According biblical scripture, Moses
was given 2 tablets of stone by God with what was reported to be the 10
Commandments inscribed on them.
According to scripture, Moses was charged by God to use those
commandments to lead the children of Isreal to the Promised Land[1]. Nothing herein, or forthwith, shall be
deemed to be in conflict with what biblical scholars have revealed to
date. What is in question however, is
what biblical scholars have not revealed.
What is in question is the fact that there are other books of scriptural
value that were not included in the Bible as we know it today. [2] These books were eliminated after much
consideration and were never allowed to be printed as we have come to know the
Bible. These books that were excluded
were often referred to as the “Lost Books” of the Bible. [3]
These so-called “Lost Books” were
said to be lacking in some context to those 66 which were eventually allowed to
be incorporated into what we now know as the Bible. The “Lost Books” were reportedly lacking in
scriptural value and were not in keeping with the inspiration of bringing men
to God. Further, we know that the Bible has been
interpreted and revised many times, all in an effort to ensure that those who
are believers in God’s Holy Word, receive the most clearest of information in
order to live their lives accord to the word of the Lord.
If we were to do a quick-study,
we would find that there is, at least, 30 or more versions of the Bible.[4] And why is that? Why do we need so many variations of the
Bible? Are our languages so much
different, that our sins too, may differ?
And if there are more than 30 versions, whose to say how many
translations there are? And if there are
various translations of the Bible, then, it is possible, that those who
determined those translations could have very easily, deleted, overlooked, or
removed from the Bible, wording that focus more on man’s personal development,
rather than man’s commitment to God. Is
that possible?
If there are books, or were books
that were excluded from the making of the original Bible, is there a
possibility that there were commandments as well? Is it possible that there were 2, 3, or more
commandments that Moses and God worked out to encourage and inspire man to not
only worship God, but also to live with and build wealth among men? Is it so improbable that there was at least
one other commandment that encouraged man to improve his life by investing not
only in gold, silver, or other riches, but also in himself? And if that commandment existed, would it have
also encouraged man to do that which would have made him more marketable, or
worthy to others of his community? Would
not it be better if any man if he could produce for the community something of
value, in exchange for something of further value? Wouldn’t such a commandment have made an
impact on the lives of those who otherwise believed that there lives had no
other meaning except to exist or to serve God by way of other men?
I contend that there was such a
commandment, and that that commandment, like the so-called lost books of the
Bible, was eliminated or prevented from being apart of biblical teachings. Speculative for sure, but it is not out of
the realm of possibility that that one commandment was: Thou Shalt Build
Wealth.[5]
The Bible for many is subject to
literal interpretation. However, for
many of us, we are able to read it, and then take from it what we will. And if I may, I ask that you reference that
portion of the Bible that says, “it is easier for a camel to pass through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven” (paraphrased, but it
can be found in Matthew 19:24).[6] This passage suggests for those who would take
a literal interpretation, that to be rich here on earth, is a sin. This passage, that quotes Jesus, suggests
that one has a better chance of being poor and getting into heaven, and that to
be rich is a consequence, not a benefit.
Another passage of the Bible references Lazarus and the Rich man, which follows:
There was a certain rich man, which was
clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there
was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the
beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man
also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of
his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But
Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented. -- Luke 16:19-25 [7]
As we review this passage, the
rich man is condemned because he is alleged to have failed to provide to the
poor. What is not clear, and certain
subject to further interpretation is, what is rich and what is poor, in the
Bible? Further, what is rich and what is
poor today? I am not a biblical scholar,
and will prepare for my daily beatings for those who are willing to subject me
to them, but to be rich is seemingly frowned upon while being poor is seen as
noble from various readings of the bible.
There is a strong possibility that neither the rich nor the poor are
necessarily going to heaven, for situations such as these, as these kinds of
actions surely cannot be the total measure of any man’s life. If getting into heaven requires giving to the
poor, then there perhaps are more rich men in heaven that you can shake a stick
at. And if being poor is all there is to
getting into heaven, then we have a lot of men and women laying around ravaging
our sympathy under false pretenses so that they can get into heaven.
The problem is, is that the rich, as far as the Bible is concerned is undefined, and are cast in a wide net as being irreverently qualified to go to, or to be in heaven, just because they are perceived as rich.
Further, what we don’t see, is
how the Bible rewards those who become rich.
As such, for those who acquire riches and wealth, no doubt earned their
wealth, and possibly provided opportunities that these parables or examples
fail to take into account. Whether rich
or poor, the Bible seemed to suggest that there should be a division between
rich and poor. The Bible seems to
suggest that the poor should feel honored at their station in life, and that they
who have acquired wealth, will be cursed, just because they are rich.
These examples are indicative of
the importance of the Coveted Commandment[8]
and why this supposed, or proposed commandment, maybe some how secreted and
locked away for only a select few to be inspired by. For it appears that exposure to such a
commandment, would discourage anyone with wealth, to not let their achievements
encourage others. By exposing others to
the wealth of the rich, would be cumberson on those who are privileged. In other words, “Build your wealth, you
select few, but be sure to place a seed of doubt, that to possess wealth is
bad, and certainly not spiritually beneficial.
As a matter of fact, the Bible speaks
in this last passage, as I conclude this message.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people,
eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs.[9]
Frank J. Thomas[10]
recently noted that the passage is often misquoted, as I was about to do in
this piece. I too was focused on the passage as I had often heard it, that
“money is the root of all evil.” The
passage above is the correct version based on the New International Version of
the Bible. But, I will not be undone by
the mistaken understanding of the passage, and here is why. You see, regardless of our station in life,
the actual passage speaks exactly to how we, as man choose to do that which
pleases us. We have heard for too long,
that the root of all evil is money, or anything similar thereto. And such, even the corrected version, ‘the
love of money is a root of evil’ has no different meaning. In essence the message, from the Bible has
always been: “money is the root of all
evil”.
But money being the root of all
evil or anything similar thereto, is not my point. My point is that money, by and large, and the
possession of it, seems to have gotten a bad reputation. Whether I blame the Bible, the interpreters
of the Bible, or even some of those who have been quoted from the Bible, that
the acquisition, the maintenance, or the aspiration to acquire wealth, seems
unfairly denigrated.
Money, wealth and riches have
been unfairly targeted as being associated with evil, or something bad. I disagree and I believe that the absence of a
commandment that encourages wealth building contributes to that perception, or a
stereotypical view of the possession of wealth.
If we want to talk about evil,
then let us look at the real culprit:
man. My contention is that man is
the root of all evil, and here are my examples:
- September 11th, 2001-Attack on
- The Holocaust[12];
- Slavery in
- Increasing population in
- Homelessness in
- 6.13 million unemployed [16]
- Ethnic Cleansing [17]
- Black on Black Crime[18]
- The introduction of drugs to poor and black communities [19]
- Government Response to Disasters-Hurricane Katrina-2005[20]
- No Child Left Behind Act[21]
- Rape[22]
- We can unearth The Coveted Commandment. We should travel back to the heights of
- We can unlock the biblical vaults where there are stored many scrolls, stones, and books, all in their attempt to share stories of old, including the one commandment that will uplift not one man, but millions of men, to build a life that they are most deserving for themselves and their families. Search deep within those vaults, in dark corners, where no light dare shines, search deep under shelves where spiders and rats work feverishly to feast on decaying papyrus[24] or brittle stones; search honeycombs hewed out of the walls for storage and look deeply within; search high on stacks and rolls, knowing that there is but one commandment, that will make open the door for a dying child to receive medical care that has evaded her all of her young life. Search behind tables, and chairs, where possibly, there is that one commandment, long thought to be unscripturally relevant, or deemed to be too insignificant to be apart of the original 10 Commands. That if found, will feed not only a family facing hunger and homelessness, but a city in ruins; a state facing bankruptcy, or a nation facing economic instability. Or,
- We can propose the legislative process. We can propose that our council representatives convene to propose an ordinance; we can propose that our state representatives and federal representatives enact a law that raises the hopes and dreams of every citizen within their districts and states. It would be a law no less equivalent to the 6th Commandment[25], that prohibits murder; it would be a law no less equivalent than the 7th Commandment[26] that adultery; it could be a law no less effective than the 8th Commandment[27] which forbids stealing, or, it could be no less effective than the 10th Commandment[28] itself which forbids coveting. We can propose the equivalent of anyone of these commandments because we know that the power lies within you as leaders to protect the common good. But is it not in the common good to make law that encourages, inspires, and uplifts a community? Is it not reasonable to pass a law the encourages building wealth?
As I close, I don’t fully disagree that the love of money is at the root of all evil. What I disagree with is our association with money and the power that it has to affect a positive change, not a just a negative one. I disagree with the idea that money should only be limited to the rich and powerful, while those in need are left to suffer. I disagree with man’s portrayal or perception of being wealthy as evil, while acts of evil by man are overlooked or considered business as referenced in the above list. I disagree with the little known, perhaps unsubstantiated fact, that there are only 10 commandments. I believe that we have just one more commandment that is wealth -oriented, and that if it were unearth, released, or enacted, we would all be better off.
Right now, we can only hope that a commandment is reborn, or discovered that encourages man to work together, to collaborate, to create, or to partner with his fellow man in building wealth. Right now, we can only hope that our leaders will one day take the time to look at where we are as communities and know that we can all be more productive, and successful, because we have one more tool in our arsenal to improve the quality of our lives. That one more tool is, the Coveted Commandment: Thou Shalt Build Wealth.
[1] God
speaks to Moses about leading the children of Isreal our of Egypt-http://www.bibleview.org/en/Bible/Moses/BurningBush/
[2] “Lost
Books of the Bible” http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/lost-books-of-the-bible-faq.htm
[3] Books that were excluded from the Bible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_apocrypha
[4] How many
versions are there of the Bible? http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-versions/
[5] The
Coveted Commandment: Thou Shalt Build Wealth. © 2013 by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr.
[6] Rich
Man; Eye of a Needle-http://bible.cc/matthew/19-24.htm
[7] Lazarus
and the Rich Man Luke 16:19-25 -http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/16_19-31.htm
[8] The
Coveted Commandment © 2013 by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr. -
http://thecovetedcommandment.blogspot.com/
[9] Root of
All Evil-http://bible.cc/1_timothy/6-10.htm New International Version
[10] Thomas,
Frank J. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Love-of-Money---Root-of-All-Evil?&id=3098152
[11] 9/11-http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
[12] The
Holocaust-http://remember.org/educate/mtimeline.html
[13] Slavery
in America-http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/index.html
[14]
Increasing Prison Population-http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/02/u-s-prison-population-seeing-unprecedented-increase/
[15] National Law Center
[16]
Unemploymentin America-Unemployment Statistics.org
[17] Ethnic
Cleansing-http://www.crimesofwar.org/a-z-guide/ethnic-cleansing/
[18] Black
on Black Crime-http://news.msn.com/politics/video?videoid=10eedfe0-cebe-4838-979d-ab4c1aa94e6e&ap=true&ap=true
[19]
Introduction of drugs into poor and black communities-http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00486
[20]
Government Response to Hurricane Katrina-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_government_response_to_Hurricane_Katrina
[21] No
Child Left Behind Act-http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
[22] Rape
and Sexual Assault- http://www.rainn.org/
[23] The
Height of Mt. Sinai-http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_height_of_mount_sinai
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