The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22 NLT
If you’ve lived very long at all, you’ve had an experience or two that taught you a rather painful lesson. Many deals or arrangements that seem too good to be true are exactly that. Once you have stepped into the water, you find there are expectations, demands, and disappointment you had no idea were part of the deal. They were hidden in the fine print, covered up by smiles and false advertising. You are disappointed to say the least, occasionally even devastated.
You might feel some of that concern about the promises of God’s favor. Surely this is too good to be true. I can get His favor? I can increase His favor on me by simple obedience and humility? I won’t find out that He deceived me and get my heart broken again?
That will never be the way God works. Solomon was a man who experienced God’s favor and blessing in abundance. Reliable history tells us that he was the wisest, richest, most materially blessed man who ever lived. He was also promised favor by God as he obeyed Him. All favor came from God. 1 Kings 3 tells us of God’s love for and pleasure in Solomon. God invited Solomon to ask Him for anything – nothing was off limits. Instead of asking for fame, wealth, power, or even long life, Solomon humbly asked God to give him a wise and understanding heart so he could be a good leader to the people. The request so pleased God that He increased His favor to such a degree that Solomon got the wise and understanding heart plus everything else.
In this proverb, Solomon is differentiating the success that comes from the blessing of God from that which comes from all other sources. There are numerous on-ramps to success, but only one is minus unnecessary sorrow. The wording is very intentional here. When God’s blessing comes, He doesn’t add sorrow to it. Sorrow is already absolutely part of life because sin is a part of life. The blessing of God can bring success, and when it does, God doesn’t add any sorrow to it. The wording is intentional because sorrow accompanies everything in this life.
Sorrow is unavoidable because sin is a part of life. People are jealous, envious, and insecure and often add sorrow to life when we look to them for favor and blessing. We get hurt in the transaction. Solomon recognized that from his own life. But he knew God was different. The promises of blessing and favor from God were never too good to be true. God was always faithful. He never added sorrow to Solomon’s life, but when sorrow came from his own choices or the choices of others, God’s faithfulness carried him through.
- Learn from Solomon. Pursuing favor from people over favor from God will always add sorrow to life. Pursuing God will not. God’s blessing will help us THROUGH any sorrow the world gives.