Jeremiah 48
Jesus once said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:3) At another time, He said, “It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mk 10:25)
From statements such as these, some people have concluded that worldly wealth automatically disqualifies people from salvation. But nothing could be further from the truth. God loves all people, and He wants everyone to be saved. Furthermore, we must assume that God isn’t opposed to wealth in general, since He generously blessed many of His friends with financial riches.
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The problem that sometimes accompanies wealth is seen in today’s chapter: “You thought you could be saved by your power and wealth, but you will be captured along with your god Chemosh, his priests, and officials. Not one of your towns will escape destruction.” (vs 7-8)
The problem with wealth is that it tends to skew our perspective about what we need. Jesus warned the church of Laodicea about this very thing in the book of Revelation: “I know everything you have done, and you are not cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other. But since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don’t know how bad off you are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” (Rev 3:15-17)
Wealth tends to make people feel like they have everything, and if they discover something they need that they don’t have, they assume it is easy to buy. But salvation cannot be bought, and the problem with trusting in our riches is that they don’t last! They are in the process of perishing, just like we are!
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In Jesus’s statement about the kingdom of heaven, notice that He didn’t say the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor, but the poor in spirit. The truth is, we are all poor in spirit. That is, we are all spiritually poor. No matter how much money is in our bank account, we are in need of a Savior. And, as long as our riches don’t cause us to ignore that need, wealth won’t keep us from the kingdom.
God helps the poor. Whether we are financially well-off or destitute, God wants us to recognize our spiritual poverty. He wants us to know that worldly power and wealth will never save us. In His hands, He holds all the spiritual treasures of heaven, and these are the riches that matter!