The Bible talks about money more than almost any other topic, over 2,350 verses! Proverbs is no exception. There are many wise lessons about handling money to be gleaned from Proverbs that are applicable to adults and kids. I’m sure you’ve taught some to your homeschoolers already!
Have you ever noticed how the Book of Proverbs begins?
Verses 1-7 serve as an introduction to the book, outlining the purpose and then in verse 8 Solomon jumps right into his first exhortation to wisdom addressed to his son. Let’s pick it up in verse 10:
10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot”—
15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.
What is Solomon warning his son about in this passage?
He’s warning him about the danger of falling in with sinful men and not being enticed by their invitation to join them.
And what are the sinful men enticing the son with? Wealth.
Solomon warns his son that sinful men will try to entice him to join them, the lure will be wealth and the way to wealth will be through ambush and violence. The result is spelled out in verses 18-19:
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.
I find it interesting that out of all the life lessons to start with, Solomon kicks off the book with the warning about avoiding people who will use the promise of wealth to lure you to sin. The temptation of wealth is strong, and we can use sinful ways to get it.
Our kids need this warning! We do too!
So what might ill-gotten gain look like in the life of a kid or teenager?
- Bullying others to take money or other items
- Getting paid for a job but cutting corners
- Getting paid for a certain number of hours but not working all of them
- Tricking a younger sibling into buying something for more than it’s worth
- Stealing toys or other items from a friend’s house or church
- Shoplifting
- Cheating in a game or contest to win a prize
An unchecked, unrepentant sinful heart that pursues these things as a child will destroy its owner as an adult – either in this life, eternity or both. The godly path to acquiring wealth is through trusting God, hard work, and disciplined saving.
Besides warning them, we can help our kids by equipping them to fight against greed, envy, and discontent in their heart. Some areas to teach and grow our kids are:
- Trusting in God’s provision
- Being generous to others
- Growing in contentment
As the world around us scrambles to make money by any means, let’s equip our kids to stand firm and shine out for Christ!
