Wisdom’s Dividends – Proverbious – Day 19 – Proverbs 3:33-35

Proverbious | David Lindner

Humility. It’s not a concept we hear much about these days. It’s certainly not a value that is lauded by present society. Everywhere we turn there is someone getting attention who likes it just a little too much. In fact, I would say there are far too many people who are addicted to attention.

The thing is there are so many warnings about being proud and arrogant. Yet, like many other commands we no longer heed, we just push this value to the wayside. These are Old Testament values, the certainly don’t apply to me. That book was written in a different culture and a different time, the principles don’t apply anymore. If you really think that, please contact me. We should talk!

Just look at the stark contrast in the way the arrogant gets treated as opposed to the humble. If you’re humble you get shown favor. If you’re arrogant, scorn.

Proverbs 3:33-35

³³ The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.
³⁴ Although he is scornful to arrogant scoffers,
yet he shows favor to the humble.
³⁵ The wise inherit honor,
but he holds fools up to public contempt.

If you want to be blessed, be righteous. If you want to be shown favor, be humble. If you want to inherit honor, be wise.

If you want to be cursed, be wicked. If you want to be scorned, be arrogant. If you want to be help up to public contempt be a fool.

Seems clear enough. But, if it’s so clear, why do so few live by these rules? The answer is simple. It’s because [tweetherder]we live in a society that fills the pockets of the arrogant with gold and lines the seat cushions of the wicked with fame[/tweetherder]. We see them driving their Bentley’s and wering their diamond encrusted grills and think to ourselves, “look – they have so much money they can make a retainer out of diamonds.” And we want it. We see how they live and act along with how they are rewarded for such behaviors and assume that the only way to get rich is be like them.

And for many people it has worked. And for others it has failed miserably.

But as we will learn, the profits of wisdom compound over eternity while the profits of the fool exist for but a short time. Chances are pretty good the wicked arrogant fool will blow his stash in a few years or less. But the deposits we are making in terms of wisdom will pay dividends for all of eternity.