Solomon's Advice About Money

If you could ask the wealthiest man in the Bible, King Solomon, for financial advice, would you listen to him? Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah shares Solomon's wisdom in the areas of finance, job satisfaction, and the accumulation of goods, including the three things money can't buy. From Investing for Eternity, here's David to introduce Solomon's advice about money. And thank you so much for joining us.

I want to tell you a story to introduce today's lesson. One day I was sitting in my office here at Turning Point, and I got a call from a man who told me he wanted to come and see me. And when he did, he told me that he was in charge of a number of companies, that they were having some internal struggles.

So he Decided to have a retreat and try to get things straightened out. And he had just listened to the teaching on Ecclesiastes, the writings of Solomon. He took the notes and the study guide and went to a retreat center where he and his staff studied Ecclesiastes every morning and talked about business issues every afternoon. He reported to me that in that week they got all of their problems straightened out. I don't know all the details about that, but I thought that an amazing testimony to the power of the Word of God and especially to the teaching of Solomon, who knew a lot about everything.

He was a wise man who has much to teach us when we study his words. That's what we're going to do today. We're going to talk about Solomon's advice about money. And I hope you'll stay with us as we open our Bibles together. Before we do that, let me just encourage you, as I have been doing every day this month, to get your copy of the book, What God Promises You, Seven Truths That Will Change the Way You Live.

This 208-page hardback gift book is available to you this month. For your generous gift to Turning Point, just do the best you can. Ask God what He wants you to do, and then do it. And we'll send this book to you if you request it. When you send your gift, simply say, Please send me the book, What God Promises, and we'll have it in the mail to you before you know it.

You'll have it in time to really study it in these early days of the year and reflect upon what God has promised you. It will encourage you, strengthen you, motivate you, and help you do what you really want to do, which is to serve the Lord with all your heart.

Okay, well let's get started with this discussion about money from Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived.

Solomon's advice about money. Thank you. As you know, Solomon was one of the great kings. Of Israel. And the Bible tells us that he was the wealthiest king Israel ever had.

Perhaps the wealthiest king who ever was. In fact, in 1 Kings chapter 10 and verse 14, we read this about Solomon in his reign: that the weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly. was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold. And this hoard approximately was 25 tons in tribute in gold per year. That he exacted from the heathen nations that were around him.

That is incredible to think about. And for all of you who would like to have a little different way to qualify his wealth, here's a household truth about Solomon. From 1 Kings 10, verse 21, I've always loved this. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold. And all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were pure gold.

Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.

So, when you washed the dishes at Solomon's house, you not only washed the dishes, then you had to polish the dishes, because all of them were made out of pure gold. He was an incredibly wealthy man. In fact, In Ecclesiastes 2, Verses 4 and following, we have kind of a little resume about Solomon that will tell you something about his accomplishments. It says this, I made my works great. I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards.

I made myself gardens and orchards and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants and had servants born in my house. I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces.

I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. He was a collector.

So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom also remained with me.

Now that's pretty impressive, isn't it? You break that down into some categories. This man had accomplished just about everything there was to accomplish in the financial world.

Now You would think, then, that Solomon would be a man who could speak glowingly about the fact that having done all of this, he had derived from his work the three things that people seek from the accumulation of goods. Satisfaction? significance and security. But the interesting thing is, when Solomon speaks to the issues of those three things in his journal. He says exactly the opposite thing than you would expect him to say.

For instance, Does money bring satisfaction?

Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and verse 10: He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver. Nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity. This is the man who had it all. He said there wasn't any more I could get that I didn't have.

One verse in Ecclesiastes says he didn't withhold from himself anything that he desired. And yet he says there was not satisfaction in the accumulation of goods. In Ecclesiastes 4 and verse 8, he says it a different way: There is one alone without companion, he has neither son nor brother, yet there is no end to all his labors, nor is his eye satisfied with riches. Isn't that interesting? You know what the problem is when it comes to being satisfied with riches?

I remember hearing a preacher say this some years ago. I never forgot it. He said, The problem is, your yearning power is always greater than your earning power. Isn't that true? Your yearning power is always greater than your earning power.

So if you're looking at riches for a place of satisfaction, you'll have a hard time making it work. You're always wanting just a little bit more than you have, unless you get God's purposes and principles in your heart.

Well, let's ask our consultant the second question. Will riches satisfy? No. What about the issue of significance? Significance is the feeling of having accomplished something, and people look at you with respect and they say to you, Look what that man's done, and look how significant he is and the influence that he has.

Solomon got it to the end of all of the things that he had talked about earlier in chapter 2. In verse 11, he files this report on the issue of significance. He says, Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done. and on the labor in which I had toiled. Indeed it was all vanity, grasping for the wind.

and there was no profit in it. He said, I tried to find significance in all this stuff I did, and I couldn't get a hold of it. I just couldn't get my arms around it. It was like trying to capture the wind in my hands. Hmm.

Well, what about security?

Solomon, can we find some security in the accumulation of wealth? Have you ever heard people talking about that as much as they are right now? If you had it all, and you knew you could keep your hands on it all, would it bring you security?

Solomon has some incredible things to say about this in his journal. He plays with us a little bit in all of the areas where we might think we would be secure with regard to money. First of all, notice what he says. When goods increase, They increase who eat them.

So what profit have the owners except to see them With their eyes. Isn't that interesting? How many of you can give witness to that? The more you have, The more it costs you to live. How is that?

How do they know? That's what I'd like to know. How do they know? that when you get a little bit more, everything can go up. How do they know that?

It's intrinsic in our culture. You know, when you take this to the major level of the corporate world, here's the guy who starts making money, so now he's got to hire accountants. To make sure that his investments are okay. Then he's got to get an attorney to make sure that he doesn't get in too much trouble with his investments. Then he's got to worry about consultants to help him manage it.

And before you know it, The more money he makes, the more people there are who are making their money off the money he makes. Isn't that true? So how do you feel secure there? How can you ever have enough to be secure? Notice 5:13 to 15.

There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun. Rich is kept for their owner to his hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune. When he begets a son, there's nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return.

To go as he came, and he shall take nothing from his labour which he may carry away in his hand. The Bible says You come into the world naked, and in essence, you go out of the world naked. Did you know there are no pockets in a shroud? Did you know that?

So Solomon says, Where are you going to find security from spending your whole life? Totally accumulating something that, in an unknown moment, is totally taken away from you, and you have nothing to show for it. You see, what Solomon is driving at is not that it's wrong to be secure. All of us want to be secure. But wherever you find your security, that's who your God is.

Did you know that?

And if you try to find security in money, then money becomes your God. And I've watched that oftentimes people let money get in between them and God, in essence, blot out everything God wants to do in their life, and they end up miserable creatures missing out on that which God wanted them to have.

Solomon says, you can't find security and money because you can't take it with you. And then He wants us to have some right attitudes. These are risky attitudes. Do you know the risky attitudes about money? You can't find satisfaction in it, don't try.

You're not going to find significance in it. Don't try that. And you're not going to be secure with it because there's never going to be enough to be secure.

So, what should my attitude be?

Well, before we look at a very specific thing, let me show you one of the things Solomon says we should know and understand about money. This will come as a surprise to some of you. I'm sure. First of all, The first attitude we have to have is to understand that money is a gift from God. Notice what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5 and verse 19.

As For every man to whom God has given riches and wealth. and given him power to eat of it. to receive his heritage and to rejoice in his labor, this is the gift. Of God. Did you know that?

How many of you know that all your money is a gift from God?

Some of you are half-massed. I see that because you worked hard this week and you're saying, wait a minute. I mean, I'm willing to give God credit for his part, but I worked hard this week. That's right, but where did you get the energy to work hard? Where did you get the sustenance?

You know, if you've ever been in a situation where you've dealt with an energy drain at all, where all of a sudden you don't have any energy and you can't do what you'd like to do, you know that you're not in control of your work. God is. And in Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 18, he said it even plainer. He said, and you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant, which he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Where do you get the power to get wealth?

It comes from Almighty God. He's the one who gives it to you. Yes, he blesses you and he puts money in your pocket. as you work. But my friend, you better understand something.

You are never, ever going to be able to have money unless you understand that God is the giver of all good gifts, perfect gifts that come from heaven.

Now, the second thing that he wants us to understand is that everything is not only a gift from God, but everything, including money, is a gift to be enjoyed. Here again, Solomon has a word for us. Notice Ecclesiastes 7, verse 14.

Some of you didn't even know Ecclesiastes was in the Bible, did you? Here's all this good stuff stored away in the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes chapter 7.

Now watch this. In the day of prosperity, be joyful. But in the day of adversity, consider. Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other.

so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

Now let me just interpret that for you.

Solomon says, when God blesses you and you have money, Rejoice. Don't walk around poor mouthing yourself and excusing yourself. You know, we teach people stewardship and the importance of sacrificial giving and all of that. And some Christians think that that means you can't ever have anything and enjoy it. We've gone through a period of time in our country where we had a spade of books that came out that basically said every Christian was to walk around.

As poor as they could be, not have one single thing to call their own, and live on the poverty level.

Well, I don't know what you do with verses like this one. where Solomon, the great wise king, who had it all. And knew what it didn't bring him, said. My friends, when God gives you prosperity, rejoice in it. And then when you don't have prosperity, consider it.

And notice the reason. Rejoice when you have it. Think seriously when you don't realize that both of those things can be controlled by God, so that you will remember not to find your security here in this world, but to understand that your real joy and security is in the future to come. Do you ever just get up in the morning and say, God, thank you, I got a house to live in? And the payments made this month.

When I first came here to pastor this church, I didn't have a very good car. In fact, I had two or three that weren't very good, one right after the other. We'd started this church back in Fort Wayne, and our kids were little, and we were trying to get into the California culture. And every morning it was like, go out and get in that car and wonder if it's going to start. I remember that.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't get in my car now, and I'm pretty sure it's going to start. And I thank God for a car that starts and for the fact that if it doesn't, they got to come and get me. You know?

Now you say, well, is that arrogant and proud? No, that's just a sense of. I don't have to worry about that anymore, and I thank God for that. Thank God that We have a warm house and a cool house in the summer. That he provides for us.

We ought to rejoice in that. And Solomon says: when God blesses you, Rejoice in the blessing. Can I get a witness? Is that all right to do? Can we rejoice when God blesses us?

And then, when we go through hard times, let's think seriously about what God's trying to teach us. And let's learn from prosperity and from times when we struggle. And God will help us to understand who our source is, who our security is. 1 Timothy 6, 17 says, That we, as God's people, are to understand that we have everything richly from God to enjoy. And then again, We are to receive these things.

from God. I've talked about some risky assumptions. and I've talked about some right attitudes. Let's talk about some righteous actions.

Solomon filed a report in the book of Proverbs that tells us how we stay off. The hairy edge of materialism. And I don't know any way to do this except just to say it straight out. We've set the stage for it, and I'm going to tell you what I believe. Almost everybody I know who's managed to stay out of The materialistic trap.

Have managed to do it because they've heard God's voice concerning the way they handle their own stewardship and tithing. Here's what Solomon said in Proverbs 3. Notice Proverbs 3, 9, and 10. Honor the Lord with your possessions. and with the first fruits of your increase.

So, your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. There was a period of time. When God's people forgot this principle. And it reminds me very much of the period of time in which we're in, primarily throughout our culture today. When people forget God, everything bad starts to happen.

All the things that we're witnessing in our culture, the things that we're struggling through right now in the national realm, are primarily not because we don't know there's a God up there, but because we've forgotten to make Him the center of our life and to follow the principles which He's given us in His Holy Word. And let me tell you something: we can't just point our fingers at Washington and say it's their problem. We have failed to hold them accountable in our churches and as Christian people. But when you forget God, Everything starts to go bad. The wheels come off the wagon.

and the period of time in the history of Israel. when they decided that they could do things their own way, that they weren't going to tithe, that they weren't going to give God the first 10% that He had asked them to give, that He had required them to give. He had required three different tithes. But the people during the days of Malachi the prophet said, we're not going to do it. We're going to do our own thing.

How many of you know that once in a while, when you say you're going to do your own thing, God will just remove his hands from you for a little while and say, go for it. Let me show you how that works. Most of us have been there and done that, haven't we?

Well, he did that to the people in Malachi's day, and then he sent Malachi. and Malachi really scorched them. But in the process of telling them what was wrong, he also told them what was right. And he gave them the principles that form the foundation of what we believe here about the importance of tithing. I want to close this message on the importance of your understanding of money.

With these principles from Malachi 3. And I want you just to listen to them, I'm going to go through them as quickly as I can. First of all, when you give the first 10% of that which God has entrusted to you back to God. The first thing that you're going to discover in the process of doing that Is that God is going to bless you, and He is going to bless the ministry that bears His name. For tithing is God's way of perpetuating his work.

Secondly, when we tithe, Tithing is not only God's way of perpetuating His program, but it's His way of pointing out our priorities. When Malachi gave his stinging sermon to the people of Israel, he reminded them that some of them were playing games with God, giving him the leftovers. Given him what they would never give to anyone else, not even to the governor of their land. Malachi chapter 1. In verse 8, Malachi's sermon reads like this: And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil?

And when you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts? Malachi says, You're giving to God what you couldn't even get away with, giving to the people who govern your land.

And his point was that when we take the first 10% and give it to God, what we do is we say, God, you're the most important one, and we're giving you the best. We're giving you the first, and we're giving you the best. When you leave it till the last, and you take the dregs off the bottom, you're saying something that you really don't want to be saying. Tithing points out your priorities. Number three.

Tithing is God's way of proving his promises. Malachi 3:10 says that God. will provide if you do what he tells you to do. We've got to step up to the line, don't we? It's got to be a point in time where we say, God, I'm going to believe you.

I'm going to trust you. Isn't it interesting that we believe God to get us to eternity, and we can't believe Him to get us through next month? But God has promised. And he will never ever fail on his promise. Number four, Tithing is God's way.

of promoting our faith. You know, it really does test our faith, doesn't it?

Some of you are saying, Pastor Jeremiah, I can't get through with 100%. You're telling me I got to live on 90%. Let me tell you how you do that. Put God at the front of the 90%. Take his 10% off the top, and then he stretches the other 90%, and sometimes it equals 110%, 150%.

You will never believe what God will do. You say, Pastor Jeremiah, those are really some voodoo economics. Let me tell you something. Those aren't voodoo economics. That's God's great plan of economy.

You put me first. I'll help you make better decisions. I'll provide for you. I'll care for you. I'll meet every need.

When our children were little, We were in the ministry. As I mentioned, we were struggling in that little church back there, and I knew that one of these days these kids were all going to graduate from high school and have to go to college. And I'm thinking to myself, whoa. We don't have an educational fund here growing too big these days, not even enough for one. Lord, I'm going to, what do I do?

Some people say, well, you know what you need to do is you need to take that tenth and put it in the bank to care for your kids.

So you're going to take God's money and give it to your kids, right? I didn't do that. God got his money as he deserved to get it off the top. I didn't know that I was going to have two guys that were good enough to get scholarships to go and play football. I didn't know I was going to be the president of the college where they give a discount to the president.

I didn't know that either. And I know some of you people aren't going to understand all that, but let me tell you something. God's plan for you isn't the same as it is for everyone else. I'm just telling you this: when you put God first, God will take care of you. Is that true or isn't it?

God will take care of you, and you have to make that decision.

Some of you have to make that decision this week.

Some of you need to make it in the car on the way home today. That we've been playing around with this long enough, and we're gonna trust God because to say we trust Him. and then not to trust him. Doesn't make a lot of sense. And watch God work in your life.

It's an adventure you will never forget. Number five. God. tells us that tithing is his way of providing for our needs. He says he will open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing we can't receive.

Prove me now herewith, says the LORD. You think tithing is just some Baptist thing that people use to support the work. I used to be so nervous about this, knowing that people would be all uptight, and somebody would say, Oh, yeah, Jeremiah's going to talk about money again, you know, and that's kind of how they feel. But you know what? I don't ever feel that way now.

I find in my heart, and you can probably even sense it in the passion in my voice. I find in my heart And excitement because I know what God's going to do for some of you during these next days. He's not going to be just a distant God out there that you go and visit on Sunday from time to time. He's going to become the God who gets involved in your life every day in that great adventure that He is promoting in His Word. And when you start putting him first and making the kinds of decisions that are hard, how many of you know that every important decision is a hard decision?

And you take that step and you say, by the grace of God, I'm going to do it, I'm going to start now. You will be overwhelmed at what God will do in your life. He won't just change you financially, He'll change you every which way you can be changed, all for the better. Where your treasure is, your heart will be. You'll find an excitement about coming to church that you never ever felt before.

You'll be finding ways to ask God to use you, and He will use you. And I just want to ask you to do this. Let God work in your heart, let God deal with your life. And don't push it off and let the enemy come along and say, well, that's just a bunch of economy stuff. No, that's God's Word, and God's Word.

has never yet failed. He has not failed me and he will not fail you. He is a God you can trust. Why don't you begin trusting him today? Amen.

You know, a long time ago, someone told me, if you want to know what people believe, examine their checkbook. Look at the stubs in their checkbook and you'll find they believe in a house, they believe in having power in their house, they believe in a lot of things. And somewhere along the way, you'll find out they believe in God too. Because you can't really say, I believe in God, I believe in what God is doing, but I don't want to do anything about it myself. That's what Solomon is teaching us.

That's what this whole series is reminding us about. When you trust God, He's trusting you. Trusting you to do the part that he's asked you to do in advancing the cause of the kingdom. And Solomon helped us a lot. Tomorrow, we're going to talk about two portfolios, two ways to invest your life.

Once again, right from the scripture, we'll. open our Bibles to that part of the scripture tomorrow when we get together in the next time. Be sure to get your copy of what God promises you. The resource for the month of January. It's available to anyone who will send a gift to Turning Point of any size and ask for the book.

Do it today, and we'll see you tomorrow. For more information on Dr. Jeremiah's series, Investing for Eternity, please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected: our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org/slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org/slash radio.

Or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's new book, What God Promises You: Seven Truths That Will Change the Way You Live. It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International, and New King James Versions, available in your choice of attractive and durable cover options. Get all the details when you visit our website davidjeremiah.org/slash radio.

This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue the series Investing for Eternity on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.