THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL FLOURISH AS A BRANCH

In these Proverbs the righteous, who rely on God, are contrasted with those who rely on their riches. Ultimately, ‘he that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish’.

How up to date and relevant such wisdom still is in today’s modern world. As this article is being written, the world economy is in ruins. Stock markets have plummeted, pension funds have been eroded, house prices have tumbled, banks have crashed, savings have been lost, businesses have failed and thousands have lost their jobs. Even those who have wealth have seen it massively reduced as property values crumble and interest rates decline. People who were relying on all of these things for their future security are now facing uncertainty and worry. This has followed a period of so called boom and prosper­ity, which sadly caused many to be complacent and self-reliant. These events foreshadow a coming day when it will be said, ‘in one hour so great riches is come to nought’, Rev. 18. 17.

The people of God, the ‘righteous’, stand in total contrast to these uncertainties. ‘The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever’, 1 John 2. 17. Not only do we abide but we will flourish like foliage on a branch when spring comes. The word ‘branch’ in our prov­erb is more commonly and correctly translated leaves or leaf. It is first used in Genesis chapter 3 verse 7 where fig leaves are referred to as an inadequate covering, which God replaces with the skin of a sacrificial substitute. In most other occur­rences, the leaves are seen as shaken, driven and withering. So, over the period of wicked men’s dominance of this world, have the people of God appeared to be. But, in a coming day, when all that men rely on fails, ‘the righteous shall flourish’!

Picturing the coming millennial kingdom, Psalm 72 uses a similar analogy when proclaiming that ‘He will come down like rain upon mown grass’ and ‘in His days shall the righteous flour­ish’. Though in ourselves we may be fragile, like grass or leaves, yet we have a Saviour who has provided us a secure covering for our sins by His sacrifice at Calvary. How blessed we are that we rely on the unfailing ‘riches of His grace’.