‘Let your way be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he himself has said, “In no way will I fail you, nor will I in any way forsake you.” '
Fourthly they were to beware of covetousness, especially the love of money. Nothing can destroy a man or woman, or a church, like money. It subtly by degrees takes men's thoughts away from God. So they should not be concerned about whether they were rich or not. They should beware of craving after money (1 Timothy 6:10) and the deceitfulness of riches (Mark 4:19). For such soon takes hold on men and becomes their idol. Rather they should be content with what they have (compare Philippians 4:11), because godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6), and can be sure that the Lord will never fail them or forsake them in whatever needs they might have (compare Matthew 6:8; Matthew 6:19-34). With Him as our banker we can never finally run short. For as Jesus emphasised, ‘you cannot love both God and Mammon (wealth)' (Matthew 6:24), and whichever one we choose will always take precedence over the other. Either our love for God will result in money becoming unimportant except as a tool for doing good and showing love to our brothers and sisters, or the love of money will become idolatry and take away our thoughts from Christ and His ways and will destroy Christian love both for God and for men. Money is spiritually poisonous.
It may well be that he knew that some of them had lost their wealth for Christ's sake and were deeply affected by their situation, and so is seeking to ensure that they recognise how important it really is. Loss of wealth was a common problem in those days for some who became Christians.
‘In no way will I fail you, nor not at all will I in any way forsake you.' The word for fail means to let go of, to lose the grip on. It tells us that God will never lose His grip on us (John 10:29). The word for forsake means to abandon, to desert. We who are his can be sure that we will never find ourselves abandoned and deserted. Note the strong emphasis on the negatives which is there in the Greek. It is saying that for God to fail or forsake us is absolutely impossible.
The statement word for word is not found in the Old Testament, but it is almost word for word, after the altering into the first person, of a phrase in Deuteronomy 31:6 LXX in the third person, where Moses is addressing Israel prior to their entry into the promised land. For similar ideas see Joshua 1:5; and compare Genesis 28:15; Isaiah 41:17. Thus God's faithfulness has continued throughout history. It is probable that the writer is citing a standard form recognised in the churches, who might well have seen themselves as, like Israel (and Joshua), on the verge of entering the promised land and personalised the promise.
‘He Himself has said.' Thus it is certain. We note again that Scripture is quoted as what God has said.