Forbidden Bible Verses — 1 Timothy 6:17-19

The three-year Lectionary that many Catholics and Protestants hear in public worship gives us a great variety of Holy Scripture.

Yet, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

My series Forbidden Bible Verses — ones the Lectionary editors and their clergy omit — examines the passages we do not hear in church. These missing verses are also Essential Bible Verses, ones we should study with care and attention. Often, we find that they carry difficult messages and warnings.

Today’s reading is from the English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK) with commentary by Matthew Henry and John MacArthur.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

¹⁷ As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹ thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

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Last week’s post discussed Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to be faithful to his ministry until the end, referencing Christ’s Second Coming. It also included the second doxology in 1 Timothy.

We are nearing the end of 1 Timothy, and Paul has final words about the Ephesians, in this case, the rich.

Although Ephesus was part of the Roman Empire, it had a distinctly Greek way of life.

With regard to the rich in that era, John MacArthur tells us that they were little different to us today (emphases mine):

… in the Ephesian culture … of course, the Greeks looked down on humility. They mocked humility. And they exalted pride, just like our society today. This society today exalts pride. Flaunt it, baby. Flaunt it. That’s the mindset of today and humility is no longer a virtue.

As to the Ephesians:

He now wants to speak to those Christians in the church who are wealthy, who are rich. And he wants to call upon them for a proper stewardship of that wealth, those who have riches already as opposed to those who seek to have riches. And many rich people are not necessarily motivated to that end. Maybe they inherited it. Maybe they gained it because of the proficiency of the way they did whatever they do. Maybe they gained it because there was some providential circumstance which brought it into their possession. It is not necessarily true that the people who are rich love money. And it is not necessarily true that the people who are poor don’t. So he really here is talking about those who are rich rather than those who would be rich at any price. And he wants it clear that it’s not a sin to be rich, but it is a sin to misuse that stewardship, and that’s the issue.

Obviously in a prosperous city like Ephesus there would be among those who came to name the name of Christ and were converted some who were wealthy. In fact in chapter 6 verses 1 and 2, it talks about slaves and masters. We assume that those masters who were believing masters in the church had means, certainly means surpassing that of those who were their servants. So we assume that in that church as in our church, in most churches, even in the Corinthian church there were some who were wealthy, though there were not many who were noble. He says in 1 Corinthians, not many who were mighty, not many who were anything other than just common. But the church has people who are wealthy and that’s by the design of God. Deuteronomy 8:18, “It is God who gives you the power to get wealth.” First Chronicles says essentially the same thing. In chapter 29 as David speaks in verse 12, “Both riches and honor come from Thee.” And you remember that beautiful prayer of Hannah in which she expresses the same truth, in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 7, “The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and lifts up.”

MacArthur tells us that in the era of the New Covenant, God blesses rich and poor alike:

Paul does not condemn the rich, nor does he tell them that they’re more blessed by God because they have more money. Money does not translate into blessing from God. There are people who have nothing who are at the apex of God’s blessing. There are people who have everything and are in utter misery and rejected by God. You cannot equate material blessing with God. That is not the way God pours out His blessing in the new covenant age.

Paul tells Timothy that he must charge — command — the rich in this present age not to become haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy (verse 17).

There is much to address in that verse.

Matthew Henry’s commentary says:

(1.) He must caution them to take heed of pride. This is a sin that easily besets rich people, upon whom the world smiles. Charge them that they be not high-minded, or think of themselves above what is meet, or be puffed up with their wealth. (2.) He must caution them against vain confidence in their wealth. Charge them that they trust not in uncertain riches. Nothing is more uncertain than the wealth of this world; many have had much of it one day and been stripped of all the next. Riches make themselves wings, and fly away as an eagle, etc., Prov 23 5. (3.) He must charge them to trust in God, the living God, to make him their hope, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Those who are rich must see God giving them their riches, and giving them to enjoy them richly; for many have riches, but enjoy them poorly, not having a heart to use them.

MacArthur has more:

… the command that must be given to the rich in this age. In this age refers to time. Literally the Greek text is in the now age, in the present age, earthly wealth. It is the treasure of this world that he is talking about, people who are wealthy not in spiritual things but in the mundane things …

By the way, the word charge means to command. He is calling for a command. This is not a suggestion. This is not counseling. This is a command. You, command the rich …

So Paul warns the rich because the inevitability is that when you accumulate wealth, you begin to make distinctions in your mind in the basic intrinsic value difference between rich people and poor people which are artificial differences cultivated only in your own proud mind. In Ezekiel, I was reading this week in chapter 28 of Ezekiel, the first five verses, and very pertinent to what we’re saying, “The Word of the Lord came again to me saying, ‘Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Because your heart is lifted up and you’ve said, “I am a God. I sit in the seat of God in the midst of the seas.” Yea thou art a man and not God though thou set thine heart as the heart of God. Behold thou art wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that they can hide from Thee with thy wisdom and with thine understanding. Thou hast gotten thee riches and gotten gold and silver into thy treasuries. By thy great wisdom and by thy merchandise thou hast increased thy riches. Thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches,’”’” and so forth. This is a soliloquy of a guy who is telling himself how great he is. Of course that chapter transitions as you know into discussion of Satan, starting in verse 11, who is very much behind the prince of Tyre in that proud egotistical affirmation of who he is. And it was Satan’s pride that cast him out of heaven, says Ezekiel there.

But that’s typical of a person who’s wealthy. He begins to think of himself as the one who gained it because of his great ability, and people are only people to be used and abused for his own purposes. The tendency of the rich to look down on the poor. In the church it’s the same thing. James writing in chapter 2 of James says, “How dare you let somebody come into your church with a gold ring, sit him in the front, and have a man come in with disheveled clothes and stick him under your feet somewhere. Don’t you realize that God is no respecter of persons and you have violated the royal law” – the law of love? So the first danger to avoid when you have money is the tremendous danger of pride – pride. That haughty indulgent attitude of the rich is a curse.

The second danger to be avoided, he mentions in verse 17, is in the words “nor trust in the uncertainty of riches.” Actually, the word trust could better be translated – it’s the Greek verb elpizō – to have hope in or to fix one’s hope on the uncertainty of riches. In other words, the constant temptation for the rich is not only to have a wrong attitude toward people but a wrong attitude toward money or possessions and to put their hope in them. Proverbs 11:28, “He that trusts in his riches shall surely fall.” And you remember the rich man, the rich fool, as he is called in Luke 12? He was making it. Boy, he was making it and it was rolling in. Money was rolling in. He had so much crop that he never had to work another day in his life. So he tore down all his barns, built bigger barns and bigger barns, just storing it and storing it, and said, “That’s it. No more work. From now on till I die eat drink and” – what? – “and be merry.” I’m set. I’m set for life. And the Word of the Lord comes to him, “You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you and then whose will all this stuff be?” So are those who are rich in this age and not rich toward God, is the commentary.

So the tendency is when you have a lot, you trust in a lot. When you have a little, you trust in God.

I sometimes wonder if the Christian faith is stronger in what is called the Global South because life is more precarious there, particularly because of poverty.

MacArthur posits that we in the West are too comfortable and do not perceive a need for God:

… God has been replaced by their estate planner, by their retirement plan. We’ve got it wired. Now I’m not saying that we should deny all of those things and be unwise with what we do. But what I am saying is we want to be sure that we do not shut off the voice of the Spirit of God in regard to the stewardship of our money in order to build our confidence in that treasure which we’re amassing. Frankly it’s hard for me to imagine that anybody would trust more in a bank than they would in the eternal God …

So, Paul says, “Look, you better put your hope in God.” That’s the implication here. They trust in the uncertainty of riches. You want to trust in God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Don’t ever get to the point in your life where you have totally eliminated the need for God. You’ve got it all covered. Now that’s a balance that you have to work on on a daily basis. I’m sure there are times when you sense in your heart, “You know I ought to give some money to this family, they have some need. I ought to give to the Lord’s work over here, but, boy, I don’t want to take anything out of there. That will cut my interest down and that will mess up my plan.” And so what you’re basically saying is that when the Spirit of God prompts your heart, you’re not interested in listening, because your confidence is not in the fact that God’s going to care for you but in the fact that you’re going to care for you, and you don’t want God invading your program and messing it up. So you hope in the uncertainty of riches. And, of course, in the ancient times it was so uncertain because war was happening all the time and people would be conquered and all the money situations would change when those kind of things happened. And how in the world can it ever be sane to say you trust more in the riches that God provides so generously than in the God Himself who is the provider. Foolish. James 1:17, He’s the father of lights from whom every good and perfect gift comes down.

So Paul says, “Look, stop the sin of pride and stop the sin of confidence in money and put your confidence in God,” or literally “but on God.” The word living isn’t in the original manuscripts. On the God who possesses all things, who owns the cattle on the hills and so forth, as it says in Psalm 50 verses 10 to 12. And it is God, not just God but “God who gives us” – plousiōs – “bountifully all things” – get this, to what? – “to enjoy” – for enjoyment. God gives us all things for enjoyment. God is so good. He’s so gracious. And everything He gave you and everything He gave me was for the purpose of enjoyment, pleasure. That’s the same word translated, in Hebrews 11:25, pleasure in the phrase ‘the pleasures of sin.’ It has to do with real pleasure, not a sensual ungodly pleasure in this context, but a real pleasure, a true joy, a true satisfaction.

Indeed, MacArthur tells his congregation that they qualify as rich people. So do most people reading this post, myself included:

Let me tell you what rich means. Here’s a definition of rich. Rich means you have more than you – finish the sentence – need. You got it, folks. You have more than you need. That makes you rich. That is, you have more than you need to live, eat, sleep, clothe yourself, and do what you have to do. If you have any discretionary funds, you have more than you need. You’re rich.

You say, well I’ll tell you, by the time I paid our house payment and by the time I’ve paid for the cars and by the time I have clothed our family and we’ve eaten, there’s nothing left. Yes, you’re still rich. Why? Because you choose to eat $15.00 meals when you’re out instead of $4.00 ones; because instead of wearing one suit of clothes for a month or six months, you choose to have 12 outfits for every month; because instead of having transportation you choose a certain kind of transportation; instead of having a warm place where you can sleep and eat, you choose to have a furniture store that you call your home. You understand what I’m saying? Those are choices you make about the discretion of your dollars.

… What I’m trying to point to you is that all of us are rich in the sense that we have discretionary dollars. If we choose to spend them on how we eat rather than that we eat or on how we dress rather than that we’re clothed or on how we live rather than that we live in a place that’s warm and provides shelter for us, then that is how we have chosen to use our discretionary dollar. But I’m not going to let you off the hook in the sense, nor am I going to let myself off the hook in the sense that I’m in the category of the rich. I am not eating three meals a day of bare minimum food, barely clothed, and barely sheltered and crying to God for my next day’s provision. So I’m not in this sense a poor person. I have to make decisions about my money. I have to decide what to do with it. And that happens every day and that makes me rich. I have more than I need. And frankly, I could enjoy a simple life where I didn’t have those kinds of decisions. Couldn’t you? So let’s just get it right at the outset here that we’re the rich.

Nothing wrong with that. Acts 16, Lydia was a rich lady, and she was able to house the Apostle Paul and all of his traveling companions. Nothing wrong with that. Dorcas was a wealthy lady, and she was able to make garments and give it away to the poor. Nothing wrong with being rich. Philemon was a wealthy man, owned slaves, had a big house, a church met in his home. There were many people like that. It’s not whether you have it, it’s what you do with it. That’s the issue.

The above examples of Lydia, Dorcas and Philemon might have been those Paul was thinking of when he wrote that the rich are to do good, be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share (verse 18).

They thought of others, especially those in the church, and they gave of their resources willingly.

By contrast, some churchgoers — though none that I personally know — turn wealth into a ‘me and the have-nots’ situation:

The temptation is when you get enough money you don’t do anything for yourself – I mean absolutely nothing. Everybody in your little world is there to do things for you. You know the feeling. You don’t clean your house. You don’t mow your lawn. You don’t wash your car. You don’t even clean the windows at home. The more money you have the less you do, and you begin to see the whole world as servants. And everybody in the whole world is to serve you, and you’re on top of the pile, and you just dictate what everybody will do and dole out the bucks and buy their time. And if they don’t do it the way you want, you talk to them like you were talking to an animal. This is the tendency with wealth. And you get the illusion that you’re there because of your man-made powers and the truth is, that’s not the case. You get to the point where you’re independent of needing anyone really on a personal level. You just need servants. And so your whole approach to life is to get everybody to do what you want when you want the way you want. And that’s why Proverbs 28:11 says, “The rich man is wise in his own conceit.” And Proverbs 18:23 says, “He talks roughly” – he talks roughly. Why? Because people aren’t people to care about, they’re just people to use.

This is why Paul brings God into the equation:

Spiritual delight comes in the right use of wealth, seeing it as a gift of God. You don’t own your money. You don’t own your possessions, your home and all you have. You manage it for God. He gave it to you and said, “This is a test. This is a test to see where your heart is.” And Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is.” So if you lay up treasure on earth, that’s where your heart is. If you lay up treasure in heaven, that’s where your heart is, Matthew 6:19 to 21. So God desires us to enjoy the gifts He’s given us and the best way to enjoy them is to know that they’ve been turned right around and put into things that are going to glorify His name and honor His name and fill your heart with the purest truest highest kind of joy. How in the world we could imagine that God gave us everything just to indulge our flesh? The highest joy for a believer ought to be to invest in the eternal advance of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul says that the rich are to store up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future — not this world, but the next — so that they may take hold of that which is truly life (verse 19).

Henry says:

This is the way for the rich to lay up in store for themselves for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life; in the way of well-doing we are to seek for glory, honour, and immortality, and eternal life will be the end of all, Rom 2 7.

MacArthur gives us an Old Testament example involving King David:

… 1 Chronicles. I can’t resist this passage because it’s so powerful. David had called for the people to give to the temple. And his responding thanksgiving and prayer to what they gave is just overwhelming. In the first place, David set the example and he gave. I mean, he just gave so generously. He said, “I have prepared” – verse 2 – “with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, the silver for things of silver, the bronze for things of bronze, the iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones various colors, manners of precious stones, marble stones in abundance.” God gave David much. David gave back much. That’s the idea. That’s the stewardship. “Three thousand talents of gold, the gold of Ophir, seven thousand talents of refined silver,” and so forth and so on. And gold for the things of gold.

And then he called on the people. “And who is willing to consecrate their service to the LORD this day?” And then all the people came in verses 6 to 9. The people started giving and giving and giving, “Because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD.” And David rejoiced with great joy. Talk about enjoyment, the enjoyment comes when God gives to you and you give back to God. There’s the joy. And so, “David,” in verse 10, “blessed the Lord before all the congregation. And David said, ‘Blessed be Thou LORD God of Israel, our Father forever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine. Thine is the Kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all.’” In other words, God, it’s all Yours. It’s all Yours.

“Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. And in Your hand is power and might and in Your hand is to make great, to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name.” Listen to this. “But who am I and what are my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort?” This isn’t any big deal for us to do this, “Because all things come from Thee and of Thine own have we given Thee.” We can’t take any credit. You gave it to us. We’re just giving it back. “For we are strangers before You and sojourners, as were all our fathers. Our days on the earth are as a shadow and there is none abiding. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build a house for Thine holy name comes from Thy hand. It is all Thine. I know also, my God, that You test the heart.”

MacArthur explains this generosity in light of verse 19:

The duty? Very clear. Use your money to do good toward others with generosity in a loving fellowship. That’s a church. Finally, listen very carefully, he goes to the development to consider. The end result must be considered. Verse 19, here’s the result. Think on this. This is what develops as you do your duty, “Laying up” – literally the Greek term is to amass a treasure – “amassing a treasure for themselves” – the next is a good foundation. It could be translated – themelios could be translated fund, a fund. And then that little phrase “against the time to come” means for the future. So let me give it to you. “Amassing for themselves a good sound fund for the future.” Now you could sell that. You know what people want? They don’t want it in the future. They want it when? Now …

But the point is we’re not concerned with getting it now. If we lay up treasure in heaven, we’re going to wait to receive the dividend when we get to heaven. Now if you live like that, he says, you have “laid hold on the real life.” That’s what that last phrase means. In other words, you have come to grips with real living. You’re living in the light of eternity, not time. That’s the issue. If you want to put your money in a fund, a good sound fund, a quality fund, if you want to amass a treasure in a quality fund for the future, then invest in eternity, and you will lay hold of real life in the here and now. That’s really living …

If you want to lay hold of real life – what is real life? Eternal life. That is the life of eternity – you’ve got to get out of time. You’ve got to live for eternity. That’s really living. Most people don’t understand. Most people, even Christian people, are living for the here and now. How foreign that is. By storing up heavenly treasure through giving earthly treasure, you gain heavenly treasure. That’s the wonder of it. You live it up in this life and indulge your wealth on yourself and there’s a certain sense in which you’re poor for eternity. But if you invest in eternity now, you make yourself rich for eternity and you grasp the reality of real life here and now. The only thing that matters in this life is living for eternity. Isn’t that right? That’s why in Luke 16:9 Jesus said, “Take your money, that unrighteous stuff and purchase with it friends for eternity.” What does that mean? Invest your money in winning souls to Christ who will be standing on heaven’s shore to greet you when you arrive with thankful hearts because your investment resulted in their salvation.

MacArthur concludes:

So as you do the noble deeds and as you give your money away generously, you’re storing up a treasure in a fund that pays the highest interest and it pays eternal interest. And there’s never a default, and it doesn’t need to be insured or guaranteed because God is in charge of it. And you’ll enjoy its fruits forever, and knowing that you’re doing that and anticipating that allows you to live life to its fullest here and now. It’s a great responsibility to handle riches. It’s a daily responsibility. We need to pray for each other to be wise and obedient to the command that is given to us in this text.

Next week’s post concludes 1 Timothy, with Paul’s closing words of advice for his protégé.

Next time — 1 Timothy 6:20-21