This morning at the local diner I overheard a group of men talking about buying gold and silver. However, as a Christian, I try to ensure that everything I buy is biblically wise and honoring to God.
Therefore, rather than listening to the musings of some old men sitting around a restaurant table, I want to know what the Bible has to say about gold.
Gold and its Deeper Meaning in Scripture:
For thousands of years, gold has been the benchmark for measuring a person’s worth. According to the Bible in 1 Kings 10, Solomon was the wealthiest man on the planet collecting approximately 25 tons of gold annually.
In today’s market, an ounce of gold is valued at just over $1,800, which means that Solomon was collecting the equivalent of over one billion US dollars every year! He was so wealthy that “all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold” (1 Kings 10:21).
His throne and the platform leading up to it were also overlaid with ivory and gold plating (1 Kings 10:19-20). When Solomon constructed God’s temple in Jerusalem all of the articles and furnishings for worship were to be overlaid in pure gold so that the entire structure of the inner sanctuary blazed in brilliance from all of the bullion (1 Kings 6:19-22).
However, Solomon who by all biblical accounts was the richest man of the ancient world, suggested that there is another commodity of greater value than gold. When writing his book of advice known as Proverbs, he urged his son to invest in something other than gold bars or nuggets.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:13-15, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” Again, in Proverbs 16:16, Solomon observes, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!”
The Bible offers the same advice in the Book of Job where it claims that godly wisdom is more valuable than any other thing. Job 28:15-19 declares, “It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.”
Thus, according to the Bible, godly wisdom is more valuable than all the gold in the world. The Psalmist also proclaims in Psalm 19:9-11, “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
In Psalm 119 he writes, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold…. Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold” (Psalm 119:72, 127).
Job confesses, “If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained….then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high” (Job 31:24-25, 28).
Therefore, I encourage you to invest in godly wisdom. Stockpile the knowledge of the Bible in your mind and heart, for it will be the greatest thing you can ever buy.
For centuries after Solomon, the value of gold was the standard by which all other currencies in the world were calculated. This gold standard set the bar for what everything else was worth; and it is the reason the phrase “gold standard” is now used to describe the best or highest quality of goods and services. Therefore, it should not surprise us to read once again from Solomon that, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1). Personal integrity and a good reputation (a good name) – these are the things worth more than gold. There are many who scoff at the Bible, but the truth is that the Word of God is filled with words of wisdom about how to live a great life, not just in worldly wealth, but in the assets that really matter like joy, peace, faith, hope, and love. If you will pour yourself into pursuing these riches, your wealth will overflow abundantly.
Job 28 ends by saying, “And He (God) said to the human race, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). To fear the Lord simply means to honor Him and to respect the wisdom of His Word. The Bible is the gold standard of great living. Inversely, you cannot afford the cost of sin. Though its luster of pleasure may entice you, the dividends are deadly.
Psalm 49:8-9 in the Living Bible declares, “For a soul is far too precious to be ransomed by mere earthly wealth. There is not enough of it in all the earth to buy eternal life for just one soul, to keep it out of hell.” So, I urge you to pursue God and seek His wisdom first before you look upto worldly wealth. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first (God’s) kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Dr. Richard Sams is a top Biblical and Religious educator, who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree (Evangelism and Church Growth emphasis) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He has two masters’ degrees (Master of Divinity and Master of the Arts of Religion) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg and also serves on the Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board of Liberty University. Moreover, Richard Sams has been serving as a pastor (Pastoral Ministry) at Calhoun Baptist Church in Calhoun, KY, from the past Nineteen years. He loves practically imparting biblical truths to the next generation, while occasionally conduct spiritual challenges on his facebook page facebook.com/MakeItCountChallenge