Proverbs 11:16-31
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
Proverbs 11:28
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
I find it interesting that this proverb contrasts trusting in riches with being righteous. With a little life observation, I think most of us would fairly readily agree that trusting in riches is unwise (though the vast majority of us do it, at least to some extent), but I am not so sure that we would so readily conclude that trusting in riches is unrighteous. One needs a deeper understanding of righteousness to reach that conclusion (i.e., that only the Lord is rightly worthy of such trust).
We should again notice what this proverb does not say. It does not say that having material wealth is inherently evil. Wealth itself is not the issue. The downfall is in trusting in that wealth. It is all too easy (especially in our culture) to fall into the trap of finding security in wealth. That applies to both rich and poor alike. The rich trust in what they have; the poor look toward what they don’t have. But any such trust (or hope) in riches is misplaced.
I am no exception. It is easy for me, sitting in a position of relative wealth, to pontificate about such things. It is much more difficult to truly divorce myself from what I have and put my full faith and trust in the Lord alone. How about you?
I think of Paul’s statement (some of you can cite where this is and more accurately), to the effect of whether I am rich or poor, whatever circumstance, whatever I have or don’t have, I am content in the Lord. This doesn’t mean I don’t work or have goals, it means that the Lord comes first, always and I am not to overstress or have anxiety. I am in God’s care. I began learning this in 2008 with all my lung cancer difficulties, and God keeps reminding me of his great love.
That would be Philippians 4:10-13 — an excellent reference, Debbie. And thanks for sharing your personal perspective as well.
Beautiful reminder, Debbie and John. It is all too easy NOT to see how we trust in our wealth and its stability in our lives. Peter’s sermon on Sunday made that so very clear as well. I easily saw myself in his description of those who too often decorate their lives with faith, instead of making it their foundation. I saw this message again in the Harkonans’ most recent update.
I think God is trying to get my attention in his “holy echo” (as David B. would say).
Is anybody else feeling God’s prodding in this area?
You all know that I like playing with numbers. And as I read the verses in Proverbs 11 from the Fourth, I was struck after a bit that every other verse spoke to me. It began with v. 20, then 22, then 24, then 26; not surprisingly John picked up on verse 28. Here are the verses that touched me:
Regarding your comment on Pr. 11:24, what you say may be true, but it seems to misconstrue what the verse itself says. You seem to be interpreting the verse as though it were saying, “The rich get richer, but the poor get poorer.” That statement might also be a valid proverb, but this proverb is more like, “The generous get richer, but the stingy get poorer.”