In 1Kings 3:11 the Lord indicates his pleasure that Solomon sought for wisdom. He also indicates his pleasure that Solomon did not take his opportunity to ask for other things. At the top of the list was "Riches for thyself." The footnote at this point take us to a series of scriptures that talk about seeking wealth. The first is in Jacob 2--
18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
This passage is often interpreted in LDS circles to mean that seeking for wealth simply should not be your FIRST priority, but after you have taken care of your basic spiritual direction it's OK to seek for wealth as long as you are willing to be generous with it.
I don't think the passage can actually be read that way. You are certainly not to seek for riches "before" seeking for the Kingdom of God. One of the reasons is that until you find the Kingdom - obtain a hope in Christ - you couldn't be trusted to seek them for the right reasons. You would (whether willing to be generous or not) still be seeking "riches for thyself." After your relationship with Christ is set, the whole point of seeking riches is basically fundraising. You want to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to liberate the captive, to administer relief. You are not merely willing to be generous with a portion of your wealth, your whole reason for wanting money in the first place is because you are aware of desperate needs and want to meet them.
Aside from this one exception (that of fund raising to meet the needs of others) the scriptures are actually very consistent in giving the advice that one should NOT seek for wealth. Next Wisdom post we'll take a closer look at that advice.
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