Proverbs 14:35
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The king's favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
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Discrimination is very rare, if a man is wise. Here is a general rule that exalts wisdom and condemns folly. Though the difference between a king and servant is very great, wise conduct will earn the king's favor and foolish conduct will bring his wrath. It is not a dislike of servants that brings the king's wrath; it is the shameful folly of the servant. A king is very happy to favor and promote a servant, if he shows himself wise.
We live in the heyday of irresponsibility. No one wants to be accountable for their actions. They want to excuse themselves and blame others. They refuse responsibility for their own failures; they want to make others responsible. They expect much for little effort. They blame and condemn others, if they are not rewarded highly and quickly.
Women use their sex as an excuse, blacks their color, the old their age, and the young their age. Hispanics, the handicapped, American Indians, and many others want to blame uncontrollable factors for their status in life. So there is complaining about sexual, racial, age, and religious discrimination among other excuses. But the real problem 99% of the time is the incompetence, foolishness, or slothfulness of the party bellyaching.
The proverb contains a rule. Wise conduct will bring promotion, no matter how great the difference between the one promoting and the one promoted. There is far less discrimination of sex, race, and age; and far more discrimination of character and conduct, than people want to admit. And discrimination of character and conduct is good.
If a man is gracious with a pure heart, the king will be his friend (22:11). Lords reward those who fulfill their duties; they only punish the slothful (Matt 24:45-51). They do not arbitrarily punish the faithful and reward the slothful. A wise servant can be promoted over a shameful son and participate in the inheritance (17:2). Reverse discrimination!
Character and conduct are the keys to promotion or punishment, and you choose either one as your reward (9:12; Gal 6:3-5). Don't blame discrimination or fate. Performance carries far more weight than preference, character far more than chance, and conduct far more than coincidence. Your situation in life is what you have made of your life.
Don't let anything deter you from your course with the Lord or man. Every man shall give an account of himself soon. Do not be intimidated by the Lord we serve and bury your talent in the ground, for He is an austere man and expects to receive a return on His investment, even if it was only one talent. He rewards and punishes with perfect justice.
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