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Tutorial : What the Bible Has to Say About ... Gold As Money
publication date: Dec 20, 2009
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author/source: Brad Hamill
Introduction
Let’s investigate a common statement that we hear in many Christian
economic circles these days: “Gold is God’s money”. Is this a true
statement? How does it stand up against scripture? If it is true,
then there are a whole lot of Christians that had better start
repenting and sell their particular currencies to buy gold. “Gold IS
God’s money” is a declarative statement. It brings with it God’s
decree that to use anything else as money is very sinful. Sometimes we
also hear the phrase “God’s money” when referring to gold. This again
is a declarative statement.
Here’s the question that I want to pose: “What if the bible shows that
God never established the decree of gold being His money?” Wouldn’t
that lead to some very dangerous territory? Let’s examine what God’s
Word says about adding things “ex post facto”:
Deuteronomy 4:1-2: “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the
judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in
and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it,
that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command
you.”
Deuteronomy 12:32: “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Proverbs 30:5-6: “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those
who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke
you, and you be found a liar.”
As can be seen, using declarative statements attributed to God is not a
good idea unless those statements can be very clearly shown to be His
Word.
Folks, this is not an attempt on my part to “bash” those that hold to
the position of gold being God’s money. It is an attempt to show that
God’s Word regarding commerce is more about the labor and spiritual
condition of the soul than it is about the particular material used in
a transaction. We should be very careful to not extend God’s Word. It
is complete as it stands. It either decrees gold as God’s money in a
very direct manner or it doesn’t. There is no “sort of” position when
a declarative statement is used.
So let’s get started in seeing what the Bible has to say about things.
I will be using the New King James version for this analysis.
What is “Money”
“Money” is a term that gets tossed around, but many people don’t stop
to ponder what it actually means. “Money” is any good that is widely
used and accepted in transactions involving the transfer of goods and
services from one person to another. This opens up a REALLY wide
assortment of what money can consist of. Because of this, governments
have instituted standards regarding what is an acceptable form of money
for transactions. Most of these standards are very sinful forms of
money – but not because they’re not made out of gold. They’re sinful
due to the fact that they represent claims on the future labor of
people. A biblical form of money represents labor that has already
been completed.
References to Gold Throughout Scripture
The New King James Bible has 427 verses that reference gold. Some of these verses reference gold multiple times.
It’s somewhat interesting to note that the Old Testament talks about
gold in 391 verses, while the New Testament only has 36 verses. One
would think that the New Testament would be somewhat heavier on direct
references to gold if it were indeed “God’s money”.
We need to lay out some ground rules as we investigate gold as God’s
money. There needs to be a clear delineation between gold being
referenced as a precious metal and gold being referenced as the item
being used in a commerce transaction. If we do this, then some very
interesting things can be determined.
There can be no debate whatsoever about gold being considered with high
regard in the bible – along with silver, iron, wood, garments, rubies,
livestock, etc. There was much gold used in the construction of
temples, statues, idols, and jewelry. But what about gold being used
for commerce? What about God specifically directing people that gold
is His money?
Gold as Money in the Old Testament
As stated previously, there are 391 verses that specifically reference
gold in the Old Testament. If gold is indeed God’s money then we
should have plenty of places to look. Let’s begin with Genesis.
The book of Genesis directly references gold in eight verses. There
are only two verses that show gold to be of value, and there are no
verses that specifically show gold being involved in a financial
transaction as money.
Genesis 13:1-3: “Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all
that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in
livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the
South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the
beginning, between Bethel and Ai,”
Genesis 24:34-36: “So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. The LORD has
blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given
him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and
camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master
when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.”
We see that gold was definitely considered of value, along with silver,
livestock, and servants. But we do not see God’s decree about gold
being His money. Let’s keep searching…
Exodus refers to gold in 92 verses. Not one of them decrees gold to be
God’s money. All of the references to gold refer to the building of
Solomon’s temple, and all of the gold that will be used in the
construction. Here are a couple of representative verses:
Exodus 25:2-4: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an
offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall
take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from
them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine
linen, and goats’ hair;”
People were offering all manner of fine things for the building of the
temple, but gold was not specifically used in a referenced financial
transaction. And we definitely don’t see it being called God’s money.
Exodus 25:38-40: “And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of
pure gold. It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these
utensils. And see to it that you make them according to the pattern
which was shown you on the mountain.”
This verse references “a talent of pure gold”. Is a “talent” money?
Not necessarily, a talent was just a unit of measurement in the Old
Testament. It was a specific weight, being the largest of a series. A
basic breakdown was as follows (with translations to our units of
measurement):
Gerah = 0.020 oz. (1/60,000 of a talent, 1/1,000 of a mina, 1/20 of a shekel, 1/10 of a bekah)
Bekah = 0.201 oz. (1/6,000 of a talent, 1/100 of a mina, ½ of a shekel, 10 gerahs)
Pim = 0.268 oz. (2/3 of a shekel)
Shekel = 0.403 oz. (1/3,000 of a talent, 1/50 of a minah, 2 bekahs, 20 gerahs)
Minah = 1.26 lbs. (1/60 of a talent, 50 shekels, 100 bekahs, 1,000 gerahs)
Talent = 75.6 lbs. (60 minas, 3,000 shekels, 6,000 bekahs, 60,000 gerahs)
The bible refers to three forms of the shekel. The temple shekel
weighed 0.351 oz. The ordinary shekel weighed 0.408 oz. The heavy
shekel weighed 0.457 oz.
These weights were typically used to measure gold and silver. However,
notice that the verse I referenced is referring to a talent of gold
being used as the material to make a tray. Various weights of precious
metals were often used as material for the artisans to make things for
temples, kings, and those wishing to adorn themselves.
The book of Leviticus does not refer to gold as money.
The book of Numbers references gold in 23 verses, and talks about a pan
that was made from ten shekels of gold. There are no references to
gold monetary transactions.
Numbers 7:14: “one gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense;”
Deuteronomy has one verse out of four references that talks about
silver and gold being multiplied – but does not refer to gold being
used as money in a transaction:
Deuteronomy 8:12-14: “lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have
built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your
flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all
that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you
forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from
the house of bondage;”
The book of Joshua is interesting when it comes to gold. There’s still
no reference to God calling it His money, but there are references to
various things coming into the “treasury” of the Lord:
Joshua 6:18-20: “And you, by all means abstain from the accursed
things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things,
and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver
and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD;
they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.” So the people shouted
when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great
shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the
city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”
We see that silver, gold, bronze, and iron came into the treasury. It
still doesn’t represent a financial transaction of gold – it represents
a pillaged city.
Joshua 7:21: “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian
garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing
fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden
in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
This verse shows things that were considered of great value. There was
gold and silver of different weights, but there was also a beautiful
Babylonian garment. All three were coveted as wealth.
Joshua 22:8: “and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to
your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with
bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of
your enemies with your brethren.”
Here we see a description of spoils that are considered valuable.
Along with silver and gold we have bronze, iron, and clothing.
We still have no declaration of gold as God’s money.
The books of Judges, 1 Samuel, and 2 Samuel have no reference to gold being used as money in commerce.
The book of 1 Kings gives us our first look at gold specifically being
used as “quasi-money”. The gold was in the form of taxes – so you
could loosely say that gold was used to purchase a “service” of
government oversight.
1 Kings 10:13-15: “Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she
desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her
according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own
country, she and her servants. The weight of gold that came to Solomon
yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, besides that from
the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings
of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.”
King Solomon apparently didn’t like silver very much. He wanted to flash gold around:
1 Kings 10:21-23: “All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and
all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.
Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of
Solomon. For the king had merchant ships at sea with the fleet of
Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold,
silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. So King Solomon surpassed all the
kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”
We see where merchant ships brought gold, silver, ivory, apes, and
monkeys. It’s interesting to note that the Old Testament never seems
to refer to a limit being placed on the amount of gold that was
produced. It seems like inflation would have been a significant worry
if gold were the only form of money.
1 Kings 22:47-49: “There was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the
king. Jehoshaphat made merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they
never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. Then Ahaziah
the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your
servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not.
Ophir seemed to be the best place to get gold in the Old Testament. It was referred to many, many times.
The book of 2 Kings gives us numerous examples of monetary transactions
where gold was involved in the paying of taxes – but we still don’t see
it referenced as being used in a commerce transaction. We do see one
example where workers were paid with “money brought into the house of
the Lord”, but we don’t know if they were paid in silver or gold.
2 Kings 12:12-14: “and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying
timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the LORD,
and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. However there were
not made for the house of the LORD basins of silver, trimmers,
sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver,
from the money brought into the house of the LORD. But they gave that
to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the LORD with it.”
2 Kings 12:17-18: “Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against
Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And
Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers,
Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and
his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the
house of the LORD and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king
of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.”
2 Kings 14:13-15: “Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of
Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he
went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate
of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. 14 And he took all
the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of
the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and
returned to Samaria. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he
did—his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah—are they
not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?”
2 Kings 16:7-9: “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of
Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me
from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of
Israel, who rise up against me.” And Ahaz took the silver and gold that
was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s
house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. So the king of
Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus
and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.”
2 Kings 18:13-15: “And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah,
Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of
Judah and took them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of
Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me;
whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed
Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty
talents of gold. So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in
the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house.
2 Kings 23:32-34: “And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according
to all that his fathers had done. Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison
at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem;
and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver
and a talent of gold. Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah
king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim.
And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.”
2 Kings 23:34-36: “Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah
king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim.
And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there. So
Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to
give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver
and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his
assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. Jehoiakim was twenty-five
years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of
Rumah.”
2 Kings had a LOT of great verses concerning gold, but still nothing
that indicates that it is God’s money. Let’s keep looking…
Aha! An example of gold being used as money in a commerce transaction happens in 1 Chronicles:
1 Chronicles 21:24-26: “Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will
surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for
the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”
So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the
place. And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered
him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.”
This is indisputable truth that gold was used in commerce. It acted as
money, so we’re half-way home in our quest to see if gold is “God’s
money”. Does this passage say anything of the sort? Alas, no. Onward….
The book of 2 Chronicles is extremely interesting with respect to
gold. One the one hand, we see where Ophir was being traveled to via
ship to obtain gold. I raise the question again – what was there to
stop inflation from occurring with the influx of all that gold?
2 Chronicles 8:17-18: “Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on
the seacoast, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent him ships by the hand
of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the
servants of Solomon to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty
talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.”
We also see where money left over from the rebuilding of the house of
the Lord was apparently melted down and used to make implements:
2 Chronicles 24:13-14: “So the workmen labored, and the work was
completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original
condition and reinforced it. When they had finished, they brought the
rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it
articles for the house of the LORD, articles for serving and offering,
spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings
in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.”
The book of Ezra represents a change in how gold was looked at. We see
the introduction of the “Drachma”, which was an actual Greek coin
instead of just weights of metal.
Ezra 2:68-69: “Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses, when they came
to the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the
house of God, to erect it in its place: According to their ability,
they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold
drachmas, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly
garments.”
This shows people giving gold coins, along with weights of silver and
priestly garments. We still don’t see gold being referred to as “God’s
money”.
The book of Nehemiah has references to gold that show donations, but
also shows that some of those donations were directed to a fund that
would be used to pay workers. The payment of workers was definitely a
monetary use of gold:
Nehemiah 7:69-71: “their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and
donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty. And some of the heads of
the fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury
one thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty
priestly garments. Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the
treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand
two hundred silver minas.”
Nehemiah 7:70-72: “And some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to
the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas,
fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. Some of
the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the treasury of the work
twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand two hundred silver
minas. And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand
gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly
garments.”
Nehemiah 7:71-73: “Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the
treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand
two hundred silver minas. And that which the rest of the people gave
was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and
sixty-seven priestly garments. So the priests, the Levites, the
gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all
Israel dwelt in their cities.”
We’re beginning to see more and more examples of gold being used in
transactions now that the new Greek drachma is on the scene. But
there’s still no pronouncement by God that gold is His money.
The book of Esther has no references to gold as money.
The book of Job is fascinating with its references to gold:
Job 22:24-26: “Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of
Ophir among the stones of the brooks. Yes, the Almighty will be your
gold And your precious silver; For then you will have your delight in
the Almighty, And lift up your face to God.”
God says that we will have delight in Him, not gold and silver.
Job 28:1-3: “Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold
is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from
ore. Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in
the darkness and the shadow of death.
Job 28:14-17: “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It
is not with me.’ It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be
weighed for its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In
precious onyx or sapphire. Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor
can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.”
Notice the reference to many things of wealth. There’s gold and silver, but there’s also onyx, sapphire, and crystal.
The book of Psalms has one reference to gold as money, and it’s a good one:
Psalm 119:71-73: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I
may learn Your statutes. The law of Your mouth is better to me Than
thousands of coins of gold and silver.
Here we see David downplaying wealth when it comes to the importance of learning God’s statutes.
Proverbs talks about gold, but only from the perspective of how much greater other things are:
Proverbs 3:13-15: “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who
gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of
silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.”
Proverbs 8:18-20: “Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and
righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And
my revenue than choice silver. I traverse the way of righteousness, In
the midst of the paths of justice,”
Proverbs 20:14-16: “It is good for nothing,” cries the buyer; But when
he has gone his way, then he boasts. There is gold and a multitude of
rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Take the
garment of one who is surety for a stranger, And hold it as a pledge
when it is for a seductress.”
Ecclesiastes has one verse that talks about the gathering of wealth, including gold:
Ecclesiastes 2:7-9: “I acquired male and female servants, and had
servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and
flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 8 I also gathered for
myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the
provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons
of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and
excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom
remained with me.”
The book of Song of Solomon has no monetary references to gold.
The book of Isaiah has a couple references of note. This first one
deals with a land full of gold and silver, but also idol worshippers:
Isaiah 2:6-8: “For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like
the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.
Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to
their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end
to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols; They worship the
work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made.”
Isaiah 39:1-3: “At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king
of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that
he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah was pleased with them,
and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the
spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found
among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his
dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went
to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from
where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a
far country, from Babylon.”
Here we see wealth yet again including things besides gold and silver.
We also have spices and precious ointment – along with an armory.
The books of Jeremiah and Lamentations do not have monetary references to gold.
Ezekiel shows us a couple of different examples. The first one shows other methods of trade besides gold and silver:
Ezekiel 27:21-23: “Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your
regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats. The
merchants of Sheba and Raamah were your merchants. They traded for your
wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold.
Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were
your merchants.”
This next passage shows a heart being turned to wealth, instead of to God:
Ezekiel 28:3-5: “(Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret
that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding
You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into
your treasuries; By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your
riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”
The book of Daniel has no monetary references to gold.
The book of Hosea presents another warning:
Hosea 2:7-9: “She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes,
she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, ‘ I will go
and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than
now.’ For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil,
And multiplied her silver and gold— Which they prepared for Baal.
Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time And My new
wine in its season, And will take back My wool and My linen, Given to
cover her nakedness.”
The book of Joel does not have any monetary references to gold.
Nahum present even more warnings:
Nahum 2:8-10: “Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, Now they
flee away. “ Halt! Halt!” they cry; But no one turns back. Take spoil
of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of treasure, Or wealth
of every desirable prize. She is empty, desolate, and waste! The heart
melts, and the knees shake; Much pain is in every side, And all their
faces are drained of color.”
Habakkuk and Zephaniah have no references to monetary gold.
The book of Haggai shows the Lord of hosts taking all of the silver and
gold from the temple – also saying that the latter temple shall be
greater than the former. Is this an endorsement of gold as God’s
money? That sure would be a stretch.
Haggai 2:7-9: “and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the
Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says
the LORD of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the
LORD of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than
the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give
peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah and Malachi have no references to monetary gold.
Gold as Money in the New Testament
We still haven’t seen God’s Word proclaim that gold is His money. But,
we still have 36 verses that reference gold in the New Testament.
Let’s see if there’s any change…
The book of Matthew references gold as money in one verse – and it says to take the gold out of the money belt:
Matthew 10:8-10: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide
neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for
your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is
worthy of his food.”
The books of Mark, Luke, and John have no references to monetary gold.
The book of Acts definitely doesn’t refer to gold as God’s money:
Acts 3:5-7: “So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive
something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have,
but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up,
and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”
Acts 20:32-34: “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word
of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or
gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have
provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.”
The book of Romans has no references to monetary gold.
1 Corinthians equates our work to various materials, and tells us that
our work that is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ will be
tested with fire:
1 Corinthians 3:11-15: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than
that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this
foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each
one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it
will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of
what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he
will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
The books of 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy,
Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews have no references to monetary gold.
The book of James has a reference to people storing up wealth while cheating others:
James 5:2-4: “Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are
moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will
be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have
heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers
who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the
cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”
1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude have no references to monetary gold.
Lastly, the book of Revelation reveals two verses that deal with gold:
Revelation 3:17-19: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy,
and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched,
miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold
refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you
may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;
and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”
Is this verse telling people that gold is God’s money? No. It was
directed at the church of Laodicea, telling them to repent and receive
the wealth of salvation – paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ on the
cross.
Revelation 18:11-13: “And the merchants of the earth will weep and
mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise
of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple,
silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of
ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and
marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine
and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots,
and bodies and souls of men.”
Conclusion
We have seen God’s Word magnify itself over all of these quoted
passages. One thing we definitely did not see is God getting anywhere
near the proclamation of gold as His money.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to “Test all things; hold fast what is
good”. There is no direct evidence in scripture that gold is God’s
money. Gold is highly valued and it was definitely a source of money,
but the road stops there.
It is my sincere prayer that this tutorial edifies and encourages as we seek God’s Word for wisdom towards a proper economy.
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