Jireh – Part 1

Introduction

The Wisdom of Proverbs

Proverbs 30:7–9 (ESV): ⁷ Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: ⁸ Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, ⁹ lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

The Psychology of the Rich

Proverbs 13:11 (ESV): ¹¹ Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

Ecclesiastes 10:19 (ESV): ¹⁹ Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.

Deuteronomy 6:10–12 (ESV): ¹⁰ “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, ¹¹ and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, ¹² then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Deuteronomy 8:17–18 (ESV): ¹⁷ Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ ¹⁸ 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.

Matthew 6:24 (ESV): ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

The Psychology of the Poor

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2024