Materialism

Achan's lust for money and possessions brought death to himself, his family and dozens of men in battle.  the prophet Balaam cursed God's people in return for Balak's payment.  Delilah betrayed Samson to the Philistines for a fee. Solomon's lust for more and more wealth led him to disobey flagrantly God's prohibitions against accumulating large quantities of horsed, gold, silver and wives.  To gain wealth, Gehazi lied to Naaman and then to Elisha, for which he was afflicted with leprosy.  In the ultimate act of treachery, Judas asked the chief priests the cost of betraying Jesus - thirty pieces of silver for the Son of God.

In the midst of God's powerful work right after the Church was born, Ananias and Sapphira withheld money they said was given to the Lord and were struck dead for it.  It's no accident that this happened so early in Church history and that God acted in such a powerful and memorable way.  It was if He was saying, "The Church will not be immune to materialism, greed and deceit, but I will bring strong judgement on those who poison my Church with them."  The subsequent story of Simon Magus sends the same message.

Jesus Christ sounded a sober warning against materialism in any form and in any age --

“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15

Greed isn't a harmless pastime but a serious offence against God.  As one who lusts is an adulterer and one who hates is a murderer, so one who is greedy is an idolater.  Greed is money worship, a violation of the first and most fundamental commandment --

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
“You must not have any other god but me. - Exodus 20:2-3

The eighth commandment is a prohibition against stealing, another product of greed, and the tenth commandment is a warning against covetousness.

Greed is considered the source of almost every destructive force imaginable, including war.  The lust for money and possessions is considered the root of a thousand social evils, the most basic of which is apostasy, running away from the true God.







David Platt & John Piper - Materialism of our hearts
Children & Materialism

materialism