The Exhausting Chase for More (Proverbs 23:4–5)
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Proverbs 23:4-5
Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
These verses build smoothly off of Proverbs 28:20, which we looked at yesterday. And I’ll be honest — this is kind of refreshing. Because Solomon in Proverbs spends a lot of time rebuking laziness — 17 different instances, around 30 verses total. And we’ve covered that a little bit so far this year.
But Proverbs also speaks just as seriously about overworking.
And honestly? I think that might hit closer to home for most of us. Because we don’t just live in a hardworking culture — we live in a hustle culture.
Studies show the average American works nearly four more weeks per year than they did in 1979. That’s crazy.
Back then, the prediction was we’d become so efficient that we’d all have too much time for leisure (22 hours a week 27 weeks a year). And in one sense, they were right — we did get more efficient. But instead of resting more, we just crammed more in. We took the space that margin gave us and filled it with more work, more hustle, more striving.
So let me be really clear here: Work is good. God made it. He called it good before the fall. Proverbs honors diligence, commitment, perseverance.
But when your work becomes a means to an end — when it becomes about chasing wealth or proving your worth — something shifts. It becomes toil. That’s what this verse is warning us about.
“Do not toil to acquire wealth.”
Why?
Because although working hard is a mark of wisdom, living for what your work might bring — for the riches, the status, the security — that’s not just foolish, it’s exhausting. And ultimately, it won’t hold.
“When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.”
Wealth is like a bird perched on your hand — beautiful, promising, but flighty. The moment you fix your gaze too long, it takes off. And if your heart is set on catching it, you’ll never stop chasing.
And here’s the irony: we often think we’re using money to gain control. But the more we live for it, the more it starts to control us.
So what’s the better way?
Jesus puts it like this in Matthew 6: “Do not store up treasures on earth… but store up treasures in heaven.” Why? Because earthly treasures can fly away. But in Him, you find a treasure that never fades.
Jesus left the riches of heaven not to shame us out of chasing wealth — but to free us from needing to. He became poor so that through Him, we might become truly rich.
Not rich in dollars, but in something deeper: in love that lasts, in peace that doesn’t depend on your portfolio, in a purpose that doesn’t vanish with market trends.
So today, maybe just pause and ask yourself:
Where have my eyes been lighting up lately?
What am I chasing?
And is it flying toward heaven — or flying away?
Let’s pray.
