Proverbs 11.29
“Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.”
The picture painted here is a person in a family who is expecting to receive an inheritance, but who brings trouble to his family because of his selfish, foolish behavior. As a result, the person inherits only the wind, which means he inherits nothing. In the end, the foolish person ends up being a servant in the household, rather than a master over the household.
The person who actually inherits the role of master is the person who earns the right to lead the household. This person is described as wise of heart, and he will rule over the household in a fair and equitable way. The wise leader does not have selfish motives, but is a steward who is careful to make good decisions and who looks out for the interests of everyone.
Had the fool inherited the role of master, it would have been a disaster. He would have ruled over the household selfishly.
Another application of this passage is a master (any leader) who rules selfishly and foolishly, and therefore brings trouble to his household. Because of his foolishness, at some point he loses his leadership position and “inherits the wind,” which means he gets nothing. He is replaced by a leader who is wise of heart. As a result, the fool becomes a servant in the household where he used to rule.
By “household” this passage means your marriage, family, business, church, team, school … even your community. All of those institutions require leadership. All of these institutions require wise leaders who have stewardship mindset. Problems arise when someone brings trouble to the household.
Review 1 and 2 Kings and you will see this Proverb play out in the history of the nation of Israel. After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: Israel in the north with its capital in Samaria, and Judah in the south with its capital at Jerusalem.
All of the kings of the Northern Kingdom were evil and idolatrous. They brought trouble (big trouble) to the house of Israel, and as result they inherited the wind. Most of the kings of Judah were wicked and idolatrous. They also brought trouble to the house of Judah, and they also inherited the wind.
Here is a description of Ahab, the most wicked king in Israel:
“In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” (1 Kings 16:29-33)
In whatever “household” you are a leader, be wise of heart. Don’t be self-centered, and don’t bring trouble.
If you are someone who aspires to leadership, you also must be wise of heart. The same prohibition applies: Don’t be self-centered, and don’t bring trouble.
*Footnote: Our nation is in very real danger of “inheriting the wind” because of the foolishness of our leaders.
