A Reverence for Wealth

Hugh Nibley made the following observation in 1983 about the Church: “My sense of urgency comes from the fact that I spend all my days now with the scriptures. And the two marks of the Church I see are and have been for a long time these: a reverence for wealth and a contempt for the scriptures. Naturally, the two go hand in hand. We should call attention to the fact that these things we are doing are against the work of the Lord. There is one saying of Joseph Smith I think of quite often: ‘If the heavens seem silent at a time when we desperately need revelation, it is because of covetousness in the Church. God has often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness.’ And now the Church isn’t just shot through with covetousness, it is saturated with covetousness. And so the heavens are going to be closed. We’re told we don’t get revelation if we put our trust in money in the bank” (“Nibley Talks about Contemporary Issues.” The Sunstone Review (November/December 1983), 12-14).  My guess is that if he were alive to make an assessment of the current culture in the Church he would not change his description of the general trend of members today.

               The Doctrine and Covenants is clear about what we should be seeking, and it is not riches.  The Lord told Joseph and Oliver, “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (D&C 6:7).  He told Hyrum Smith the exact same thing in another revelation (see D&C 11:7).  We of course have to deal with money in our lives, rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but we must be able to do it without gaining the kind of love and reverence for wealth that Brother Nibley mentioned.  It is wisdom in knowing the things of God that make us truly rich, not the money of the world.  It’s interesting that Solomon once made the choice to do exactly that, seeking wisdom and not riches.  When the Lord told him to ask for what he wanted,               he said, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people.”  Jehovah commended him, saying, “Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words” (1 Kings 3:9-12).  He passed this first test by choosing wisdom above riches, but by the end of his life the riches the Lord gave him caused him to lose that wisdom as he ultimately set his heart upon the vain things of the world.  The exclamation of the mortal Savior after His interaction with the rich young man should cause us serious reflection about our own pursuit of wealth: “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24)  Perhaps the question we must ask is the one inherent in Brother Nibley’s comment: would we rather have more wealth or more understanding of the scriptures?