A slothful man hunts and even makes a kill but considers it too much work to prepare and roast that which he killed. He would rather see the meat go to waste than to put forth the effort necessary to preserve the food. However, a diligent man considers his substance to be precious. He has no desire to see something go to waste. Interestingly enough, the Lord Jesus made a point along these lines at the feeding of the five thousand. After He fed the multitude, the Lord Jesus told the disciples to “Gather up the fragments that remain[ed], that nothing be lost” (John 6:12). It was important to the Lord that His followers made full use of the substance given to them of the Father. Nothing was to go to waste. A diligent man considers every part to be precious, even those things the world would allow to spoil.
When one thinks of strength, he often thinks only in the physical realm. He might focus on the ability to lift weights, endure a great amount of pain, or compete in a strenuous sport. Yet, the Bible points to true strength that has nothing to do with one’s physical prowess. The Bible says that the ability to retain riches reflects one of the greatest emblems of strength. Proverbs also warns that “riches . . . make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). This means that a fool simply watches as his substance departs with no benefits to show for the loss. Yet, a strong man sets aside money and wisely preserves what the Lord has entrusted to him. Perhaps our heroes should not be those in sports but those who refrain from spending money to satisfy the lusts of the flesh.
Proverbs 21 contrasts the substance of a wise man versus the substance of a fool. In the home of the wise man, one can find oil and desired treasures. Whenever a need arises, he is prepared to take care of it himself. This is not true of the fool. He cannot take care of himself. We do not know if the fool at some point had treasures and oil as well, but because of his wasteful spending habits, he no longer has those things. In addition to the fool no longer having his substance, he also cannot likely account for how he used those things. Maybe the fool, like far too many Christians, wasted his substance on pleasurable living (Proverbs 21:17). For whatever reason, the fool cannot hold onto the goods entrusted to him by the Lord. Society today has grown accustomed to living on borrowed money, thus spending the future today.
A steward is someone responsible to care for the goods of another. He is accountable to his master for the way that he handles the responsibility. In this parable, a steward was accused of wasting the rich man’s goods. This was such a serious charge that the rich man called for the steward to give an accounting of his stewardship. The Lord expressed a similar truth in another parable found in Luke 19:11-27. In this parable, several servants invested their goods and accrued interest, but one servant simply hid his pound which resulted in no gain. The lord of that servant was so upset with this slothful servant that he took the pound away from him and gave it to one of the others. Remember that it is not up to the steward to choose how to spend that which belongs to the master.
Before leaving home, the prodigal son asked his father for all of his inheritance. He left town with everything that would have been his upon his father’s death. Certainly his father had hoped that he would make wise decisions in the use of this money. Yet, the Bible says that the prodigal “wasted his substance with riotous living” (Luke 15:13). The next verse further confirms the extent of his waste by saying that “he . . . spent all” (Luke 15:14). The prodigal son asked for his inheritance and then compounded his problem by refusing to wisely spend that inheritance. No doubt when he found himself in that pigpen, he reflected on the fact that he could not offer an accounting for his loss. The substance his father had tirelessly laboured to obtain was squandered because of a foolish son’s lust for living unruly.
The word liberal is one of the most overused and misused words in modern language. We often use the word to refer to those who have weaker morals or those who may have a particular “left-leaning” political agenda. Most often the word is used as a negative connotation by those who are traditional or more conservative. The Bible paints a much different picture of the word’s usage and application. Someone who is liberal willingly and graciously helps others. When others are in need, he gives above and beyond to meet that need. According to our passage, “The liberal soul shall be made fat.” This means that the person who helps others will often receive blessings in return. This truth is confirmed in 2 Corinthians 9:6 where the Bible says, “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
It has always been the will of God for a man to work in order to support his family. God adamantly and emphatically says, “if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8). Though this truth may seem harsh to some people, God’s expectations and guidelines always serve a greater purpose. Therefore, it is never God’s will to financially assist someone who will not work though completely capable and available. There may be times when people cannot legitimately work and have a need for help; but we disobey the Lord when we help those who have needs resulting from laziness. Our last lesson showed that the Bible defines food as a necessity; but if a man will not work, he does not even deserve the necessities of life provided to him through the generosity of others.
During the first century, hard times had come upon the believers in Jerusalem. Some specific time of trial, persecution, or tribulation had put them in a difficult situation. The Bible offers specific guidance as to when to assist others who have fallen on hard times.Believers in other cities saw the need and determined to make “a certain contribution for the poor saints” at Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). This contribution was either a monetary donation or a material contribution as the Bible says the assistance was “in carnal things” (Romans 15:27). Today, this would be akin to one body of believers assisting another body of believers, or one individual assisting another individual. Whatever the case, we ought to help others when a real need arises and it is in our power to assist them.
As opportunities present themselves, we ought to “do good” unto others. Scripturally speaking, we have a basic duty to help “all men,” but our foremost responsibility should be directed toward those “who are of the household of faith.” Regardless of our heart’s desire, the Lord knows there are times when we cannot help those in need. This fact should never be used as an excuse when we have a genuine opportunity, as the good that we might do to others does not always merely involve financial help. Acts chapter 3 offers an example of Peter and John who were faced with such a situation. Peter responded, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee” (Acts 3:6). Where these men lacked any monetary opportunity to help the lame man, they fulfilled their responsibility by imparting help in the way that God had especially enabled them.
