Job stated that he came to this world naked with nothing, and he knew that he would leave this world in the same fashion (Job 1:21). Job would have understood what Paul meant when he said, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Solomon spoke of the vanity of labouring one’s whole life just to leave the fruits of his labour to a fool (Ecclesiastes 2:17-21). This was not written to suggest that man should foolishly spend the wealth before leaving this world. It simply serves as a reminder that men should not foolishly amass their wealth for a day that may never come. One must do his part before death because he can carry nothing with him into death.
The Bible says that “The poor is hated even of his own neighbour” (Proverbs 14:20). In fact, his wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard (Ecclesiastes 9:16). His friends go far from him, and his brethren hate him (Proverbs 19:7). But this should not be the case amongst believers. Instead, believers should defend the poor (Psalm 82:3). They should open their ears to the cries of the poor (Proverbs 21:13) and deliver them in time of trouble (Psalm 41:1). Believers must realize that their treatment of the poor is directly related to their relationship with the Lord (Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 17:5). Even in the New Testament, Paul was admonished to “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10).
Gaining wealth (or riches) has allowed some people to increase their levels of comfort far beyond those who are financially disadvantaged. In one parable, the Lord spoke of a rich man whose ground brought forth plentifully (Luke 12:16). The rich man unfortunately came to trust in his abundance and decided to take his ease (Luke 12:19), but that night he died (Luke 12:20). Riches are not for ever (Proverbs 27:24) even if it is not death that robs a man of his riches. The Bible says for the living, riches “certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). Furthermore, we are told that those who trust in riches will fall (Proverbs 11:28). Perhaps this is why Paul told Timothy to instruct the rich to trust in the living God rather than their uncertain riches (1 Timothy 6:17).
The true riches and honour come only from the Lord (1 Chronicles 29:12). Only the Lord has the infallible wisdom to determine the riches each man can rightfully possess in order to bring God the greatest glory. The Lord warned His people that as their riches increased, they would be tempted to forget the origin of those riches: God. He told them to remember that it was He that gave them power to get wealth in the first place (Deuteronomy 8:18). Solomon stated that the ability of men to possess riches and partake of those riches was the gift of God. Unfortunately, as men’s riches increase, many men lose sight of these truths.
The Bible points out that the hypocrite has forgotten God (Job 8:13). Therefore, the hypocrite shows little to no concern for receiving the praise of God. His natural desire to please God has instead been replaced with a desire to receive praise and glory from other men. This desire affects everything the hypocrite does. He gives, in hopes that others will admire his generosity (Matthew 6:2-4). He prays, hoping someone will notice the eloquence with which he calls upon God (Matthew 6:5-8). He fasts, but not in hopes of moving the Lord; rather, he wants others to marvel at the dedication with which he has devoted himself to God (Matthew 6:16-18).
The hypocrite lives for the present by seeking his reward from the praise of man (Matthew 6:2). He finds his greatest joy only when men shower him with the praise he so desperately seeks. According to scripture, this joy is only temporary. As soon as the hypocrite does something to gain the praise of man, he becomes jealous as he sees others accomplish greater feats. When the hypocrite loses man’s attention and praise, he becomes distraught and seeks more aggressive ways to win men’s lost admiration. Only those ignorant of God’s ways would want to live such a horrible existence! This life yields no lasting peace or joy which is the very outcome offered by God for those who live for Him and love Him. For the hypocrite, nothing remains constant. His standard is always changing and bar ever raising while the faithful Christian joyfully seeks to please the never-changing God (Malachi 3:6).
The Bible-believing student rejects any notion of coincidences within scripture. He chooses rather to believe that every word of God was specifically chosen by the Lord to convey His intended message. In today’s passage, the Lord revealed the root of the hypocrite’s problems—he is likened to “all that forget God.” The hypocrite is a person who presents himself one way, when in reality, he is altogether something far different than the perception he imitates. For instance, he may fast to convey the message that he loves the Lord, but his spirituality is only a façade for men to see. He may pray, but does so to be heard by men. In the end, his greatest problem is that he has forgotten that the all-seeing, all-knowing God knows the difference between heartfelt actions and hypocrisy.
Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do and yields great benefits. For instance, consider what the Bible has to say about diligence. God’s word promises that diligence brings an increase of substance (Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 21:5) and promotion (Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 22:29). In other words, as the saying goes, hard work pays off. It is not difficult to prove that these benefits manifest themselves in the lives of God’s people who are diligent. Joseph and Daniel are two great examples of those who were diligent and their diligence brought them obvious promotion. Abraham and Job are great examples of diligent men who experienced a great increase of substance. A word of caution might be appropriate here. Men are not to be diligent merely for the sake of reaping its inherent benefits, but should be diligent for the sake of the One who called them to be diligent.
Sometimes a Bible word is best defined by first establishing what the word does not mean. Biblical diligence is such a case in point. A diligent man is one who is not slothful or lazy according to Proverbs 12:24. Proverbs 10:4 bears witness to this fact by contrasting the diligent with those who are slack or careless. According to Proverbs 13:4, a diligent man is not a sluggard. Yet, the Bible also points out that the diligent are to be properly balanced by not hastily rushing through work (Proverbs 21:5). Each of these truths concerning diligence reveals that diligence involves working hard, but with great care and concern. In a world filled with those who choose either quantity or quality of work, God counsels His children to be concerned with both. This is diligence!
