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1 Chronicles 5:9 "[Jeiel, chief of a group of Reuben's kinsmen] also dwelt to the east as far as the entrance of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead."

 

When our cattle, or our wealth, multiplies, that is good thing, it is a blessing from God. However, it can also become a source of temptation if we don't handle it correctly. As Jeiel's tribe's cattle multiplied, they needed more room, and they spread out over the land. I suppose as long as they weren't taking this land from others to whom God had allotted it (and there's no indication they were), the spread of this tribe was part of God's blessing for them. In my life, I have occasionally felt God was blessing me with an abundance of something, and I am immensely grateful for it. But I sometimes look on it with a little apprehension, too (especially if it is wealth), because I know even blessings can become temptations if we don't accept and use them properly. 

 

This is where I would have struggled with expanding into more land if I were Jeiel. I would wonder if I was becoming too attached to my wealth, and therefore needing more of other things, other kinds of wealth, in order to preserve it. Or, was I instead properly caring for the resources and the people God entrusted to me? Either answer is possible in a given situation, which is why I have come to rely on discernment and prayer when I feel I am struggling with these kinds of issues. I find that while each situation is different, there is also an overarching theme in my life, one that hinges in large part on my personality and responsibilities. The answers might be, and often are, different for people with differing responsibilities and temperaments.

 

My "theme" Is that I tend to be content with having enough. Feeling responsible for more than I and my family need can cause me to lose my peace, and can take my mind from the things on which I should be focusing. Others have the temperament and the gift of being able to have wealth without being preoccupied with it. They may have the ability to take their wealth and multiply it for the benefit of all, so they may be given more, which ends up being a blessing for all of us. Jeiel's people all benefitted from their muliplied herds, and the expansion of their lands.

 

Whenever God increases our wealth, we should accept that gift with gratitude and tend to what we have been given to the best of our abilities. We should never, however, allow these gifts to become attachments that lead us to grasp for more, thinking that we are somehow entitled to it. That more will come, if we are meant to have it and know how to use it.