What Old Testament teachings relate to valuing spiritual over material wealth? Devotion Over Price Tags: Mark 14:5 “ ‘It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.’ And they scolded her.” Old Testament Footsteps That Lead Here • Offerings that mattered because of the heart, not the price – Genesis 4:4-5 “Abel brought the best portions… and the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering.” – Exodus 25:2 “Receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him.” • Love for God surpasses material gain – Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart…soul…strength.” – Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” • Obedience and worship outweigh costly sacrifice – 1 Samuel 15:22 “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness than the fat of rams.” • Psalms celebrate spiritual riches over physical wealth – Psalm 4:7 “You have filled my heart with more joy than when grain and new wine abound.” – Psalm 19:10 “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold.” – Psalm 37:16 “Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.” – Psalm 119:72 “Instruction from Your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” • Proverbs paints wisdom and righteousness as true treasure – Proverbs 3:13-15 “Wisdom…is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.” – Proverbs 8:10-11 “Receive my instruction and not silver…for wisdom is more precious than rubies.” – Proverbs 10:2 “Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.” – Proverbs 11:4 “Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” – Proverbs 16:8 “Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice.” – Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” – Proverbs 23:4-5 “Do not wear yourself out to get rich…wealth certainly sprouts wings.” • Ecclesiastes exposes the emptiness of materialism – Ecclesiastes 5:10 “He who loves money is never satisfied by money.” • Prophets call Israel to value covenant faithfulness over wealth – Isaiah 55:1-2 “Come, buy without money…Why spend money on that which is not bread?” – Micah 6:6-8 “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you to live in paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?” Connecting the Dots • Mary’s costly perfume (Mark 14) mirrors Abel’s best offering and David’s temple gifts—acts of love judged by the giver’s heart, not market value. • The disciples’ fixation on the resale price echoes Israel’s temptation to hoard wealth (Haggai 1), missing the higher call to honor the Lord in the moment. • Every cited Old Testament passage trains the heart to see that what pleases God—love, obedience, wisdom, justice—outshines any monetary sum. Living the Principle Today • Give God the first and finest, trusting His Word that spiritual investment outlasts earthly markets. • Measure generosity by devotion, not by accountants’ ledgers. • Let Scripture, prayer, and obedience be treated as treasure, because God consistently says they are. |
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