Proverbs 11.3, 5, 6
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them … The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness … The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.”
Notice the three descriptions of the wise person in these verses:
- The integrity of the upright guides them.
- The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight.
- The righteousness of the upright delivers them.
The wise person fears God, obeys his standards, and follows the path. That is what it means to be a person of integrity and rightness. It is how wise people choose to live and work.
Notice the three descriptions of the foolish person in these verses:
- The crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
- The wicked falls by his own wickedness.
- The treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
The foolish person does not fear God, does not respect the Lord’s standards, and does not follow the path. Here is what happens to the foolish person as a result: they are destroyed, they fall, they are taken captive by their lust.
Note that in all three cases the downfall of the foolish is their own behavior. The bottom line: Disobeying God and rejecting his standards is self-defeating.
Proverbs 11.4, 7
“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death … When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.”
People have always been tempted by materialism and greed. We can get easily seduced into a pursuit of more money and more things. The desire for more “stuff” is a constant challenge.
In this passage in Proverbs, Solomon uses a play on words to issue a warning: When the day of judgment comes, riches will not profit you. In other words, all the work you do to create financial profit during your life mean nothing with regard to spiritual profit. Material wealth does not create spiritual wealth.
Jesus gives us a similar warning in Luke 12.15: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
The message is not that wealth is bad. The message is that trusting and lusting after wealth is bad. Life is not measured by how much you own. They key is to have a stewardship mindset. If you have been blessed to have wealth, then the Lord calls you to be a wise steward that uses your wealth not just for yourself, but also for others.
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13.5)
“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 5.10)
