Thoughts From Proverbs 13

Proverbs 13:8

⁸ The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
But the poor hears no rebuke.

 Some truths are communicated by subtlety. This verse is one of those truths. First it is even with those things that seem most desirable, as wealth, there are dangers to be faced that the wealthy must worry about: A. being kidnapped. B. having a conflict that money cannot solve.

Then there is the opposite, being poor. This has at least one benefit. It is seldom or never that the poor are kidnapped. At least it so seldom that it is no burden to them. This might not offset the lack poverty brings, but it is a benefit. So wealth has a built-in danger, and poverty at the worst has a benefit.

Proverbs 13:11

¹¹ Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But the one who gathers by labor increases it.

Uncle Remus stories have always fascinated me. The story of the tortoise and the hare has a moral that is very near to the meaning of this verse. "Slow and steady with the certain finish line," is always best. Wealth in spurts and dry holes gain no good end. I grew up with Glen McCarthy and the Shamrock Hotel as the ultimate wildcatter and his dry holes. This was a caution that was a danger to ignore.