Augustine wrote, “Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.
Proverbs 13 shows how your attitude toward God’s word determines the way you handle money and the outcome of your lifestyle.
A wise son accepts his father’s discipline but the scoffer does not listen to rebuke. The outcomes of the righteous and wicked lifestyles are contrasted in the following ways:
Outcome of a Righteous Lifestyle:
1. Fruit of mouth is enjoying good
2. Guards mouth to preserve life
3. Soul of diligent is made fat
4. Hates falsehood
Outcome of Wicked Lifestyle:
1. Desire is violence
2. Open wide his lips and comes to ruin
3. Sluggard craves and gets nothing
4. Acts disgustingly and shamefully (Prov. 13:1-5)
A person with a righteous lifestyle enjoys life with contentment while the wicked comes to ruin with nothing to show for it
He who guards the way is blameless, but wickedness subverts the sinner. The outcomes of how the wise and foolish handle money are contrasted in the following ways:
Outcome of Wise Handling of Money:
1. Impoverishes self for great wealth
2. Rejoices
3. Wisdom comes through receiving counsel.
4. He who gathers wealth gradually increases it
5. Desire fulfilled is tree of life
6. Leaves inheritance to his grandchildren (Prov. 13:22)
7. Abundant food in fallow ground of poor (Prov. 13:23)
Outcomes of the Foolish Handling of Money:
1. Pretends and trusts in wealth but has nothing
2. Loses hope
3. Presumption brings strife
4. Wealth by fraud dwindles
5. Hope deferred makes the heart sick
6. Wealth stored up for the righteous
7. Food swept away by injustice (Prov. 13:6-12,22-23)
The wise rejoice as they increase their wealth gradually and leave an inheritance for their grandchildren while the foolish lose hope as they seek to get rich with nothing to show for it.
The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The outcome of fearing God’s word is contrasted to despising His word in the following ways:
Outcome of Obeying God’s Word:
1. Rewarded
2. Teaching of wise is fountain of life to turn aside from snares of death
3. Good understanding produces favor
4. Prudent man acts with knowledge
5. Faithful envoy brings healing
6. Regard reproof to be honored
7. Desire realized is sweet to the soul
8. Walks with wise men to be wise
9. Rewarded with prosperity
10. Shows love by diligently disciplining children
11. Satisfied
Outcome of Despising God’s Word:
1. Be in debt to it
2. The way of the treacherous is hard
3. Fool displays folly
4. Wicked messenger falls into adversity
5. Poverty and shame come if discipline is neglected
6. Abomination to depart from evil
7. Companion of fools suffer harm
8. Adversity pursues sinners
9. Shows hate by not disciplining children
10. Want (Prov. 13:13-21,24-25)
The one who obeys God’s word is satisfied and helps himself and others pursue healing while the one who despises God’s word has want and suffers harm to himself and others.
How a person responds to God’s word determines how they handle money and the outcome of their lifestyle. Answer the following questions:
1. Do you obey or despise God’s word?
2. Are you rejoicing as you increase wealth gradually or losing hope as you seek to get rich quick?
3. Do you enjoy life with contentment or are you coming to ruin with nothing to show for it?
