A Rich Man's Folly

You may not plan to build a tower, but many today plan to build a large bank account and to accumulate material possessions so that they can be comfortable in retirement. It is only natural for  a person to want to enjoy the fruits of his labor.  "Every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work," wrote Solomon.  "It is the gift of God." -Ecclesiastes 3:13. 

Jehovah holds us accountable for the way we use this gift. Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus emphasized this point to his disciples by means of an illustration.  He said:  "The land of a certain rich man produced well. Consequently he began reasoning within himself saying, "What shall I do now that i have nowhere to gather my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this;  I will tear down my storehouses and build bigger ones, and there I will gather all my grain and all my good things; and I will say to my soul:  "Soul, you have many good things laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself." ' "  (Luke 12:16-19) The rich man's goal sounds reasonable, doe it not?  Like the bird mentioned earlier, Clark's nutcracker, the man in the illustration seemed to be preparing for his future needs.

The man's thinking, though, was flawed.  Jesus continued:  "But God said to him,  'Unreasonable one, this night they are demanding your soul from you. Who, then, is to have the things you stored up?' " (Luke 12:20) Was God contradicting Solomon's statement that work and the good things it produces are gifts from God? No. What was Jesus' point?  "So it goes," said Jesus, "with the man that lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God." -Luke 12:21.

Jesus was teaching his audience that Jehovah wants us to take Him into account as we make our plans. The rich man could have been rich toward God by seeking ways to grow in godly devotion, wisdom, and love.  That man's works reveal no such interest in such things, nor in leaving some of his crops for the poor to glean, nor in presenting gift offerings to Jehovah.  Such spiritual pursuits and unselfish actions were not  part of the rich man's life. His plans revolved  purely around his own desires and comforts. 

Next time: Planning a "Normal" Life

From the Watchtower magazine, 2008