No. 2.
“There was, a certain rich man which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said into him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of up righteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”―Luke 16:1-91And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. (Luke 16:1‑9).
INJUSTICE and gross dishonesty mark this steward, but so also do wisdom and prudence. He was profoundly selfish, but his selfishness did not prevent him from arranging for his future. Being expelled from his honorable position, and both unable to dig, and ashamed to beg, he provided, with rare cunning, for straits and difficulties which must inevitably supervene.
“What shall I do?” said he to himself, on finding that his discharge was imminent.
The loss of his stewardship entailed disgrace, for he was dismissed on the charge of dishonesty. He must go without a character. He had forfeited all claim to respect. He must retire a discredited man; and, how to survive such degradation demanded no little skill. He was equal, however, to the occasion; and, being a true child of this world, he rose to a high reputation for such wisdom, in his generation, as could not be found amongst the children of light, ―a wisdom for which his lord could praise him. He performed a stroke of business on his own behalf which better than he might well imitate. He provided for the future!
“I am resolved what to do.” It was a remarkable resolution, utterly devoid of conscience or uprightness, yet it was a wise one, ―wise, that is, according to the wisdom of self-interest.
To raise oneself on the shoulders of others is fair, and to hustle them out of the race is meritorious, where self is lord paramount; and so at all cost to his master, the steward resolved to make those who were in debt to his lord for money in his own debt for gratitude. He resolved to do them a good turn at his lord’s expense. He made friends of such. He curtailed the amount of their indebtedness to his lord, and so won their favor. Thus, his lord’s money was used and turned into a friend by him in view of future demands.
He was not like the rich man of Luke 12, whose one idea was present enjoyment, using his means for the purpose of eating, drinking, and making merry. This man had no means of his own, or, whatever he had, belonged to his lord, so that, whilst he used this money, he had the conviction that it was another’s; and that he employed in an unrighteous way, but for his own advantage, that which belonged to his lord. What he did was thoroughly dishonest; yet, in the way he did it, he displayed profound foresight. The whole principle of his conduct was that he was governed by the future, ―his immediate future, not the by-and-by of God’s reckoning, but that which lay beyond the present crisis of his history.
His wisdom lay in the fact that he made a provident use of the money which, in point of fact, though at his disposal, really belonged to his lord.
And, therefore, he received his master’s commendation because he had done wisely. He was praised for his acuteness in making so clever an arrangement for his future.
Now, man is that steward. Adam was turned out of his place after he had sinned. He was no longer fit for such a stewardship; and whatever we, his children, may have, belongs not to us but to God. We have no moral claim to a single penny, but are dependent on and responsible to God for all.
This is solemn and searching! What are you doing, dear reader, with, your Lord’s money?
And therefore the Lord said to His disciples, “Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness (or riches that perish); that, when ye fail (or die), they may receive you (or, ye may be received) into everlasting habitations.”
That is, our wisdom lies in making use of God’s money now, in view of our eternal future.
What a difference there is between thinking that my money is my own, spending it on my personal gratification, and realizing that it is God’s to be used by me for the furtherance of His interests; between having “the love of money, which is the root of all evil,” and “doing good, being rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing, to communicate; laying up in store a good foundation against the time to come” (1 Tim. 6:10-1910For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 13I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. 17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:10‑19)).
Bear in mind, however, that the bestowal of “charities,” though most commendable, cannot save.’ You may give all your goods to feed the poor, and yet be nothing!
It is necessary that you should be a disciple―a true believer in the Lord Jesus first―for that alone can make you right with God; and then endeavor by His grace to utilize the money God may lend you for your own future, and for His glory. Let the example of an unjust steward, in providing for his future, urge you, dear reader, to do the same for yours. J. W. S.
IT has been said, “For every look you give to self, give ten looks to Christ.” I would say, Give Christ the eleventh. One look of faith at Him saves the soul at the outset, and nothing but looking at Him keeps the soul afterward. Look, then, at Him, at Him only, at Him always, and ever, and peace and power will be the result. W. T. P. W.