There are two words the Bible uses to measure abundance: one is riches and the other is wealth. The word rich in Hebrew is kabed, which means severe and large. The riches of a person then were determined by his money or the amount or value of the properties he possessed. On the other hand, the word wealth in Hebrew is chayil, and it means physical strength and noble character.
As I studied the idea of riches and wealth, I realize that physical strength and noble character are more important than money, and even knowledge. And yet, in today's system, the latter are the things people focus on because they believe that knowledge and money will assure them of a stable future. But I believe that knowledge and money are useless unless you have the strength to apply what you know and the noble character to make decisions for the good of all. Do you know that there is another word to explain the meaning of kabed in Hebrew? Kabed means a burden. I believe this can mean that the more money and properties you have, the more burden you have to carry. Money and possessions can be an encumbrance to those who do not know how to use them well.
Because of these, I am learning that in order to create wealth, we must develop physical strength and noble character first, because these can acquire knowledge and riches. But knowledge and riches can never buy physical strength and noble character.
