Generous Wisdom
Scripture
Greed causes fighting;
trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.
Those who trust their own insight are foolish,
but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.
-Proverbs 28:25–27 (NLT)
Solomon does not ease into this. Three verses, three sharp observations, each one cutting to the heart of how we relate to money, to God, and to the people around us. Greed causes fighting. Trusting the Lord leads to prosperity. Giving to the poor results in lack of nothing. Closing your eyes to poverty brings a curse. The wisdom here is not complicated. It is simply hard, because it runs directly against every instinct that tells us to hold on, accumulate, and protect what we have. Solomon has seen enough of human nature to know that where greed lives, conflict follows. And where trust in God lives, something better takes root.
The second observation deserves to be read slowly. Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. Trusting in money is really just trusting in ourselves, believing that we are the ones in control, that our security is in our own hands. But Scripture consistently calls that posture foolish. Wisdom, the kind Proverbs describes, begins with the fear of the Lord. It is the humble recognition that we are dependent, that God is the source of every good thing we have, and that holding our resources loosely is not recklessness but faith.
“Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.”¹
— John Wesley, Sermon 50: The Use of Money
Wesley understood something Solomon knew three thousand years earlier. The whole purpose of earning and saving is to make generous giving possible. Generosity is not the leftover activity after we have taken care of ourselves. It is the point. And Solomon promises that those who give to the poor will lack nothing. This is not a transactional formula. It is a Kingdom principle. When we give freely, we align our hearts with a God who cares deeply for the vulnerable, and we discover that He is more than able to care for us in return. The person who hoards is really saying they do not trust God to provide. The person who gives is saying they do.
So the question this passage puts before us is not whether we believe these things theologically. It is whether we live them practically. Do our spending habits reflect trust in God or trust in ourselves? Do we see generosity as a burden or as an opportunity to participate in what God is doing in the world? The tent is temporary. The mission is not. And how we handle what God has entrusted to us reveals more about our hearts than almost anything else.
Reflection:
- In what ways have you seen greed lead to conflict in your own life or in the world around you?
- What does it look like for you to walk in wisdom right now, especially in how you handle resources?
- How can you practice generosity today as a reflection of God’s heart and provision?
Prayer:
Ask God to search your heart for any areas of fear-driven greed or self-reliance. Pray for a deeper trust in His provision and the courage to walk in wisdom. Ask Him to give you a heart of compassion and generosity toward those in need.
Footnote:
¹ John Wesley, Sermon 50: The Use of Money, in The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 6 (London: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room, 1872).