Mensa Otabil - The Reward of Righteousness
- Watch
- Donate
We’re looking at the Book of Proverbs, chapter 15, and learning practical wisdom and how to conduct our lives. So, we look at verse six: «In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.»
What this verse is doing is contrasting the reward for righteousness and the reward for wickedness, if we can call it a reward. There are consequences for the actions of a righteous person and there are consequences for the actions of a wicked person. It tells us that the righteous and the wicked receive something; they don’t receive the same thing; they receive different things.
What it says is that there is treasure in the house of the righteous. When a person does the right thing, they receive treasure. This treasure comes in many forms. Of course, the first thing we think about when we think about treasure in someone’s house is that they have money; they have wealth, and that’s good. But it goes beyond having money. The treasure of the righteous includes the rewards God gives to the righteous outside of money: peace of mind, children raised in righteousness, a happy marriage, getting on well with your life, and having good health. These are all things that God blesses the righteous person with.
Sometimes a righteous person may not have a lot of money, but God blesses them with things that the wicked would never have: the peace of mind, the treasure of living a quiet and peaceable life. So, when we live righteous lives, we may be blessed materially; we may have money and wealth, but beyond that, the greatest treasure is to have God’s presence, God’s peace, and to live your life in such a noble way that your children see your life as something inspirational, which the wicked will never have.
The wicked may prosper but will never have this treasure. So, there is treasure in God for the righteous, and may you receive the treasure of the righteous. Then the contrast is introduced to us: «The revenue of the wicked is trouble.» So, the wicked may have money; the wicked may prosper. They may be promoted; they may actually work their way up to the top, knocking everybody down, destroying people, assassinating people’s character, and spreading lies about others, so they rise to the top. But the Bible says their revenue is not the promotion they get; the revenue is trouble. The higher they go, the deeper they will fall.
That’s what God is saying. So, if you act in wickedness, if your way of operating is to destroy people and lie to them, you may get ahead in life; you may make some physical material progress, but your revenue will be trouble. God will resist you, and when God resists you, He will ensure that your end is not pleasant. The reason God does that is so that people will not see you as a good example to imitate.
But when a person lives right before the Lord, they may not have made all the progress that other people have made, but they will have treasure in their home. Our greatest desire is not that we get ahead in life; it’s not that we have so much money, and while it’s good to have all of those, our greatest desire is that our lives will be a treasure, an example, especially to our children, that they will look at us and wish to be like us. That is the reward of the righteous.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, you are the reward of the righteous. Bless me with your treasures of life. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»