Money in the Bible: Understanding God’s Perspective on Wealth
The Bible presents a complex and nuanced view on money, which evolves from the Old Testament’s focus on material wealth as a sign of blessing to the New Testament’s emphasis on its spiritual dangers. Rather than being inherently good or evil, money is consistently portrayed as a tool that reveals a person’s true loyalties and character.
Types of Currency
In the Old Testament, money was primarily measured by weight rather than by coins. Metals like silver and gold were the main mediums of exchange. For example, Abraham bought a burial plot with 400 shekels of silver.
- Shekel: Originally a unit of weight, the shekel was a standard measure for precious metals. A shekel of silver was a common form of payment.
- Talent: A much larger unit of weight, a talent could be worth a significant amount of silver or gold. It was not a coin but a measure of wealth used for large transactions or accounting.
The use of coins became more widespread during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, which is reflected in the New Testament.
- Tyrian Shekel (or Stater): This was the specific coin required for the annual temple tax due to its high purity of silver. The biblical account in Matthew 17:24-27 tells of Jesus and Peter paying the tax using a coin found in a fish’s mouth. The coin, a stater, was valued at two shekels, enough to pay for both of them.
- Denarius: A Roman silver coin, often called a “penny” in the King James Version. It was a common day’s wage for a laborer.
- Drachma: A Greek silver coin with a value similar to the denarius.
- Lepton (or “mite”): The smallest and least valuable coin, often a copper piece.
Key Biblical Principles
The Bible doesn’t condemn money itself, but it does lay out clear principles for how people should view and use it.
- Stewardship: The overarching principle is that God owns everything and humans are simply managers, or stewards, of the resources He provides. Our responsibility is to use these resources wisely and for His purposes. The Parable of the Talents illustrates this by showing a master entrusts his wealth to his servants, and the wise ones invest and grow it, while the foolish one buries it.
- Attitude: Scripture repeatedly warns against the love of money, which is called “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). This attitude can lead to greed, dishonesty, and a misplaced sense of security.
- Generosity: The Bible emphasizes the importance of using wealth to help the poor and needy. Proverbs 19:17 states, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
- Contentment: Jesus taught that you cannot serve both God and mammon (an Aramaic word for money or wealth personified as an idol). He warns against the pursuit of wealth, encouraging contentment with what you have and trust in God’s provision.
- Diligence: The Bible encourages hard work and diligence in our labor. It teaches that wealth is often a result of discipline and wise planning, not just a spontaneous blessing.
Key Stories & Teachings
Many biblical narratives serve as cautionary tales or lessons on the role of money.
- The Rich Young Ruler: In this story, a man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor, the man goes away sad, proving his love for wealth was greater than his desire to follow Jesus. This shows the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God when one’s trust is in riches.
- The Widow’s Mite: Jesus observes a poor widow giving two small coins to the temple treasury. He praises her, saying she has given more than all the rich people, because they gave out of their surplus, but she gave out of her poverty. This teaches that God values the heart and sacrifice behind a gift, not just the amount.
- Jesus Clears the Temple: Jesus drives out the money changers and merchants from the temple courts, accusing them of turning a house of prayer into a “den of robbers.” This action was a protest against the exploitation of the poor and a stand against the commercialization of worship.