Proverbs 14:19-24--The Proverbs of SOlomon

Proverbs 14:19-24
English Standard Version
​19 The evil bow down before the good,
    the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
    but the rich has many friends.
21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
    Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
23 In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk tends only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,
    but the folly of fools brings folly.

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First off, sorry for missing yesterday.  It was a busy day at church that needed me to be there extra early and I'm not good about remembering to do things when I don't do them at their normal time.  For my devotions, it's first thing in the morning as I intend for this to have first importance.

Solomon's wisdom in this section has to do with how the wicked and the righteous treat their neighbors differently.  This has made its way into the political discussions recently as one of the candidates wants to talk about being "neighborly" according to what he thinks that means.  I'll let God and his Word decide if he is on the right side of this passage or not, but it's just something interesting that this passage comes up at this time.

In the end, it is the wicked will bow down to the one and only Righteous One, that is Jesus.  Good wins and evil loses.  The wicked will be at the gates trying to get into the kingdom of God, but they will be denied entry.  There is no illegal immigration into the kingdom of God.  There is only one gate to come through and one road to follow.  Anyone that tries to come in any other way will be found out because they will not be dressed in the righteousness of Christ alone.

It is better to be poor and have just a few friends that love you for who you are than to be rich and have many "friends" who simply love your money and want you to spend it on them.  The one who despises his neighbor and mistreats him because he is poor (or "less fortunate" or whatever euphemism you want to use) is a sinner.  God expected all of his people to take care of their neighbors and quite literally in Israel, since they lived in tribes and clans, everyone who lived near you was family.  It was even more wicked for you to look down on and hate your own family members and refuse to help them in their time of need.  However, the LORD will reward those who love their neighbors sacrificially without expecting any payment in return, for this is the kind of selfless love that God has shown to us.

How are you going to use your mental faculties?  Are you going to use them to think of ways to do good to others or ways in which to do evil to others?  Solomon points out that there are people who do both (and there are plenty of people who don't spend any time thinking of anyone else as they only think of themselves).  Those who plot evil things lose their way and take the path that leads to judgment and destruction.  However, the righteous are blessed by the LORD's steadfast covenant love for HIs people and His faithfulness that assures them that they are accepted no on the basis of who they are and what they have done, but on the basis of who He is what He has done for them.

It is better to work and earn even a little profit than to talk like you know and do a lot and have it all been bluster and have nothing to show for it.  Even if you don't make a lot of money doing your work, you at least have the benefit of knowing that you are being productive, and it leads to better emotional, mental, and usually physical health.  God intends for men especially to work, and that feels like it's an integral part of our identity.  It's who he made us to be.  He has designed you in a unique way to do the work that He has prepared for you.  Figure out what that is and do it, even if it doesn't bring you a lot of money because there are other intangible benefits to doing what God is telling you to do and walking in a way that serves Him and serves others first and foremost.

The wise person will have enough and be satisfied and will therefore be considered "rich."  He may even be given more than he needs so that he can bless others with the resources that God has given him and in so doing be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world.  The fool however never has enough money to spend because satisfaction and contentment cannot be purchased.  Instead, the fool tries to spend money on things that won't satisfy, and this leads to great folly.  "Godliness with contentment is great gain."