Proverbs 15:27

Proverbs 15:27 "He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live."

Everyone knows that greed isn’t good.  We all understand that greediness is a breach in the soul.  Even though we associate greed with bad, we can easily deceive ourselves into thinking we’re not greedy because we’re hard-working or even because we’re providing some valuable service.  It is very possible and frankly quite common, for a man to both diligent and greedy.  It is not uncommon for a woman to be both industrious and greedy.  Greed can accompany virtue.  Greed sees virtue as a means to get what it wants.  Greed doesn’t need evil to exist.  It doesn’t need a strong-armed or violent soul in which to live.  It doesn’t need a thief or a thug to be its host.  Although it resides within most thieves, it doesn’t need a con-man to thrive.  Greed can ride on the coat tails of a hard-working, well-intentioned man or woman.  

GREED has a CREED and its rather simple: “NEVER ENOUGH.”  Greed isn’t the same as covetous.  Greed doesn’t need what everyone else has.  It just can’t have enough of gain.  Greed never sees a dollar figure in a bank account as enough.  It never sees an hourly wage or annual salary as enough.  It never sees a stock value or retirement forecast as enough.   Because the creed of greed is “NEVER ENOUGH,” greed knows no limits.  It has no achievable goals.  It has no financial finish line.  Greed doesn’t care how it gains – just that it keeps gaining.  Isaiah likens this deceitful vise to dogs “which can never have enough” (Isaiah 56:11).  Greed knows no limits in gaining silver and gold.  It doesn’t know the meaning of enough.  It is incapable of seeing anything as sufficient.  Worse, it is unable to see God as a trustworthy source for our uncertain future needs.  Greed causes us to act like dogs where we instinctively begin to mentally drool whenever we see any available income source.  It causes us to pursue gain like dogs consume food – aggressively and selfishly.  It causes us to consume gain irrelevant of financial necessity.  We gain without any consideration of meeting our true monetary needs.  We gain simply but dangerously because “IT’S NEVER ENOUGH.”  

What makes the creed of greed so dangerous is that it doesn’t need any noticeably or obvious evil to participate.  It doesn’t need a man to steal.  It doesn’t need a woman to covet.  In fact, a hard-working man or a deeply-caring woman could be perfect candidates for greed because they’ll use their virtues to justify their undetected greed.  A hard-working man may spend his life consumed with working hours to keep gaining dollars thinking he is a diligent man when in reality, his diligence is hiding his greed.  A deeply-caring woman may spend her life consumed with figuring out ways to keep gaining money for her children thinking she is a caring mother when in reality, her maternal care is hiding her greed.  Biblically-literate people may spend their lives hoarding savings thinking they are wise when in reality, their Biblical knowledge is hiding their greed.  This is why greed so easily troubles our own homes.  It’s deceitful.  It hides in the pockets of our good character.  It hides in the closets of our good souls.

Hard-working men who work more hours making more dollars than they need rob their children, not of a generous inheritance, but of a generous relationship.  Diligent men provide for their family’s monetary needs but if entertaining any level of greed, will fail to provide for their family’s relational needs.  Disciplined men know how to balance a budget for the good of their future home but if they’re entertaining greed, that discipline will lead to a lack of spending for the good of their present home.  Industrious women who allow greed into their souls will find themselves placing household financial security over household relational security.  When ambitious and creative women allow the creed of greed to govern their time and talent, there is no amount of money that can fix the trouble that woman will cause her home.  Greed is willing to throw away any relationship for more gain.  Overtime becomes more important than marriage time.  The number of dollars left in our bank becomes more important than the number of days left with our children.  Withholding taxes or tithes becomes more important than pleasing God.  Making friends who may financially benefit us becomes more important than making friends who may spiritually benefit us.  Being more profitable as a business owner becomes more important than being more approachable as a spouse or parent.  

When we entertain greed, something dark happens to the human heart.  We begin to look for compensation.  We begin to feel deserving of a reward for any service we provide.  This is why Solomon links the second part of the proverb to the first.  By stating, “he that hateth gifts shall live,” the wise and wealthy king wasn’t suggesting that we loathe birthday or Christmas presents.  This wasn’t intended at all to suggest that we hate the gifts that the Father of Lights sends our way.  He’s not teaching that we stop accepting and ultimately, stop giving thanks for gifts.  Because these two statement are linked, the gifts that Solomon is referring to are those gifts that we know we can obtain by providing some type of service.  A gift is not something that is earned so in this case, a gift is something that is given voluntarily to express one’s gratitude for doing something or for being something.  This is the apple pie we unexpectedly get when showing up to help someone move a piano.  This is the restaurant gift card we get unexpectedly after watching someone’s house or pet.  This is the check or cash we get unexpectedly after mowing someone’s yard.  These are appropriate gifts to show our appreciation to those who helped us without any demand or expectation of reward.  These gifts are not bad and should not be seen as bad unless they are given to secure some inappropriate service.  Such is the case in Proverbs 17:23 when Solomon wrote, “A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.”  Hating gifts is hating what they could do to us by means of introducing greed.  Hating gifts is the hesitation to receive them because of the awareness we have of becoming greedy.  Hating gifts is the unsettling feeling of knowing they could open the door to begin expecting compensation for services in order to get more gain.

 Beware of greed for it will bring trouble to the home you think you’re helping.  Beware of gifts and the greed they could bring to your heart for that greed will bring instability and insecurity to the home you’re convinced you’re making more financially secure.  In Joshua 7, the head of a particular home in the camp of Israel entertained greed.  Along with the entire nation, Achan was told not to take any of the goods of Jericho when the walls fell.  When he saw a Babylonish garment, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, he couldn’t help but think of the gain it would bring to his traveling family.  Whatever gain he thought it would bring, it didn’t.  It cost him and his entire household their lives.  In 2 Kings 5, Gehazi entertained greed.  His master, Elisha gave instructions to a Syrian general on how to be healed of leprosy and this newly healed man offered to compensate him for his help.  The prophet declined Naaman’s sincere and generous offer but Gehazi couldn’t believe that he would let the Syrian general get benefit without providing some level of compensation.  He felt that they deserved compensation and he refused to pass up the opportunity to gain.  He raced after the Syrian and took of him two changes of clothes and two talents of silver convinced that this could be of great financial use to his household.  The consequences weren’t as deadly as Achan’s but still, he brought deep trouble to his house when Elisha pronounced judgment on him for his greed saying, “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, AND UNTO THY SEED FOR EVER” (2 Kings 5:27).  Be careful to let greed into your heart for it will convince you that you’re bringing treasure to your household when in reality, you’re bringing trouble to your household.

Have you adopted the Creed of Greed in your life?  Is it ever enough?  Is what God has given you enough?