Are the rich wise and friendly?

3/2/09

Selections from Proverbs 14:
1 The wise woman builds her house,…
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, …
3 …the lips of the wise will preserve them.
5 A faithful witness does not lie, …
6 …knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, …
9 …among the upright there is favor.
11 …the tent of the upright will flourish.
14 …a good man will be satisfied from above.
15 …the prudent considers well his steps.
16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, …
18 …the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
20 …the rich has many friends.
21 …he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 …mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit, …
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, …
25 A true witness delivers souls,
26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor, …
29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, …
30 A sound heart is life to the body, …
31 …he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, …
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, …
35 The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, …

Mike’s Thoughts:
There is much wisdom (duh!) in the verses above. I’m afraid that some will
misinterpret the verses about the rich being wise and having many friends.
It my belief that the riches talked about above may not all be material in
nature. However, sometimes it may not take wisdom to acquire riches
(as in acquiring them dishonestly) but it does take wisdom to keep riches.
I believe the rich have many friends because they are not a burden on society and they help many who are in need.