Proverbs 10:14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
God shows us throughout the Bible that His priorities are far different than those of fallen man. We focus on materialism. Just yesterday, president Trump announced the removal of tariffs on Irish whiskey. Whiskey is a destructive drink. No one has ever benefited from consuming alcoholic drinks.
Wise man lay up knowledge. A person can never have too much knowledge. One drop of liquor is too much. The president of the U.S. demonstrated once again that he does not see the value of knowledge. He may be able to make money, and he may be able to negotiate some good economic deals, but he does not have a clue on laying up treasure in heaven. His wealth will stay behind when he dies. His children may benefit financially from his efforts, but they have nothing when it comes to eternity.
The mouth of the foolish is near destruction. That is what liquor brings — destruction. The wise person knows when to speak up and he knows when it is best to remain silent. Jesus spoke many words throughout His three and half years of public ministry. When He stood before Pilate and king Herod, He said very little. Pilate was amazed that He did not protest the false accusations made against Him. Jesus had said all He needed to say. Those who were slandering Him knew better than what they were doing. Most of them certainly know better today, but it is too late for them. A few may have been part of the three thousand plus who were saved in Acts 2.
In verse 15 we see that the rich man assumes that his wealth is his strength. He has confidence in his wealth. What happens when that wealth becomes worthless. We are seeing now that the world economies are on very shaky ground. The deficit in the U.S. is far bigger than they can ever pay off. Canada is no better. You can only print money for so long. Eventually payment must be made. Even the wealthy are not immune to financial ruin.
We are also seeing governments force banks to “debank” people whose ideas they do not like. This problem is increasing. There does not seem to be a way to stop the dictatorial plans of our country.
Babylon was a wealthy empire. Nebuchadnezzar watched over some amazing accomplishments within his empire. Yet, at a predetermined time, God sent the Medes and the Persians in to conquer Babylon. The empire changed hands. No longer was Nebuchadnezzar’s family in charge. Belshazzar was killed in the invasion. Everything that Nebuchadnezzar had been so proud of was no longer under the control of his family. Eventually the Medes and the Persians would fall to the Greeks and later they would fall to the Romans. The Roman empire crumbled due to its rampant immorality. That empire will be revived for a short time in the future. It will not be for the benefit of the Romans nor of the world.
In verse 16 we are reminded that the hard work of the righteous brings rewards. The righteous man is not about cheating the system to get ahead. The righteous man is not preoccupied with materialism. The righteous person’s goal and desire is the spiritual well-being of others. That is the opposite of what the wicked care about. Their success often involves sin. Don’t be a spoil-sport they say. Live and let live they say. A person that does not know the Lord does not know what living is.
Adam and Eve had life prior to the fall. They had access to the tree of life. After Adam’s sin, God drove them out of the Garden and He set a watch to keep them away from the tree of life. They died immediately spiritually and would eventually die physically. The righteous will die physically, however they have eternal life. Their soul will never die. Their bodies will be resurrected one day and reunited with their living souls. They will spend eternity with the Lord. That is what matters.
Be sure you are labouring for that which truly matters. Don’t waste your time on that which is only of temporal value. Life is too short and eternity is too long to miss out on having that gift of life that can only come from knowing the true God.
Pastor Bartel