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The parable of the rich man:
v. 16. And He spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully;
v. 17. and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
v. 18. And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
v. 19. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
v. 20. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
v. 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
The foolishness of covetousness and of trusting in riches could not be brought out more emphatically than in this parable. A certain rich man's land had proved very fertile, it had yielded a bumper crop. This was God's blessing, as it always is in such cases. But the man evidently thought the surplus was his to deal with as he deemed best, since he intended to use it in his own service. And so he planned to save the big crop with its riches by building greater barns and granaries than he had, and then to store there all the fruit of his lands and all his other personal property. But this was not for the purpose of doing the work of his stewardship before God with greater faithfulness, but to have the enjoyment of all the riches for himself. His goods were his god; in them he trusted to bring him happiness and the fulfillment of all his desires. This man, like most rich men, made the mistake of considering the additional wealth an asset, whereas it was a liability. Every dollar that God blesses a person with beyond the actual needs of life for himself and his family is not an asset in God's sight, but a liability. The prayer of Agur, Pro_30:8-9, is very necessary in our days when the love of money, covetousness, is stalking through the land, sowing dissatisfaction and strife in every station of life. But into the midst of these rosy meditations thundered the voice of God: Fool, man void of sense and understanding, in this night thy life is asked of thee. And the greater reckoning will follow. That which thou hast gathered, whose will it be? But even as foolish are all people that think only of gaining riches for themselves, the goods of this world, neglecting to seek the true wealth, the spiritual, heavenly gifts. "Total bankruptcy is the end of the covetous man. He is brought into judgment with his name lost, for before God he is a fool; with his soul lost, for that is required of him for eternal punishment; with the world lost, for that he must leave behind; with heaven lost, for he has neglected to deposit a capital in heaven. " "He that lives without God. will never enjoy a single penny, and will have no happiness of his goods, for he has a bad conscience, as the Scripture says Isa_57:21. These people have no heart towards God, therefore they are afraid of death every moment; they are not secure, neither within nor without; they fear that the house will burn down, that thieves will come and steal their money; there is no happy heart, no joy, no rest, neither by day nor by night."