Message: True Riches
Time: Proverbs records multiple individuals as its author with Solomon as the principal author. Solomon died in 931 BC though most think the book was likely in its final form sometime before the end of Hezekiah’s reign in 686 BC. It is a book that instructs people on the path of wisdom. It speaks to all of life and living our lives under the authority and direction of God.
What the Lord is Saying: Well, this Proverbs deviates a little from the previous verses in chapter 10 and seems to make a comment rather than a comparison or mentioning a vice or virtue. I felt like verse 15 of chapter 10 also was not heavy in contrasts when it said, "The rich person’s wealth is his fortress, the ruin of the poor is their poverty." Instead it was sort of making a comment. Now, here in this verse another comment is made and this time the Lord is mentioned directly for the first time in this chapter. I think you can infer the Lord in many of the other verses or all of them, but this is a more direct statement.
The premise of this verse is - "What does it mean, really, to be rich?" At least, for the person of righteousness or the God-follower, to be rich is to be blessed of the Lord or receive blessing or be involved in all that which God blesses us.
I think of Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." And Psalm 29:11, "The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace."
Psalm 145:6, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God." We have help. We have hope.
Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."
Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us."
Psalm 32:1, "How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered!"
These are a few verses that speak of blessings - peace, help, hope, lacking nothing, power in us, forgiven.
And the verse mentions there is no sorrow with it. Hmm. There is potential sorrow with being rich? There is potential sorrow in getting rich improperly. I have spoken to people in Nigeria that mention many in the population use scams to earn money. Granted, the cost of living there is very hard and the people in that country do not have the basic needs we have, but to realize they are scamming people in order to gain funds. But gaining value in things improperly is a problem and can bring sorrow for all involved.
It also seems at times that the rich have more pressure on them to provide compassion to people and to live within their means. I recall the Chick-Fil-A founder continued to live in a small house despite the enormous success of his business. There is such great temptation to live in very nice surroundings when you have more money.
Overall, though, the key here is to realize the immense blessing that comes from God. The peace we have for now and today. The hope that we have for tomorrow. The knowledge that God is there to help and answer our prayers. Our sins are forgiven. There is amazing blessing because of the Lord being in our life.
Prayer: O Father, make me content. Help me to be more satisfied with what it means to be in you and blessed by You. Let that be what I desire. Get me focused off of possessions and acquisitions.
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