Beware!

On a rainy Saturday in October 2022, I walked through downtown, searching for a rain jacket to shield me from the city’s beclouded landscape. I saw homeless people everywhere, and my heart grieved. The COVID-19 pandemic had devastated many countries around the world, including this neighborhood.

The homeless: alive but without shelter; hungry, depressed, and helpless. The future seemed grim, living on a shoestring budget with the hope of seeing the sun one day. At first, I feared being mugged, but they seemed harmless. Again, my heart bled with compassion for them.

On my way home, the images of the homeless people I had seen earlier kept replaying in my mind. I wondered why so many people had to suffer so much on Earth just to survive. The world filled with anger, anguish, and despair. Natural disaster doesn’t help either.

I retreated to my corner and pondered humanity. If there was one thing I could do, it would be to take away all the pain from the hearts of the people I saw that day. Many living in abundance while others live in poverty is a cruel dichotomy.

My mind raced to and fro. What is it about our desire for it that makes us so burdened on all sides? So sweet yet so sour. So loving, yet so hostile. So kind yet cruel.

Lazarus and the rich man existed in a similar context. Lazarus, riddled with sores, subsisted on crumbs scraped from the rich man’s opulent table. While Jesus never explicitly revealed the source of Lazarus’s poverty, the rich man’s excessive wealth and luxurious lifestyle stood in stark contrast. He possessed such earthly abundance, yet refused to extend even the slightest assistance to the suffering Lazarus, or poor around him. His actions were governed by a fleeting, earthly perspective, as if unaware of the life beyond this one.

Jesus said in Luke 12:13-15, “¹³Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁴Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

While “abundance of things” can have multiple interpretations, the Lord Jesus spoke these words specifically in the context of a brother coveting the material possessions of another.

Jesus’ warning, “Beware of covetousness,” is a clear message: if the driving force behind your desire for abundance is covetousness, proceed with caution. Danger lurks ahead. Covetousness, left unchecked, will lead you down the path of loving money and material possessions above all else.

Apostle Paul admonished the young Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Money, defined as “any item or verifiable record generally accepted as payment for goods and services,” is an undeniable necessity in our earthly existence. We rely on it to pay for essential services and goods that keep us alive and thriving. Additionally, earning money allows us to support those in need, extending a helping hand to those less fortunate.

However, the Holy Spirit warns us against falling prey to the allure of money and material possessions. While essential for survival, it should never eclipse our love for God. Remember the cautionary tale of Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, who lost his ministry due to his covetous greed.
However, the Holy Spirit warns us against falling prey to the allure of money and material possessions. While essential for survival, it should never eclipse our love for God. Remember the cautionary tale of Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, who lost his ministry due to his covetous greed.

2 Kings 5:20-23 (NIV)
²⁰Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
²¹So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
²²“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”
²³“By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi.
²⁴When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.”

Imagine the magnitude of the temptation Gehazi faced! Two talents, equivalent to a staggering $522,000 in today’s money, were offered to him, along with valuable clothing. Overpowered by greed, Gehazi coveted this unrighteous gain, just as Judas Iscariot did. He succumbed to the allure of wealth, betraying his trust and principles.

Paul’s warning to Timothy echoes the tragic downfalls of Gehazi and Judas Iscariot. Both men, consumed by greed, strayed from the righteous path and suffered dire consequences. Gehazi’s covetous sin left him marked with the sorrow of leprosy, while Judas’s betrayal led him to a tragic and untimely death. Their fates serve as stark reminders of the dangers of succumbing to greed and abandoning faith. Whao!

What a pity! Lord, help us to keep our focus on You. Gehazi and Judas lost the glorious future meant for them. May the Lord help us to stay focus in our love for Him, and to put money where it belongs.

Throughout the Bible, countless stories offer lessons for our own lives. We can learn from Demas, who abandoned Paul and chose the worldly pleasures over the glorious gospel of Christ. Similarly, we see Prophet Balaam’s tragic fall, where his love for unrighteous gain led him to guide King Balak into tempting the children of Israel into sin of idolatry and sexual immorality. These examples serve as stark reminders of the dangers of succumbing to worldly temptations and prioritizing material possessions over our faith. They urge us to remain steadfast in our convictions and walk the path of righteousness, avoiding the pitfalls that befell those who came before us.

Revelation 2:14
¹⁴But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.“

Imagine that! Though the Lord intervened and prevented Balaam from directly cursing the Israelites in Numbers 22-24, his greed for unrighteous gain ultimately outweighed his obedience. He sought to manipulate King Balak with cunning advice, guiding him on how to lure the Israelites into idolatry and sexual immorality. Though the Lord intervened and prevented Balaam from directly cursing the Israelites in Numbers 22-24, his greed for unrighteous gain ultimately outweighed his obedience. He sought to manipulate King Balak with cunning advice, guiding him on how to lure the Israelites into idolatry and sexual immorality. This act, motivated by avarice and a disregard for God’s will, incurred the wrath of God. What a decadence in the prophetic ministry of Balaam! May the Lord help us.

Apostle Peter made mention of Balaam in and warned us of sins of covetousness and others in 2 Peter 2:14-16:
¹⁴having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.”

The same thing that Paul to Timothy is the same that Apostle Peter was admonishing us here, “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray…”

Let the stories of Balaam, Gehazi, Judas Iscariot, and Demas serve as a beacon in times of temptation. When covetousness whispers in your ear, remember their downfall. Their pursuit of unrighteous gain led them down a path of sorrow, regret, and ultimately, separation from God’s grace.

May the Lord help us to put money where it belongs. Let us keep our gaze on the Lord. When your heart starts yearning for that material things, speak to the Lord. Ask the Lord to help you put things in the right perspective. Do not let peer pressure around you motivates you to start coveting things. Have faith in God’s provision. Work with your hands and receive the blessing that comes with it. Use your resources wisely to solve problems around you and help others in need.

Remember what Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

May the Lord help us and keep us faithful in His words.