Silver and Gold

Ez 7:19 "They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity." ESV

 

If you listen to talk radio at all you know that silver and gold are hot topics. Not only do the hosts on these shows talk about it, but the ads either encourage you to buy silver and gold or sell silver and gold. Investors have said that to have a little silver and gold in your portfolio is not a bad idea. In fact, in the Republican Presidential run Newt Gingrich has indicated that if he is elected President he would convene a gold commission in order to study returning to the gold standard. (www.forbes.com/sites/charleskadlec/2012/01/23/gingrich-the-gold-standard-and-the-florida-primary/) Why all the interest? What is the deal with gold and silver? If we rely upon paper money, all we have to do is print more and we have more. The problem with that is the more money you print the less valuable it becomes because there is more of it. When that happens, inflation goes crazy. This is exactly what is happening in our financial system now and there really is no end in sight. We can anticipate that the more money President Obama decides to print, the more inflation we will see in the future. Gold and silver are more stable.

 

But then we have this verse. Israel was all about gold and silver. They thought it would secure their future as well. They were so captivated by it that "it was the stumbling block of their iniquity". In other words, their lust for money and wealth started their free fall into sin. Sounds like Paul's words: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils." I Tim 6:10 Unfortunately, when we get so focused on money, gold or silver we forget other stuff, like honesty, and justice, and fairness, and equity, and time management. When that happens we experience what we have been experiencing the last few years in this country. In fact, when that happens the end result is the devaluation of gold and silver. Even gold and silver can't feed…it might as well be thrown into the streets. I think of the words in Larry Norman's song: I Wish We'd All Been Ready "A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold". Some day all of this stuff that we focus on in producing wealth is all going to be worthless.

 

The point? Gold and silver are nothing. When it comes to the day of the wrath of the Lord, forget it. It will not matter how much gold or how much silver anyone has. God doesn't care...and frankly no one else will care either. The only thing that will matter is where we stand with God. We can get all wrapped up in saving and investing but when all is said and done and we are facing eternity, what we accumulated on this earth is going to be the last thing on our minds.

So what do I do? Concentrate on eternity. No, I can't ignore the need to live on this earth and provide for my family and potentially others, but silver and gold cannot be my focus. My heart, my mind, my effort has to be centered on what is going to last...people and God's word. The money that God entrusts to me needs to be stewarded properly. I need to remember that it is simply a tool that God gives us to advance His kingdom and His glory. When I make my life what I make, then it will become a stumbling block worth nothing.