9 The light of the righteous [h]rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 Through insolence [i]comes nothing but strife,
But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
11 Wealth obtained by [j]fraud dwindles,
But the one who gathers [k]by labor increases it.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire [l]fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 The one who despises the word will be [m]in debt to it,
But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The [n]teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding produces favor,
But the way of the treacherous is hard.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool [o]displays folly.
A theme that has been prevalent throughout Proverbs, which surfaces here again, is the need for patience. In v. 12 we see an example of this, waiting makes our heart sick. But waiting is necessary to see desire fulfilled. It doesn’t happen overnight, and anyone who tells you otherwise will be like v. 11, “wealth obtained by fraud dwindles”. Or it just flat out disappears!
I had a scammer message me just the other day, promising quick and easy money. That should be anyone’s first clue, but we are allured to the promised reward, and then like a flash our money is gone. To what end do we foolishly pursue “getting rich”? So that others think more highly of us? You certainly don’t need to be rich to live a normal life.
Yet what our society has called normal is not quite the same thing. It is having the house that took our parents decades to earn, having a brand new car (or two) when we cannot afford to be throwing money out the window (and we are), it is keeping up with an illusion of wealth. The word “fraud” could also be translated “vanity”, which seems an odd mixup.
But vanity is what drives us to all these things, and is part of what drives folks to fall for such scams. They prey upon our vanity just like the credit card companies, and before we know it, v. 13 is our life, we are in debt up to our eyeballs, drowning in an unforgiving sea.
Instead, we ought to remember that patience will be a “tree of life” and wise teaching is likewise a “fountain of life” to “turn us aside from the snares of death.” It seems difficult to be prudent (v. 16), but the alternative will be much more difficult in the long run (v. 15).
Don’t be swayed by pride and vanity, but live within your means–or less, so that you can give freely as God often asks us to. Instead of wasting our time trying to keep up with the images we see on TV or on Facebook, work hard to find the rewards God has in store. They may not be flashy or glamorous (or they might), but His way will be hope and life to your soul.