To be rich or not?

Proverbs 30:8 records the prayer of a certain Agur which is interesting. In his prayer, he asked God to give him neither poverty nor riches. The reasons for his request is stated next; he might profane God's name if he is poor and start to steal. On the other hand, riches may cause him to forsake and deny God. In essence, he was praying to be what we call today as middle class income group.

There is no argument about poverty. No one wants to be poor. I am puzzled by the portion on getting rich. How does this passage fit into the Christian life? Is it just applicable to Agur and those who do not know how to handle riches? After all, the bible also mention about believers being materially rich. "You shall lend to many nations and shall not borrow", "The riches of the wicked are stored up for the righteous". Just a few verses talking about the blessings of riches for believers. All the blessings of Israel are for the Church (believers) because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. With the material blessings God showers on us, we become a blessing to those in need.

Is Prov 30:8 about the attitude a Christian should adopt towards riches? We know we must not worship money; Ps 62 tells us not to set our hearts on riches when they increase. Paul exhorts us to be content if we have food to eat and clothes to wear. However, I feel Prov 30:8 must mean more than just attitude and perspective towards riches.

Nevertheless, we can be sure that God will supply all our needs.

Dear readers. what are your take/views about this issue? To aspire to be rich or not? Feel free to leave your comments.

NB. This is not meant to be a theological or doctrinal debate. Just a sharing of views.