Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. Leviticus 25:18-19
A couple years ago, one of the guys sitting in jail explained the math of his life. He said he could make $15 an hour working at McDonalds, or he could make $1,500 in a few hours selling drugs. To him, it simply made much more financial sense to sell drugs. Selling drugs unfortunately, landed him in jail, where, if he was on his best behavior, he might be able to get a job doing laundry, making $26 a week. He knew that when he got out, he was going to face a difficult decision. He could go get an honest job at McDonalds or he could go back to the high profit and high risk of selling drugs. He hated jail, but he liked money. Sitting in Bible Study, he said he wanted to follow God and do right, but he didn’t want to be poor. Deep down, his question was this? What does God pay? Will following God make me rich?
Today’s passage, and many others like it, would seem to say so. In it, God promised his people that if they obeyed him, they would experience security and success. You could say that this promise was given at a specific time to a specific people and that it doesn’t apply to us, but this passage, and many others, promise a reward to those who follow God. The Bible teaches that it is God’s nature to reward those who follow him.
What does this mean for our drug dealer, sitting in jail? If he follows God and quits the drug-dealing life, will God replace his $1,500/day salary? What does it mean for us? If we’re obedient to God, can we expect material and financial success?
There’s no quick answer, but there are some lessons we can take away from such passages. First, these passages are principles of how the world works, not individual promises. In general, if I use drugs, I’ll probably struggle financially. If I get sober and stop self-destructing, I can generally expect less financial hardship. If I deal drugs, I’m probably going to end up in jail where I might make $26/week. In comparison, $15/hour at McDonalds is far more successful. Does this mean that God will give everyone who follows him a six-figure salary? Probably not.
Second, these are conditional passages. If we follow God, then we may receive his blessing. If we’re simply trying to use God to get rich, then we prove that we’re still following ourselves. Simply sprinkling God’s name on our lives isn’t a magical formula for financial success. Following God means abandoning ourselves to seek his will. To those who truly follow him, he promises reward.
And finally, to understand God’s promises, we’ll have to redefine success and reward. Some of the most obedient Christians in the Bible met with terrible deaths. Paul, who was likely beheaded for his faith, said this – Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8). Paul understood what we must understand. Only in knowing God, do we find authentic life, joy, and peace, no matter our circumstances. If our goal is worldly riches, we’re missing the point. Knowing God is the path to the new life, which has nothing to do with money or stuff. If we follow God, we will experience a blessed new life, but it will likely look like nothing we imagined.