PROVERBS 22
3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail. – Proverbs 22:3-8
PROVERBS 22 THE PRIZE FOR HUMILITY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Submit to the Lord and you will have the fear of the Lord
Then you will begin to have the wisdom to overcome the world
You will be awed by the grace that has been given to you
You will sow love and harvest peace and overflowing joy
The prize for humility is honor and an abundant life
It is more valuable than any material riches here on earth.
In this proverb, the writer warns us of the consequences of folly and pride. He cites examples of what the wise person would do as opposed to what fools normally do. In verse 3, he models the cautious guarding of their steps when they do something. They do not do anything rash without common sense or careful thought or without asking others for counsel. The fool on the other hand, does thoughtless things without weighing the consequences of their action. Verse 8 explains to us that if they sow recklessness, they will harvest calamity or ruin.
In verse 6, the writer gives us the formula for being wise. The children are trained while they are still young to go the right way so that they would grow up following the ways of the righteous. It is impossible to train old foolish and wicked people to do what is right. They are automated to do what is evil, as the saying goes “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Then the writer focuses on the prize of humility and the fear of the Lord in verse 4 which are riches, honor and life. I think that riches are not necessarily about material possession, but it could be spiritual riches such as love, peace, joy and all the gifts of the Spirit. Honor would be manifested in a life of honesty and integrity and good name. Life would mean the presence of God in their lives.
REFLECTION
- If the humble are prized with riches, honor and life, what do fools reap instead?
