In the fourth episode of the ‘Money According to the Bible’ season, Simon and Bex discuss various points about attitudes to wealth and possessions that are highlighted by the Old Testament Prophets.

Some key points of interest covered in this episode include the following:

• Bex starts off the episode by remarking that, through verses such as Haggai 2.8 and Jeremiah 27.5, the Prophets continue a key theme that has run throughout the rest of the Old Testament: that everything belongs to God and our role is to be responsible and diligent in the way that we steward, on His behalf, the resources which have been entrusted to us. [02:15 ]
• Simon then uses the example of Isaiah being given a message by God for King Cyrus to highlight the importance of understanding the context in which the Prophets operated. [03:10 ]
• Simon refers to Amos 8 to illustrate another recurring theme of the Old Testament: the importance of putting God first rather than allowing greed and a preoccupation with acquiring wealth to become the factors that determine and drive our behaviour. [06:00 ]
• Encouragement to adopt a different, and life-giving, approach - of handling our possessions with integrity and as faithful stewards – is conveyed in Malachi 3.7-11. [08:13 ]
• Daniel is then introduced as a case study of an individual who consistently displayed integrity and obedience to God, even when subjected to highly challenging situations and pressures from the foreign, and very intimidating, rulers whom he was serving: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius. [11:35 ]
• Simon wraps up the episode by suggesting that we can learn all kinds of things from the Prophets, including – thanks to Hezekiah’s experience, as recounted in Isaiah 38 – prompts that may cause us to reflect on ways in which we might come to terms with our own mortality. [19:02 ]
• In the next episode, the focus will switch to the New Testament and, in particular, to what Jesus had to say about money. [21:42 ]

Suggestions or feedback arising from this episode can be sent via email to whereyourtreasureis@freerangepodcasting.co.uk while messages via Instagram should be directed to @whereyourtreasureispodcast.

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