Many couples have the idea that their marriage should have enough money for many, if not all, of their desires, as well as their spouse’s de

There are times when you must pass up the most profitable opportunities monetarily in order to pursue wisdom. Solomon is saying: Go after wi

While Solomon is reminding people of the penalty of debt, he is actually trying to help them see the far greater penalty that comes from som

Proverbs 3:10 "So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine." This is a very important verse that shares a rather down-to-earth reason why wisdom is the best way to live. Solomon says that those who are wise have an abundance of the basics of life. The barns were the place to store the grains that were the staple of the farming economy. So to have barns that are filled means that you have had a number of years of rich harvests; so much, i

Proverbs 30:9 "That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God." This marks out the boundaries of how much money and how little money a person should earn. It is quite a range, and it can expand as your love for God grows. If your pride says that you earned the money and you are the one who made you successful, then your pride and your money will be your downfall. If, however, you bring God along o

Proverbs 12:9 "Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant than he who honors himself and lacks bread." This is one of the classic comparisons that Solomon sprinkles into the Proverbs for us to ponder. Every time he does this, it is to cause us to say "Really? I would not have thought that!" The issue here is should you go around telling people all of the good things that you have accomplished or should you do good things, letting people find out about them on thei

Proverbs 3:9 "Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce" The word honor is the Hebrew word kabed which means to be heavy or weighty. It carries the idea of a person who is weighty and impressive; worthy of respect. When a person gives kabed to another, they are said to make them more weighty or impressive. Therefore, a working definition is to ADD VALUE. When we honor a person or God, we add value to them so that others perceive them more impressi

Proverbs 28:8 "He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor" he who increases his wealth by interest and usury It is instructive that there is, in this verse, a separation between interest and usury. The word for interest is the physical word bite when used in a literal sense. It refers to snakes and animals that bite. When used in the financial realm, it is translated interest. The biblical prescription for wealth-building

Proverbs 17:8 "A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; wherever he turns, he prospers" bribe This is the Hebrew word sohad, which means bribe, present, gift, reward, gratuity. The Old Testament law consistently outlaws the taking of bribes. Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:9; Exodus 23:8; Isaiah 1:23; 5:23; Micah 3:11; Deuteronomy 27:25; Ezekiel 22:12; Psalm 26:10, Proverbs 17:23 charm This is two Hebrew words eben and hen, which literally read stone of favor. The idea is a

Proverbs 16:8 "Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice" This proverb is so incredibly needed in our day. Our present culture has the belief that money is the answer to all problems; that “if I just could have unlimited amounts of money everything would be okay.” This is not true. It is factually and evidentially not true. Just yesterday I heard about a 100+ million dollar lottery winner whose wife said, "I should have just torn up the winning ti

Proverbs 13:8 "The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but the poor hears no rebuke" ransom This is the Hebrew word kopher, which means price of life, ransom, bribe. life This is the Hebrew word nephesh, which means soul, living being, life. wealth This is the Hebrew word osher, which means riches, fortune, wealth. It is the accumulation of goods and riches beyond the needs of day-to-day, week-to-week life. This was the division of rich and poor. Those who had accumulated m

Proverbs 22:7 "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave" There are facts of life that we can wish were not so but are true. The truths in this proverb are true and no matter how much you wish this were not true, they still are. It is these kinds of truths and insights that Proverbs is trying to imbed deep in your thinking so that you can succeed in the world that is instead of wishing the world were different. This verse deals with two kinds o

Proverbs 13:7 "There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth" An actual literal rendering of this verse is very instructive. It reads in both the Hebrew and the Septuagint: There is one who enriches himself but holds nothing. And there is one who humbles himself in the midst of many riches. The translators have chosen to translate it in the direction of pretends to be rich, but it actually could mean the person who wo

Proverbs 21:6 "The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death" This proverb reminds us that how one achieves financial security is more important than that one achieves financial security. In our day and age, many people have as their number one goal in life to have lots of money. This should not be anyone's number one goal as it will destroy you in the pursuit. This proverb focuses on how you get along in the world; how you pursue fi

Proverbs 6:5 "Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler" This is the application of this whole section on making pledges, going surety, or even getting into debt. Just like a gazelle who had been caught would struggle with all its life to become free, so should the person who is in this unwise position. You need to fight like your life depends on it to be free from the debt of this loan. This also means work hard; show

Proverbs 6:4 "Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids" This proverb is a word against the still common practice of being the guarantee for other’s debts. Strictly speaking, this section means it is incredibly foolish to co-sign for a loan for others. It is ridiculously foolish to put your own goods at risk based on the behavior of others. If you find yourself in this case, then go to the person who owes the debt and plead with them to repay the debt. Do not le

Proverbs 6:2 "If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth..." This verse is the continuation of the idea developed in verse one – namely, that you have promised to pay the debts of another person. But it also carries a nugget of wisdom about the use of the tongue that is surely independent of co-signing and borrowing. Namely, that one can be put into a snare by what they say. if you have been snared with the words of you

PROVERBS 11:1 "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight" The essence of wisdom is contained in this little proverb. If others have to lose for you to win, then it can't be wisdom. The only exception to that is that the wicked will often lose when the righteous and the wise win. Stealing through deceptive business practices means that one party is the winner and other parties are the losers. This is not the basis of a healthy economy. A h

PROVERBS 6:1 "My son, if you have become surety for a neighbor, have given a pledge for a stranger" This is the classic passage against co-signing a note for someone so that your financial health is in the hands of another person. Its application can also be stretched to be against borrowing in general, or striking surety, or making a pledge even for yourself. One should not be involved in promising to pay the debts of another. If a person is not able to secure the necessary