In Proverbs 10:22 (ESV), the Bible gives us this perspective: “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” Does God really bless us with riches? The Hebrew word that is used here in Proverbs 10 is only used 17 times in the Old Testament, so it doesn’t make my “best of” list in chapter 1.2. It is the Hebrew word עָשַׁר (oh-sher) which means “to become wealthy in money, possessions, or influence.” It only describes material wealth. If, at this point, you’re still asking the question I posed at the beginning of this section, “does God want me to be rich?” I think we just got our answer.
Proverbs 13:22 (ESV) says this: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.” The Hebrew word used here חַ֫יִל (hayil) is in the list I provided here. It means: “physical wealth, strength and influence to have and grow your dominion.”
We see this played out in the lives of the great people of the Old Testament:
Job - Job 42:10 // “The Lord restored his prosperity, and doubled his former possessions”
Abraham - Genesis 13:2 // “Abraham had become very wealthy”
Isaac - Genesis 26:12-14 // “the man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy”
Jacob - Genesis 30:43 // “the man grew exceedingly prosperous”
David - 1 Chronicles 29:3-5 // “Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God…all in abundance.”
David is also significant in that he gave what is estimated to be a $6.5 billion offering to begin the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 1 Kings 29.
All of the Hebrew words used in these passages unmistakably mean physical and material wealth. In the Old Testament, financial and physical wealth are gifts from God and an expression of His personal blessing and favor on us and families generationally. God is absolutely clear, if a person does things His way, they will be rich. Not just rich in intangible ways, but rich in tangible ways. Deuteronomy 8:18 says it this way: “ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” This is the same word - חַ֫יִל (hayil) - used in Proverbs 13. Tangible wealth is a confirmation of God working in our lives.
Does that mean that if we aren’t wealthy that God isn’t working in our lives? Again, let’s remind ourselves what it means to prosper. Its not a point of comparison, it is about sufficiency. But also, Deuteronomy 8 brings us some clarity. God gives us the power to get wealth. Prosperity doesn’t just show up. We have a responsibility to work for it. We have a part to play in the cultivation of prosperity. Don’t miss that part. חַ֫יִל (hayil) isn’t about being given something. It is about the power to create something. A “good man” leaves his children the power to create wealth and take dominion. The ability to take dominion and become prosperous is a learned skill. And in some families - including mine - it has become a lost art. In one of their last conversations, my dad’s dad said to him, "I just hope I don't live long enough to see the money run out." He left my dad and his siblings nothing. He was a police officer who had a pension that still supports my grandmother to this day. Which is more than what my mom’s dad was able to do. The “wealth” that he had at the end of his life was about $100,000 in home equity. A few years before he died, he cashed out all of that equity in a reverse mortgage and spent all the money. Leaving my grandmother with nothing. My mom and her sisters support my grandmother and take care of her needs themselves. If my mom’s dad could have found a way to pass down debt as an inheritance, he would have.
I don’t say any of this to be harsh or critical. This is the reality for most families. But reality isn’t the same as God’s plan. What is God’s plan? For us to pass down to our children the power and ability to take dominion. That doesn’t always equate to millions of dollars, but let’s say it this way: “A good person wins in life and teaches their children’s children to win in life.”
Old Testament prosperity is winning in life. It is the blessing and favor of God on you and your family generationally. I frequently refer to this thought from Plutarch: “Those who govern must first achieve governance of themselves, straighten out their souls, and set their character aright, and then they should assimilate their subjects to themselves. For the one who is tripping over cannot straighten up someone else, nor can the ignorant person teach, the disorderly establish order, the disorganized organize, the ungoverned govern.” (How to Be A Leader, Jeffery Beneker)
If we do not win in life, we will not help other people win. If we do not take dominion, we cannot pass down an inheritance of taking dominion. Are you winning emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually and financially? The way our children will learn to win is by watching us win. If your children never see you win, they will have a hard time winning themselves. I am grateful for my parents. They came from good families. But these families did not truly take dominion in my estimation. The power to create prosperity was not modeled or passed down. My parents didn’t allow that to limit their own lives. For my entire life, they have modeled taking dominion for me. My inheritance - my “prosperity” in the Old Testament sense - will not be something I am granted in a will. It is the thinking, being and doing that leads to winning in life.
Remember, we have to escape the cultural definition of prosperity as comparison. Prosperity is not about being better than someone else. When you win God’s way, it doesn’t come at someone else’s expense. But the blessing of the Lord “makes rich” according to Proverbs 10. There is only one Old Testament “main character” that I could find in my research that was not described as wealthy. Elijah. He was a nomad for most of his life, but God still always took care of him.
We should strive to emulate everybody that God used. His hand was on them to prosper in every way, including financially. What gets in our way? If you’re anything like me, it’s what Jesus talked about in Mark 7. My own thinking.
Once we are willing to not allow God’s word to be limited by our thinking, we can see clearly the way God simply defines prosperity in both the Old and New Testaments:
Old Testament - The blessing of God to have and grow my assigned dominion for generations.
New Testament - I have everything I need, and I have enough to meet other people’s needs.