19 As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.
20 [l]Sheol and [m]Abaddon are never satisfied,
Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.
21 The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each is tested by the praise accorded him.
22 Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.23 Know well the [n]condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24 For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field,
27 And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food,
For the food of your household,
And sustenance for your maidens.
Previously, we saw how much we crave the praise of others, and how we have to be careful to avoid the snare of flattery and false praise. Here again, in v. 21, praise is a crucible. That seems an odd thing, for a (seemingly) good thing to be a fiery test like the furnace and crucible. Yet it reveals the heart of a person (v. 19), whether they are content, who gets the credit, and so on.
The wicked and the foolish always crave more (v. 20), and they rarely give credit to others, let alone to their Maker. As Solomon continues, he uses an agricultural analogy, and hidden within is a lesson in contentment. It is the opposite of the foolish cravings, which sound an awful lot like the prodigal son.
When farmers and ranchers sell their “harvest”, be it grain or livestock, it would seem a huge windfall. For any of us, I think the temptation would be to blow too much on frivolous living. But Solomon reminds us that it doesn’t last forever, so we need contentment, and we especially need God in those moments. If we give in to our flesh, we will run out of money before the next harvest or payday.
However, if we focus our sights on God, and the needs of our family, and employees, etc., then we will have enough with room to spare (v. 27). Then we can enjoy the leftovers instead of enduring the cycle of feast and famine. When our fleshly appetites threaten to overrule our judgment, “let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” And while you’re at it, ask for a generous helping of contentment as well!