Throughout Scripture, God reveals that wealth is not merely accumulated by human effort nor ultimately controlled by earthly systems. Rather, He is the sovereign Owner of all things and has established spiritual laws that govern the flow of resources. One of the most overlooked principles in the Bible is that God often transfers wealth into the hands of those who demonstrate compassion toward the poor and faithfulness in stewardship.
This truth is not isolated to one passage of Scripture. It appears repeatedly throughout both the Old and New Testaments, revealing a consistent pattern of God's dealings with humanity.
A Generous Eye Attracts God's Blessing
Solomon writes:
He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor."
(Proverbs 22:9, KJV)
The phrase "a bountiful eye" literally describes a person who is generous and compassionate in helping others, especially the poor. Rather than viewing wealth as something to be hoarded, this individual sees it as a tool through which God can bless those who are less fortunate.
Notice that the blessing is not attached merely to possessing wealth, but to sharing it.
This principle establishes an important truth:
God blesses those who become a blessing.
Throughout Scripture, generosity toward the poor is repeatedly presented as an act of worship unto God Himself.
God Redirects Wealth
Solomon continues this theme in Proverbs 28:8:
He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor."
The Hebrew text teaches that a person may increase wealth through exploitation, greed, or oppressive financial practices, yet God has already determined its eventual destination.
The wealth will ultimately find its way into the hands of those who show mercy to the poor.
This is not merely poetic language.
It is a declaration of God's sovereignty over earthly wealth.
People may gather riches through dishonest means, but they do not determine where those riches will finally rest.
God does.
God Causes the Sinner to Gather
Ecclesiastes 2:26 reinforces the same principle.
"For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God."
The sinner gathers.
The sinner accumulates.
The sinner heaps up.
Yet God ultimately transfers those resources into the hands of those who please Him.
When this passage is read alongside Proverbs 28:8, the picture becomes remarkably clear.
Who are those who are "good before God"?
Proverbs answers:
Those who show compassion toward the poor.
God's economy often operates differently from the world's economy. He remains sovereign over wealth, and He directs resources according to His righteous purposes.
The New Testament Continues the Same Principle
The Apostle Paul confirms this same divine pattern in 2 Corinthians 9.
Quoting Psalm 112, Paul writes:
"He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor; his righteousness remaineth for ever." (2 Corinthians 9:9)
Then Paul continues:
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness."
(2 Corinthians 9:10)
Finally,
"Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness" (2 Corinthians 9:11)
Notice God's order.
The believer gives.
God supplies more seed.
The believer gives again.
God multiplies the seed.
Why?
Not merely so the believer can accumulate greater possessions.
Rather,
"being enriched in everything for all generosity" (ESV)
The increase serves a purpose.
God increases faithful stewards so they may become greater channels through which His blessings flow to others.
God Rewards Faithful Stewardship
One of the greatest principles governing God's Kingdom is not merely generosity but faithfulness.
Jesus repeatedly emphasized that God entrusts greater responsibilities and greater resources to those who prove faithful with what they already possess. For example:
In Luke 16:10, Jesus declared:
"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much"
Faithfulness in small matters qualifies a believer for greater trust.
Likewise, in the Parable of the Talents, the master commended his faithful servant:
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant... I will make thee ruler over many things. (Matthew 25:21)
Similarly, in the Parable of the Talents, Jesus said:
"Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." (Luke 19:17)
God's promotions are never arbitrary.
They are connected to proven faithfulness.
Jesus further explained this principle in Luke 16:11–12:
"If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"
Money becomes a test of the heart, a challenge that, regrettably, most individuals fail.
Not because God needs our finances.
But because finances reveal our hearts.
Those who faithfully steward earthly resources demonstrate that they can be trusted with greater responsibilities in God's Kingdom.
God's Financial System
When these passages are placed together, a remarkable pattern emerges.
The wicked gather wealth.
God oversees its destination.
The compassionate receive it.
The generous distribute it.
God multiplies their resources.
They become increasingly equipped to bless others.
This is God's cycle of stewardship, not a cycle of greed, but a cycle of generosity.
My Personal Appeal
It is not my intent to encourage the religious community to defund religious institutions or discourage financial support for places of worship. Instead, it is quite the opposite, with a bonus of self-empowerment.
You see, it is my sole desire to empower the followers of these institutions to discover the biblical principles that God Himself established for financial increase.
When believers consistently invest in the lives of the poor, widows, orphans, strangers, and those genuinely unable to help themselves, they position themselves to tangibly experience the spiritual promises revealed throughout Scripture. Which I might add was already in place for us spiritually before the foundation of the world, according to Ephesians 1:3-4. Consistent obedience causes spiritual blessings to manifest physically in a person's life.
As God blesses faithful and generous believers, they become increasingly able to support their churches, ministries, missionaries, and every good work from a place of abundance rather than financial pressure and limitations.
A financially strengthened congregation is capable of accomplishing far more for the Kingdom of God than a congregation burdened by lack.
Giving According to Biblical Principle Rather Than Religious Tradition
It is a must that I stick this point in here to unhinge many of you from a financial system that has nothing to do with us New Testament believers, and that is, there is Much confusion concerning the subject of tithing.
Under the Mosaic Covenant, the tithe was specifically assigned to the support of the Levitical priesthood.
Leviticus 27:30–33 identifies the tithe as part of Israel's covenantal law. Numbers 18:21–24 records that the tithe was given by God to the descendants of Levi because they received no tribal inheritance in the land. Hebrews 7:5 likewise states that "they that are of the sthe sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren (the 11 sibling tribes)
These passages identify the recipients of the tithe under the Mosaic covenant as the Levitical priesthood serving in Israel's temple system, and their sibling tribes as the ones who paid the tithe to them.
In contrast, the New Testament does not command believers to tithe as a covenant obligation. Instead, the Apostle Paul instructs believers to give according to principles that flow from a willing and transformed heart.
He writes:
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
(2 Corinthians 9:6)
Then he adds:
"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
And once again Paul points believers toward God's concern for the needy:
"He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor." (2 Corinthians 9:9)
The New Testament emphasis is not on giving under compulsion but on cheerful, purposeful, generous stewardship that reflects God's own heart, while simultaneously revealing the Giver's heart.
The Ultimate Wealth Transfer
Solomon concludes this divine pattern with one final statement:
"The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. (Proverbs 13:22b)
This verse does not encourage believers to covet another person's possessions.
Instead, it reminds us that God remains sovereign over every resource on earth.
He can move wealth according to His purposes.
When viewed together with Proverbs 22:9, Proverbs 28:8, Ecclesiastes 2:26, and 2 Corinthians 9:9–11, Proverbs 13:22 completes the picture.
The true recipients of God's wealth transfers are not necessarily the most gifted, the most educated, or even the hardest working.
They are those who prove themselves faithful stewards of what God has already entrusted to them.
They are those who open their hands to the poor. They understand the principle of giving to the poor and the supernatural resources and favor it produces effortlessly.
They are those who understand that prosperity is not an end in itself but a divine trust.
As they faithfully steward earthly resources, God entrusts them with more—not merely to increase their standard of living, but to increase their standard of giving.
May we therefore devote ourselves to living by the enduring principles of God's Word rather than the fruitless traditions of men. God's Kingdom operates according to His unchanging laws, and those who consistently walk in His ways can trust Him to provide, to increase, and to direct resources for His glory. Let us become faithful stewards, cheerful givers, and compassionate servants, so that through our lives many needs are met, many hearts give thanks to God, and His name is exalted above all.
Pastor Kevin L. A. Ewing
www.kevinlaewing.com
www.kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
ewinglakevin@icloud.com
