The Proverbs :: A Guidebook for MenSample

“Poverty with integrity is better than wealth gained deceitfully.”

–Faithlife Study Bible

Proverbs 19 opens with this simple truth. Quick question: do you believe it?

As men, we spend a lot of time thinking about wealth. How much, or little, do we have, how do we amass more, what amount do we need to retire, what will we leave for our children?

These are the questions that keep us awake at night, the ones that put a little more salt in our hair than pepper.

So, if allowed to solve even one of your provision-related difficulties, would you pause to reflect on the morality of what it would take? Would you seek the wisdom of God before taking a step?

Proverbs 19 is not an anti-wealth message; it’s a stern warning against compromising your integrity for the sake of gain. Look at the number of ways Solomon drives this point home:

Better the poor whose walk is blameless

than a fool whose lips are perverse.

Desire without knowledge is not good—

how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,

yet their heart rages against the Lord.

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

A foolish child is a father’s ruin,

and a quarrelsome wife is like

the constant dripping of a leaky roof.

Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,

but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.

What a person desires is unfailing love;

better to be poor than a liar.

Whoever robs their Father and drives out their mother

is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

Stop listening to instruction, my son,

and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

A corrupt witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

Solomon is relentless in his warning. Pursuing wealth in any form at the cost of following God’s wisdom leads to dire consequences. Deep down, we know this is true, but some of us have gone so long in the opposite direction that we have become numb to that internal alarm that triggers the slightest compromise. No matter how far you’ve walked away from the wisdom of God, there is good news today. Reaching back to Proverbs One, we remember that our God is merciful and willing to pour His wisdom back out on you if you turn to Him, repent, and ask for His instruction.

—

Almighty God, how often have I walked away from You because something caught my eye? Who could count but You? Thank You that today You have brought me a wake-up call. I want to repent for my choices to gain something that was not mine to gain and the ways by which I have ignored the wisdom of You, my Heavenly Father. Please return me to Your ways and increase my sensitivity to anything seeking to pull me off Your path once more.