Cemetery where Civil War Relatives are buriedToday’s proverb addresses the destinies of the households of the righteous and the wicked.

Proverbs 15:6 – “In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.”

A study of one’s genealogy is not only intriguing, it is revealing.  I have spent many hours over the last ten years researching my family ancestry by going to libraries, courthouses and exploring cemeteries.  I have found the burial sites of relatives in farmer’s fields overgrown by weeds, and the resting places of Civil War veterans buried on a wooden knoll behind an old church where trees encroached on two century old graves.   Funderburk graveIn Tradesville, SC I found burial sites of relatives who were officers in the Revolutionary War.  One of my ancestors was a Baptist preacher in the 1700’s at a time Baptists were persecuted  for holding to the doctrine of Individual Soul Liberty [teaching that neither government or ecclesiastical authorities have the right to dictate a man’s worship of His Creator].

In today’s proverb, Solomon imparts to his son a study in “cause and effect” in a family’s history.  Generally, a family’s present state is indicative of its spiritual lineage.  In other words, a man’s sinful choices and the consequences of those choices can reach far beyond himself and his immediate household.  The Second Commandment warns, God shall visit [punish] “the inquity [sin] of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:5).  Solomon states that the household of the righteous enjoys the blessings of God, but the wicked fall into trouble.

Proverbs 15:6 – “In the house [family; household] of the righteous [just; upright] is much treasure [wealth; strength]: but in the revenues  [gain; incomes] of the wicked [ungodly] is trouble [calamity; affliction].”

consequences“Much treasure” describes God’s blessing on the household of the righteous.  This treasure may come in the form of material blessings; however, many of God’s people have not been blessed with money and great possessions.  God’s people treasure what gold and silver cannot purchase–after all, Love, Peace, Joy and Hope are priceless!  Jesus promised those whose spiritual appetite is for righteousness,  “they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

Solomon continues, “in the revenue of the wicked is trouble” (Prov. 15:6).   In the same manner Achan was driven by greed and lust, sinners endeavor to feed an insatiable appetite for sin and possessions, often at the sacrifice  of their family and future.  When God judged Achan, His judgment fell upon him and his family (Joshua 7:1, 19, 20, 24; 22:20).  Many learn too late that wealth and possession can become a curse to them and their lineage.

My friend, where is your treasure?treasure

Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”