Directing The World With Money Alone Is An Eternal Loss

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. –Psalm 19:9-11

I mentioned in a previous post that in this context, the phrase the fear of the LORD probably refers to the body of knowledge revealed in the Bible. This body of knowledge is clean, unmixed, and will endure for eternity.

We move next to the things called rules. These rules are described as true and righteous. They give both warning and reward. These rules are said to be of greater value than gold. And sweeter to the taste buds then anything creation can produce. Such are the ways the rules of God are described.

Gold has a very high value. Its value has lessened of course the more money our government prints; but nevertheless, it has high value. With gold, I can purchase the things I want, get others to do things I need done, and essentially direct the world in the way which seems best to me. There is no greater object of physical value than gold.

Our memory verse tells us that the rules of God are valued greater than gold. And in case we don’t believe that’s the case, it also reminds us they are true and righteous altogether. But how can rules be of higher value than gold?

Rules and gold are in two different categories. Gold is a physical object, whereas rules are ideas and concepts. Gold is the greatest physical object of value, and God’s rules are the greatest ideas and concepts. These two things work together to produce the pinnacle of value.

When a person has lots of money, they can move the world in the ways I mentioned three paragraphs up. They can not however move creation in the way God desires the world to be moved without the right concepts and ideas behind the person wielding the gold. So in the end, the person with lots of money gains the whole world, yet looses his soul in the process.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭36-37‬ ESV)