The Signs of the Times, vol. 13

“Notes on the International Lesson. Trust in Our Heavenly Father. Matthew 6:24-34” The Signs of the Times 13, 32, pp. 506, 507.

“YE cannot serve God and mammon.” “Mammon is a Syriac word meaning riches. It is riches personified.” The meaning therefore is, “Ye cannot serve God and riches.” Ye cannot trust in God and trust in riches. Yet, although the word is so abundant, so strong, and so explicit on this subject, there are many who do attempt to serve God and riches both, and multitudes more who serve, and trust in, riches alone. There are multitudes who rejoice because their wealth is great and because their hand has gathered much. There are multitudes more who grieve because their wealth is not great, and because their hand has not gotten much, and so make gold their aim, their hope, and their confidence. The trust is in riches and not in God. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.1

BUT God’s charge to one class of these, those who are rich, is this: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.2

TO the other class God says: “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:9, 10. But to all who would fear God he says: “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.” For “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” 1 Timothy 6:11, 12; Mark 10:25. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.3

BUT says everyone on his own behalf, “I do not trust in riches.” Try yourself and see. Apply to yourself the test that Jesus put upon the young man, and see whether you love God or your riches most. “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest; go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” If that were demanded of you personally to-day by the Master, how would you stand the test? Would you stand it any better than the young man did? If not, then is your trust in God or in your wealth? Luke says that when that young man heard this, “he was very sorrowful; for he was very rich.” Notice, his sorrow seems to have been graduated on the scale of his riches. He was very sorrowful, because he was very rich. Perhaps if he had simply been rich, he would only have been sorrowful, yet even in that case his trust in his riches would have denied the God who is above. While had he been poor, as Matthew the publican, or as the fishermen who plied their nets on the waters of Galilee, he doubtless would have been glad of the call of the Saviour, and would have followed instantly. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.4

THE Saviour gave us a parable on this very subject (Luke 12:15-21) when he told of that rich man whose ground brought forth plentifully, and he had no room to bestow his fruits and goods; and he said he would pull down his barns and build greater, and there bestow his goods, and then would say to himself, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” What was it that God said to him? “Thou fool.” What is it the fool says? “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Exactly. This man was saying, in effect, that there is not God. He was trusting in his riches, and denying the God that is above. “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Therefore, “take heed and beware of covetousness,” for “covetousness is idolatry,” and “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.5

NOR yet do we want to run to the other extreme and unmeasuredly denounce riches, and money, and whatever bears any semblance to means. It is not in money that the evil lies. Human society cannot exist without money of some sort. There must be some circulating medium. It may be silver or gold, paper or leather, brass or copper, with some device stamped upon it. But whatever it is, it is money; and in the place where it is used, he who has the most of it will be the richest. Money is not the root of all evil. Of itself it is not an evil at all. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. It is not a sin to have money; it is a sin to love it. It is not a sin even to have much; it is a sin to love, or to trust in what we have, whether it be little or much. It is not the rich alone who fall into temptation and a snare, and into foolish and hurtful lusts; but it is “they that will be rich”—they who all the time have their aim at being rich, who have their eyes on that, and who tend all their efforts toward that, who lie awake nights scheming for it, who spend their lives to attain the unattainable; for “he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase.” SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.6

IT is not a sin to be rich. Abraham, the friend of God, “was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” Genesis 13:2. Job likewise was one of the richest men of his day. Yet neither of these holy men trusted in their riches, nor rejoiced because their wealth was great. They trusted in the living God, and remembered that it was he who gave them power to get wealth. Read in the thirty-first chapter of Job, how he looked upon his wealth—always as only a means of blessing the poor, the needy, the fatherless, and the widow. The sin is not in being rich; it is in trusting in it, putting confidence in it, rejoicing in it, and being proud of it, and highminded because of it. That is to deny the God that is above. “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God,” “and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:11, 17, 18. Trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God, holding all subject to his call, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. For thou shalt love no other god but him, and him with all the heart, and all the soul, with all the mind, and with all the strength. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.7

YET why is it that men will not trust in the Lord entirely and always? Why is it that people will go on in anxious care about what they shall eat or what they shall drink, or wherewithal they shall be clothed? It is because they have not faith in the heavenly Father. But why is it that they have no faith in him? Is it because he has given no assurances of his faithfulness? Oh, no; for what greater assurances could he give? Here is his word by Peter, chosen for the golden text of this lesson, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” He wants no one burdened with care. He wants all to cast all their care upon him and let him do all the caring, while we dwell safely under the shadow of his wings rejoicing. Here is another consideration presented by Paul, and it is one of the strongest encouragements to faith in all the Book. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.” Notice the question is not, “How shall he freely give us all things?” but, “How shall he not?” The argument is, that if in his great love for us, he would freely give up his dear Son, how shall he not with him freely give us everything else. But more than this: It was while we were yet enemies that God gave his Son to die for us, and those who will obey him he calls his friends. Now if he would give up his own dear Son to die for his enemies, how shall he not with him freely give all things to his friends?—how can he keep from doing it? Oh, that men would trust the Lord and praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men! SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.8

IT seems that the Lord has done his very best—he has exhausted the language and every other resource—in his effort to convey to men the idea of his love and care for them; so that by the prophet he exclaims, “What more could have been done that I have not done?” Here he gives a lesson from “the fowls of the air,” Luke says “the ravens.” “Your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” And if he so feed thenm, will he not much more feed you, who are “much better than they”? Next he cites the lilies of the field, which he clothes so gorgeously that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of them. But if he “so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith.” If he so care for the grass of the field, which is but for a day, shall he not much more care for you whom he has made for eternity if you will but have it? SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.9

IN another place the Saviour brings up this point again, and tries to convey to his people the deep care that he has for them. In Matthew 10:29, he says: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.... Fear ye not, therefore ye are more value than many sparrows.” Two sparrows for a farthing. Four farthings make one penny, English money, and one penny English money equals two cents of our money. As therefore four farthings make two cents, one farthing would be one-fourth of two cents, which is one-half a cent. But two sparrows were sold for a half a cent, therefore one sparrow would be worth but a half of a half a cent, which would be but a quarter of a cent. It seems that this was the highest price too, if they took more they would get them for less, for Luke says five sparrows were sold for two farthings; so the phrase would be “two for a farthing or five for two.” Now the lesson conveyed in this is that, As one sparrow, worth but a quarter of a cent, shall not fall on the ground without our heavenly Father, so, likewise, nothing shall befall a child of God, even to the value of a quarter of a cent, without our heavenly Father. The care of our heavenly Father for his children, extends even to things as small and of as little consequence as the value of a quarter of a cent. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.1

NOR does even this express the extent of our heavenly Father’s care for us; for immediately the Saviour says, “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” And being given in this connection it shows that the care of our heavenly Father for us extends lower yet than to things of the value of a quarter of a cent. It extends even to things of the value of a hair of our heads. And he means to tell us that nothing even to the value of a hair, shall befall the child of God without the care of our heavenly Father. He means to tell us that our heavenly Father’s care for us is greater than can possibly be our care for ourselves. Then why should we not trust him rather than ourselves, or riches, or anything, or anybody else? His care for us is so great, why not let the care be his, as it is his, and we trust him wholly, and so trusting rest in the peace which passeth all understanding? It is only thus that that promise can ever be realized, because this is the basis upon which the promise rests. See: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.2

NOW yet do these lessons express the abundance of the far-reaching care of our heavenly Father for the children of men. For he “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20. The only power that can possibly work in us, to connect us at all to God, is the power of faith. Therefore as his care is so great in all these directions, how much more exceeding abundantly will it be towards you, O ye of much faith. “Lord, increase our faith.” Trust in the Lord and do good, and verily thou shalt be fed. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is the rock of ages.” Isaiah 26:3, 4, margin. SITI August 18, 1887, page 506.3