"He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf"
This is a very interesting agricultural comparison: the leaf that trusts in how big and full it is versus the leaf that still is drawing off the nutrients of the root. Solomon is painting the picture of the leaf at the end of the summer: proud in how big, full, and self-contained it is. It does not need to draw any more off the branch or the root. It trusts in itself. That leaf is in the early stages of death and will fall soon. This is like the rich person who trusts in how wealthy they are, how much they have planned for the future, and how they have insurance to cover everything. They no longer are openly dependent upon God, but they are self-contained. Just like the leaf at the end of the summer that no longer draws off the branch and the root, so this person and family will fall.
On the other side, the righteous person who realizes how dependent they are on God and those whom God has placed around them is like the leaf in the spring which keeps drawing nutrients from the branch and the root and thereby grows and flourishes. Solomon may even be making a comparison between the trees that lose their leaves and the evergreen. The person who has a dependent attitude on God is like the evergreen which keeps growing and flourishing because there are always more people to serve and minister to.
Which are you? Are you self-contained and pretty proud of what you have obtained? Are you dependent upon God, waiting for who He will have you bless or love today? It doesn't matter how much you have; it matters how much you are willing to help.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz