Bible Study Guide
According to Proverbs 13 11, when you gather wealth by labor – that is, you work hard and wisely and you are diligent in your work – you will increase that wealth – you will make your wealth grow. You might even become rich!
According to Proverbs 13 11, the way to make money that will cause it to increase is to gather it little by little with diligent and wise labor.
In Proverbs 13 11, the alternative to wealth gotten by vanity – or, wealth that is obtained through deception or that is obtained too easily and quickly – is to gather that wealth little by little by honest and diligent labor.
According to Proverbs 13 11, the kind of wealth that will be diminished – or that will dwindle away and not stick around and not be accumulated – is wealth that is gotten by vanity – that is, wealth that is achieved through deceit or even wealth that is obtained quickly without the kind of hard work that is necessary to achieve wealth that is lasting.
According to Proverbs 13 11, wealth gotten by vanity – that is, wealth that is gained deceitfully or even wealth that is come by quickly and that you don’t have to work hard for – that kind of wealth will be diminished or will dwindle away.
God reminds us in Proverbs 13 11 Summary of what happens to “wealth gotten by vanity.”
Just recently – from the vantage point of my writing this – US President Donald Trump (and others) have mentioned that a certain anti-malarial medicine – chloroquine – might be effective in treating the dreaded worldwide pandemic COVID-19. The name of the drug happens to be similar to an ingredient in a product used to clean fish bowls – chloroquine phosphate. Subsequently, a man from Arizona and his wife thought it would be a good idea to eat this fish bowl cleaner in order to avoid getting infected with the coronavirus. Sadly, as a result the man died.
My point is not to assign blame to my president. Rather, it’s to highlight the fact that words have consequences. Your speech is an incredibly and amazingly powerful thing. And in Proverbs 13:3 the Lord wants to speak to us concerning our speech.
God often deprives you – takes things away or withholds things from you… in order to fuel your thanksgiving and gratitude toward him when he releases you from that deprivation – when he finally provides what you were lacking.