The Wages of
Unrighteousness
The
story of Balaam in the Old Testament (Numbers 22-24) provides some insight into
the reasons some men and women preach soul-condemning error. I shall briefly summarize some of what we
know about Balaam. The Israelites were
on their journey from bondage in
The
elders of
“Balak
sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said unto him, Thus
says Balak the son of Zippor, Let
nothing, I pray you, hinder you form coming unto me: for I will promote
you unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever you say unto me: come
therefore, I pray you, curse this people” (Num. 22:15-17). Balaam’s answer to the king of
The
discussion between Balaam and the princes from Balak should have been
ended. But Balaam apparently was
intrigued by the offer of Balak to promote the prophet to a position of great
honor. He said to the princes from
There is much more in Numbers 22-24 about Balaam and his rebellious attitude. But let us now turn to the New Testament to get an inspired commentary on Balaam’s inexcusably foolish behavior. Second Peter 2 contains some of the most severe criticisms of false teachers to be found in the scriptures. Peter warns his readers about the tremendous dangers they face from false teachers. He discusses two of the desires that motivate false teachers. “Through covetousness shall they with feigned words (or well-tuned words) make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.” The false teachers “shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time” (2 Pet. 2:3, 13). There is hardly any doubt that men like Balaam are greedy for worldly gain. That false teachers of whom Peter warned were covetous.
False
teachers are sometimes motivated by opportunities for sexual exploitation of
women in their congregations. Peter said
the false teachers about whom he warned had “eyes full of adultery, and that
cannot cease form sin: beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised
with covetous practices; cursed children” (2 Pet.
After
listing and discussing some of the motivations of false teachers, Peter used
Balaam as an example of what a preacher or teacher ought not to be. The false teachers at one time had been
faithful, but they forsook the right way, and went astray, “following the way of
Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but was
rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb donkey speaking with man’s voice forbad the
madness of the prophet” (2 Pet.
The
Lord himself expresses deep disappointment with leaders like Balaam. In his letter to the church at Pergamos,
Jesus said, “I have a few things against you, because you have there some who
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before
the children of
Some
of you may remember from your college and university studies reading the poetic
works of Geoffrey Chaucer. I took a
course in medieval English at
Chaucer’s greatest work is known as “The Canterbury Tales’--a work he never really finished. In this poem, Chaucer was joined by thirty others who were making a journey to the tomb of Thomas A. Becket, a Roman Catholic martyr. Each of the people on the pilgrimage was challenged to tell a story. All of the stories are interesting, although some of Chaucer’s language is not exactly Sunday school language. Among the people on the pilgrimage was a “pardoner.” A pardoner was a kind of traveling salesman whose business was selling forgiveness in the form of indulgences. Indulgences were supposed to release man and women from temporal punishment.
Chaucer wrote one section of his story that he calls “The Pardoner’s Prologue” (or introduction). The pardoner provides rationale for his conduct. He says all his preaching has one theme: “Cupidity is the root of all evil.” The word “cupidity” means an inordinate desire for wealth. Even though he says that cupidity is the root of all evil, he makes it plain that his only reason for preaching is worldly gain. He admits to preaching against the very vice by which he makes his money, that is, avarice. “What,” he asks, “do you think as long as I can preach and get their silver for what I teach, that I will live in poverty by choice? That is not the counsel of my inner voice.” Please listen to the pardoner’s real motivation for preaching. “I will none of the apostles counterfeit; I will have money, wool, and cheese and wheat; even if it were given by the poorest lad, or the poorest widow in the village, even should her children starve from famine. No. I will drink liquor of the vine, and have a jolly wench in every town.”
Chaucer does not paint a pretty picture of some of the religious leaders of his day, but what he wrote is as meaningful in our day as it was then. Although written in the fourteenth century of the Christian era, it sounds very much like what I read to you from 2 Peter 2 and Jeremiah 23. The truth is: There have always been some teachers, preachers and other religious leaders who have thought of the pulpit as an easy way to make a living. In some cases, they take advantage of congregations and of individuals to feather their won nests. Let us think of some of the preachers and theologians of our own day. I shall not mention any by name. Even though a man teaches false doctrine, that does not mean he is doing it for money. He may simply be ignorant or deceived.
The so-called “health and wealth” gospel has furnished the foundation for thousands of preachers to get rich. Those preachers often tell their hearers that God does not want anyone to be poor. If we will simply accept the promises of the gospel, they teach, then all of us will be rich. In many cases, the preachers have such an influence on their members that the preacher can become wealthy by bleeding his listeners. Those preachers often turn to this text from the Old Testament book of Malachi. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for it” (Mal. 3:10).
There are a number of problems with the prosperity preachers’ use of this text to prove that God does not want anyone to be poor. We are not living under what the Hebrew writer calls the “law of a carnal commandment” (Heb. 7:16). In other words, we live under a spiritual law--not under the carnal ordinances of the Mosaic law. The nation of Israel was carnal--not in the sense of being worldly--but of being a political entity. The church of the living God is not like that. The promises God made to the nation of Israel do not apply to us. That means, among other things, that the law of tithing does not apply in the Christian era. According to Paul, Christians are to give as they have been prospered (1 Cor. 16:1-2). The truth is: Tithing would be a burden on some poor people, but it could let others off without giving enough. A simple illustration may help us to understand that truth. Let us say, for example, that one man makes $20,000 per year and another makes $200,000. If the man who makes $20,000 gives ten percent of his income, he will have $18,000 left for his family. On the other hand, if the man who makes $200,000 gives ten percent, he will have $180,000 left. The man who makes $20,000 might have difficulty surviving, if he gives ten percent, especially if he has a wife and several children. The man who makes $200,000 would hardly miss the ten percent he gives. In one case, the ten percent would almost certainly be too much and in the other case too little.
If the doctrine preached by the health and wealth preachers is the true gospel, those preachers face some very serious problems. Those churches that preach the prosperity gospel obviously have some members who have prospered--especially the preachers--but they also have hundreds of thousands of members who live on the subsistence level. Does God mean for the preachers and a few others in those churches to prosper or does he mean for all of them to prosper? Millions of members of those churches are not prospering, at least, not financially. And yet, some of those churches are kept going by the contributions of their poorest members. Did you know that the average contribution to some of the television ministries is about $10? That means that millions of people on fixed income are the ones giving generously to those ministries. Some of the preachers in those ministries are like the pardoner in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” They mean to have big houses, fancy automobile, expensive airplanes and other signs of wealth, even if it means taking from the poorest lad and the poorest widow. The pardoner was not concerned about a string of starving children the widow might have. He wanted to have plenty of liquor and a wench (that is, a woman) in every town or as some sailors say, “A girl in every port.”
Some of the health and wealth preachers infer, if they do not actually teach, that poverty is a sign that people do not believe the promises of the gospel. If they were faithful to God almighty, these preachers teach, they would enjoy wealth. Their debts would all be wiped away. Have those preachers bothered to examine the life of Jesus Christ--the only person in all of history who perfectly obeyed the will of God? Do you remember these words from the very lips of Jesus Christ: “For I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29)? No health and wealth preacher would have the audacity to make such a statement about his own life. Those preachers know they are sinners, just like the rest of us. Yet they prosper and Jesus did not, that is, he did not prosper financially. How can those preachers explain that discrepancy?
There is no evidence Jesus Christ ever owned one foot of land, a house, a horse or other worldly possessions. Luke tells of a man who said to Jesus, “Lord, I will follow you whithersoever you go” (Lk 9:57). Did the man think Jesus might possibly become a powerful ruler or a very wealthy man? Did the man have any idea of the suffering that might accompany his following Jesus? Jesus responded to the man by saying, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (Lk. (9:58). Jesus Christ was apprising the man of the deprivations that lay ahead for him and for his followers. He wanted the man to know what he was getting himself into by committing his life to Jesus Christ.
If wealth inevitably accompanies total submission to the will of God, why was not Jesus the wealthiest man who ever lived? He should have had the finest home, the best chariots, the costliest array and all other signs of wealth. He had none of these. He was among the poorest of the poor, at least, from a standpoint of earthly wealth. But in heavenly goods, no one in the universe could compare with his wealth. He had absolute assurance of the Father’s approval. On more than one occasion, God the Father uttered words somewhat as follows: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 17:5). Could all the cattle on a thousand hills be worth so much?
Do you remember these words from Christianity’s greatest missionary: “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but your are strong; ye are honorable, and we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; and labor, working with our own hands: being persecuted, we suffer: being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day” (1 Cor. 4:10-13). If Paul’s faithfulness in the kingdom of our Lord had made him wealthy, he seems to have been totally unaware of it. The experiences of Christ and of Paul show conclusively that the so-called “health and wealth” gospel is no gospel at all. It is a false gospel. It is the very opposite of the true gospel. And you know what Paul said about preaching another gospel (Gal. 1:8-9).
My friends, the gospel provides for supporting preachers of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:1-15). Please listen to Paul’s conclusion about supporting preachers. “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). May God keep us preachers free from greed! May he help us to be faithful in all we do!
Winford Claiborne
The International Gospel Hour
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