Storing versus Hoarding “Why do you store food and supplies for difficult times? Aren’t you just hoarding instead of trusting God? Doesn’t Jesus tell us not to worry about what we will eat or drink?” These are good questions that are often asked of ministries that are advocating preparedness for disasters and the judgments of God that must come on the earth. Battle Axe Brigade Ministries advocates preparedness in the spiritual realm first and then in the natural. If you are reading this article and do not have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, that is the very first and most important preparation you can make. (See John 3:36, 6:29, 6:35-40, 6:65, 10:10, 20:31; Acts 4:12, 16:31; Romans 3:22-26, 5:1-10, 6:23, 8:1, 8:38-39, 10:9-10; Hebrews 2:3) After securing your salvation in Christ, it is important to cultivate a relationship with Holy Spirit and a thorough knowledge of the Bible to bring you into the fullness of the abundant life God intends for you. (Luke 11:13; John 10:10, 14:16, 14:26; Acts 1:4-5; Ephesians 4:30; Titus 3:3-7) However, it is expected that most people reading this article are Christian believers who, like the Biblical sons of Issachar, understand the times we are in and want to know what to do. (1 Chronicles 12:32) The gross sins and wickedness described in the Bible of idolatry, (Jeremiah 3:6-10, 16:18) immorality/fornication, (Leviticus 18, 19:29; Colossians 3:5-8; Galatians 5:16-21) untimely bloodshed, (Numbers 35:33-34; Isaiah 59:1-3) and broken covenants (Isaiah 24:5-6, 33:8) are found in the earth and in our nation today. These sins bring a curse upon the land, and invite the wrath of God upon the “sons of disobedience.” The curse is manifested in different ways in the scriptures as o land vomits out inhabitants (Leviticus 18:25, 28) o people are “cut off” which in the Hebrew means destroyed (Leviticus 18:29) o some not inheriting the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:18-21) o God’s face is hidden from people and He will not hear them (Isaiah 59:2) o the inhabitants of the earth are burned (literally melt, dry up, burn) and few are left. (Isaiah 24:6) o trade is stopped (Isaiah 33:8) o disasters of weather (Isaiah 45:7) o economic collapse, governmental revolution, pandemics, or terrorism. (Ezekiel 14:13-20; Revelation 4-20) The oppression of God’s people will also invite God’s judgment upon mankind. (Job 31:28, Psalms 76:8-9, Psalms 119:84) We understand that God does not desire to curse, He desires to bless. But He is holy and just and must allow curses and unfavorable judgments to fall upon mankind as the consequences of unrepented sin. (Deuteronomy 28:1-44) We read in Jeremiah; “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24, NKJV. The original Hebrew word translated “judgment” in this verse is mishpat mish-pawt'; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially. God is the Judge of all. (Psalms 50:6, 75:7; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 19:11) His judgments can be favorable or unfavorable. The scriptures tell us of the judgments upon mankind that have come in the past and must come in the future due to sin. We are warned in Ezekiel 14 of the judgments that come when a people worship something or someone other than God. The judgment of famine: Ezekiel 14:13. The judgment of wild beasts: Ezekiel 14:15. The judgment of war: Ezekiel 14:17. The judgment of pestilence: Ezekiel 14:19. We, as children of the Living God brought from death to life – from darkness to light - through the work of the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, should welcome His judgments in His timing. (Isaiah 5:16) Our welcome of them is not because we want to see calamities that hurt people or destroy land and properties, but we welcome the judgments of God because they are a necessary part of preparing the way for Jesus Christ’s Second Coming to the earth to rule and reign in righteousness and justice over all the nations. (Revelation 4-20; Mark 13:3-33) And if we are understanding the times we live in, we know that we are approaching that time of the Second Coming. Even though we cannot fix a date to His coming, (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32-33) Jesus Christ will return to earth to end this age and set up the age of His rulership over the earth for the millennium. (Isaiah 9:7; Revelation 19-20) The world will not end, but there will be an end to this age and a beginning of the new age of Christ’s Kingship over all nations of the earth. (Matthew 24:3, 28:20) There will be nations, tongues, and tribes gladly submitting to Christ’s headship and worshipping Him as He triumphantly brings peace to all the earth. (Psalms 46:8-11; Revelation 19:11-20:6) Scripture tells us, however, that before He returns, we will experience a worldwide increase of famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and wars. (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:9-11) So shouldn’t we prepare for the end of this age since God’s Word makes it clear that these things will come? Of course we should. The debate really focuses on how we should prepare. Some will cite Matthew 6 or Luke 12 and decide that they do not need to do anything to prepare for the future. But study of those passages discloses that the principle Jesus was teaching is not about forsaking preparation. It is about forsaking anxiety or greed that may cause someone to store up things out of fear. Why would God warn us about the difficulties that will come upon the earth in His Word if we are not to prepare? We remember that God warned of famine coming to Egypt, not to incite fear, but so the people could prepare against it. (Genesis 41-42:3, 47:27) In fact, it was God’s servant Joseph who was given the revelation of the severe famine that was coming and the strategy to prepare for it. And it was Joseph who was tasked by Pharaoh with making the preparations for the famine. Did Joseph lack faith in God because he spent seven years storing grain? No; quite the opposite. Joseph displayed faith in believing the prophetic word of the Lord and implementing the strategy of storing against famine. He helped multitudes live through a great judgment. God’s grace in warning of the famine and giving the strategy of preparation to Joseph not only spared those in Egypt but also all of the family of Israel and those of other nations that came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain. In fact, Egypt was not just spared, it prospered, and so did Israel, having been favored to live in Goshen in Egypt. The answer, then, to our question is that God warns of coming difficulties so we can prepare. So the question remains, should we prepare for these judgments and difficult times that are coming that God has warned us of in His Word? The answer is Yes. We should embrace the principle of getting prepared both spiritually and physically. The spiritual preparation is found in Scriptures like 2 Chronicles 7:14, Leviticus 26:1-12, Colossians 3:12-17; Ephesians 5:1-7; and Colossians 1:10-16. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God and look forward to His coming in power to reign! We are to triumph through the hard times, faithfully relying on His lovingkindness and grace toward us, worshiping Him in the beauty of His holiness. The physical preparation is found in storing food and supplies as a reserve to help ourselves and others during foreseen difficult times, similar to what we see in the story of Joseph. We are to understand the times and know what to do. Some other scriptures that commend preparation are following: “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8 NKJV “She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20 NKJV
“Now may He
who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the
seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes
thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service
not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through
many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they
glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ,
and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,”
What Is the Difference Between Hoarding and Storing to Be Prepared? “Hoard” as a noun means “a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away.” As a verb, “to hoard” means “to lay up a hoard.” [from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary] “Store” as a noun means 1. something that is stored or kept for future use 2. plural: articles (as of food) accumulated for some specific object and drawn upon as needed, stock, supplies 3. something that is accumulated 4. a source from which things may be drawn as needed: a reserve fund As a verb, “to store” is to 1. lay away, accumulate <store vegetables for winter use> 2. furnish, supply; especially to stock against a future time <store a ship with provisions> 3. to place or leave in a location (as a warehouse, library, or computer memory) for preservation or later use or disposal 4. to provide storage room for. [from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary] Historically, forgotten hoards have been found in many cultures, notably Great Britain. To an archaeologist, a hoard is a collection of valuable (to the original owner) objects purposely buried in the ground that, when uncovered centuries later, yields information about the culture of the time it was buried. Sometimes people hoarded for the sake of convenience, as when a traveling merchant would bury some of his wares in various locations on his circuit to be recovered later as he came again to that region. Or in the case of a blacksmith or founder, he would often bury broken or unfit metal objects in the ground with the intent of re-using that metal at another time. A common purpose of hoarding was to keep the objects safe in times of unrest such as war or civil upheaval. In the case of the hoarder’s death or removal from the area, a hoard could be left buried for generations. [Wikipedia.org] Although today we may think of hoarding and storing away as being the same thing, we can clearly see that there is a difference between the two when we look at the origin of the words. “Hoard” origin: Middle English hord, from Old English; akin to Gothic huzd treasure, Old English hȳdan to hide [Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary] “Store” origin: Middle English, from Anglo-French estorer to establish, restore, supply, from Latin instaurare to resume, restore [Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary] A more accurate understanding of hoarding, then, is to hide something valuable away (a treasure) with the intent of retrieving it later for one’s own use. It connotes worry over not having enough in the future. Jesus discouraged this attitude in telling the parable of the rich fool. (Luke 12:15-21) Storing, on the other hand, is best defined as preparing and setting aside extra supply with the intent of restoration and resupply when needed. Storing is not motivated by fear, but by faith in our God and His Word. The real difference between hoarding and storing is the intent! Battle Axe Brigade encourages all believers to store food and supplies enough for at least a year so that there will be enough to have for your own family’s needs in difficult times and to share with others who have not prepared. We believe we are not to worry about our supply, for our God provides for all our needs. (Luke 12:22-34) Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that we are not to worry, specifically about what to eat, drink or wear. (Matthew 6:31-34) But worry and preparation are two entirely different concepts. Worry is motivated by anxiety and fear. Preparation is motivated by wisdom and faith. We believe we are to share what we have with others in need. (Matthew 5:42-48; 1 John 3:16-18) It is wisdom to store the extra supply God has provided now, so that we can share both food and the Gospel in times of need. (Colossians 4:5-6; Proverbs 14:21, 19:17) We do not advocate hoarding. We do advocate having the heart of God towards others and the mindset of being ready to serve those outside our own homes. We encourage in you the generosity of the boy among the crowd of 5,000 men who shared his few loaves and fishes, which Jesus then multiplied to feed the entire multitude. (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 8:33-44; Luke 9:11-17; John 6:5-13) Interestingly, this is the only miracle Jesus performed while on the earth that is recorded in all four gospels.
“Blessed is he that considereth the poor;
We invite you to explore www.battleaxe.org for recommendations regarding disaster preparedness and to obtain a copy of A Believer’s Guide to Disaster Preparedness that we have available to assist you.
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