Being respected is more important than having great riches.
    To be well thought of is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor are alike
    in that the Lord made them all.

The wise see danger ahead and avoid it,
    but fools keep going and get into trouble.

Respecting the Lord and not being proud
    will bring you wealth, honor, and life.

Evil people’s lives are like paths covered with thorns and traps.
    People who guard themselves don’t have such problems.

Train children to live the right way,
    and when they are old, they will not stray from it.

The rich rule over the poor,
    and borrowers are servants to lenders.

Those who plan evil will receive trouble.
    Their cruel anger will come to an end.

Generous people will be blessed,
    because they share their food with the poor. (New Century Version)

The Bible is a big book. In fact, it is more like a compilation of many books – 66 of them, to be precise, contained in the Old and New Testaments. Although the Bible has the grand theme of presenting a redemptive drama, it is not a flat one-dimensional piece of literature. 

Throughout the Bible’s contents, from Genesis to Revelation, it is chocked full of various literary genres. From poetry and narrative stories to apocalyptic accounts and exhortative epistles, Holy Scripture provides a many-sided look at the unfolding drama of God’s redemption toward humanity. 

Included in this big Bible is the book of Proverbs, a collection of wise sayings to help people navigate God’s big world. The chief reason it’s important to know that the Bible contains different types of literature is so that we can read it and interpret it well. 

A proverb is a short pithy statement of experiential truth. 

It’s not the same as commands or law. The individual Hebrew proverbs are designed to point out that, all things being equal, this is how the world works. For example, let’s consider one of the most misunderstood and misused verses in the Bible: Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

Many a parent has been made to feel unrelenting guilt over a wayward son or daughter, believing that somehow they have failed. The reason they have such feelings is that they treat the book of Proverbs as clear promises to claim. But biblical proverbs simply were not meant to be stretched in this manner.

Rather, the proverb is meant to communicate to us that if parents are diligent and faithful in raising kids, that in all likelihood, this training will never leave them; it will always stick with them in some way, shape, or form. 

Furthermore, it’s also true that many a parent has rejoiced over an adult child coming back to their faith after a sojourn in the muck of the world. Important to that return is the foundation laid years ago with faithful parenting that desired to pass on wise and good instruction.

Proverbs, therefore, are meant to encourage us, not with an ironclad promises, but with the hope that all the blood, sweat, and tears that parents, teachers, mentors, and others put into children, and into their diligent work, will someday likely bear much fruit of responsible lives that contribute and benefit the church and the world. 

So, be diligent, patient, and do not give up; keep persevering knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

And also consider the proverb that honoring, respecting, and fearing God will bring a person wealth, riches, and an abundant life. It might. Perhaps likely. But it’s neither a promise nor a command. And it’s definitely not a math equation; you cannot build an algorithm from it to get rich quick. No, the verse is a proverb.

In other words, if we are careful to pay attention to God, and seek to obey and trust the Lord for all things, then, it is quite likely that you will find yourself with plenty, and not be in want. Thus, we ought never to look at the world with black-and-white glasses that unthinkingly believes that all rich people are hard workers and godly, whereas all poor folk are lazy good-for-nothing’s.

What’s more, many a poor person is rich in faith and good works, whereas many of the rich, care little for God and spend their wealth on self-centered concerns. Understanding a proverb as a proverb helps us to avoid stereotyping people and giving them labels they don’t deserve.

Let’s keep going. I do believe, as the proverb says, that generous people will be blessed. But know this: genuine generosity always costs us something. It will take money, time, energy, and/or resources which become depleted when we give liberally. Some folk never acquire wealth because they are committed to sharing what they have with others. And, in my opinion, these are the persons who are truly blessed.

If we keep an eye toward acquiring wisdom, pursuing experiential knowledge, and trusting God, then we look to places in the Bible like the Proverbs, and seek to live life as it was intended to be lived.

Internalize the biblical proverbs and, all things being equal, you are quite likely to have a good and blessed life.

Blessed and almighty God, the Giver of life, it is from your hand that we have received all we have, and are, and will be. We understand that your divine call upon us is to be the stewards of your abundance, the caretakers of all you have entrusted to us. Help us always to use your gifts wisely; and teach us to share them generously. May our faithful stewardship bear witness to the love of Christ in our lives; we pray with grateful hearts, in the gracious name of Jesus. Amen.