Luke 12:19, commentary and pictures

The verse records a rich man talking to himself with complete confidence that his stored plenty will secure many years of ease, eating, drinking and pleasure. He speaks to his soul as if material wealth could satisfy and secure it, but no amount of goods can satisfy the soul, make it happy, or give it worth in heaven. His presumption is folly, for a person's life does not consist in the abundance he owns, and his boast of many years is overturned when his life is required of him that very night, leaving his hoard useless to him. His plentiful harvest came wholly from God and was entrusted to him as a steward, yet he forgot the Giver, worshiped the blessing, and closed his heart to the poor, widow, orphan and suffering whom he was meant to relieve. The verse therefore teaches that means are not given for selfish ease and hoarding but to be used faithfully to bless others and advance God's work, for only such stewardship makes a person rich toward God.

Parable Setting and Wording

The verse records the rich man speaking confidently to himself, telling his soul that he has much goods laid up for many years and urging it to take ease and eat, drink, and be merry. He trusts his stored wealth to guarantee years of security, comfort, and pleasure, and plans to spend that time at ease and in self-indulgence. His words reveal self-centered confidence and covetousness, a reliance on earthly goods and on what he owns rather than being rich toward God. He thinks only of his own comfort and plans to use his abundance only for himself, forgetting God, the needy, and his responsibility to use his goods to help others and serve God. His goods cannot secure his life, which is required that very night, and his laying up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich toward God shows he is not trustworthy with eternal riches.

He addresses his soul as though material wealth could satisfy and secure it, as though possessions could guarantee the future. But goods cannot satisfy the soul or make it happy, and the soul cannot be put or secured in any amount of goods. Storing goods for self in this way does not make a man's character of greater value in the sight of heaven, nor increase a person's worth in heaven.

He had kept acquiring means and adding to his possessions until he had nowhere to bestow his goods. Convinced the future would be full of plenty, he resolved to pull down his barns and build larger ones to store all his fruits and goods for himself, and then to tell his soul to take ease and eat, drink, and be merry. His life was unprofitable because he withheld from God and dealt grudgingly with his Master, fearful he would come to want and daring not to trust God. The Lord cut short his life, and will deal in the same way with many lovers of the world who rob God while professing to serve Him, showing how easy it is in a corrupt age to grow worldly, selfish, and ungrateful to the Giver of all mercies, and calling for great watchfulness and much prayer to keep the soul with all diligence.

He speaks in a self-sufficient spirit, indulging himself and speaking to himself as though accountable to no one but his own desires. He lives as though his possessions are his own, owing nothing to God or other people, and as though there were no God, heaven, or future life. He acts as though no one knows what he is doing, but God knows every action and the motives behind it, and self-sufficiency is sin and prepares the way for ruin. He forgot God, the giver of his blessings, and his all-consuming love of gain left no room in his thoughts for the poor and needy. His wealth could not preserve his life or make it useful to others, and he died still rich. The verse belongs to Christ's parable of the foolish rich man, which is presented alongside the parable of the lilies of the field and before the teaching about the faithful steward.

Folly of False Security

A person's life does not consist in the abundance of things he owns, so treating stored wealth as security for many years of ease and self-indulgent pleasure is foolish. Living to accumulate for oneself cuts the soul off from life rather than making one rich toward God, for such self-centered confidence rests on possessions rather than God and thinks only of personal comfort instead of using abundance to help the needy. Speaking to the soul as though possessions could guarantee life exposes the same folly, since covetousness severs the soul from true life.

The assumption of controlling the future and having many years ahead is overturned because life is required that very night. Wealth and personal calculations cannot make the future secure, for confidence built on what is stored up proceeds without regard for God, without gratitude to the Giver, and without reckoning how soon life may end, even using heaven's gifts without thought of the Giver and misusing them to lead others away. The rich man credits himself for success and plans to enjoy what he has gathered, but death can come that very night, making his wealth useless to him. Then he cannot control who will receive what he accumulated, and others take what he stored.

Earthly riches cannot ensure a long or happy life, nor preserve life nor make it useful to others. Forgetting God the giver of blessing and speaking as though accountable to no one but his own desires, the fool's all-consuming love of gain leaves no room in his thoughts for the poor and needy, and he dies still rich. Covetousness lived out in laying up treasure for oneself instead of becoming rich toward God can thus cost a person both earthly and heavenly treasure. His words show he is not trustworthy with eternal riches and is not rich toward God.

He kept for himself what was due to God and prized worldly treasure over eternal riches, believing he could spend life at ease in eating, drinking, and pleasure. Yet he cannot keep his goods when his life ends, and possessions cannot guarantee the life or future he assumes. The verse depicts a man bound up with his treasure and measuring his worth by the increase of his wealth. It warns against making the pursuit and accumulation of riches an all-consuming goal, adopting the same self-satisfied attitude that forgets service to God and presumes tomorrow will bring still greater abundance, when instead what is received adds to true value only through wise stewardship for the Lord and seeking treasure in heaven.

Stewardship Versus Covetousness

His plentiful harvest came entirely from God, who let the sun shine on the just and unjust, sent showers on the evil and good, and caused vegetation to flourish, so that his life, harvest, and possessions depended on God and were only entrusted to him to be used faithfully as God's steward rather than for selfish ends. His confident talk of stored goods securing many years of ease and pleasure ignored that his life and possessions belonged to God and were entrusted for faithful use, and the judgment that followed exposed the folly of treating them as his own. His confidence in his possessions reflected forgetfulness of God and failure to thank the One from whom they came, for the wealth had been entrusted to bless others and glorify God, and storing it for himself did not make him rich toward God or secure God's favor. His harvest was a gift from God and a chance to provide for the poor, but he thought only of his own comfort and kept the surplus for himself.

He used heaven's gifts without thought of the Giver and even misused them to lead others away from God, showing no gratitude while trusting tangible possessions to make the future secure. He spoke to himself as though his soul were his god, his blessings had become the object of his worship, and his all-consuming love of gain enslaved his mind and left him without concern for the poor, the widow, or the orphan. Earthly wealth in itself does not make a person favored by God, and without heavenly treasure and divine wisdom the wealthy are counted fools.

He closed his heart to the needy, the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the suffering and afflicted, though their condition was brought to his attention and abundant provision for their wants had been made in the blessing bestowed on him. Instead of using his blessed opportunity to be God's almoner to free homes from want, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, gladden hearts, and answer prayers for bread and clothing, he thought only of ministering to his own comfort and resolved to store all his fruits and goods for himself for self-indulgent ease for many years. His confidence rested on what he owned while he ignored needy people who could have been helped by his abundance, exposing the selfishness and false security of hoarding wealth instead of using it to serve God and others. His abundance had been entrusted so he could help others and glorify God, and sharing it would have brought gratitude to God and a valuable experience of giving, but he kept his surplus for himself and planned to enjoy it, living as though his possessions were his own and he owed nothing to God or other people.

His self-satisfied belief that abundant possessions guarantee years of ease and pleasure, and his plan to use them only for personal comfort, express covetousness and reliance on earthly goods rather than being rich toward God. True elevation of the soul comes not through seeking enjoyment in possessions but through active service, self-control, and holy purposes, while earthly riches cannot secure life or make a person rich toward God. Blessings are to be used to bless others rather than hoarded for oneself, for possessing much with heart and interests fixed on earthly treasure does not make a person rich toward God.

Abundance of goods in itself does not make a person better or worse, but reveals the character he develops under blessing and tests how much he feels his dependence on God. All he received increased his responsibility and accountability, and what he received adds to his true value only through wise stewardship for the Lord. His choice to keep his increase for himself instead of glorifying God through it and transferring his goods to members of the human family who need those very things left him deficient in character value to that degree, whereas had he given abundantly as he received abundantly God would have counted him trustworthy to be entrusted with goods. He was bound up with his treasure and measured his worth by the increase of his wealth.

His selfish accumulation followed from withholding what belonged to God, including the tenth, and failing to use his goods to meet the needs of others, warning against serving self instead of loving God and neighbor. Wealth used for good would make a person rich in good works and lay up treasure in heaven. He kept acquiring means and adding to his possessions until he had nowhere to bestow his goods, and his life was unprofitable because he withheld from God and dealt grudgingly with his Master, fearful he would come to want and daring not to trust God. The Lord cut short his life, and will deal in the same way with many lovers of the world who rob God while professing to serve Him, showing how easy it is in a corrupt age to grow worldly, selfish, and ungrateful to the Giver of all mercies and calling for great watchfulness and much prayer to keep the soul with all diligence.

Call to Faithful Use

To take ease in stored goods, to eat and drink and be merry, is folly, and the meaning is not to live to please self, not to court praise and human honor, and not to spend the Lord's money in needless adornment. Instead all the sons and daughters of God are to move out by faith, to build only what is neat and plain and free from debt, and to live as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above. The heart is to be guarded with perpetual vigilance lest it be estranged from God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, sacrificing for the cause without ostentation or display, hiding self in Jesus, and walking in self-abasement and lowliness through sanctification of the Spirit.

Having enough to eat and drink and live comfortably is no reason to settle down to eat, drink, and be merry, to stop useful work, or to live only for ease and pleasure. Means do not remove the duty to exert oneself, and idleness while others labor to support the Lord's work incurs guilt. Those who have means should use them in the Lord's work and help bring light to people who are perishing, for failing to give and serve when able brings guilt through indolence.

Means are entrusted for service and should be used to help others, to support those in need, and to advance the Lord's work. Hoarding wealth in houses, land, costly goods, or unused riches brings eternal loss, hinders the spread of the message, and places the heart there, while giving faithfully prepares for Christ's return and answers for stewardship. This faithful use is especially urgent while there is still opportunity to support the proclamation of the third angel's message.

The same warning applies to wealthy parents who leave the disposition of their property unsettled, acting as though wealth and life are secure for many years. They do not know when their probation may end, and sudden death may leave their property handled in ways they would not have approved. Such neglect shows unfaithfulness as stewards.

The verse warns against making the pursuit and accumulation of riches an all-consuming goal, focusing on accumulating possessions and money-making projects instead of giving time, abilities, and energy to God's work. Believers who forget they are God's servants may adopt the same self-satisfied attitude and presume that tomorrow will bring still greater abundance. Their business dealings should instead be conducted with care, and they should seek treasure in heaven, with stored goods used in helping the widow and fatherless and possessions laid up as treasure in heaven by supporting others and God's work.

The chapter speaks to people blessed with great light, especially students who are striving in a tame, listless way without putting the whole heart into the service of Christ, calling them to daily prayer and watchfulness and to earnestly seek the Lord by not only claiming to believe the truth but living and practicing it. Earthly wealth does not make a person favored by God or better in His sight, and without heavenly treasure and divine wisdom the wealthy are counted fools, having forgotten God and failed to use possessions to bless others and honor their Giver. To follow the foolish rich man is folly and not true wisdom, for true wisdom does not spend time, wisdom, strength, and influence taking sides with political parties and in political strife, but seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness under Christ's banner.