Labor not to be rich: cease from your own wisdom. Will you set your eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings (Proverbs 23:4,5).
False prophets abound who declare a ‘prosperity gospel.’ Such are teaching what Satan, the god of this world, would have seekers after God believe. It is totally the opposite of what Jesus Himself says without ambiguity: “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). These false prophets are promoting what is contrary to the Word of God and are blasphemers of the truth which says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any many love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). But few are those who profess Christ and yet do not set their eyes on gaining more wealth and worldly possessions. Many willingly work overtime in order to secure a more comfortable lifestyle, even though doing so often hinders spending precious time with their families, time far more valuable not to mention failing to trust the God they profess to see that provision for their needs is met.
They ignore the warning of this proverb that what they set their eyes upon has no eternal value. It is setting one’s “eyes upon that which is not” in reality. For riches certainly make themselves wings in the sense of either being lost again in this life, or more importantly resulting in loss of eternal life by refusing to make obedience to God’s Word the most significant goal in one’s life. We must be very diligent in taking captive thoughts which can seduce us to succumb to lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes which lead to a craving for that which is material. “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This proverb follows a warning to not be consumed by a desire for riches (23:4,5). It is a theme repeatedly given strong emphasis in the NT (Matthew 6:19, 1 Timothy 6:9-11, Hebrews 13:5). The apostle Paul reminds us that godliness with contentment is of great gain (1 Timothy 6:6), whether we live with plenty or just the opposite.
Even in Paul’s day, false prophets were preaching godliness as a means to financial gain in the same fashion as those preaching a ‘prosperity gospel’ today (1 Timothy 6:5). We must carefully guard our hearts in order to not be influenced by these ungodly teachers who pastor some of the largest congregations in America. They are motivated by greed and therefore claim that wealth is a sign of God’s approval as they themselves live extravagantly from the tithes and offerings often given by those struggling to make payments for the most essential needs. Beware lest you become snared by such prosperity teaching and forget that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and thereby fall into the idolatry of greed (6:9,10).
Genesis 1:26 tells that God created man in His own image for a clear reason. He not only desires but expects man to reflect godly character and thereby bring Him glory. If we renew our minds by washing in the water of God’s Word and yet fail to practice what is revealed for our learning, we are building our house upon sand spiritually speaking. And when the storms of life overtake us, and they certainly will come in time, our lives will crumble with a great crash as told in a parable of Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27). So labor not to be rich. Meditate on what this proverb is teaching and cease from following a misleading worldview by guarding your heart against teachings of iniquity within the Church itself such as a prosperity gospel.
