Proverbs 11: 28 Trust

Today’s verse speaks of trust. Some people trust in their own abilities to accrue riches, while others trust in God and His blessings because they are living a righteous life following His ways.

Proverbs 11: 28 (NKJV)
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.

Here are the definitions, from the Online Dictionary, of our principle words:

trust: 1. To have or place confidence in; depend on. 2. To expect with assurance; assume

riches: wealth; an abundance of money, valuable possessions, or property

fall: 1. A reduction in value, amount, or degree. 2. A marked, often sudden, decline in status, rank, or importance:

flourish: 1. To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive: 2. To do or fare well; prosper: 3. To be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence

foliage: 1. Plant leaves, especially tree leaves, considered as a group.

Using these definitions we see that a person who places their confidence in, or depends upon, his wealth, money, or material possessions will end up with a reduction in the value of his worth, and be marked with a decline in status, rank, or importance…

In contrast, those that follow God and His Messiah will grow well. They will thrive because of His blessings. In 1 Kings 2:3 it says: “And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn…” This verse compares these blessings as flourishing the way a vine does when it is getting plenty of sun, rain and nutrients and grows luxuriant leaves.

Proverbs 11: 27 Favor or Trouble...

What you seek determines what you will find…

Proverbs 11: 27 (NKJV)

27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,
But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.

All definitions are found on http://www.thefreedictionary.com

earnestly: 1. With a purposefully or sincere intent 2. Seriously; determined

seek: 1. To try to locate or discover; search for. 2. To endeavor to obtain or reach

favor: 1. To perform a kindness or service for 2. To treat or regard with friendship, approval, or support 3. To be or tend to be in support of 4. To make easier or more possible; facilitate 5. To treat with care; be gentle with:

trouble: 1. A state of distress, affliction, difficulty, or need 2. A distressing or difficult circumstance or situation 3. A condition of pain, disease, or malfunction:

evil: 1. Morally bad or wrong; wicked 2. Causing ruin, injury, or pain; harmful 3. Characterized by or indicating future misfortune; ominous 4. Bad or blameworthy by report; infamous 5. Characterized by anger or spite; malicious

Using these definitions, we can see that the first part of verse 27 tells us that a person who is seriously determined or has the sincere intent to locate and obtain the virtue of “goodness,” will find the friendship, approval, and/or support of God and/or those men that work or live around them.

The second part of this verse goes on to contrast what the person that is determined to be wicked, harmful, spiteful, or malicious will find. They will find distress, affliction, difficulty, need, pain, disease and/or other malfunctions in their lives.

Many of these things come to those that ignore God and His ways, as we have seen before, but they also come to those that DO follow His ways, at times, through the problems that sin in this world has caused. The difference is that God will take you around or through the problems that arise if you are truly seeking “good” or His ways.

This was the whole point of the book of Job. That book shows us things about problems from a heavenly point of view. Horrible things come to wonderfully good people for reasons that we don’t understand and that others might believe are some kind of “judgment” on us, but God has His own reasons for the things that He allows: Isaiah 55:8 (NKJV) “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

Job also tells us that after God’s point was proven to Satan, then He “restored” him:

Job 42:10-17 (NKJV)

10 And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. … 12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and full of days.