What if I told you that the golden calf Israel worshipped in the wilderness is still being worshipped today? Truly as the scripture says nothing is new under sun, and the devil is still using the same tricks to deceive the sons of God. To go into detail, I will take you all the way back to 1491 BC when Moses went up the mountain to commune with the one true God on mount Sinai.
In this theophany where God is so close to Moses and the Israelites, the Israelites still found a way to worship a false god, mammon, the god of money who isn’t there despite the creator of the universe dwelling right above them in the shekinah. A great sin which as we will see is repeated over and over again throughout history and even in the Christendom where you offer money so that God will bless you.
Just as in the beginning with the golden calf is repeated early on the New Testament where Simon the magician offered money to receive the miracle working power of God. That fool, he thinks he can buy over the god of the universe with some gold in his pocket when he has planets made of diamonds fashioned from nothing but his words. He speaks then it is so. Seriously we cannot be this foolish, but we are and have committed this same sin over and over again from pagans to the priests we all have strayed away because of the love of money.
God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel
For example, before the reformation and the counsel of Trent the Catholic Church was selling indulgences for favor from God. As we can see the continuous human sin of give some money and God will bless has been made manifest in the Catholic mother of all churches, but if you think I’m just going to come after the Catholics past sins, I’m going to attack the Protestants present sins as a neutral Christian observer as well.
Currently because of the love of money, certain pastors have preached a false gospel called the prosperity gospel where they rob the needy to fill their greedy pockets. They have taken their position of power as fake shepherds and told their flocks give your last dollar to me and God will bless you, but woe to them for they will receive their reward in full when they meet the Just and Powerful God who they have profaned among the nations.
As you can see by my ample examples of the sin of the golden calf, we have committed the same sin against God over and over again as Christian’s. And nowhere is the sin of the golden calf greater than the pagan place where the worlds rich worship their god money than at Wall Street. The sin of give your money to make more money to satisfy the never-ending greed and insatiable appetite of people who have lacked nothing and been found wanting. There’s a quote I like from Bob Marley that I think is wise and it says, “Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.” I think this simple quote explains much of the folly of the love of money in mankind’s heart today in the past and why money shouldn’t be our goal in life, but rather the service and obedience to Christ and what he commands.
What Does the Bible Say About Giving to the Needy
At the end of the day, we need money to survive in this world, but “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (1 John 3:17)
This simply shows we cannot ignore the poor and the needy because Christ commands us to, but not only in 1 John but also in places like Matthew 25, and James 4:17. Which literally says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” So, I encourage you if you have money and you see someone on the street without a shirt give them a shirt. If they need a drink give them a drink. If they need food give them food because in doing so you glorify Christ and help soften other sinners’ hearts in the process. I will leave you off with the scripture of Matthew 25:37-46 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”