Rich in God

The peace offering in the Law was not careless eating before God. Even at the table of fellowship, Israel was taught that life belongs to Him. Blood was withheld because life is His possession, not ours to seize. So from the beginning, communion with God required reverence, restraint, and a clean offering.

That same holiness appears in the psalm and in the Lord’s teaching. The wicked man trusts in abundance, sharpens his tongue for deceit, and imagines himself secure by mischief. But Christ uncovers what is hidden: hypocrisy, greed, and anxious hoarding alike will be brought into the light. A man may speak piously, store carefully, and yet be empty before God. “So is he that lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich in God.”

The fruitful olive tree is not planted in the house of God by words alone, but by steadfast mercy, truth, and fear of God. The tongue must be bridled; the hand must be opened. The one who would not consume blood must also refuse to feed on another man by slander, fraud, or hardness of heart. Therefore the Lord does not merely forbid greed; He commands almsgiving. “Sell, says He, your goods, and give alms. Luke 12:33 And again: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust do corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.”

Let us then honor God with what sustains life, with what leaves our lips, and with what rests in our barns. The man who trusts in riches withers; the one who fears God and does mercy is made living and fruitful in His house.