MONEY says a lot. In Ecclesiastes 10:19 Solomon wrote, "Money answers all things." Here in this chapter Paul wrote to Timothy, warning him that "the love of money is the root of all evil" (vs. 10). And the thing about money is that a person doesn't even have to have any of it to be consumed by it. There are rich men who worship God, and there are poor men who worship money (and vice versa). In this brief chapter, Paul addressed all angles of this issue.
What if I find myself on the bottom of the totem pole, with no power, no position and no possession? Paul said that in such circumstances we should be careful to treat those above us with respect (vs. 1-2). And, we are to worship God contentedly. On the other hand, what if I find myself at the top of the economic totem pole? In that case, I would be called on to look even higher, all the way to the very throne of heaven. Of course, regardless of whether we are high, middle, or low on the socioeconomic scale, we are all called to look to God for our sustenance. But especially if we have more means than the average man around us, we are challenged with the responsibility to remain humble, to give generously, and to make our investments in heaven, not on earth vs. 17-19). In any case, categorically, Paul wanted to warn about the extreme dangers of the temptation of wealth (Matthew 6:19-21).
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