Only The Righteous Have a Secure Future

Commentary

In an agricultural society, where grain was a major means of exchange, the hoarding of corn could drastically effect prices. The person who sold his grain and did not hoard it was a blessing to others and would be blessed by God (v. 26). We might compare this today with someone who is more concerned about his wages than he is in what he can contribute to those he is working for. Do right, and you will win friends; look for trouble, and you will find it (v. 27).

We see the principle of retribution once again presented (vv. 28-29). A person may think that he can trust in his accumulated riches for security, but he shall one day fall. It is only the righteous who have a future that is secure and life that is meaningful and full of eternal riches.

A fool who has no time for God will eventually bring great trouble to his own household, for he will leave his family nothing to inherit spiritually (v. 29). Ultimately, the fools of the world will become the slaves of the wise man who has lived by the principles of God’s word. As a result of righteous living a person becomes a tree of life and a source of meaningful life for others (v. 30). In order to do this we must be rooted in the Word of God and watered by the Spirit of God. If good people are rewarded here on this earth, all who are cruel and mean will surely be punished (v. 31).

Application

What am I doing in my family, on a daily basis, to win others to Christ? I need to be passing out tracts and talking to people about the Lord. It is so easy to get busy doing my thing and forget about the others that are around me who don’t know the Lord.