Biblical Prosperity

 

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus taught that none of us can serve (douleuo – to be subjected to) two masters, referring to God versus riches (mammon- the god of materialism), that we will love the one and hate the other. This teaching had in mind that there are two economies, one defined by the material realm and a totally different economy represented by the authority of God. 

Economy can be defined as “the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services.” It includes the systems and processes associated with the accumulation of material things. The believer needs to understand that to find God’s riches, he must apply different principles than the world system and those principles are found in the Scriptures. To find the fullness of God’s economy is to apply these principles as a way of life.

Fear of the Lord 

In Proverbs 22:4, Solomon teaches, “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.” Another translation says, humility is the fear of the Lord. This principle of the fear of the Lord is a central theme to a quality (right) relationship with God. It means that one sees the Lord with great reverence and awe and this takes one to a place where walking in God’s ways is not a chore, but a delight. In Psalm 128:1-6,

How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy [state of bliss] and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Indeed, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel! 

How critical is the fear of the Lord and Biblical prosperity? According to Psalm 128, it is the avenue to God’s blessings, to walk in His ways. It is the environment that creates bliss as one enjoys the fruitfulness of one’s work as well as from his wife and children. These blessings are recognized to come from the Lord’s holy hill, Zion and that these blessings flow to the Jewish nation (i.e., Jerusalem). Finally, the blessings associated with the fear of the Lord flow to future generations. In Psalm 25:13, it is the place where God’s instruction is received and in Verse 14, God reserves His secrets for those who fear Him.   

Meditation

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous [accomplish satisfactorily what is intended], and then you will have success [prudence, give insight].”       Joshua 1:8 

Finding Biblical prosperity involves the Word of God as a central part of a believer’s life. Now that Moses was gone and Joshua was in charge, he needed to get established in his ability to be led by God. The Lord was teaching him that it would be his willingness to meditate on His Word, day and night to make his way what God had purposed for Him and His people. Psalm 1 has a similar instruction, that consistent meditation on His Law produces a fruitful life, “like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” 

The Lord will Command the Blessing

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. "All these blessings [God’s favor] will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: "Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the country. "Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. "Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. "The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. "The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. "The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. "So, all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you. "The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. "The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. "The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.               Deuteronomy 28:1-14

Deuteronomy 28 begins with fourteen verses addressing God’s blessings and then 36 verses dealing with curses. He begins the chapter by laying the foundation for God’s blessings or favor, that being the believer’s diligent obedience to the Lord’s commandments. The Hebrew word for diligent obedience is shama and its basic meaning is to listen to.  This word introduces the Jewish daily prayers known as the Shema, “Hear O’ Israel” which are prayed day and night (Deuteronomy 6:4). It means to pay close attention to God’s instructions with the intention to honor them. It is a listening of the heart that elicits a corresponding response. 

The following verses of this passage identify all of the amazing ways that Elohim brings favor and prosperity to those who diligently obey, including in the city and the country. This passage speaks of the all-encompassing ways that He blesses a man’s life with abundance. He even promises to make this believer “the head and not the tail. He adds to the condition by saying this man does not turn aside from any of His commandments, to the right or to the left, meaning it is a full commitment.

Seeking the Lord

We can learn from the example of King Uzziah as revealed in 2Chronicles 26:1-5 and the principle of seeking the Lord: 

And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. 

The Hebrew work is darash speaks of an inquiry with intensity, a pursuit to understand as to obey. It is this attitude that allowed Uzziah to be prospered by God. Verse 4 above tells us that he did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done and continued seeking understanding from God in every situation. He realized that this prosperity would not continue once he stopped seeking the Lord. 

Choose Life

Biblical prosperity is the result of right choices. In Deuteronomy 30:15-20: 

"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. "But if your heart turns away and you will not obey but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So, choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." 

It always comes down to a choice. The believer gets to decide how much of God’s abundance he gets to enjoy. He must understand that there are forces present that wish to keep him from the abundant life, that want to destroy his quality of life. When the believer makes God his highest priority, he enters into a loving relationship with His God and is guaranteed the highest quality of life. As 3 John 2 says, Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.