angela hormberg

Tag: Wealth

  • Proverbs 11:4

    Proverbs 11:4

    Righteousness

    Commonplace –

    “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death” (Proverbs 11:4).

    Proverbs 11:4 encourages the reader to have an eternal outlook toward life and pursue righteousness over wealth. Job 1:21 helps us understand the writer’s meaning behind the first part of verse 11:4: “Riches profit not in the day of wrath”:

    “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither” (Job 1:21).

    We came with no thing. We leave with no thing. The only possession we have upon entering and exiting this life is our soul, which is why we should pay heed to this verse and think primarily of what is best for our soul during our life. Riches may bring comfort during life, but they do not help us in our eternal life. As Matthew Henry states, “In the day of public judgments riches often expose men rather than protect them, Ezek 7:19” (696).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:4.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2026 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:15

    Proverbs 10:15

    Wealth and Poverty

    Commonplace –

    “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty” (Proverbs 10:15).

    Superficially, this verse seems to uplift the wealthy and deride the poor. By now, we know to look deeper.

    Solomon tells us that a rich man’s wealth is his strong city. What does this mean?

    If a man is wealthy, his wealth can protect him. It can buy him a home with high walls. It can buy him food and clothing. It can provide his every need, until it doesn’t. Wealth, in and of itself, is not evil. It’s how the man views his wealth which leads to problems.

    Solomon tells us that the destruction of the poor is their poverty. Is this true? Is every poor man destroyed by his poverty. It is terrible to be without food, without clothing, without a home. Does this have to destroy someone?

    The question really seems to be: what is the wealth that we are talking about? Is it tangible, physical, material wealth? It can’t be, because we know that one rich man’s physical wealth is only a strong city, until another, wealthier rich man comes along. It’s not a very strong city that can be easily replaced by another one. Every day, we see one rich man’s wealth usurped by another.

    What this really seems to be about is spiritual wealth and spiritual poverty. If a man is spiritually wealthy, he has a strong city that can never be taken from him. If he is spiritually poor, he has nothing.

    Here is a quick glimpse of Matthew Henry’s thoughts on 10:15 from his Commentary :

    “This may be taken in two ways:

    1. As a reason why we should be diligent in our business…
    2. As a representation of the common mistakes of both rich and poor concerning their outward condition” (692-693).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:15.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2026 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:4

    Proverbs 10:4

    Diligence vs. Laziness

    Commonplace –

    “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4)

    In Proverbs 10:4, Solomon addresses the importance of being a diligent worker versus being lazy; a diligent hand makes one rich. Here we see that Solomon is not against wealth. He is against attaining wealth through wicked means, as he previously mentioned in Proverbs 10:2, “Treasures from wickedness profit nothing” and Proverbs 10:3, the Lord casts “away the substance of the wicked”. He encourages his listeners to embrace hard work.

    While the ancient Israelites measured success by the fruit of honest labor, today’s popular discourse often equates a good life with the amount of leisure and entertainment we can pack into it. Much of our modern day focus is on ‘having fun’, which is centered on diversion, which could mean anything, such as: blogging, video games, sports, hobbies, social media scrolling, etc. Diversion can enrich life, yet we must ask: why do we seek it? When considering Proverbs 10:4, it’s important to remember that being diligent is not simply related to acquiring and accumulating material wealth. Whether we’re studying Scripture, pursuing a degree, caring for our families, or fixing a leaky faucet, each task becomes an act of worship when approached with intentional effort. Understanding our objective in our diversions changes our perspective on what it means to ‘have fun’ and how we ‘spend’ leisure time.

    To go along with our discussion, here are some thoughts from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Proverbs 10:4 and who is likely “in a fair way to become rich” (690).

    “those who are diligent and honest, who are careful about their affairs, and, what their hands find to do, do it with all their might, in a fair and honourable way, those are likely to increase what they have” (690).

    Proverbs 10:4 is a call to reflect on our personal activities. We are only allotted a certain amount of time in life. Where we are spending it? Is that the best use of it?

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:4.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

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    © 2025 Angela Hormberg