12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And I find knowledge and discretion.
13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
14 “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.
15 “By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 “By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17 “I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 “Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 “My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.
20 “I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries.
As we read more about wisdom, it begins pretty obvious. Avoid evil, in fact hate evil, and put away pride, arrogance, and perversion. Then it speaks of rulers having wisdom, but not all rulers, “All who judge rightly.” There are plenty of examples on both sides, and it takes a wise ruler indeed to not let power go to their head. Then that pride creeps in, and perversion often comes with it, as history shows us often.
Verse 17 echoes something we saw in the first part of this proverb, that those who earnestly seek wisdom will indeed find it. Wisdom isn’t buried away, but is often “hiding” in plain sight. God offers it to any who desire it. Then we come to a passage many would misconstrue in vv. 18-21. Reading this, one would think that if you are wise, you will be wealthy. If you want lots of money, just seek wisdom, follow God, and problem solved, right?
The most difficult part of this, is that following the wise path with our money isn’t easy. It’s in plain sight, you don’t have to go far to find good biblical advice on finances. But it reminds us once more that the wise course often involves sacrifice. And, more importantly, we are reminded that the fruit of wisdom is better than gold or any riches.
Many would have wealth, or at least more than they need, if they walked in God’s way. You’re not a sinner because you’re poor, maybe you’re right where God needs you to be. Maybe you just need some advice on handling your money better. George Mueller ran an orphanage where God called him to depend exclusively on His provision. He could have courted wealthy donors and ran a lavish operation, but that wasn’t the path God chose for him.
On the slip side, don’t assume God wants all his followers to be poor, or that money is evil. It isn’t, and there are plenty of good examples of wealthy Christians whom God has blessed. But money should never be our focus. I was reading an (old) letter by Dorothy Sayers entitled “Why Work?” which hit the nail on the head in so many ways. Even our work should not be for money. Sure, when we do a good job, we will likely be rewarded, but we do our work to do it well and make something worth having.
And overall, when we do that, we do it “as unto the Lord”. Do what God has made you to do, and do it well, whether it is preaching or plumbing, teaching or dentistry, give it your all. Embrace what God has hand-crafted you to do, and don’t settle for anything less. Certainly seek some Godly wisdom in handling what money you do earn so that you can make the most of it, but let Him worry about the rewards. He’s got this, and He’s got you in His hands.