Proverbs 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.
If you have ever played Monopoly with an investor, you know what it is like. Whether investing is their literal job or their mentality, they get very serious. It is no longer “fun and games.” It is all about nabbing the high-end property, building houses, and hoping that every poor soul who tiptoes down their lane, lands on their property, and surrenders their very life’s savings! For them, it is all about investing. For the rest of us, we are just happy to have the “get-out-of-jail-free” card and land on ole “Rich Uncle Pennybags” so we can pay off the feared investors.
Whether we realize it or not, we are all investing in something. We might invest in beneficial things like healthy diets, exercise, books, or people. Or we may invest in worthless things like idle “researching” online, stalking others on social media, playing games on our phone, sharing “prayer requests” in the form of gossip. We all make investments whether we mean to or not. In Proverbs 15:16, we see an investment that rises above every investment! It is an investment that reaps the richest blessings.
When I invest in putting the Lord first, it will be better for me than if I invested in “great treasure.” All throughout Proverbs, the phrase “the fear of the Lord” is mentioned. “Fear” in this context means “reverence.” In Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, he describes this fear as “a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being” [emphasis mine]. When I have a proper view of God, it will affect how I respond to Him. The response will be one of humility, confession, and obedience. In Proverbs, we see many blessings that come from fearing the Lord.
The fear of the Lord….
- Is the beginning of knowledge… Prov 1:7
- Is to hate evil… Prov 8:13
- Is the beginning of wisdom… Prov 9:10
- Prolongeth days… Prov 10:27
- In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence… Prov 14:26
- Is the instruction of wisdom… Prov 15:33
- Tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied… Prov 19:23
- By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honour, and life. Prov 22:4
What are we investing in? What consumes our thoughts, our desires, our spare time? Is there anything that excites me or satisfies me more than my Savior? We all have responsibilities and cares of this life, but, Who takes the preeminence? When I make my Savior my priority, it is the most beneficial investment I could make.
We are all investing in something. What are you investing in?