Mercenary Motives

I’ve been thinking a little about why we do the things we do: low motives, high motives and every type in between. Sometimes we act for a multiplicity of reasons and with several different objectives in view.

For Christians, the goal is always to operate from the highest motives rather than the lower impulses, though even these may inadvertently produce what God is looking for. I think of Samson as an example of that. The Lord used his lust for a Philistine woman, a wholly inappropriate matchup, as an opportunity to judge Israel’s oppressors not once but twice.

At the top end of the motive spectrum, of course, sits love. When we do all things from a heart full of love, we have really come to know God.

The Prospect of Reward

Unbelievers and even some Christians consider the prospect of reward among these lower motives; not right down there with lust, of course, but somewhere near the bottom end. One recent example:

“We should beware of serving God from mercenary motives. We should beware of the attitude that says to God, ‘I have done this for you; what shall I get in return?’ Such a question betrays a fundamental ignorance of God and what he has done for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.”

Perhaps so, but I am revising my thoughts about that as I study the scriptures. After all, Hebrews connects faith and reward:

“Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

It’s pretty hard to see drawing near to God as a mercenary goal, isn’t it?

The Old Testament and Reward

Moreover, from beginning to end, the scriptures themselves show God offering reward to those who trusted him. Abraham displayed his faith by turning down the reward offered by the king of Sodom. In the very next verse, God appears to him in a vision and says, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” What is Abraham’s response? “O Lord God, what will you give me?”, precisely the question many encourage believers never to ask. God’s reply to Abraham is not to criticize his motives but to describe for him the very reward he was asking about.

In Numbers, the Lord offers the Levites grain and wine as the ordinate reward of their temple service. In the Psalms, David writes that in keeping the Lord’s rules, “there is great reward”. In Psalm 58, he declares that God judges the wicked in order that humanity will recognize that “there is a reward for the righteous”. Solomon writes that children are a reward, a “heritage from the Lord”. In Proverbs, he promises “a sure reward” to the one who sows righteousness and to the one who does good to his enemies. Twice, Isaiah promises that the Lord will come to his people bringing reward.

Christ and the Apostles on Reward

When we come to the New Testament, we find the Lord Jesus offering “great reward” as a legitimate incentive for enduring persecution with joy, and for being hospitable and generous. Paul twice tells the Corinthians that service for Christ will result in reward. John offers the incentive of a “full reward”. The final chapter of the entire Bible tells us the Lord is coming soon, bearing reward.

That last one interests me, because the “Alpha and Omega” is repurposing the wording of Isaiah, in which the reward was for faithful Jews in Jerusalem at his coming. In Revelation, he offers his reward to all.

Reward the Right and Wrong Way

If there is a problem with the concept of reward in scripture, it is certainly not in seeking it. Rather, it is in pursuing the wrong type of reward or pursuing it by the wrong methods. Deuteronomy curses the man who takes a reward to shed innocent blood. Hosea condemns those who loved the rewards of idolatry, and Micah condemns priests, prophets and heads of houses who refuse to offer their services unless they are rewarded for it with money. So then, the mercenary is not the man who seeks reward, he’s the man who chases the wrong rewards or is willing to do the wrong things in order to get them.

Perhaps the final word on seeking reward comes from Romans 2. Paul writes:

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Those who pursue the right goals in the right way don’t need to worry about mercenary motives. If there was any problem with seeking glory, honor and immortality by patiently doing good works, the Lord would certainly caution us about it. Instead, he reminds us eternal life awaits those who do exactly that.