious, physical, and irreversible.

While in hell, the rich man can see that Lazarus is in paradise.  He begs for relief, but as Abraham explained, there is a chasm between the saved and the lost, and no one can cross either way.  He then begs for Lazarus to go and warn his brothers.  The answer he receives is that they have Moses and the prophets to warn them, in other words, they have the Bible, which they should read and believe (vs. 24-31).  Even a resurrection won’t convince those who reject God’s Word, including the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  We see this very plainly today!

As we read in this Scripture, there is no second chance after death.  One’s eternal destiny is sealed at death, and it is based solely on one’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you have accepted Him as your personal Savior, then you will spend eternity with Him in the glories of heaven.  If you have not accepted Jesus, then there is an eternity of suffering in hell.  We are also told here that the Scriptures, the Bible, is sufficient for salvation.  Miracles don’t override unbelief that is rooted in rebellion.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The rich man discovered too late that his riches and comfort were only temporary.  After death he experienced the consequences of his choices, that his choices in life led to eternal separation from God.  He wasn’t judged because of his wealth.  His mistake was that he prepared everything for the body, but nothing for his soul.  Obviously at some point in his miserable life, Lazarus must have turned to God in belief.  We don’t know the circumstances, nor why he had become so poor.  It is not for us to judge.  However, Lazarus had faith and trust in God, where the rich man did not.

As we look back over this Scripture, we learn that hell is real, that one is conscious there, and it is eternal.  The choices that we make while here on earth reflect our spiritual condition, and will determine where we spend eternity.  Once someone is dead, there is no crossing over from one realm to the next.  All decisions about where you spend eternity must be made now.  God’s Word is enough to lead one to salvation.

Knowing this, for believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is so important to be sharing the Gospel now.  Tomorrow may be too late for some people.  The rich man was certainly not expecting to die the day he did.  We all should be living with eternity in view.  Comfort now does not guarantee that there will be comfort later.  Also, we need to be sure that we are prioritizing God’s Word.  It is the only light in this dark world.

A Good Confession

I Timothy 6:11-19

If you had to, for whatever reason, give a report to the authorities for your behavior, what would they find?  Would you be able to give a good report of yourself, a “good confession”, or would there be some noticeable blotches?  In our Scripture today from Paul’s first letter to his protege, Timothy, as he is finishing up this letter, he exhorts Timothy to continue living a godly life and flee worldly temptations.  Let’s look into what the Lord has to say in this segment of Scripture, and what we can apply to our lives today.

As we begin, Paul was instructing Timothy to avoid “these things” (vs. 11).  What were “these things”?  If we quickly look back a few verses, we read how Paul was teaching against having a love of money, but instead to be content with what one has. He had also spoken against being argumentative and prideful.  Instead, Paul encourages Timothy to be living a godly life, one filled with faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  Our lifestyle is to be distinct from that of the worldly and unsaved people.  We are to flee from sin, not tolerate it, and instead be pursuing, chasing after a virtuous life.

Next we are encouraged to fight the good fight of faith (vs. 12).  The word “fight” here is the Greek word “agonizomai”, from which we get the word agony.  It means to contend with adversaries, to struggle strenuously, with difficulty and danger.  We are not primarily fighting against people, though sometimes they are our adversaries.  We are in a spiritual warfare against the forces of evil, against Satan and his demons.  The Christian life is one of warfare against evil, not a life of ease.  Spiritual warfare requires discipline, not passivity.  Fighting the good fight is a battle carried out by holding fast to the truth, both in word and in action.

We need to act in accordance with our confession of faith.  The best way to do this is to avoid even getting close to sin, or by flirting with sin.  Our lives are infinitely better when we avoid the dangers that sinful behavior can bring.  This way we will be glorifying the Savior and making a good witness to our neighbors.  When we realize all that Jesus did for us, we should want to do all we can to thank and praise the One who gave His life for us, especially by avoiding sinful behavior.

In all of this Jesus is our example.  He was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, after He had been arrested by the High Priest and Jewish Sanhedrin.  As Paul states, Jesus gave a good confession before him (vs. 13).  As Pontius Pilate stated before the crowds, he found no fault in Jesus, nothing worthy of death or even his condemnation (John 19:4).   We are reminded that one day, He will be returning, this time declaring that He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, immortal, and dwelling in unapproachable light (vs. 14-16).  Knowing that Jesus will return, and it could be at any time, should motivate us to live in holiness and with boldness in our faith.

As Paul continues in this Scripture, he gives instructions to those who are rich (vs. 17-19).  The Bible does not condemn wealth, in and of itself.  There were many very godly people in the Bible who were wealthy, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  However it does condemn trusting in money and wealth.  As we all see in this world, riches are uncertain.  The economy goes up and down, and one day someone can have nice, fat financial accounts, and then the economy crashes, and they have nothing.  However God remains the same, and He is the only sure foundation.

Instead of being concerned about having monetary wealth, Christians should be focusing on being rich in good works for others.  God has given us whatever we have, including money, and we need to be a good steward of that.  Use whatever He has given us to have an eternal impact, not just to make our life more comfortable.  All of our earthly possessions will prove to be worthless on Judgment Day.  Paul’s words here remind us of what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-21).  We need to be laying up treasures in heaven, not here on earth.  Those true riches are eternal.  Whether we are rich or poor, our hope must be in God.

As we close this brief study of the final words that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy in this letter, let’s remember to use whatever God has given us, especially any financial blessings we have, to further bless His Church, our fellow believers, and anyone else we have an opportunity to help.  In addition, let’s be sure that our life is showing a good confession of our faith, just as Jesus did before Pontius Pilate.  Fleeing sin and pursuing holiness is the mark of a true believer.  How does your behavior measure up?  Follow God’s Word, and be bold in your confession of faith.

Who Can We Trust?

Psalm 146

This world is increasingly becoming a hard, difficult, and unsafe place, with financial instability, unemployment, quality healthcare unavailable to many, and the safety of so many in jeopardy just by going out.  Many people then turn to their political leaders, hoping that they can give some answers or hope in difficult situations.  However with such sharp contrast in political opinions, when one side is elected, the other side frequently gets angry, furiously angry, leading to more discord in the country or world.  Can they help us?  Who can we trust to come to our aid?  Our psalm for this week takes a look at such a question.

Psalm 146 is the first of the last five psalms that are frequently called the “Hallelujah Psalms”, because they each start and end with the Hebrew word “Hallelujah”, which translated means “Praise the Lord”.  Many psalms are laments, where the psalmist is crying out to the Lord for deliverance from some trouble, or they are prayer petitions for help.  These last five psalms are declarations of trust and joyful worship of the Lord.  Today’s psalm, the first of these five, contrasts the frailty of man with the eternal reliability of God, giving Him praise and glory.

As our psalm begins, the unknown psalmist speaks to himself, exhorting himself to bring praise to Yahweh (vs. 1-2).  There are some days when life’s struggles are overwhelming, or perhaps we just don’t feel well.  Instead of wallowing in our misery, we need to tell ourselves the same thing that our psalmist did.  “Praise the Lord, O my soul!  While I live I will praise the Lord.”  We shouldn’t just wait until we feel like it.  Sometimes praise needs to be a deliberate act of the will.  As believers we are to be worshiping God regardless of our circumstances.  Praise is not just an emotional overflow.  It is a spiritual discipline.  Even in trials, we are called to glorify God with our whole being (Hebrews 13:15).  When we praise God, it helps to center us and remind us where our true hope lies.

The psalmist then continues on and warns us about putting all of our hope and trust in our human leaders, particularly political leaders, for help and deliverance from our problems (vs. 3-4).  There is a big contrast between trusting in the King of kings and trusting in any earthly rulers.  Human leaders, even the most powerful, are mortal, and they are limited in what they can do.  The prophet Jeremiah even warned that if we put our trust in men rather than in God, we will be cursed (Jeremiah 17:5).  In times of political upheaval or in personal uncertainty, believers must anchor our hope in Yahweh, not in the government, in our own wealth, or in anyone’s human wisdom.

So instead of trusting in our governmental leaders, who are we to trust for help in this frantic world?  The psalmist tells us to look to the God of Jacob for our help (vs. 5).  Jacob was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham.  Yahweh had made a covenant with all three of these patriarchs.  He watched over Jacob when he left his home and traveled hundreds of miles away.  He protected Jacob from the deception of his father-in-law, and protected him from the danger of foreign peoples and nations, and then led him in safety into the land of Egypt where his one-time missing son Joseph was now prime minister.  To say that we should trust in the God of Jacob is to say we can trust in the God who keeps covenant faithfulness.  True happiness is found in trusting the unchanging God.

The psalmist continues by proclaiming that it is the Lord God who made all of creation, who gives justice to the oppressed, food to the hungry, healing to those who need that, and watches over the orphan and widow (vs. 6-9).  These verses reveal God’s character.  He is just, merciful, and intimately involved in the lives of the needy and the righteous.  Many of these are also what Jesus proclaimed was His earthly ministry (Luke 4:18).  Christians are also called to show similar compassion to others, reflecting the Lord in our life.  God cares deeply about the oppressed, the poor, prisoners, sick, orphans, and widows.  He is compassionate, and is a model for us to follow.

Our psalm closes with the psalmist repeating his praise to the Lord (vs. 10).  God’s reign is eternal and sovereign.  The Lord Jesus will reign as King of kings forever (Revelation 11:15).  In closing, we need to remember that praise is something that a Christian is supposed to be doing, regardless of our circumstances.  Also, there is only One in whom we should put our trust.  That is not our favorite political figure, or even a religious figure, but instead only in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He, alone, is worthy of our full trust.  God reigns eternally.  We can rest in His control over all things.

The Treachery of Kinsmen

Obadiah 1:1-17

Many people have heard of Marcus Junius Brutus, otherwise known as Brutus, who took part in the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.  To make a complex story short, Caesar had been Brutus’ friend and benefactor until, in the end, Brutus took part in his brutal assassination.   Though it’s not likely the case, in Shakespeare’s play, he has Julius Caesar say “Et tu, Brute” (“You too, Brutus”), when he sees Brutus among the assassins.  This was to indicate the surprise, and also sorrow, in seeing his one-time friend among that group.  When we see someone in a group of people that we wouldn’t think they would be a part of, there is often shock and surprise.  “You’re among them?”  In today’s Scripture there is the anger and disappointment that a group, actually a country, has joined an enemy, when they really should not have been aligned with them, and God’s judgment upon them for that.

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, with only one chapter, and twenty-one verses.  It was likely written around the time of the final overthrow of the Kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians, and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC.  There really is not much known about the prophet, such as his family or where he lived, though it is likely he lived in the Kingdom of Judah.  Nor do we know what happened to him after the overthrow of the kingdom.

This message and prophecy of Obadiah’s was directed to the people of Edom, which was the kingdom to the south of Judah.  The Edomites were descended from Esau.  If you remember from the Book of Genesis, Esau was the fraternal twin brother of Jacob, a son of Isaac, and grandson of Abraham.  Thus the Edomites were related, were like cousins, to the people of Judah and Israel.  We might think that the two nations might have a close, even brotherly, relationship with each other.  However, that was definitely not the case.  They were sworn enemies, going back to the days following their coming out of Egypt.  This strong animosity continued for centuries, and now, in the sixth century BC, Edom was laughing at the terrible fate of their kinsmen, the people of Judah.  They were rejoicing in their downfall and destruction.

Though the Babylonian captivity and destruction of Jerusalem was God’s punishment for the people’s sins, He was not at all happy with the gleeful response of Edom.  Obadiah was His messenger to relay His anger at the Edomites.  God was bringing His judgment on Edom for their pride and violence against His people.  One thing that the Lord was displeased with was the Edomites pride (vs. 3).  Pride leads to self-deception and rebellion against God.  The people of Edom trusted in their fortified cities and the many dwellings that were high in the mountains, but that is nothing with God.  He would bring them down (vs. 4).

Obadiah prophesied a coming total devastation of the nation of Edom (vs. 5-9).  God’s judgment against them would be thorough.  There would be no wisdom, no strength, nor any alliances that would be able to save Edom.  Though they shared the same ancestry as Judah and Israel, descending from Abraham, the Edomites had rejected Yahweh from the earliest days of their ancestor Esau.  Nations and individuals who reject God’s authority will face judgment.

The thing that really angered God was that they looked on the suffering of their brother, and instead of helping or giving any sort of comfort, they rejoiced (vs. 10-14).  Edom’s betrayal of Israel, by watching, rejoicing, and participating in their downfall, was a grievous sin.  God will also hold us accountable for how we treat others, especially other believers.  Even passive complicity in evil is condemned.

Brotherly kindness was due from Edom to the Israelites in their time of need.  But instead of showing kindness, they joined in with Judah’s enemies.  In verse 11 there is an emphasis on the word “you”.  When we are doing evil, God, in a sense, says to us believers, “What, you?  What are you doing here?”  When our co-workers tell obscene jokes or anecdotes, do we laugh?  When they urge us to join in with something that is contrary to the Word of God, do we go along?  When people verbally malign Christianity or other Christians, do we stay silent?  “You were as one of them!” says God.

We see in verse 15 that judgment isn’t just for Edom, but for all nations.  The Day of the Lord signifies a future time of divine reckoning.  God’s justice is universal, and every deed will be brought into judgment.  However, God is faithful to His promises.  To those who have come to Him through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can trust in His redemptive plan, and look forward to the ultimate fulfillment in God’s Kingdom. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, or are you one that is fighting against Him and His children? Turn to Him today before the day of final judgment comes.

The Unjust Steward

Luke 16:1-13

Our Scripture today is a rather puzzling parable that Jesus told.  It is one that has confused many Christians, and I will admit that when I was a new Christian, it puzzled me the first few times I read it.  What is Jesus talking about?  It almost looks like He is condoning wrong behavior!  Since that can’t be, then what is He trying to teach us with this very odd parable?  Let’s look into this one.

Our Scripture begins with Jesus telling His disciples the parable.  There was a wealthy man, and he had a steward, a man who was manager of his business.  This manager had not been handling his job properly, so the owner decided to let him go, to fire him.  He had a day or two to get his affairs in order, and then he would be discharged (vs. 1-2).  In those days there were no unemployment benefits, no welfare benefits.  If he didn’t find another position quickly, he could be in dire straits.  Being a cunning and somewhat devious person, he came up with a plan.  He took out all of the paperwork of people who owed the business owner money, got in touch with them, and cut their bills in half.  That way they would be indebted to him, and owe him a favor.  He would have plenty of guest rooms to stay in while unemployed! (vs. 3-7).

When the business owner found out, what could he do?  For him to roll back the cunning manager’s debt forgiveness for so many people would have been a public relations nightmare.  He couldn’t do that, and he grudgingly admired the manager’s cunning (vs. 8).  This steward, or manager, had planned ahead.  Instead of moaning about his soon-to-be job loss, he worked out a plan to ensure his well-being, though in his case it was done dishonestly.

Jesus did not tell this parable to commend or approve of the steward’s dishonesty.  Instead, He wanted to teach the disciples the importance of prudence and shrewdness.  He was showing us the need to act with foresight, as the steward did.  Though he had obviously done something to get himself fired, he used his abilities to come up with a plan, though dishonestly.  If the “sons of this world”, the unsaved, use their brains to think up schemes like this, then the “sons of light”, the saved, need to be using theirs in a good and godly way (vs. 8).

How many churches, good churches, face disasters because this or that plan of theirs failed?  These could have been avoided if they had sat and used their intelligence, their God-given gifts and common sense, instead of just rushing ahead with the first thing they think of, and then later moaning over their failed programs, saying “our hearts were in the right place”!  If only they had carefully planned and used wisdom.  God will give us His wisdom when we ask Him (James 1:5).

Jesus is not encouraging us to do wrong.  However, He does want us to use all of the gifts that God has given to us, including intelligence, creativity, and the ability to plan ahead.  If wicked people can use these things, how much more should the people of God?  Whatever gifts God has given you, use them in ways that honor and glorify Him.

Our Scripture continues as Jesus gives a lesson on stewardship, the right use of our money.  He exhorts His followers to “make friends” with unrighteous mammon or worldly money.  This is a metaphor for using money to serve eternal purposes (vs. 9).  Our churches and all of the programs that help to spread the Gospel in our neighborhoods, country, and around the world do need money to continue.  Are we spending our money on the latest technological gadgets for our home, on fancy dining, or instead on helping to spread the Gospel?  If we are faithful to God in little things, He will trust us with more (vs. 10-11).  Earthly wealth is a test of trustworthiness.  God owns everything, and we are just His stewards.  Faithfulness in material things is a prerequisite for spiritual stewardship.  As Christians, we should treat every dollar as a tool for ministry.

In the final verse of our Scripture passage, Jesus draws a line.  Loyalty to God cannot coexist with a devotion to wealth.  The word “mammon” refers to material wealth, and it is personified here as a rival master.  We cannot truly be serving the Lord Jesus while at the same time putting our money, our wealth, and our possessions first.  We are called to single-minded devotion to God.

As we close, we are reminded that every believer is a steward, and our handling of money reflects our spiritual maturity.  Jesus isn’t praising dishonesty.  Instead, He is urging us to be wise, faithful, and eternally minded.