That title is a bit of a misnomer. I have a good job and a comfortable living in a prosperous country, so to many people, I am rich. Furthermore, I have a wife, a family, my health, and a great circle of friends around me. I am rich in everything that matters.
But I’m no Elon Musk. Just this week, Mr. Musk became the world’s first Trillionaire, when his company SpaceX went public on the stock exchange. Overnight, he went from being the richest man alive, to being the richest man that has ever lived.
Normally, that would be a great thing. But what kind of pitfalls could happen to a man like that?
According to Deuteronomy 6:10-12, the main temptation that could arise is the illusion of self-sufficiency.
As Texans, we know a thing or two about that. We love to idealize the self-made man—the type of guy that pulls himself up from his own bootstraps and makes something out of himself. A real rags-to-riches story, you know.
Those are great. I love them. But let’s be real here: Nobody does everything on their own. Everyone had help.
Especially the Israelites. This nation who wandered in the wilderness for forty years only survived because of the miraculous intervention of Jehovah. And after the conquest is over and they look at the land that is now their’s, they should recognize that it was only taken by God’s help. They weren’t strong enough; God was the muscle.
But it’s easy to look at our life and think we did it all, isn’t it? I can spot moments of triumph in my own personal history that fill me with pride, but if I look a little closer, I can see all the behind-the-scenes people that made it possible.
Instead of pride, I should see gratitude. Israel should see that, too.
No wonder Agur begged God in Proverbs 30:7-9 to “…give [him] neither poverty nor riches.” According to his own words, the last thing he wanted to do was “be full and deny [God] and say ‘Who is the Lord.’?”
Agur knew what Moses knew, which is that prosperity creates pride. And where pride exists, God is usually forgotten.
Israel was about to become very prosperous in a very short period of time. The worst thing they could do was forgot how they got there.