Roundtable Discussion
And why God judges nations for it…
Background reading/listening: Systemic Greed
Biblical Definition of Greed
Did you know that Sodom’s greatest sin wasn’t necessarily homosexuality?
The sins of Sodom according to Ezekiel 16 were:
- Haughtiness
- Pride
- Accumulating material wealth
- Not helping the poor
- Idleness – taking one’s ease
All five of which are really an expanded definition of Greed.
Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had arrogance, were overfed, unconcerned, and had an abundance of idleness; neither did help the poor and needy. And they were haughty and did detestable things before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit
Ezekiel 16:49-50
My friend Allan Parker, who argues human rights cases before the US Supreme Court, teaches the following wherever he goes:
Allan Parker, President, The Justice Foundation
According to the bible, four sins bring national destruction:
- Forsaking God;
- Shedding Innocent Blood;
- Sexual Immorality; and
- Greed
Culture’s Definition of Greed
We often have a certain notion of what greed means. We usually narrow it down to those dastardly characters in movies or fiction that represent a handful or small minority of people. Certainly we are not like them! And certainly our whole society isn’t like that!
Mr. Potter
Mr. Monopoly
Gordon Gekko
Yet, what are the parallels to today’s society and culture compared with Sodom and Gommorrah?
In the last days… men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power… always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth
2 Timothy 3:1-8
Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah
1 Jude 11
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality
Revelation 3:12-14
Greed has a close affiliation and is part of another spirit – Mammon. And another sister spirit is Fear. A third is envy. When these forces get wrapped around the unholy desire for money, we need to watch out. Whenever we have an unnatural desire for money for anything – survival, food, luxury, pleasure – literally anything. When we listen to animated voices whispering – you need to get after some more income, those bills are coming due!
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money
Matthew 6:24
The opposite spirit to greed is contentment with what God provides.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world
1 Timothy 6:6–7
Mentioned on the podcast…
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God
Luke 12:16-21
Mully Movie (post and podcast)
10 Days Contentment Devotional
Redeeming the Time – Chuck Pierce (book)
newbreed.co 