God’s Word for Today 17 Oct, 2024 22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. 23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. 24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever. - Prov 10:22-25 ESV THE BLESSING OF THE LORD, IT MAKES RICH Verse 22 in the original, it says, “the blessing of the LORD, it makes rich.” This is not a guarantee of prosperity, but a comparison between wealth gained righteously as opposed to that obtained by deceptions and sinful practices. The righteous person is not always financially successful. We know evil people can become wealthy (Psa 37:7; 73:3). But, righteousness, put into practice through wisdom, gives a person a better likelihood of long-lasting triumph. In short, wealth obtained morally is more secure than riches gained through sinful and illegal means. What a person sows he will reap. Deceitful dealings will put a person at risk of revenge, legal trouble, or other problems (Prov 10:2, 9). Furthermore, the pleasure of having wealth by sinful means could not clean a guilty conscience. There is a big difference between the attitudes of the godly and the wicked towards sin. A scoffer or fool thinks of sin as an entertainment. For him, it’s a joke and humorous to hurt others and defame God. He takes pleasure in transgressing God's commandments. They’re unmindful of the eternal consequences. But, God has promised to punish the offenders when Jesus returns "to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way" (Jude 1:15). On the other hand, the wise person understands the seriousness of sin and takes pleasure in wisdom (v.23). He delights in doing what is right in the sight of God. Like Jesus, he delights to do God's will (Heb 10:7). Knowing what is right, and doing what is godly, is not merely an act of duty for a believer. It's meant to be fulfilling and joyful, altogether. The wicked will experience the fruit of their wickedness. It’s inevitable. The wickedhas fear of punishment for his evil deeds, whereas the righteous can look forward to the rewards of blessing and God's approval. As the righteous delights in the Lord, He will give him the desires of his heart.[Psa 37:4] The same psalmist provides wise counsel, that is, "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday" (Psa 37:5–6). While the wicked will perish[v.24], the righteous will flourish. "The righteous has an everlasting foundation."[NASB] Scripture teaches that the life built by an unbeliever is like a house built on sand. When heavy rains pound it and a flood engulfs it, the house collapses; but the life of a righteous person is like a house built on a rock. Heavy rains and a rising flood cannot destroy it (Mat 7:24–27). Watch in YouTube: https://youtu.be/lPuuvKVODmg Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast Spotify: http://bit.ly/glccfil_spotify Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-applepcast Google Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-googlepcast Audible Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-audible Follow us on various media platforms: https://gospellightfilipino.contactin.bio #gospellightfilipino #godswordfortoday #bookofProverbs