Proverbs 23

“Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist” (v4). While the proverbs encourage the virtue of hard work (Proverbs 6, the hard-working ant), they equally warn against the alluring temptation of pursuing wealth. Material goods and financial security are tools by which we can live faithful, useful lives for the Lord, but when we pursue them as goals, they deceive us and lead us to value the wrong things (v3). Wealth and other human achievements can be lost in an instant, “sprouting wings” and leaving us with nothing (v5).

“Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (v23). Nothing compares to the riches of knowing God and investing in His kingdom.