The Blessing of the Lord
Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.
But be sure that with such blessing will come sorrow. And it is not the sorrow that may come upon us because of the troubles that life throws at us. It is not the sorrow of being victim to the wickedness of others. It is the sorrow of knowing that we have lived for nothing. It is the sorrow of realizing that in the end no one cares whether we had lived or died, for we gave nothing of any value. Indeed, what we did give brought sorrow to others, for we “blessed” others with the “blessing” we received.
A person can weather much sorrow if he believes that he has been truly blessed. He can live in poverty if he knows that he is actually rich. Like the Apostle Paul, he can suffer much and yet attest that “the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).
The blessing of the LORD makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.
Perhaps the best way to
understand this proverb is to contrast the blessing of the Lord with the blessing
of the wicked.
For they do offer blessing. The forbidden woman offers sensual
blessings. If you join with them, the wicked offer the spoils from oppressing
the poor, from taking advantage of the weak and the gullible, and from
stealing. The worldly offer to bless you with earthly fame, money, and
entertainment. They all offer to make you rich, and some of them are quite
sincere, for they actually believe they live the blessed life.But be sure that with such blessing will come sorrow. And it is not the sorrow that may come upon us because of the troubles that life throws at us. It is not the sorrow of being victim to the wickedness of others. It is the sorrow of knowing that we have lived for nothing. It is the sorrow of realizing that in the end no one cares whether we had lived or died, for we gave nothing of any value. Indeed, what we did give brought sorrow to others, for we “blessed” others with the “blessing” we received.
A person can weather much sorrow if he believes that he has been truly blessed. He can live in poverty if he knows that he is actually rich. Like the Apostle Paul, he can suffer much and yet attest that “the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).
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