Solomon vs Jesus

Post by **_JC** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:42 am

I'm finishing up a study of Proverbs and what it striking to me each time I read through it is the contrast between it's message and the gospels. Much of the wisdom found in Proverbs is echoed by Jesus but some things are not. Proverbs tells us a man whose belly is full and has more than his share of food is blessed. We are also told that wealth and praise are actually desirable things. Jesus seems to have a different take on that.

Paul told Timothy, when referring to the old testmanet, that it was God-breathed and good for instruction. This would include the book of Proverbs so how are we to take these verses that seem to indicate prosperity as a desirable thing?

Post by **_TK** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:47 am

i am certainly not a proponent of the "propsperity gospel" but at the same time i dont think it is wrong to think that God wants to bless us. in fact it seems to be a rather scriptural idea. some christians seem to think that if you are anything more than a pauper then you are not a good christian. others think that unless you are blessed with prosperity you are not a good christian. the truth, as usual, likely lies somewhere in the middle.

i look at this way, but of course i may be wrong. if you are obedient to God, why wouldnt he reward you? we wouldnt expect him to punish us for doing well, would we? jesus definitely warned about the dangers of money. but i dont think he ever said that Christians cannot be blessed.

of course materialism should not be our goal. but if God chooses to bless us, i dont see any reason to feel guilty about it.

TK

Post by **_Jim** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:45 am

JC,
I believe that God blesses who he blesses in many diffrent ways. Maybe someone who is flat out poor, completely obedient to God isn't wealthy because God knows that persons weakness when it comes to money. God could be protecting them from themselves.

Jim

Post by **_schoel** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:24 pm

JC,

Which verses are you referring to in Proverbs?
Along with that which statements by Jesus are you referring to?

Good question!

Post by **_JC** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:25 am

schoel, I'm not near my bible study materials presently so I can't give you specific verse numbers. If you have a concordance, look up "rich" and "wealth" in Proverbs and compare those scriptures to those references found in the gospels. I'm not saying they necessarily disagree with one another but I'm not sure how to reconcile them either. It's the overall flow of thought in Proverbs, as in the book as a whole, that seems a contrast to what Jesus taught about wealth and personal finance.