PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness” (Proverbs 8:17-18).

In verse 18. Technically, wisdom and understanding are still talking. “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.”

“Riches . . . are with me,” and what if you lived in the Old Testament and were righteous and loved God and got wisdom? You'd have a pretty good chance of being a fairly wealthy person physically. Now, that's not necessarily the way it works in the New Testament despite what the prosperity preachers are selling. Generally, the riches for New Testament believers wind up being spiritual riches and those riches abide with wisdom. It says, “Riches and honour abide with me.”

Now, look at the second thing: “honour.” Honor comes from being wise, and it's not the same as being educated; but it is knowing God and having the truth of the Bible in all things, “all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it” (vs. 11).

“Yea, durable riches.” Have you ever noticed that material riches don't endure very well, do they? How long does your paycheck endure? You buy a new car and it’ll rot with the salt of winter in a few years. Where do you find riches where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt? Where thieves don't break through and steal? Well, they are only found in laying up treasures in heaven, right? They are only found in a storing something away that is not palpable but you store away in God’s keeping. It's something as esoteric as wisdom and understanding; but in doing so, you are laying up treasures in heaven. “Yea, durable riches and righteousness.”

Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let's read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let's keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.

If anyone would like to be added to the ping list, please let me know either by post or by p.m.

For more books on all topics of the Bible, visit my web site at:

BAPTIST BIBLE BELIEVERS WEBSITE

BEGGARS AT A CAMP MEETING - KING JAMES BIBLE PREACHIN'

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.