Lesson 11: Stewardship 123
Interpreting the Scriptures
The Risks of Financial Reward (Deuteronomy 8:10–14)
8:10 –14. Moses prophesied that in the Promised Land the people would
prosper. They would leave the wilderness wanderings and experience
food security, construct desirable homes, and experience a multipli-
cation of their herds and monetary resources. Though this financial
well-being would be celebratory, it would not be inseparably linked to
godliness and would generate new temptations: pride and forgetfulness.
Twice in these verses (8:11,14), a phrase appears about forgetting “the
Lord your God.” Stewardship involves a proper perspective on resources
that includes acknowledging that financial reward carries its own risks.
Such rewards can tempt disciples to substitute their own hard work for
God; and forget, or šā·kăh (which means to ignore or to overlook) the
Lord himself.
A Habit of Stewardship Rightly Remembers (Deuteronomy 8:15–18)
8:15 –18. If there are potential perils to financial reward, these verses also
point to healthy responses effective disciples can adopt. First, according
to verse 10, disciples are to remember to praise or bless the Lord for all
he has given. Regular praise is an integral component of stewardship, for
praise acknowledges that God is the true owner and expects his follow-
ers to live with an attitude of gratitude and submission.
Second, verses 15–16 instructed each individual to remember how
the Lord had consistently provided even in times of difficulty. In this
instance, Moses recalled how the Lord safely delivered the people out of
slavery, shepherded them through a “thirsty and waterless land, with its
venomous snakes and scorpions” (8:15), and all along the way supplied
them with manna to eat and water to drink. In a similar manner, believ-
ers can choose to remember how the Lord has consistently remained
faithful to them, even in times of difficulty.
Third, according to verse 18, the disciple is to remember that
underneath whatever wealth exists in his or her life is the foundation
of God-given abilities. Stewardship is more than managing assets; it is
the willingness of an individual to work hard according to the unique
potential and capability given to that person. Stewardship emerges out