Proverbs 14:23-24, Profit or Loss?
August 24, Proverbs 14:23-24
1 Timothy 6:6-10; 17-20 “The fear of the Lord is his treasure” (Isa.33:6).
Profit or Loss?
2. The Results: The previous verse stressed the activity. Now the emphasis is on the results of that activity. It seems both parties receive rewards, yet how differently they turn out. A Crown is the reward for wisdom, but only foolishness for fools. The repetitions of the words for fool provide a graphic witness to the utter emptiness of folly. Proverbs reminds us that riches are a gift from God, and shows us how to treat this gift, and the dangers inherent in its possession.
a. The Crown: The crown of the wise is their riches. In 14:18 we noted how, because the godly are wise, they are crowned with knowledge. In v.24 the crown is their riches. The wise man here is the one who so uses his riches that they become a crown, a thing of beauty and a valuable adornment. He uses his wealth not merely to benefit himself and his family, but he readily shares with those less fortunate around him. In so doing he is able to bring relief and happiness to many. It is in this way, then, that his riches become a crown or a diadem. This talent, when so used, gives him a reputation for kindness and enlarges his usefulness as a servant of God. Wealth is a blessing that crowns with much honour the one who so uses it wisely. “Wisdom is good without an inheritance, but better with it” (Henry). Yet, it is better to have treasure in a man, than with a man. We see the worth of Job even more after he had lost everything, and had covered himself with sackcloth and ashes, than when he was a generous giver, and the richest man in the East!
b. The Clown: The foolishness of fools is their folly. As an antithetical (opposite) proverb, this means that however much wealth a fool has, it will add no crown to his reputation. It proves the saying that “wealth and worth are two different things.” By his abuse of wealth he demonstrates what a fool he really is. “A heavy purse in a fool’s pocket is a heavy curse.” Wasted on “trifles and air,” his riches become, rather than a crown, a cap, the cap of a dunce or a clown! How many who had millions died paupers through their foolish and sinful lives! When the heart is corrupt, riches only make it more so. This fool becomes more hardened in his sin. The loss of gold is great, but the loss of Christ is a loss so great that nothing can restore. No Hope! No glory! Only eternal shame!
Dug from the mountain-side, washed in the glen,
Servant am I, or the master of men;
Steal me, I curse you; earn me, I bless you;
Grasp me and hoard me-a fiend shall possess you;
Live for me, die for me, covet me, take me-
Angel or devil, I am what you make me.
Thought: “True fame is neither sold or bought.”
Prayer: That all that I am and have may be at thy disposal, Dear Lord.