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He who loves pleasure [will be] a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich. Proverbs 21:17 NKJV
The entertainment news completely contradicts today’s scripture. So many actors, musicians, and athletes, even people just “famous for being famous,” love pleasure, and they’re doing fine financially. So many who love wine (for their appetites) and oil (for their appearance) are anything but poor. They’re laughing all the way to the bank.
Sometimes we have to read scripture overall, and the Proverbs particularly, in ultimate terms. Lovers of pleasure “will become poor.” We’ve seen it happen when famous people spend or drink or drug themselves into oblivion. But the poverty may be more like what Asaph described in Psalm 73:18-19: “Surely you (God) place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!”
Asaph found himself envying the rich, whose lives seemed trouble-free. He has almost lost his faith when he “entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Psalm 73:17).
We should grieve that potentiality and pray even for God haters to know Him. And we must never allow ourselves to envy their lifestyle. Envy leads to foolish pursuits, which bring us right back to our opening verse: “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.”
Prayer: Lord, my true riches and pleasure are with You. May I never look elsewhere.
The entertainment news completely contradicts today’s scripture. So many actors, musicians, and athletes, even people just “famous for being famous,” love pleasure, and they’re doing fine financially. So many who love wine (for their appetites) and oil (for their appearance) are anything but poor. They’re laughing all the way to the bank.
Sometimes we have to read scripture overall, and the Proverbs particularly, in ultimate terms. Lovers of pleasure “will become poor.” We’ve seen it happen when famous people spend or drink or drug themselves into oblivion. But the poverty may be more like what Asaph described in Psalm 73:18-19: “Surely you (God) place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!”
Asaph found himself envying the rich, whose lives seemed trouble-free. He has almost lost his faith when he “entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Psalm 73:17).
We should grieve that potentiality and pray even for God haters to know Him. And we must never allow ourselves to envy their lifestyle. Envy leads to foolish pursuits, which bring us right back to our opening verse: “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.”
Prayer: Lord, my true riches and pleasure are with You. May I never look elsewhere.
