Proverbs 11:28, Bogus or Bonus

May 26, Proverbs 11:28

Mark 10:21-27 “He that abideth in me, and I in Him, bringeth forth much fruit” (Jn. 15:5).

Bogus or Bonus

Wealth never was a fit foundation for the soul. “Golden cups may carry deadly draughts.” Riches, fame, and honour, have been ruinous temptations for many. Still there are those who trust in riches, but they “will fail us when we are in the greatest need” (Henry). How fleeting will such a trust prove (Pr. 23:5).

1. A Man-Made god: He that trusts in riches shall fall. Such trust leads to idolatry, and we define idolatry as anything that takes first place in our hearts. Oliver Cromwell put it, “Idolatry is anything which cooleth the desire after Christ.” Ruskin, the famous English critic, likened this money-making mania to “the first of all English games; people at play, very nasty play, very hard play, but still play. It is the great cricket match, without the turf. The aim is to get runs. You can’t do anything with runs but get more runs than the opposing team. So in the money game; you don’t know what to do with it, but you must make more to put in pockets as deep and bottomless as the pit.” The Psalmist says, They that make them (idols) are like unto them (135:18). The verb, are like is the future tense. Thus the Holy Spirit places the emphasis on the futurity of the result. These idolaters not only are, but shall be, in their fate, as well as in their character, like the idols they have made. How bogus is the idol when it becomes your god! Thomas Watson avowed, “God made man of the dust of the earth, and man makes a god of the dust of the earth,” and a man-made god is no God at all! Job said: If I have made gold my hope, or have said to fine gold, thou art my confidence… I should have denied the God that is above (31:24-28). Jesus put it: You cannot serve God and mammon.

2. A God-Made Man: …but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. The one falls like a dead leaf in autumn, while the other is evergreen, drawing strength and fruitfulness from the Life-giving Branch. That’s the real issue, is it not, bogus or bonus? In Psalm 52:7 we meet the man that made not God this strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. This word wickedness means desire, breath, a panting after something, therefore, as empty as air, a deep abyss of destruction (Lk. 16:26). It is the cupidity, the love of wealth that leads to ruin (Lk. 12:20). Note the contrast in this Psalm. The man in v.7 made wickedness not God his strength. The one in v.8 trusts in the mercy of the Lord for ever and ever. As a result he has access to the blessings of his Maker. He says, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. Which is your God?

“It was the sight of Thy dear Cross
First weaned my soul from earthly things,
And taught me to esteem, as dross,
The mirth of fools and pomp of kings.”

Thought: “Trusting means drawing on the inexhaustible resources of God” (Anon).

Prayer: Lord, reign without a rival in my heart.