How to get rich? - A spiritual perspective

Proverbs 23:4-5 (NIV):

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

do not trust in your own cleverness.

5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,

for they will surely sprout wings

and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

This proverb delivers a powerful two-part warning about the pursuit of wealth.

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich...": 

This is not a command to be lazy or to avoid work. Instead, it's a warning against making the accumulation of wealth the central, all-consuming purpose of our life. The phrase "wear yourself out" (or "toil") implies an exhaustive, life-draining effort. It cautions against sacrificing our health, family, integrity, and relationship with God on the altar of financial gain. It's about priorities.

"...do not trust in your own cleverness.": 

This part addresses the source of our security. The pursuit of riches often involves relying on one's own schemes, intelligence, and business acumen. The proverb warns that this self-reliance is misplaced.

The Reason (Verse 5): 

Riches are fundamentally unreliable and temporary. The imagery of them "sprouting wings and flying away like an eagle" is vivid and powerful. Wealth can be lost in an instant through a bad investment, economic collapse, theft, or disaster. To exhaust our life for something so fleeting is a poor trade.

In summary, Proverbs 23:4 warns against making the pursuit of money the primary goal of our life because wealth is an unstable and temporary foundation on which to build our security and happiness.

If we look at bible for more verses that echo this theme, we can group them into a few key categories.

A. The Fleeting and Unsatisfying Nature of Riches

These verses expand on the idea that wealth is temporary and ultimately cannot satisfy the human soul.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV)

"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."

This directly explains why one "wears themselves out." The desire for riches is an unquenchable thirst. The pursuit is a meaningless cycle that never leads to satisfaction.

Proverbs 27:24 (NIV)

"...for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations."

This is another direct statement in Proverbs about the temporary nature of wealth, reinforcing the warning in 23:4.

Psalm 49:16-17 (NIV)

"Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them."

This reminds us of the ultimate futility of wearing oneself out for wealth -- it cannot be taken beyond the grave.

B. The Dangers and Deceitfulness of Pursuing Wealth

These verses warn that the love of money is spiritually dangerous and can lead one away from God.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NIV)

"Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

This is perhaps the most direct parallel in the New Testament. It warns not just that riches are fleeting, but that the very desire to get rich is a spiritually destructive path that causes immense pain, just as "wearing yourself out" does.

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

This provides the solution to the problem in Proverbs 23:4. Instead of wearing yourself out for riches, be content and place your trust in God's provision and presence, which are permanent.

Proverbs 11:28 (NIV)

"Whoever trusts in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf."

This directly contrasts trusting in riches (which Proverbs 23:4 warns against) with trusting in God, showing the different outcomes: one leads to a fall, the other to life.

C. Jesus’ Direct Teachings on Wealth and Priorities

Jesus spoke frequently about the danger of prioritizing wealth over the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Jesus uses different imagery (moths, rust) but teaches the same lesson as Proverbs 23:5 -- earthly wealth is not secure. He then commands his followers to focus their life's effort ("storing up") on eternal, not temporary, things.

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

This explains the spiritual reality behind Proverbs 23:4. To "wear yourself out to get rich" is to make money your master. Jesus states plainly that this is incompatible with serving God.

Luke 12:15 (NIV)

"Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'"

Spoken just before the Parable of the Rich Fool, this is a direct warning from Jesus that a life focused on getting more is a deceived life. It addresses the core assumption that leads people to wear themselves out for riches.

The Bible is remarkably consistent in its warning -- Work diligently, but do not let the pursuit of wealth consume our life, for it is a fleeting and dangerous master. Instead, find our security and satisfaction in God.