We read in Isaiah 3:10-11, “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” Proverbs, chapter 13 is full of contrasts between the righteous and the wicked. This chapter shows that normally there is a great advantage to the righteous. As we just saw in Isaiah, “it shall be well with him” is a common result for the one who lives a righteous life before the Lord. “It shall be ill with him” is the common result for the wicked, or unsaved.

In Proverbs 13:21, we see that “Evil pursueth sinners.” Men who are strangers to God’s grace will normally seek the evil in the world. Their desire is to please themselves and they are always looking to find satisfaction. How sad this is. There are many people who are wealthy, yet miserable. We read in Proverbs 27:20 that “the eyes of man are never satisfied.” No matter how much material wealth sinners may have, it is never enough to satisfy them. SO, these people search the world seeking things to pleasure themselves with, and as a result, the consequence of these sins seek them out. Numbers 32:23 is very clear, “be sure your sin will find you out.” One cannot enjoy sin without eventually suffering from the consequence of their sins. However, we also read in Proverbs 13:21 that “to the righteous good shall be repayed.” The Lord rewards those who know Him and live their lives in the righteous standards found in the Word of God. We read in Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.” God sees. God does not forget. He rewards the righteous. It may be in the eternal scene that we are rewarded, but we can be assured that the Lord is aware of every righteous act and will reward it.

In Proverbs 13:22, we see that “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” The good man leaves a priceless inheritance to his children. He leaves the example of living a righteous life before his children, leaving them a proper example of how they should also live righteously and reap the benefits of that lifestyle. That is far more valuable than money, isn’t it? May we take this seriously and live Godly lives before our children.

The wealth of the sinner will eventually find its way into the hands of the just to be used in a way that will honor the Lord. No matter how much wealth a man may amass, he leaves it behind at death. There is the story of a very wealthy man who passed away. When his lawyer was asked how much money he left behind, he answered, “ALL OF IT!”   Speaking of the sinner, Job says in Job 27:16-17, “Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.”

Before closing, I’d like to spend a couple of minutes in consideration of Proverbs 13:7 which says, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” Let’s consider this one who “maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” There is One who was rich beyond measure. In fact, He owned EVERYTHING. The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, is One who made Himself poor…and He did it for our sakes. We read in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes HE BECAME POOR, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Christ ‘laid aside His glory’, was born in poverty, and lived in poverty. Yet, He went on to reach a depth of poverty never known to man. He went to the cross to die for our sins, and there He was forsaken of God as our sins were laid on Him. Listen to His agonizing cry from the cross in Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Christ suffered this depth of poverty so that we “through his poverty MIGHT BE RICH.” Are you rich? Do you know what it is to be a child of God and “an heir of God through Christ.”? (Galatians 4:7) I pray that you will consider your need of a savior and put your faith in the ONLY ONE who can offer you salvation: the Lord Jesus Christ. (240.8)