Proverbs 11:28
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He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
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Money is not a good source of security or prosperity. The man who puts his confidence in money will fall and be destroyed, but the man who emphasizes a righteous life will be protected and prospered. Though money can help in some situations, if God blesses it; personal righteousness will help in all situations, for it guarantees God's blessings!
If a poor man wrote these words, you would suspect he criticized wealth out of envy at the luxurious lifestyles of the rich. You could justifiably discount his words, because you would know he had no experience with the first clause. However, King Solomon, the richest king of Israel, wrote these words. And the Lord God inspired the wisdom!
Solomon taught glorious wisdom by priorities for life. He said, "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right" (16:8). His father David had taught, "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked" (Ps 37:16). The world, devil, and your flesh deny these words, seeking to sell greed and covetousness. Is the testimony of God, David, and Solomon enough for you to believe this proverb?
What will you do, when the doctor says, "You are full of cancer; there is nothing we can do"? Will you spend your savings to cure an incurable disease? Will you buy morphine to ease the pain before you get to die? Will you buy Catholic candles? Or will you trust the God of heaven, Who delivers the righteous even on their sickbed (Ps 41:1-3)?
Consider two rich men. One fared sumptuously every day; but he went to hell when he died, while the beggar at his gate went to heaven (Luke 16:19-25). Another boasted to himself about plans to build bigger barns to store his increase, but the Lord called him a fool that night, and asked him who would get his estate the next day (Luke 12:15-21)!
Riches are not a sin, but trusting in them is (Ps 62:10)! It is the ambition for wealth that is fatal (I Tim 6:6-11). It is humanly impossible for such men to be converted (Mark 10:21-27). They foolishly trust in their riches without regard for death (Ps 49:6-14). Only God's grace can save a fool whose pursuit of money denies God like an idolater (Job 31:24-28)!
A wise man prays for God to save him from both poverty and riches (30:7-9). Riches are a pain to get and to keep, and you cannot take them with you (Eccl 5:10-12; I Tim 6:7-8). Godly men put God first and business a distant second (Matt 6:24,33). They know that the true measure of success is godliness with contentment (I Tim 6:6). When wealth increases, they spend it for God's glory and His people (Acts 4:34-37; I Tim 6:17-19).
The righteous man is like a branch, tightly connected to God his Saviour (John 15:5). He trusts God for all things, and he bears fruit without ceasing (Ps 1:1-6; Jer 17:7-8). What a difference between a leaf and a branch! A leaf lasts only a season, and then it is gone! A branch, though it may look bare during the winters of life, will bud and blossom again, reaching even higher than before, until it is transplanted into the very presence of God.
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