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: 21 Punishment & Deliverance

Today’s verse contrasts, from a different angle, the difference between those that are wicked and those that are righteous.

Proverbs 11: 21 (NKJV)
21 Though they join forces,[Literally- hand to hand] the wicked will not go unpunished
But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.

Posterity: 1. future generations 2. all of one's descendants


This verse lets us know that, even though wicked men join together to cause problems for others, they will eventually be punished. We know, from so many verses in God’s Word, the Bible, that even if they “SEEM” to prosper here on earth, if they don’t change their ways and repent (turn away from) their evil doing, then they will end up in Hell.

Many people DO NOT want to think about there really being a Hell or place of everlasting fire, but there are so many places in the Bible that they have to ignore to continue “hiding their head in the sand.” (Matt. 5: 22 & 29-30 – Matt. 18:9 -- Luke 16:23 – 2 Peter 2:4 & Rev. 20: 11-15 are just a few ) Many people try to make God into something that He is not, by ignoring the things they DON’T want to hear from His Word, but that will not work for He IS God and He is the same yesterday, today AND tomorrow.

Throughout the whole Bible, we find examples of the countries that were practicing evil things, and worshiping “gods” that they created in their own minds, that ended up being WIPED OUT TOTALLY for doing that. Many of the prophecies for the end times speak of a “great army” coming against God’s people—“they join forces” – but God, Himself, fights for those that are following Him!

THAT brings us to the second half of today’s verse, for its promise is that future generations, or all of a person’s descendants of those that follow Him, WILL be delivered, and that tends to mean that they will eventually end up in Heaven! NOW is the time to chose which side we want to be on!

Proverbs 10:24 & 25 The Wicked vs The Righteous

These two verses speak of the contrasts between the “wicked” and the “righteous” again. God repeats this thread throughout the book of Proverbs in many different ways to plant it deep into the hearts of those who would search for wisdom… and isn’t that the whole reason for this study?



Proverbs 10: 24 & 25 (NKJV)

24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.


Both of these verses start with the “wicked.” In verse 24, we are told that those that are “wicked” will have their “fears” come upon them. All of us have some kind of “fear” in our hearts. I think that the more “wicked” (not following God’s ways or paths) a person is, the more fear they have deep down in their souls whether or not they choose to see that.



Often, it is those “fears” that drive their thoughts. It is said, by many psychologists, that those that “fear” or that have deep inner hurts (which would engender fear that often leads to anger) are the ones that strike out at others.


The second verse also starts with words about the “wicked.” There are many parts of life that are like a “whirlwind.” Trials and tribulations swirl around our lives on this earth all the time like whirlwinds. All of us have gone through these storms… why is it that some end up committing suicide or murder, while others just seem to get stronger?


I think it is because the wicked have nothing with a strong foundation to hang onto, while those that DO have a strong foundation (God and His wisdom) are able to “hang in there” and even build stronger walls in their “houses of life.” This exactly what the second part of verse 25 states, and it goes even further to say that this “foundation” is an EVERLASTING one. Praise God, our foundation goes on forever!


The second part of each of these verses speak about those that are “righteous.” For those that may be new to this study, we have seen that the definition of “righteous” is: morally upright; without guilt or sin. The only way we can TRULY be without guilt or sin, is to accept Jesus sacrifice that nailed OUR sins to the cross and covered us with HIS righteousness.


Verse 24 says that those that are “righteous”… those that have chosen Jesus as their Lord BECAUSE of His sacrifice and love for them… will have their desires granted. God KNOWS the true desires of our heart, too. He sees our “wants” and knows whether or not they would be good for us, but our true “desires” are inner values of our hearts that bring us peace, joy, love… the Fruits of the Spirit when you get down to it!

Proverbs 10:21 & 22 Righteousness & Blessings

Today, we are studying verses 21 and 22 of Chapter 10. These two verses speak of “the righteous” in contrast to “fools,” and about the riches that God gives that will NOT end up bringing sorrow, like so many ‘earthly riches” do.

Proverbs 10:21 & 22 (NKJV)

21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.
22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.




We saw verses very close to verse 21 when we read Proverbs 10:13 & 14. Those that are righteous, speak words of value and words that are “food for the soul.” That is one reason why Jesus was called the Bread of Life. When people are fed, they live and grow, while those that are foolish and don’t follow righteousness and God’s ways of wisdom, end up dying from "soul starvation"… both in this life and after it.


In other verses, we have also seen that by following God’s ways, He will bless us, and we will be rich. This COULD mean in worldly wealth, IF God knows that the person can handle worldly wealth, and has been faithful with the things he as already been entrusted with…

Luke 16:10-12 (New Living Translation)

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones, but if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?


These riches can also be inner, soul and spiritual riches that we CAN keep with us forever. These types of riches are TRUE riches, “And He (God) adds no sorrow with it. Way to often, “wordly riches” WILL bring sorrow, as those that aren’t equipped, spiritually, will let those riches overwhelm them and not use them wisely.

Proverbs 10:19 & 20 Watch Your Mouth! Continued…

Today’s verses, like our last study, also speak of the importance of the words that come out of our mouths.


Proverbs 10:19 & 20 (NKJV)

19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.


I love the way that the New Living Translation, which is a paraphrase Bible, renders this verse! “ Don’t talk to much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” I think that says it pretty well. It is when we get carried away while speaking, that we (or maybe I should say, “I”) have a tendency to add things that “exaggerate” a bit. If you look at it, “exaggeration” is, in essence, lying. Often, if I keep it simple and “just the facts…” then things will come out the way they need to for me to stay on track with what the Lord would want.


As we have seen in past verses that we have studied, God wants the words that we speak to be a source of “riches” to others. This verse says, like “choice silver.”


As we saw in our last study, the words we speak spring from our “hearts,” and Biblically speaking, that means from our inner-most beings… our true selves. Those words from Jesus are just so important that I am going to repeat them here again, for they are something that needs to take root in our “hearts” so that we will be deterred from getting carried away in our speaking.


Matthew 12:34b-37 (NKJV)

34b For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Proverbs 10: 16 Use Money Wisely

Today’s verse is about the way we use our money.

Proverbs 10:16 (NKJV)

16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.

We have seen in past studies that being “righteous” means to be morally upright, or without guilt or sin, and that by living a “righteous” life, we are blessed by God in many ways. The first part of today’s verse speaks of another way that God will bless us. It says that the ‘labor” or work, of the righteous will lead to life. God gives us each different types of work to do, and we are admonished to do EVERYTHING we do for the glory of God.

Some people work as mechanics, some in health professions, others as pastors, others have gifts of service… whatever God calls us to do, when we are seeking HIS righteousness first in our lives, will be blessed and lead us closer to Him. Eventually, THAT will lead us to an abundant life here. A life that is satisfying and blessed, not always with lots of money, but in peace and joy in our hearts and minds. We will also be given eternal life after we leave this one.

The second part of the verse, contrasts (as usual in the Hebrew form of poetry) with the first in that it is speaking of those that aren’t righteous, but lead sinful lives. It tells us that their “wages”: 1. Payment for labor or services to a worker… or 2. a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing, are spent on things that lead to sin in their lives, and “the wages of sin is death…”

Those that are “wicked” (1. Evil by nature and in practice. 2. Playfully malicious or mischievous 3. Severe and distressing:.4. Highly offensive; obnoxious ) spend their pay on things that lead them deeper into sin, and eventually, this will lead to their demise unless they allow God to change their ways.

Proverbs 10: 15 Wealth vs Poverty

Today’s verse discusses the attitudes of the rich and the poor.

Proverbs 10:15 (NKJV)

15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

The first part of the verse talks about a “strong city.” A “strong city” in Bible times was a place of refuge, protection and safety. This verse explains that a rich man usually puts his trust in his money to keep him safe and to take care of him. The problem with this is that Jesus taught us that you “can’t serve both God and mammon (money)… “ Matt 6:24 (NKJV) “ No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

It tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV) that, “Whoever loves money, never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is NEVER satisfied with his income.”

Matt 13:22 (NIV) tells us, “ The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful,” and 1 Tim. 6:17 (NIV) says, “ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

The second part of our verse warns that poverty can cause the destruction of the poor. We see this so often in the world today. Those that live in places of poverty often end up in lives of crime or consumed by drugs, because they get into the company of those that have “chosen” paths that led them into that situation.

One thing that comes to my mind, though, is that sometimes, we can be in poverty stricken places and still see people that are happy. They have an “inner wealth” that sustains them and by trusting in God as their provider, they will be able to climb out of the pit they have found themselves in. So, it is possible to be destroyed by poverty if you take it to heart and become bitter and envious instead of trusting in God to lead you to paths that will eventually bring you out of it. It all depends on what your eyes are on… is it God, or is it money?!

Poem: When Loss is Gain

The Lord gave me a new poem this morning, and for some reason, I felt I should post it. Maybe it is meant for someone out there...

When Loss is Gain
© Linda Brock 7/11/09

The baby awoke to see bright, lighted places,
As it’s parent’s looked down with love filled faces.

The little one loved them with all of it’s might,
But found living here was a terribly hard fight.

The parents prayed hard for their precious one,
To the One who had given His own Precious Son.

He made a decision from the wisdom of KNOWING…
And with tears of both love and sorrow flowing,

He cradled that child in His loving arms,
And took it to Heaven with all of IT’S charms.

That little one misses it’s parents below,
But it lives in a world filled with JOY and God’s Glow

For the light of God’s Love fills that place with His Glory,
And the baby can grow there with a happier story.

For a life here on earth is marred with much “Rain,”
And God chose this special one to miss all that pain!

He loves those parents, too, and wants them to trust
That in His Mighty Wisdom, He did what was best,

For both them and their sweet one He chose to take back
The one who is waiting ‘til they shed their earthly “shack,”

And are reunited in those Heavenly places,
When joy will, again, fill their happy faces.

© Linda Brock 7/11/09

Matthew 6:19-21 (New King James Version)
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Proverbs 10: 2

Today’s verse contrasts wickedness with righteousness:


Proverbs 10: 2 (NKJV)

2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,

But righteousness delivers from death.

Many people in today’s world look at monetary wealth, a high class car, prestige, good looks, a high paying job, a “perfect” family and/or marriage, etc. as treasures to be sought after. None of these things are, in themselves evil, but when they are put first in a person’s life and become “idols” to that person, then they become sin.

ANYTHING that is put above what God would want, and/or that keep our eyes focused on something OTHER than Him, is an idol, and worshipping “idols” is considered by God to be “wickedness.” The Online Dictionary defines an “idol” as: 1. an object of excessive devotion or admiration; 2. an image of a “god” used as an object of worship.

These kinds of “treasures” are only temporal and of this world. We will only live in this world for a short time in relation to the amount of time we will spend in heaven or in hell. WE have the choice, while on this earth, to choose one of those two places to spend eternity. We can’t take any of these earthly things with us, but we WILL take the RESULTS of the path we choose, to the place we have chosen to live after this life. EITHER we walk with a loving God (following and seeking His ways), or we follow some “idol” that will mold, rot, or rust.

The Bible says that a person is “righteous” when he/she chooses to put God first and follow Him and His ways in his/her life. “Righteous” is defined in the Online Dictionary as: 1. Morally upright; without guilt or sin.

God promises a life in heaven, with Him, to those that choose to follow a life of moral “uprightness” and that turn away from sin. We, as humans, could never do this on our own… we will ALWAYS fall short. THAT is why Jesus paid for our sinful lives by giving HIS sin-LESS life. When we REPENT of our sins (tell God we are sorry we didn’t do what He wanted us to), ask Him into our lives and hearts, and then strive (with the Holy Spirit’s help that He gives us at that point) to follow Him, then we are SEEN as being “righteous” by God.

He knows, then, that we want to follow HIM and not our own ways. We DIE to ourselves and put HIM first. When this happens, we are “born again” with a new spirit within us, and that, eventually “delivers from death,” as the end of this verse says. I think that this is the “second death” spoken of in Revelation 2:11 (“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”) Our body MAY die (depending on if Christ comes first) but our new Spirit that is following God, will never die.