“Better to be a nobody and yet have a servantthan pretend to be somebody and have no food”
(Proverbs 12:9).
Our twenty-first century minds think that having a servant as a luxury we can’t afford. And we are usually correct. We recoil at the thought of having a slave and find it difficult to imagine the ancient world as a place where the slaves usually outnumbered the owners.The man of moderate means in the ancient world thought it of first importance to have a slave. Just as Jesus took illustrations from everyday life, the Proverbs writer illustrates from the world which surrounded him the wisdom of working within your means.The main point communicated in this proverb is an economic one. A wise man of moderate circumstances is prudent. He does not seek to live beyond his means in any way. He is ‘better off,’ and by extension ‘more to be envied’ than the pretentious spendthrift.Many a man acts the part of the well-heeled. He deems it lowly to live amongst the humble classes, or drive anything but a high-end vehicle. He frequents coffee shops and whiles away his days seeking ‘excitement’ of one kind or another. But all the while he is behind in his rent, his car is about to be repossessed, and his credit cards maxed out. Nobody wants to know him outside of his group of hangers-on or those he owes money to. This man, who thinks and acts as if he is ‘somebody,’ is really just a beggar in waiting. John staigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends.
0 Comments