Proverbs 11:27-31--The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 11:27-31
English Standard Version
​27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
    but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
    but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and whoever captures souls is wise.
31 If the righteous is repaid on earth,
    how much more the wicked and the sinner!

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We end this chapter with Solomon encouraging his son to seek good instead of searching for evil.  People almost always claim that evil just pops up out of nowhere and gets them by surprise, but their actions betray them (even if they don't realize it).  Next some advice from the wealthiest man who ever lived--don't put your trust and hope in your riches.  They will certainly fail you, even if you had all the money in all the world, it would not be enough to solve life's biggest problems that only God can fix.  The righteous man who puts his hope and trust in God can rest well and flourish because he knows God is big enough, strong enough, and good enough to handle everything.

Be a blessing to those in your household.  I would assume this is speaking to a son that worries his mother and father.  I think the picture here is that someone who is irresponsible with money and given into loose and wild living (which would bring trouble to the parents and other family members as they would always need to bail that person out of trouble) should expect no inheritance as the parents would be wise to not give money to such a person that would waste it on foolish choices, but also because that person probably drained the fortunes of various family members dry while they were alive.  For this reason, Solomon will say that the foolish person will end up the servant of the one who is wise.  The one who can't hold onto money will always be indebted to the one who has money that they can borrow from (assuming here that the rich person is rich because he is wise and manages his own money well).

The righteous will eat from the Tree of Life (that is Christ who gives us eternal life).  See the end of the book of Revelation where the Tree of Life and the River of Life await all those who are in Christ.  Whoever captures souls who were on their way to hell but helps them know how they can be saved and have eternal life is truly wise.  Investment in the eternal state of people is something worth the return on investment every single time.  It will never depreciate in value, and no one can steal that treasure away.  We do this not for ourselves, but because we are ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven, and we love to help people become citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Last is a warning that we see the LORD give some rewards to the righteous here and now.  We don't have to wait to get our reward in heaven (though much of it is coming then).  If that's the case for us as righteous people, God certainly also knows those who are the wicked who refuse to repent and why should we think that all of their punishment and condemnation will come in hell and the lake of fire? Isn't it also possible that God will start judging them for some of their evil deeds in the here and now? It is more than possible.  Note that Solomon doesn't say that only good things happen to the righteous or that we should even expect good things to happen to the righteous.  We just shouldn't be surprised when the LORD shows favor to His children.  We also shouldn't be surprised when He shows even the smallest part of His wrath to His enemies.  It is your choice whether you want to be a part of the king's family or if you want to be part of the army that is fighting against Him.  To fight against Him is a losing proposition.  A wise person would surrender their lives to Him now and become a citizen of His kingdom and come under His favor and protection.