Proverbs 28:19-22 – Right perspective of wealth

It is said that “Wealth is the slave of wisemen but the master of fools.” We are told in the Bible that the love of money is the root of all evil. And like fire, wealth and money makes good servants but poor master. When we manage money and wealth we will do well in life. But when our lives are consumed with a disproportionate passion to have more money, we will have a skewed perception and not be able to attach right value to wealth. In Proverbs 29:19-22, we are given some perspectives on wealth to help us rightly appraise it. With a right perspective about wealth, we will not be unduly consumed with an inordinate passion or dispassion for wealth.

Proverbs 28:19 assures us that when we work hard, there will always be returns. It is the diligent farmer who faithfully tills his ground, sows his seeds, and takes care to remove the weeds while his crops are growing that will reap a bountiful harvest. If he had sat idly by and does nothing he cannot expect to reap. Whether in farming or any other work, the effort we put in will determine the result we receive. If one keeps chasing after the vain and worthless things, he will be sorely disappointed. He will soon squander away his wealth no matter how much he has.

Proverbs 28:20 encourages that we show faithfulness in all transactions if we expect to be blessed. Integrity in all of one’s dealings ensures that one deals honestly. He goes for a win-win mentality and does not seek to exploit the person he is dealing with. On the other hand, one who is in a haste to acquire more wealth, is more prone to fall into the temptation of dishonest dealing and needless exploitation. He may even resort to fraud and cheating and end up in untold troubles, not only with his business partner but with the law. He will not go unpunished when his unscrupulous ways come to light.    

Proverbs 28:21 warns against using one’s wealth wrongly. One way we can do the wrong thing with wealth is to use it to pervert justice. People do use money to bribe a judge or wrongfully win a contract. This is the sort of unprincipled practices concerning wealth that we are warned against. As faithful mediators of any misunderstanding, we must not be bought over by a gift. When one accepts a bribe, he or she becomes unable to be fair with the dealing. Always seek to be fair and impartial in all dealings. That’s the counsel of this verse.

Proverbs 28:22 urges us not to be envious of what others have. When we are envy of another’s possession, we may be consumed with greed. We will scheme and even resort to devious ways to acquire more to keep up with others, and to make haste to seek ways to cheat. Such a person is oblivious of what is right and will end up being caught in a trap of his own creation. When you make money your God, it will plague you like the devil. Remember we are told that godliness with contentment is great gain. So be contented as we seek to live with and for God.