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Proverbs 27:24

How secure is your job? There are forces at work to take away your profession and leave you without income. Wise men constantly assess the changing marketplace and prepare as well as possible for the future. Prudent men seek transferable skills for themselves and their sons that will always be needed and able to provide a living. God is ultimately in charge of the future, but He expects wise men to use the means and warnings He gives.

Solomon exhorted diligence toward your financial livelihood (27:23). The proverb here is an important reason to be careful and prudent about your income. Rich men do not keep their riches forever, and kings do not perpetuate their authority and rule. How much less can ordinary men preserve their financial means? God expects His children to be diligent in business for good reasons (Rom 12:11; Eph 4:28; I Thess 4:11-12; Titus 2:9-10).

Riches are not for ever. The rich men of yesterday are not the rich men of today, and the rich of today will not be the rich men of tomorrow. Riches certainly make themselves wings and fly away (23:4-5). Where is the wealth of Persia today? The whole region is in poverty compared to its storied past. The Rothschilds once directed Europe financially, but that banking family has been on the decline for 150 years. Riches are not for ever.

Farms and plantations once yielded luxurious living. But the Industrial Revolution reduced profits until owning a factory was the means to riches. But labor unions, cheaper wages abroad, and the rise of the service industry transferred wealth again. And today, the information age has done it yet again. What was lucrative yesterday may very well not be tomorrow. Every man should identify a transferable skill and secure his future.

Doth the crown endure to every generation? No! The greatest of monarchs lost their throne either to an external enemy, an internal foe, death, or the folly of an heir. King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, lost 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel as soon as Solomon died! Where is Alexander the Great's dynasty? There was nothing enduring about his crown. He died at 33, his heirs were killed, and his generals divided his empire four ways.

Charles I of England lost his crown and head to Parliament, and Louis XVI of France lost both to the French Revolution. Nicholas II was the last of the Romanovs, who had ruled Russia for 300 years. His life and reign also ended abruptly. Joseph Kennedy dreamed of an American political dynasty. But where is that family today? Assassinations and accidents have destroyed them. A future that appeared very bright in 1960 evaporated altogether by 2000. The crown does not endure to every generation.

What is the lesson of wisdom here? Since riches and political power do not endure, it is necessary to take diligent care of your means of financial support (27:23). King Solomon gave this advice to his son, which means it is even more important for you. If you are not careful, you could awake some day to find yourself without income or its means. A wise man will prudently identify a transferable skill and manage it for his financial security.

What is a transferable skill? First, it is a skill. It is expertise in a needed field that others will happily pay for. This is getting a life before a wife (24:27)! Wise men choose positions that cannot be filled by cheap immigrant labor. Second, it is transferable. It must also be valuable in other cities or states. You want flexibility to change employers or location without reducing income. Neglecting either of these factors is not wise.

Working for high wages in a factory is neither a skill nor transferable. A layoff, plant closings, cheap immigrant labor, robots, or outsourcing can leave a man without a job. His unique job in a unique factory can rarely be transferred to another plant, and never at the same rate of pay. The current high income seduces most to ignore the future, but then they are unemployed without a skill to transfer into new employment elsewhere.

Consider lawyers. It is a definite skill, especially as laws multiply and court proceedings grow more complicated. It requires state certification that limits competitors to those with identifiable training. And because every nation and city needs many of them, it is a very transferable skill. It cannot be outsourced, and robots or machines cannot replace them.

Consider nursing. It is a definite skill, especially as health care becomes more and more sophisticated. It requires state certification that limits competitors to those with identifiable training. And because every nation and city needs many of them, it is a very transferable skill. It cannot be outsourced, and robots or machines cannot replace them.

Solomon wrote Proverbs to make men wise and save them from the trouble that hurts fools. While he gave excellent advice in this proverb about securing your professional life, he also knew that time and chance under God's providence had an even greater role (Eccl 9:11). David had taught him that the security of a city or the financial security of a profession depended altogether on the Lord (Ps 127:1-2). So trusting God comes first!

Furthermore, efforts for your financial or professional security should be only a minor concern of your life. Your great ambition should be godliness and contentment, which is great gain, and which will save you from the damning destruction of pursuing earthly riches (I Tim 6:6-10). You should show the same fervent zeal in securing your heavenly position as the men of this world exert in securing their place on earth (Luke 16:1-13).

There are some riches that will last forever, and there is a crown that endures to all generations. The Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and possessor of heaven and earth, will always own and rule the universe. His riches, crown, and kingdom will endure forever. And the riches and crowns He will give His elect children will also endure forever! Glory! Have you laid hold of eternal life with all your heart and might (I Tim 6:6-19)?

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