Take Care of What Lasts

"Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants."

- Imagine you were told you could be king, but only for a day. Great wealth and a glorious crown would be yours for a little while but would soon disappear. What would you do? The reality is that kingship--and leadership of any form, really--can be fleeting, along with the wealth and status that accompany it. This proverb thus reminds kings to take care of their subjects by using the  analogy of a shepherd and his flocks. Though a great deal of sacrifice and effort is needed to take care of these flocks, if you devote yourself to wise and diligent work that serves others, you will never be lacking in anything.

Fear of Men

"The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order. A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops. Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them. Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully. Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse. A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor. If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance. The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are."

- This section shows the difference between the wicked and the righteous--those who do not care for other people and those who do. Deep down, the unrighteous are insecure, and this is seen in their paranoid behavior. They flee even though no one is pursuing them! This is contrasted with the peace that the righteous have, which gives them the boldness of lions. Ultimately, the reason for this difference is trust in God. Those who have no fear of God end up fearing men, while those who fear God do not fear men because their hope is in God's Word--God promises salvation for the righteous, while the unrighteous will face eternal death.