V. Philips Long

GOOD, BAD, OR INDIFFERENT?

WEALTH ACCORDING TO THE OLD TESTAMENT by V. Philips Long

I.  Introduction

Years ago I heard it said that wealth is a blessing according to the Old Testament but a curse according to the New.  This idea has struck me as insufficiently attentive to the continuity between the testaments.  In what follows I shall explore briefly the subject of wealth according to the OT, in the hope of suggesting a more balanced view of the biblical testimony. 

In this effort, I would like to adopt a two-pronged approach analogous to the procedures of modern archaeologists. One prong is the surface survey; the other is the in-depth excavation of a limited area.  In the former, the archaeologist travels quickly over the terrain simply collecting what can be found on the surface.  In the latter, s/he sinks a trench into a particular piece of ground with the hope of extrapolating from that one sample some general features of the larger site.

We begin with a surface survey of the biblical landscape, noting four prominent features (from among others, of course).  We then shall sink a trench in the area of the OT that offers the most practical personal instruction[1] on our topic—namely, the wisdom book of Proverbs.