At first blush, you wouldn’t think that there is investment advice in the Bible. Money, in general, yes. Storing up wealth, maybe. Giving and generosity, absolutely. But investment… really?
Of course, the Bible is concerned, first and foremost, with our spiritual condition, our eternal salvation and our relationship with God; not money.
That said, we can actually find investment advice in the Bible. For instance, let’s look at the following verse in the book of Proverbs..
The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
Proverbs 12:27
How Does Hunting Equate to Investment Advice in the Bible?
Ancient Israel had an Agrarian / Hunter-Gatherer economy. As such, agriculture and hunting were, in Biblical times, what investment and speculation are in our society today. This may sound like a stretch but it really is not.
In Old Testament times, hunting and farming were the primary methods by which people acquired resources to provide food, shelter and clothing for themselves and their families. We provide for our families today by waiting at tables, working in IT , running a business or investing in the stock market.
Hunting was more speculative than farming in that it could produce immediate results. For instance, a farmer would have to first plough, then sow and tend a field for months before reaping a harvest. Conversely, a hunter could return with enough bounty to feed their family for weeks in a single expedition.
However, hunting was also riskier than farming as the hunter would, more often than not, get zero return for their effort. While a farmer could judge the weather and hedge their bets by planting different crops or adjusting their approach and timing throughout the year, to ensure a bountiful harvest, the hunter thrived or starved on the results of each expedition.
Looking at Proverbs 12:27 in this context, there is much to glean about our approach to investment in the modern world.
Hunting, like investment, has an element of risk. Both are endeavors with no guaranteed outcome. In Bible times, a person could spend days out fishing, for instance, and still return empty-handed, or worse. Damaged nets or boats lost to rough weather could ruin the hunter financially. In the same way, we can invest time, energy and funds in an investment today only to find that all our efforts come to naught – and in the worst case scenario, the investor might find they have lost everything.
Hunting is also a skill. Hunters and fishermen hone their craft over time through diligent practice and learning. As their skill grows, so do their results. I go fly-fishing with a good friend once or twice a year. He is an avid fisherman, dedicated to his craft, and usually returns home with a good catch while I often return with little or nothing to show for my efforts despite fishing no more than ten or fifteen yards up-stream of him.
So it is with investment in the modern world. There are successful investors and poor investors. We can learn to become better investors and we will improve through coaching and practice.
And so we come to the crux of the proverb – those who are lazy will not roast any game but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt. This is what investment advice in the Bible looked like. Just as it was with hunting in the Biblical hunter/gatherer economy, so it is with investment in the modern economy. Those who are diligent, who practice and learn their craft, and who refuse to quit no matter how hard it gets, will feed on the riches of the hunt.
Those who are lazy will not. Laziness takes many forms in this context. There are those who love the idea of feasting on the riches of the hunt but who are simply not prepared to put in the time to learn their craft. ‘I’m not good with numbers,’ they say. ‘I hate accounting and trying to understand high finance. I don’t have the time to read all that content.’
Others may have tried but become disheartened when they are not immediately successful. These people often dabble for a month or two but quickly give up when they discover that investment is not the easy win they had hoped it would be.
Then, there is the laziest of all investors who loves the idea of creating a passive income but never even bothers to try. The “hunt” for such people is little more than a pipe-dream; something they yearn after but will never actually attempt.
In Proverbs 12:27, the one word that makes all the difference between success and failure is… diligent.
But the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
Here are the fundamental differences between Diligence and the Laziness
- Diligence may try and fail – Laziness fails to try
- Diligence seeks opportunities to learn – Laziness refuses to learn
- Diligence learns from every failure – Laziness quits on the first failure
- Diligence works toward results – Laziness expects instant results
- Diligence believes in practice – Laziness believes in luck
- Diligence strives for excellence – Laziness makes no effort
Spiritual Implications
One of the most likely reasons I have never heard Proverbs 12:27 taught in church is because it has little eternal application. It does not deal with salvation, eternal life, our relationship with God or even relationships with our fellow human beings.
It is a straightforward proverb that offers some equally straightforward investment advice in the Bible. This leaves pastors and teachers very little spiritual meat, if you will excuse the pun, with which to feed their congregation.
However, this should not invalidate the verse. It is still in the Bible, after all. I am the first to acknowledge that this is not a verse that covers one of the great theological themes.
It may not be a John 3:16. However, as God saw fit to include it in His word, I would submit that we should, at least, make the effort to study it and understand how we can, or should, apply it to our lives.
While Proverbs 12:27 may not affect our eternal fate, understanding the verse and applying its wisdom in our lives today could have a big impact on us and our families this side of heaven.
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