1 Timothy 6:9-10: Desiring to Be Rich
2021-11-20
1 Timothy 6:9
The context of 1 Timothy 6:9-10 is concerning those who desire to be rich. The “will” is not future tense but means “desire.” There are rich people who are Christians. We will deal with this in a future section.
The people that seek to be rich seek to cling to the things of this world. We see this in Matthew 6:19-24. The wealth of this world decays and can be stolen. Consider Matthew 6:21. Your heart is wherever your treasure is. Note the heart does not dictate the treasure; the treasure dictates the heart. It sounds to me that the richer you are, the harder time you are going to have with spiritual things.
Furthermore, what we focus on with our eyes affects us. If our eyes are single, or they clearly behold the Lord, we have His light; otherwise, we are full of darkness. We will serve the Lord or the world’s “stuff.”
When Zacchaeus met the Lord, his life was changed (Luke 19:1-10). He was rich, and presumably received some of his wealth through dishonest gain (Luke 19:8). After meeting Jesus, he not only wanted to restore what was wrongfully taken 400 percent, but he promised half of his estate to the poor. He realized there were other riches in Christ. The riches here suddenly did not seem as important.
In Proverbs 30:8-9, Agur prayed to be neither rich nor poor. The rich forget that it is the Lord who provides their needs, while the poor may be tempted to steal. Agur’s prayer is not a bad goal! Otherwise, we see the result within the song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:12-20. Israel would be blessed with abundance by God, but once God blessed them, they “waxed fat” and left serving their God. In the end, God would hide His face from them.
Do not think for a second that the same is not happening here in the United States right now. We were a wealthy nation, and any Christian heritage we once had is gone. You can see the next step.
This is how seeking wealth is a temptation, a snare, foolish, and hurtful. This is how it leads to destruction and perdition.
1 Timothy 6:10
The Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). What is evil about money? Is it the greenness of the money? Is it the portraits of dead deists enshrined on the coins and paper? Why is money the chief competitor to the worship of God?
It is its buying power. The threat is twofold: pleasure and security. The more money you have, the more you can spend on luxury and entertainment. However, it can be that you want to have security in this life without God. It is a false security because God can disrupt it any time He wants. Our pleasure and security must be in the Lord. This is why money is the chief idol.
Those who have pursued after money, after hearing the Gospel, have ruined themselves. If their money and “stuff” is lost, they lost everything.