Psalm 112:5 – “The Golden Mean”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

⁵A good man, being gracious and lending.

    He will sustain his affairs with discretion.

Here in this one little verse I believe we find two truths which invariably stand side by side in a genuinely godly person. On the one hand he is generous and giving to others, while on the other hand he manages his own affairs well. I would suggest that, for most of us, we do one or the other well, but it takes grace to help us put the two together. It’s easy on the one hand to be generous to a fault while on the other hand all too many people can build a huge portfolio and never give a dime to anyone. I come from a very giving family, so the generosity part has always come easily. I am very thankful for that, but like most of those before me, I have without a doubt been “generous to a fault.”

All down through the years I have been aware of verses encouraging me to be giving, like Prov 11:25, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” That is the very spirit of Christianity, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father … For I was hungry and you fed Me, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.” You can read enough verses like this and begin to feel it is always right to give and even to “give to a fault.”

On the other hand, the Bible is full of verses that admonish us to be wise, like Prov 27:23, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds,” or  Prov 24:27, “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” To these we could add Jesus’ words in Luke 16:10,11, “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much, so if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” To that we can add, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to finish it?” (Luke 14:28).

I have always known both are there but I have found it a considerable struggle to keep them in balance – how to be generous while at the same time being wise. Many of the old writers acknowledged the problem too. One said, “The golden mean (keeping them in balance) is much needed in those matters which concern justice on the one hand and generosity on the other. How to do good with money, time, influence, etc., without inflicting an injustice on self and injury on others is often perplexing.”

I would suggest that traditional Christianity has, if anything, faulted on the side of generosity. Often, the only financial principle ever taught from the pulpit is the importance of giving. Little or nothing is ever mentioned how the Bible addresses not only how we give our money but also how we earn it, spend it, save it, invest it, etc. I would suggest this has created a Christian culture that does in fact “give to a fault.” Charles Spurgeon observed, “Those who neglect their worldly business must not plead religion as an excuse, for when a man is truly upright he exercises great care in managing his accounts, in order that he may remain so … he is prudent, thrifty, economical, sensible, judicious, discreet … Alas, some professedly good men act as if they had taken leave of their senses; this is not religion but stupidity … Attention to the things of Heaven does not necessitate the neglect of the affairs of earth; on the contrary, he who has learned how to transact business with God ought to be best able to do business with men.”

Again, the challenge is to how to be both generous and wise.

I think this is the first time I ever saw both thoughts together in the same verse: “A good man will be generous and lend freely; he conducts his affairs with discretion.” I don’t see immediately how it helps me not to be “generous to a fault,” but seeing both thoughts side by side in the Bible certainly confirms in my mind that both need to be considered. As I said earlier, I think it is a grace thing. What I think that would mean is, instead of worrying about “which rule to follow,” we should take things to the Lord, realize He wants us to be both wise and generous, then just let our love for Him and others settle the matter and proceed accordingly.

Two quick observations from the text and then I’ll quit. Interesting that the good man gives and lends. Even the words themselves mean that sometimes he just flat out gives to someone, expeting nothing in return. On the other hand, what another person may need is just temporary help, in which case it is actually the better part of wisdom to grant them the dignity of repaying the loan. Once again, wisdom (grace) is needed to discern the difference. The other thing to note is that some versions translate the opening words “a good man …” while others translate “good will come to the man …” Frankly, I don’t know which is better. All the Hebrew says is “good man.” You would think that would settle the matter except that in Hebrew, like French or Spanish, the adjective usually follows the substantive. It’s not a “blue house” but literally a “house blue.” So when the Hebrew reads “good man,” you have to pause and ask, “Why is the writer putting the adjective first?” And then, being Hebrew, it is very possible that they paint the picture “good” then that of “a man” and they’re thinking of good coming to the man. That is certainly possible. I chose to stay with the more literal translation, but really only because it’s more literal. Either way, we’ve already established he’s a good man in the previous verses and we’re talking about the blessings that come to him. So either way it works.

So I head out into my day, asking the Lord to help me be both generous and wise.