Proverbs 11:24
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There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
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If you want a wealth building secret, from the LORD and Solomon, here it is. Throwing money to noble causes will bring prosperity, but holding it back will take you down. Here is advice, not to invest money, but to give it away! That's right; give it away!
Our proverb is not a sound bite for a desperate charity, but an axiom of wisdom. He tells us elsewhere to cast our bread upon the waters by giving it away, for it will come back sometime in the future by God's blessings (Eccl 11:1-6; II Cor 9:8-11; Phil 4:17-19).
Solomon compares two men in this proverb. The one man scatters his money by giving it to godly causes, and he increases in financial prosperity. The other man hoards and protects his assets by not giving when he should, and he keeps getting poorer and poorer.
Fools scorn God's wisdom. The nation's best MBAs laugh at such preposterous ideas. How can you give away funds and increase assets? They are limited to simple addition and subtraction taught by early teachers. Remember, these ignorant MBAs also think the solar system is from a big bang of cosmic gases and their mothers came from monkeys!
They think 10-1=9, when 10-1=900! Learn God's math! Isaac, from a family that gave away a tenth, had an annual return of 10,000% on his portfolio (Gen 26:12)! When did these little fools with thick economic textbooks ever get an annual return like that!
Abraham, Isaac's father, who gave away a tenth of everything to God's priest (Gen 14:20), was very rich, in spite of moving six hundred miles from home, without a strategic plan, to a strange land, where he didn't know anyone or anything (Gen 13:2,6)!
Jacob, Isaac's son, moved to a new country with only a stick, but in 20 years he was so rich he could only travel in two companies (Gen 32:10). What was his great secret for financial success? Give away 10% of all income (Gen 28:22). Give God the glory!
Fools think they have to look out for number one, themselves, and only give to God a little of what is left. If nothing is left, then God gets nothing. Wise men also look out for number one, God Himself. They give to God first, and live on whatever is left. Amen!
Fools reason, "I cannot afford to give. I have to protect my poor financial situation. I have bills coming up that I need to save for. When I get in a better situation I will give." Fool! The God of heaven operates far above your ignorant and wicked ideas of financial safety. Fool! You are going to poverty. You will never improve violating this proverb. Just a little survey will show such men are always the poorest you know.
You cannot afford not to give! Your situation will go from bad to worse, if you continue to selfishly rob your Creator and Lord (Gal 6:7). It is better to live on 90% of your income in the will of God than to miserly steal His 10% and live in rebellion!
You can afford to give. If your salary were cut 10%, you would go right on living with just a few changes. And our wonderful government will split your giving with you by allowing you a deduction! It truly only costs you about 6%. You steal and lie, when you say you cannot afford to give! Humble yourself, and choose wisdom and increase!
And 10% is only for babes, for New Testament blessings surely deserve more than the beggarly 10% of the Old! Are not your spiritual and material blessings greater than Israel even dreamed? [When we look closer, the Old Testament actually required 23 1/3%.]
Fools also reason, "Other men give because they have more to give. Their giving did not bring financial success, but they give because they are financially successful." Fool! You lie to yourself to protect your selfish and stingy soul. You reject the infallible word of God to honor your greedy ignorance. You will never be a success. Going down?
Israel once thought it was financially wise to build their own houses first, but God blew against their efforts and put holes in the bags where they kept their wages (Hag 1:1-11). He guaranteed them great success, if they would put His cause first (Hag 2:13-19). Do you have holes in your bags, reader? You cannot mock God; He will take you to poverty. Does God really bless giving? Indeed, He does (3:9-10). See the comments on 3:10.
How can the Lord increase a man who gives his money away? He can raise his income, lower his expenses, change tax laws, arrange gifts, grant favors, defer liabilities, extend the life of assets, preserve health and strength, open doors of opportunity, multiply efforts, provide bargains, give wisdom, attract customers, and many other things. Glory!
How far does this rule go? God dares you to out give Him! He told Israel He would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing they could not receive, if they would simply bring their tithes and offerings to Him (Mal 3:7-12). Give God the glory! He can give a good measure, press it down, shake it together, and run it over the top (Luke 6:38)! He dares you, reader. The God of heaven dares you to out give Him. And I dare you!
There are two conditions for God's rich blessings on giving - you must give generously, and you must give cheerfully (11:25; II Cor 9:6-7). If you are stingy, God will be stingy to you. If you are generous and liberal, He will be the same in His dealings with you. If you are not cheerful and excited about giving, it is all a waste - for God loves cheerful givers. Giving is an act of worship, and you must do it with joy (Deut 28:47).
If you are a child of God living in America, you have the greatest combination of blessings ever known by any persons in this world. How can you not be the most liberal giver of all time? You are in great debt to your Creator and Saviour for more than others.
R.G. LeTourneau (1888-1969), a Christian man with little education, was one of our nation's greatest inventors with 300 patents in earthmoving and other heavy equipment. He and his plants produced 70% of the heavy earthmoving machines used by the Allies during World War II. His rule for success? He gave 90% of all income back to the Lord. His favorite verse? Matthew 6:33. His philosophy and experience about giving? "I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back to me-but God has a bigger shovel."
If you meet a poor person in true need and give to him, the Lord of heaven will repay you (19:17; Deut 15:10-11; Ps 41:1-2). But if you keep your money and assets to protect your financial situation, the Lord of heaven will curse you with many curses (28:27).
Giving to the man of God, who teaches you the word of God, is not just a religious tradition or convenient suggestion; it is the ordinance of God (I Cor 9:1-14; Gal 6:6; I Tim 5:17). It ought to be a high pleasure to reward your servant and to please God!
If you have grandparents, parents, uncles, or aunts in need, you are worse than an infidel and have denied the faith of Christ, if you do not support them financially (I Tim 5:4,8). If you are a grandparent or parent with children, you should be giving them an inheritance (Prov 13:22; II Cor 12:14). Are you holding back for yourself, Scrooge, like the Pharisees in Jesus' day (Mark 7:9-13)? You're going down!
Have you wished you could walk on water with Peter? Here is your opportunity. Peter had to step over the gunwale of his boat and down on the water by faith, and you get to scatter your money by faith. Go for it; and don't look at the waves! The promise of this proverb and the other verses we have considered are as the Lord saying to Peter, "Come."
Do you believe the Bible? Do you tell others you believe the Bible? Then believe it! Give away part of what you have. Do it. Show God and men your faith. Test the proverb. See if you increase. Let God be true, but every man a liar. The proverb is true.
The benefits of a golden parachute keep coming. Generous and cheerful giving provides a good foundation for your soul in the Day of Judgment (I Tim 6:17-19; Matt 10:42; 25:40; Luke 4:14; Heb 6:10). What more do you need, reader, to learn to give?
Giving reflects the grace of God in our hearts and draws us closer to Him. But no matter how far we progress in the grace of giving, Jesus Christ remains the unmatchable Giver. It was He who left the wealth of heaven to make the supreme sacrifice to deliver us from eternal poverty and grant us eternal riches (John 3:16; Rom 6:23; II Cor 9:15).
No business school in America teaches this law of economics. Not Harvard. Not Stanford. Not the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Giving away financial assets will increase net worth, while saving money will lead you to poverty.
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