Avoiding the Path of Greed

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“How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it” (Proverbs 1:17-19 ).

Here author of Proverbs 1 is warning us as readers about the consequences awaiting people who try to gain wealth and possessions through immoral ways (e.g. theft or violence), particularly those who harms others in the process. 

The translation of the text used above comes from the New International Version and its focus is clearly on what the end result will be for those who consciously attempt to waylay others, to steal from and do violence towards others. This is an accurate translation, however it is not very relevant to those of us who have never set out to waylay and ambush someone. Don’t be fooled however into thinking that this verse doesn’t apply to us!

The King James Version of the bible also tells of the nasty end in store for those who take this path. However its translation is not so restrictive in terms of the people the verse is applicable to:

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof (Proverbs 1:19). 

This second translation makes the verse more relevant to all its readers. It goes beyond applying the verse just to those of us who have actively pursued a path of negative behaviour. It phrasing suggests that this scripture also applies to any of us who have ever found ourselves challenged to pursue something simply for the want of more. More money, more pleasure, more power, in fact anything that represents more gain for us as an individual, or perhaps even for a group we are part of.

Some will argue that this is taking the verse out of context of the rest of the passage. This is not the case though. The purpose of the first chapter of this biblical book is to both introduce the book of Proverbs to the reader and to define the differences between the paths of those who will become wise and those who will become foolish. Hence the passage starts with, “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning about wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:1-2). This purpose is targeted at all us, not just any of us that might be at risk of becoming murderous thugs!

The starting point of both the path to wisdom and the path to foolishness is exactly the same at the start of the passage. Both are pictured as a child of the author of the proverb. That child is faced with a simple choice, to which the writers has advice on how to respond. “My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Proverbs 1:10).

What is it that entices us to choose the path that eventually leads to foolishness? Well it seems that for many the path of the fool starts out with the desire to have more, to get something greater than they currently have. “Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain” (Proverbs 1:19). This could be something that either is more than we need, is not good for us, or something that simply does not belong to us in the first place.

There is not one specific point where we encounter a fork in the road with one track leading to foolishness, instead there are many intersections along the path where we can potentially choose to step off the path of wisdom following the impulse of greed. Whichever way we come to it choosing the path of greed means leaving the path to wisdom, although it may not be clear at the time that we are doing this. So how do we identify when we are about to walk off the path of wisdom and onto the path of greed?

Staying on the path of wisdom is not a matter of choosing the safest path, as many of those called to the mission field can attest to. It is also not a matter of choosing the less wealthy path, as many of those who fund the work of the Lord around the world can attest to. Instead it is about recognising our motivations, in particular recognising when we are being driven by greed, rather than by the written Word of God and his Holy Spirit.

So what is greed? Greed is the motivation to get more for ourselves, or for our own group. It very often involves the getting of more at the detriment of others, but does not always, and even when it does when we are being greedy we may not be aware of the harm to others because of our being so focused on ourselves. Greed is very focused on self, but it may be driven by lack, or even just a fear of lacking, worrying about not having what we need. It is also just as likely to driven by a desire to be seen as successful, or a desire to provide for loved ones. Whatever the case, or the desire, it seems apparent that greed involves a lack of trust in God, the world, and in organisations or people.

It can be hard for us to identify when we are being greedy. Often our greed is hidden behind more acceptable motivations such as the need to provide for our family, the need to make money so we can spend more time serving God. At the end of the day though greed can be identified if we take the time to do so. Greed is identified by the fact that our need to gain has begun to consume our time, our thoughts, our actions, our sleep and ultimately our health.  In its most extreme form it becomes our number one obsession.

How do we avoid getting lost in the interconnecting pathways of wisdom and foolishness? After all often when we follow the prompting of greed to walk down a path, we do so because the path looks so easy to travel, so wide that we reason God must have put the path there specifically for us. Only later do we realise our mistake. The author gives us a clue to how to avoiding greed in verse 16 of the same chapter:

“…for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood” (Proverbs 1:16).

There is the sense here that those who are led by greed or, perhaps more accurately are ultimately overtaken by greed, are those who have rushed ahead. Those who didn’t think the options through carefully and, most importantly, didn’t take the time to search out God and his wisdom.

The process of finding wisdom along life’s interconnecting paths the intersections at which foolishness attempts to merge into wisdom, takes time. It takes careful searching as the next chapter of Proverbs goes on to illustrate:

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding – indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5).

It is encouraging to know that God is not only prepared, but desires to assist us on the journey towards wisdom. He has the ultimate destination ready for those who are making their way towards it and he actively seeks to give direction to those who need it.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones” (Proverbs 2:6-8).

In fact it is this searching for God, this desire to connect to him, and to walk in his wisdom, that allows us to be open to his Word and the leading of his Holy Spirit and in the process receive understanding. Understanding that will allow us to avoid the temptations of greed and the paths of foolishness.

“Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path” (Proverbs 2:9)