Thou Shalt Build Wealth Part I (c) 2013 by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr.

From the blog:  The Coveted Commandment[1] © 2013 by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr.

 

One of the things that stand out to me is the fact that driving around New Orleans, all I see regarding the 10 Commandments is: “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” Exodus 20: 13.  From large billboards to small yard signs, “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.  I have noticed these signs for quite some time, even before Hurricane Katrina. 

And, as I have driven around New Orleans, I have asked myself, why this sign?  I have asked myself, why this message?  “Thou shalt not kill!”  I know that in New Orleans that have been a tremendous number of murders in our city, but is that to say that we haven’t lied on or to one another.  I found myself asking, why don’t I see signs saying “Thou shalt not bear false witness”? Exodus 20: 16. 

I thought to myself that if there should be any sign more prevalent than “Thou shalt not kill”, it should be, “Thou shall honor thy mother and father, that thy days maybe long upon the land that thy God giveth thee,”  Exodus 20: 12. But I don’t see such signs.   What makes “Thou shall not kill” a more important commandment to display throughout our communities than “Thou shalt not covet?”  Exodus 20: 17.  I know in my heart of hearts, that coveting has to be the most disregarded commandment there is.  I know because I an sure I covet on a daily basis.  I should be on my knees constantly just for coveting alone, asking for God’s forgiveness.  But no, “Thou shalt not kill” is the commandment that is the most pressing and most compelling of the ten commandments.  And to that end, I am puzzled, about all of the commandments.

I understand the intent of “Thou shall not kill”, I just don’t understand why above all other commandments that there are, this commandment is posted on people's yards, on billboards and other areas of the city.  This is not to disregard the tremendous number of innocent lives lost due to violence here in our city, or across the country.  But the message appears to be ineffective.  It’s like burglar bars on a house.  Burglars assume that they are for them to break through, cut, or take down.  I feel like our loved-ones who lost their lives due to violence, need an additional, and possibly, a more effective message.  Our young people, who are often involved in street violence, could use an additional method of inspiration, that sees them for the future they are capable of achieving.  It’s time to see our young people in the same way that we see ourselves, as Wealth Builders.  We need to create that opportunity in their minds, and watch how they not only grow, but how we all grow as a well.

 

I am puzzled also, because as I look at the 10 commandments and their origin, I am have reviewed, not studied, the makeup of these scriptural directives.  Note that I am not a Biblical scholar, so know that I am only responding to an internal desire for an understanding of the structure and placement of the 10 commandments in our lives as a whole.  As we know, the 10 commandments are well over 2000 years old, having preceded the birth of Jesus Christ.  Scripture tells us that Moses led the Isrealites out of the land of Egypt, enroute to the Promised Land, as a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  It was during this journey that Moses found himself on Mt. Sinai.  All of this is recorded, and is in no way in dispute.

I am puzzled about the assembling of the 10 commandments as I try to put myself in the position of Moses as he sat with God, in the preparation of these directives for presentation to the children of Isreal.  I think about the fact that whenever I, as a writer, am preparing a presentation, I often over prepare.  I find myself doing more than what I need in order to make sure that I have enough material for what I have to do.  Much of what I may prepare, I may never use.  It may, for the most part, be left stacked on a shelf, or put away for a possible future use, because I presumed myself to have enough of what I needed in order to go forward.

 

Even as I think about Moses and the honor that he had of having a face-to-face meeting with God, I think about football coaches who prepare football plays for each game. They often have more plays than they need, but if needed, those plays are at the ready.  Finally, I think about artists such as singers and dancers who practice hours upon hours for a competition or an engagement.  These artists often practice more times than necessary, because they want to get it right, the first time.  And then, I come back to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  Moses spent an inordinate amount of time with God on Mt. Sinai, 40 days and 40 nights.  While I can only speculate, and believe only what the Bible tells us, I am puzzled about the possibility that there were not more commandments than the 10 that we study.  I am puzzled that with all of the time involved in creating the 10 commandments, that on two occasions Moses and God only carved out 10 commandments. 

Here is the core of my puzzlement:  how is it that the original commandments were the same as the second set of commandments?  What is my point?  Moses wrote the same set of commandments 2 times.  For all of his anger with his people when he came down the first time, wasn’t there something that he could have included in those commandments that addressed why Moses was so angry the first time when he came down the mountain?  I know that often, whenever I have had to do something over, I change something. I add something from what I started before.  I either add or take away something, but Moses did not change a thing, according to scripture.

 

What makes this a Coveted Commandment?

My suspicion, however uncorroborated, however unjustified, without fact, is that there were more than just 10 commandments on the Mount of Sinai.  I don’t know how many more, but I suspect that there was at least one other commandment that has yet to be shared with the masses.  Correct me, if you think I’m wrong.  Here are my other concerns/suspicions:

1. Moses left several commandments on Mt. Sinai that never made it to the stone tablets;
2. Biblical Scholars never thought of the idea that there were other commandments from their interpretations, and therefore, never looked beyond the two stones of commandments, or,
3. There was knowledge of at least one other commandment, and for one reason, if no other, that commandment could not be shared with the masses.  What is that other commandment?

Thou shalt build wealth.[2]
Moses had how many people under his power, as God directed him?  100? 1000? 10,000?  However many he had, he had lieutenants, and additional leaders within groups to help him control the masses.  Did Moses at least share with his lieutenants a special set of commandments that he did not share with the masses?  Or even better yet, did Moses keep a particular commandment to himself?  If he did, how long did he keep it?  Where did he keep it?  There has to be another commandment dedicated to wealth building.

 

Then, I asked myself, why not incorporate this commandment with the other 10?  Well, in order to try and make sense of this concept, here is what else concerned me, and may concern you as well.

The 10 Commandments are just that: “The” 10 Commandments.  We don’t want to do anything to take away from what has always been, what has essentially played a dynamic role in helping to shape our laws and communities, essentially, our lives, but, 

•  Why not make this so-called Coveted Commandment an addition to the 10 Commandments?  That would require (forgive this pun) an Act of Congress.  And we know how hard it is to get Congress to do anything (a la Fiscal Cliff?).

 

• So what are our options?  if this Coveted Commandment existed, for all intents and purposes, it seemed to have been a pocket commandment.   I suggest that it could be a pocket commandment because only a select few are able to be inspired by it.  So my question is:  Why can’t all of us share in this commandment?  Why keep it hidden?  Don’t we all have a powerful need to build wealth?  Don’t we all have a strong desire to increase our net worth?   Why can’t we all have the inspiration of this supposed pocket commandment?  For us, a pocket commandment hits right where we need to be hit: in the pocket, or pocketbook, where applicable.

But let us be clear, that unlike the 10 Commandments, this commandment is not about saving souls, it is about saving money.  It is about increasing our wealth.  It is about improving of where we  are in terms of self worth, and in turn, increasing our networth. What other commandment does that?  All the other commandments do is direct us to Honor the Lord our God, honor our parents, remember the Sabbath Day, love others as ourselves, and then after that, we need to be keep our hands off of each other and each other’s wives and property, and then, if we are lucky, we may get to go to heaven.  But the question remains, how if we follow all 10 of God’s commandments, when do we focus on building our financial welfare?

I am convinced that we need this Coveted Commandment, even as we are perhaps dishonoring one of the other commandments:  Thou shalt not covet, the 10th commandment.  How do we square coveting a commandment when another commandment tells us, “Hold up player, thou shalt not covet?  What part don’t you understand?”
 

I believe it is safe to call this commandment  a coveted commandment because it encourages us to build wealth.  It is a commandment that directs us to take care of our family, and prepare for the future.  Theoretically, we are setting the tone, that in this case, coveting is a good thing.  The tone is that we are coveting a directive that encourages each and everyone of us to build wealth, to essentially provide for not only ourselves, but our families as well.

Still Suspicious

My contention, is that this commandment is somewhere in a vault.  Or maybe, that this commandment is still on Mt. Sinai within a cave on the mountain.  My other contention is that someone, having discovered this commandment, decided to keep it to themselves.  Thou shalt build wealth.  So why such a suspicion?  Why, after more than 2000 years, would Biblical scholars keep this commandment under lock and key, if they have done so?  Why, if it existed, has it not been found?  Why, if it does exist, have only a select few been privy to it?  These questions are perhaps far out in left field, but for many of us who have low-paying jobs, this is the commandment that we need to believe in.  This is the commandment, that if it were in the very Bible that we study every week, or once a year, would be the one commandment that would enrich our lives just a little bit more than say, “Thou shall not kill”. 

Here is a commandment, that makes perfectly good sense,  that is nowhere to be found in the Bible.  Why is that?  Again, I am no Biblical Scholar, but I know that there are many men of God who live a very successful life.  Many live in fine homes, as they should.  But, let’s be clear, we are not adhering to strict Biblical scripture, we are extracting from the Bible that which we often overlook, and fail to use in a manner that allows us to grow financially.  If we can’t turn to the Bible for something financially rewarding, then why else do we believe in the goodness of God? Are we not supposed to ensure that we provide for our families in terms of food, housing and clothing?  Are we only supposed to live from hand to mouth, while others amass riches, at our expense?

For those of us who are one pay check from being homeless, we can use this commandment in our lives.  

 To be continued in Thou Shalt Build Wealth Part II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] The Coveted Commandment © 2013 by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr.

[2] Thou Shalt Build Wealth © 2013 by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr.