Proverbs 23 Devotional

Wealth That Flies Away

“For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”Proverbs 23:18 (BSB)

Money pulls hard, and Proverbs 23 is realistic about it. Do not exhaust yourself trying to get rich, it says, because wealth can vanish in the blink of an eye, as if it grew wings and flew off like an eagle (23:4-5). Building a life around it means building on something that is already leaving.

The chapter offers a better place to set the heart. Instead of envying sinners, keep living in the fear of the LORD, because a future is coming and that hope will not be lost (23:17-18). And the fatherless, whose fields others might seize, have a strong Redeemer who will take up their case (23:10-11). Paul gives similar counsel to wealthy believers, telling them not to hope in riches, which are uncertain, but in God, who generously provides everything for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). Envy and overwork both assume that the good life must be grabbed before it gets away. The fear of the LORD rests on a God whose care does not fly off.

To think about: Where are you wearing yourself out for something that will not last, and what would it look like to rest your hope in God instead?