We Must Not Become This Kind of Person

(Proverbs 28:15–20)

Last week, I saw in the news that the president of this country declared that football players were not showing respect to the American flag, and he made inappropriate remarks about them. As a result, not only many football players but also the owners of their teams came forward to publicly protest.

While observing this situation, I found myself deeply agreeing with the words of a well-known football player during an interview. What he said was that the president’s remarks were “divisive,” meaning they were causing division and strife. I agree with him.

How could a president, at a public event in front of many people and media reporters, give a speech that brings division rather than unity — even using profanity? I truly cannot understand it.

Personally, I believe that leadership is extremely important. I believe that a husband/father, as the leader of the household, is very important; that a pastor, as the leader of a church, is very important; and that a president, as the leader of a nation, is very important.

More than just being important, I especially believe that it is critical for a leader to be wise. I believe that if a wise leader who fears God leads a home, a church, or a nation, what a great blessing that would be.

Previously, we meditated on the topic “A Wise King” based on Proverbs 20:26–30, reflecting on five characteristics. For review, let us briefly meditate on them again and pray for wise presidents, wise pastors, and wise heads of households:

1. A wise king (leader) distinguishes between the good and the wicked, separates them, and punishes the wicked (20:26).

2. A wise king governs with a clear conscience before God (20:27).

3. A wise king preserves himself through lovingkindness and truth (20:28).

4. A wise king has strength and wisdom (20:29).

5. A wise king exercises discipline (20:30).

Today, based on Proverbs 28:15–20, I want to reflect on the message titled “We Must Not Become This Kind of Person,” meditating on five types of people we must not become, and the lessons we receive from them.

First, we must not become foolish people who love greed.

Look at Proverbs 28:15–16:

“Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. A tyrannical ruler practices great oppression, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.”
[Modern Translation: “To poor people, a wicked ruler is a dangerous presence like a roaring lion or a hungry bear. A foolish ruler oppresses his people, but a ruler with integrity will enjoy a long political life.”]

From this passage, we see the Bible speaks about a wicked ruler (v.15) and an ignorant ruler (a foolish ruler). These types of leaders practice great oppression, and the Bible compares them to “a roaring lion or a hungry bear” (v.15).

Imagine with me: why does a lion roar? Because it is hungry and looking for food (Yoon Sun Park).

What would happen if you and I were out camping and suddenly encountered a starving lion or bear?
That would be an incredibly terrifying situation.

In Proverbs 17:12, which we have already studied, the Bible says:

“Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.”

What would happen if we encountered a mother bear who had lost her cubs?
In Hosea 13:8, Scripture says:

“Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open; like a lion I will devour them — a wild animal will tear them apart.”

How terrifying are these words from God! God says He will meet the people of Israel like a mother bear who lost her cubs, tear open their hearts, and devour them.
Yet, the Bible says it is better to meet that bear than to meet a fool acting in his folly.

That means a fool is more dangerous than a bear robbed of her cubs.
How is that possible?

The reason is that a fool, in his anger, is even more irrational and unreasonable than a wild, grieving bear (MacArthur).

If such an irrational and foolish leader were the president of our nation, what would become of the country?
What if the pastor of our church were such a leader?
What if the father or husband — the head of the home — were a foolish leader?
What would become of the church or that household?

Can you imagine it?

Looking at Proverbs 28:16, the Bible contrasts a foolish ruler with someone who hates greed.
The modern translation refers to this person as “a ruler with integrity.”

This contrast implies that the foolish and ignorant ruler loves greed, unlike the upright ruler who hates it.

In other words, the righteous ruler hates greed, but the foolish and ignorant ruler loves it.

Now, what would happen if the leaders of our nation were foolish people who love greed?
Wouldn’t they also love money?
And what would be the result?

Look at 1 Timothy 6:10:

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
[Modern translation: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some, by desiring it, have wandered from the faith and suffered much pain and heartbreak.”]

Leaders who love money and greed will eventually wander from the faith, be misled, and inevitably experience much pain and emotional wounds.

But the problem does not end there.
Because of such leaders, the people they govern — the citizens of the nation, members of the church, and family members — will also suffer and be wounded.

Just how oppressive and exploitative would such leaders be to their people?
Look at Ezekiel 45:9 (modern translation):

“Enough, princes of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people!”

If the leaders of our country love greed, love money, and love power — and therefore act with great tyranny (Proverbs 28:16) and oppress the poor and vulnerable (v.15) — how much suffering will that bring to the people?

For example, King Ahab desired Naboth’s vineyard and murdered an innocent man to get it (1 Kings 21:1–16).
King Saul, to maintain his power, repeatedly tried to kill David (1 Samuel 18:6–19:1) (Yoon Sun Park).

Even today, because of leaders around the world who love greed, how many of their citizens suffer?
They govern harshly, oppress the people, and pursue long-term control and material wealth.

How much pain must their citizens endure?

Is there any hope for people under such leadership?

What would happen if the leaders of our church were like the shepherds of Israel during the time of the prophet Isaiah—shepherds who, driven by greed, only sought to fill their own bellies?
Look at Isaiah 56:11:

“They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.”
[Modern translation: “They are greedy dogs who are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds who pursue their own profit without regard for means or methods.”]

Why were the shepherds of Israel like mute dogs that could not bark?
Because, as the verse says, “these dogs are greedy and never satisfied” (v.11).
They are “shepherds without understanding, each turning to his own way, seeking his own gain, saying, ‘Come, let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of strong drink. Tomorrow will be like today, or even far better!’” (vv.11–12).

In other words, the shepherds of Israel were those who, driven by greed, only fed themselves.
They sought pleasure by drinking wine and strong drink, living for indulgence both today and in anticipation of tomorrow.
They were blind—ignorant like those without vision—and like mute dogs, they failed to give righteous warnings.
They did not follow the Word of God but revered vain things, like dreams (v.10).
They loved comfort (v.10) and were full of greed (v.11).
Yet, they were unawakened, living selfish lives (v.11), only concerned with themselves, indulging in drunken pleasure (vv.11–12).
They ignored God and boldly spoke of the future as if they controlled it (v.12) (Commentary by Yoon Sun Park).

The shepherds of Israel were truly senseless and lacking in discernment.
If the pastors and elders of our church today were greedy people who only sought to feed themselves like these senseless shepherds, what would become of the members of the church?

Such greedy leaders will not last long.
In contrast, Proverbs 28:16 (second half) says that the reign of leaders who hate greed and are upright will be long (Yoon Sun Park).

What kind of leaders do we yearn for and pray for?
Certainly, we do not want the leaders of our country to be people who love greed.
We desire and pray that the leaders of our nation will be those who hate greed and live with integrity (Proverbs 28:16).

We are reminded of how, during the Exodus, God told Moses, who could not bear the burden of leadership alone, to appoint chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to help guide the people.
According to Exodus 18:21 (Modern Version), God told Moses:

“Select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”

This shows that the most important qualities in a leader are to fear God, be truthful, and hate unjust gain (Revised Version).
We hope that the leaders of our nation will be such people.
Leaders who fear God, wise people; honest individuals who hate lies; upright people who hate unrighteous profit.

May our nation, our church, and our families be firmly established (Proverbs 29:4), and may we all find joy (v.2).

Secondly, we must not become people who shed human blood—murderers.

Sometimes, when watching the news, we see reports of murderers being caught years after they committed the crime.
Every time I watch those reports, I think, “Eventually, even murderers are caught.”
Although I’m not sure, it seems that DNA testing often leads to their capture.

Watching such stories, when a murderer is caught after living as a fugitive for many years and is now old, I sometimes think:

“He will now go to prison to pay for his crimes, but he may die in prison before fully serving his sentence.”

On one hand, I wonder:

“Why didn’t he just turn himself in earlier, pay for his crime, and start his life anew?”
But on the other hand, I realize that our instinct after committing a crime is to run, not to turn ourselves in.

However, even if one runs, I believe there is a unique suffering that a murderer must endure until they are caught.
That suffering is the guilt that weighs on their heart because of the murder they committed.

Of course, I don’t think all murderers suffer from guilt.
Some may have hearts so hardened, consciences so seared, that they feel no remorse even after committing murder.

Look at Proverbs 28:17:

“Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.”
[Modern Version: “A murderer will be a fugitive until death because of the guilt of killing. Do not support such a person.”]

This means that a murderer, tormented by a guilty conscience for shedding innocent blood, will run—but will eventually fall into a trap.
In other words, the murderer will be caught (Yoon Sun Park).

The Bible here teaches us that not only murder, but all sin will ultimately receive God’s retribution (Yoon Sun Park).
A good example of this is King Ahab.
Look at 2 Kings 10:10:

“Know then that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what He announced through His servant Elijah.”

This is the fulfillment of the prophecy of judgment that God gave against Ahab’s house through the prophet Elijah.
God pronounced judgment because Ahab’s household did evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 8:27).
Their sin was that they abandoned the commandments of God and followed Baal (1 Kings 18:18).

King Ahab, especially, incited by his wife Jezebel, sold himself to do evil in God’s sight.
Like the Amorites, whom God had driven out before Israel, Ahab and his house followed idols and committed detestable acts (1 Kings 21:25–26).

As a result, the people of Israel also abandoned the Lord’s covenant, tore down His altars, and killed His prophets with the sword (1 Kings 19:10, 14).
Ahab caused Israel to sin (21:22) and provoked the anger of the Lord (v.22).

So God told Ahab through Elijah:

“In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!” (v.19).

God also prophesied about Jezebel and those belonging to Ahab:

“Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Those belonging to Ahab who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the country will be eaten by the birds of the air” (vv.23–24; cf. 2 Kings 9:10).

And what was the outcome?

During the war with Aram, Ahab was struck by an arrow and stood wounded in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening, and he died.
His blood flowed into the bottom of the chariot (1 Kings 22:34–35).
And when his chariot was washed in the pool of Samaria, dogs licked up his blood, just as the Lord had spoken (v.38).

God's judgment upon Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, also came to pass just as He had promised through Elijah.
God raised up Jehu to judge Ahab and his entire family.
After Jehu killed Jezebel (2 Kings 9:33), he said:

“Go, see now to this cursed woman and bury her” (v.34).

But when they went to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and her hands (v.35).
This was the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken through God’s servant Elijah:

“On the plot of ground at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh” (v.36).

In the end, God avenged the blood of His prophets on Jezebel (2 Kings 9:7).

The Bible clearly speaks. In Romans 2:6, it says, “God will repay each person according to what they have done.” The Bible states that God “will give eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality” (v. 7, Modern Translation). But it also says that “for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (v. 8, Modern Translation).

To summarize briefly: God is a God who repays. For those who do evil, there will be trouble and distress (v. 9), and for those who do good, there will be glory, honor, and peace (v. 10). God is a God who repays, but what’s hard to understand is the difference in how He repaid the proud, wealthy, and greedy Babylon (Jeremiah 50:6–7, 13) and how He repaid the people of Israel, who rebelled against God and sinned so greatly that the land was filled with their iniquities.

The difference lies in this: when God repaid Babylon, it disappeared from history just as the prophet Jeremiah prophesied. But although the people of Israel deserved to be abandoned and destroyed, God did not reject them. Why is that? Why was Israel not abandoned or destroyed by God? The reason is that God loved the people of Israel and chose them. In other words, they were God’s covenant people whom He had chosen, and because of that, He did not reject them.

Even though the people of Israel were unfaithful and disloyal as covenant people, God is faithful and cannot deny Himself. Because of His faithfulness to the covenant He made with them, He did not abandon the Israelites, even though they fully deserved to be cast off.

During the time of the prophet Ezekiel, when God repaid the people of Israel who had set up idols in their hearts and placed stumbling blocks of sin before them (Ezekiel 14:3–4, 7), something remarkable happened. God said that through this act of repayment (v. 4), He would once again capture their hearts (v. 5). In other words, even though the Israelites had betrayed Him, He promised to win their hearts back (v. 5). And in fulfilling that promise, He declared that He would repay them for their sins.

Isn’t that amazing? God, in His love for His chosen covenant people, repaid them for their sins, but the purpose of that repayment was not to destroy them. On the contrary, it was to capture their hearts again and restore them. Isn't it astonishing that God, who displays His righteousness by repaying His covenant people who sin, also uses that repayment to draw them back, restore them, and pour out His mercy, compassion, love, and grace upon them? How deeply thankful we should be.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we are without responsibility. Just as the people of Israel had the responsibility to repent before God during the process of being restored through His repayment, we too have the responsibility to repent of our sins.

In the world we live in today, how many evil things do we see and hear about? Especially in nations led by wicked leaders and foolish rulers, how much suffering do the citizens endure? (Proverbs 28:15–16). We have even seen videos of leaders murdering their own citizens in broad daylight. How can anyone use chemical weapons against their own people, even killing children? These murderers, who shed innocent blood, are running toward their own trap (v. 17). God will certainly repay them.

And what about us Christians who believe in Jesus? Of course, there may not be many literal murderers among us. But that also means there are people who claim to believe in Jesus yet commit the sin of murder. However, there is a passage that applies to all of us—1 John 3:15: “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer…” (Modern Translation: “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer…”). Don’t we sometimes commit the sin of murder by hating our brothers or sisters?

We must remember that even such sins are subject to God's repayment. Yet in His mercy, God does not pour out His full wrath upon us. Instead, He allows us to suffer temporarily through His discipline so that we may confess and repent of our sins, and in the end, He restores us as His obedient children.

Therefore, let us no longer be murderers who hate our brothers and sisters, but rather let us be those who love them with the love of the Lord. May you and I become people who love our neighbors.

Thirdly, we must not be those who “walk crooked paths” (live deceitfully).

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I am a two-faced person”? According to the Naver dictionary, “double personality” is defined figuratively as “a case where someone is different on the outside and the inside.” What does it mean to have this difference? Haven’t we seen in ourselves moments where our outward appearance doesn’t match our inner selves?

The Bible also speaks of people like this—the Pharisees. Outwardly, they fasted (Matthew 9:14, Mark 2:18), gave tithes “of mint, rue, and all kinds of herbs” (Luke 11:42, Matthew 23:23), and refused to eat with sinners and tax collectors (Mark 2:16). They even prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). But inwardly, they were “lovers of money” (Luke 16:14) and were full of greed, wickedness, debauchery, and all sorts of filth (Luke 11:39, Matthew 23:25, 27). These Pharisees were double-minded people.

In addition, John 12 introduces another double-minded person—Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples. Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where a woman named Mary anointed His feet with expensive perfume and wiped them with her hair (John 12:1–3). Upon seeing this, Judas said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages” (v. 5). If we had been there, we might have mistaken Judas as someone who truly cared for the poor. But the Bible says, “He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (v. 6). Though he appeared to care for the poor, inwardly, he was a thief.

In short, Judas Iscariot—one of Jesus' own disciples—was a double-minded person.

This reminds me of a book by a man named Manjae Lee titled 77 Reasons Why I Don’t Want to Go to Church. Among the 77 reasons listed, two of them are: “I haven’t seen a true believer in the church” and “There are too many double-faced people, and I don’t like it” (Internet source). Why has the church come to this point?

One day, I came across an article I had written back on April 11, 2015. It read: “It seems that the church today is producing not disciples of Jesus, but people with double personalities.” Of course, this is just a personal thought I wrote down and shared. The reason I think this way is perhaps because, starting with myself, I’ve noticed that Christians increasingly display an inconsistency between the inside and the outside that even others can see.

In other words, it is becoming harder and harder to find sincerity in today’s Christians. This is because the church is focusing more on outward actions than on inner character. For example, instead of devoting itself to nurturing sincere Christians, the church seems to be emphasizing serving—even if someone is inconsistent in character. As a result, while people may serve diligently, without Christ-like character to support their actions, they often end up committing sins that bring dishonor to God rather than glorifying Him.

Take a look at today’s main passage, Proverbs 28:18:
“Whoever walks in integrity will be saved, but whoever takes crooked paths will fall into the pit.”
(The “Modern Translation” renders it: “The one who lives honestly will be saved, but the one who lives falsely will suddenly be destroyed.”)

As we see in Proverbs 28:18, the Bible says, “Whoever walks in integrity will be saved, but whoever takes crooked paths will fall into the pit.”
The modern version translates it this way: “The one who lives honestly will be saved, but the one who lives falsely will suddenly be destroyed.”

Here, the writer of Proverbs is contrasting the person “who walks in integrity” (i.e., lives truthfully) and the one “who walks crooked paths” (i.e., lives falsely).
According to the original Hebrew text, this verse could be translated as: “The one who walks blamelessly will be saved, but the one who deceives with duplicity will fall at once” (Yoon-Sun Park).

Now, who is the one who deceives with duplicity?
A good example is found in the second half of Proverbs 28:6, which we have already meditated on. It speaks of “the rich who behave crookedly” [translated in the modern version as “the deceitful rich”].
According to the original Hebrew, it refers to “the rich who deceive by two paths” (Yoon-Sun Park).

So who is this rich person who deceives by two paths?
It’s someone who outwardly appears to walk the good path, but in reality follows the path of evil (Yoon-Sun Park).
One of the evil acts such a rich person commits is oppressing the poor (v.3).
A more specific example is given in James 2:6:
“But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?” (Modern Translation)

The rich who walk in duplicity not only despise the poor, but also oppress them and even drag them into court to cause them harm.
It’s hard to imagine—someone who appears to do good publicly, but behind the scenes secretly mistreats the poor in a cunning way.

And these two-faced, double-dealing rich people, with such inconsistency between their public image and private actions, continue to accumulate wealth.
On the surface, it seems like they are doing very well.
So much so that the righteous poor who suffer might be tempted to think, “Why do these wicked, double-faced rich people always live in peace and grow richer?” (Psalm 73:12)
And they may even think, “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence” (v.13).

But what we must not forget is this:
While these double-faced rich people are amassing wealth, they are also piling up their own evil.
As Proverbs 28:18b states, such people “will fall”—or in the modern version, “will be suddenly destroyed.”
Their downfall will come. That moment of collapse will surely come (Yoon-Sun Park).

Proverbs 28:6 tells us that a poor person who lives with integrity is better than an evil rich person with a double character:
“Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.”
(The modern version says: “Better to be poor and live honestly than to be a deceitful rich person.”)

The lesson here is this:
What matters is not whether one is rich or poor, but whether one lives truthfully—or falsely while hypocritically deceiving others.
The Bible clearly says that the one who lives in deception and follows crooked paths will surely fall, and be suddenly destroyed.
But the one who lives truthfully and walks with integrity will be saved (v.18).
Therefore, we must be people of truth and integrity.
I pray that you and I will become such people—people who are delivered and saved by God.

Fourth, we must not be people who “follow after reckless living”—in other words, people who waste their time on empty, meaningless things.

What would it feel like if, as we approach the end of our lives and look back, we come to the realization:
"Ah... I have lived in vain"?
How would we feel if we looked back on our lives and realized that we lived with extreme individualism—working hard for ourselves out of greed, and in the end say, “All my effort was in vain and worthless. Truly, I have lived a meaningless life”?

Let’s look at Ecclesiastes 4:8:
“There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. ‘For whom am I toiling,’ he asked, ‘and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?’ This too is meaningless—a miserable business!” (Modern Translation)

Why is it that we people pursue meaningless things and live such vain lives here on earth?
I found the answer in Romans 1:21:
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
(Modern version: “Even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give Him thanks. Instead, their thoughts became worthless and their foolish hearts were darkened.”)

Even if we know God, if we do not renew our minds and be transformed (Romans 12:2), we will neither glorify God nor give Him thanks.
And the result?
Our thinking becomes futile (Romans 1:21).
That is, our thoughts become worthless and empty.
And in such empty thinking, we can only engage in worthless, meaningless deeds.

Now let’s turn to today’s main verse, Proverbs 28:19:
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.”
(The modern version says: “Hardworking farmers have plenty to eat, but those who waste time on empty pursuits will end up poor.”)

Here, the writer contrasts “those who cultivate their land” with “those who follow after reckless living.”
In Hebrew, the phrase “those who follow reckless living” means “those who follow vain things” (Yoon-Sun Park).
In other words, those who chase after empty things end up wasting their time and, in the end, fall into poverty (v.19, modern version).

A good biblical example of this is the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.
He receives his share of inheritance from his father, gathers all his wealth, and goes to a distant country (vv.12–13).
There, he wastes all his possessions in reckless and indulgent living (v.13).
Then, when a severe famine strikes that land, he begins to be in need (v.14).
In short, the prodigal son chased after vain things, spent his time on meaningless pursuits, and in the end became poor.

Friends, this world we live in is a vain and fleeting world.
I have already meditated on four reasons why this world is meaningless, based on Ecclesiastes 1:1–11...

First, the reason this world is vain is because there is no benefit in it.
In other words, the reason this world is vain is because nothing remains from it.

Look at Ecclesiastes 1:3:
“What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?”
This verse means that all the labor we do under the sun, apart from God, has no profit and leaves nothing behind.
Ecclesiastes 5:15–16 says that all the effort done in this world without God is like “chasing after the wind.”

Friends, how can we catch the wind?
This is a fruitless and meaningless effort with no benefit to us.
That is why the Preacher, King Solomon, says:
“A life lived apart from God leaves nothing behind after death” (1:3, Park Yun-sun).
Therefore, the Preacher declares, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

Second, this world is vain because human life inevitably returns to dust in the end.

Look at Ecclesiastes 1:5–6:
“The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.”
This passage means that even though people live confidently and actively throughout their lives, they cannot avoid returning to dust (Park Yun-sun).
No matter how strong and full of youthful energy someone may seem (Psalm 39:5), in the end, humans came from the dust and must return to the dust.

Thus, we must realize that “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass” (1 Peter 1:24–25).
Eventually, the grass withers and the flower falls (v.24).

We must also reflect on Psalm 39:6:
“Surely every man walks about as a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.”
Ultimately, our lives are like the wind.
Just as the wind blows south, then turns north, circling around and returning to its place (Ecclesiastes 1:6), so too must we, who came from the dust, eventually return to it.
Therefore, the Preacher declares that this world is utterly meaningless.

Third, this world is vain because human greed can never be satisfied.

Look at Ecclesiastes 1:8:
“All things are wearisome; more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.”
This verse means that the eye and the ear are never satisfied, just like the sea never fills up, no matter how much water flows into it (v.7).
(Park Yun-sun) explains that human desire is never satisfied.

Indeed, it seems human greed has no end.
In pursuit of satisfying endless desires, people seek after this and that in this vain world, but in the end, they are never fulfilled.

Just how far did King Solomon go?
In Ecclesiastes 2:10, he said:
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.”
He enjoyed everything he saw and desired.
He said it was his reward for all his toil (2:10),
but in verse 11, he confessed:
“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

Fourth, this world is vain because future generations do not remember those who lived before them.

Look at Ecclesiastes 1:11:
“There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.”
There is nothing new in this world; everything just repeats what came before (vv.9–10, Park Yun-sun), and as a result, people cannot find lasting satisfaction.
So King Solomon says that this world is vain because future generations do not remember those of the present (v.11, Park Yun-sun).

No matter how much wealth, power, or influence a person may have today, what remains after death?
After one dies and time passes, they are forgotten.
One generation goes, and another comes (v.3),
and because past generations are not remembered, this world is meaningless and vain.

Friends, once we die, we can never return to this world (Ecclesiastes 3:22, Park Yun-sun).
We only live once, and we must not waste our lives on fleshly things.
Why? Because fleshly things are unprofitable and meaningless.

Then, how should we live?

Let’s look at the first half of Proverbs 28:19:
“He who works his land will have abundant food…”
(The modern translation says: “The hardworking farmer has plenty to eat…”)

What does this mean?
In those times, farming was a common occupation (Park Yun-sun),
and the Bible teaches that hard work brings plenty.

Therefore, we must work diligently at our respective workplaces.
When we do, there will be abundance in our homes (Proverbs 27:27).

And we must remember this:
God enables us, who work diligently, to have “all sufficiency in all things at all times” so that we may “abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
I hope and pray that you and I will become such people.

Finally, fifth, we must not become those who rush to get rich.

Friends, is it a sin to strive to be rich?
Should we, as Christians, not desire to be wealthy?

Proverbs 23:4 says:
“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.”
(The modern translation says: “Don’t try too hard to become rich. Be wise enough to control yourself.”)

This verse clearly suggests that Christians should not labor excessively to become wealthy.
But why does the Bible say this?
What is the reason?

Look at 1 Timothy 6:9–10:
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
(The modern translation adds: “People who strive to become rich fall into temptation and harmful desires that destroy their lives. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and brought themselves much sorrow.”)

We should not strive to become rich because doing so leads to temptation, traps, harmful desires, and ultimately, ruin and destruction.

Therefore, as Proverbs 23:4 says, we must not wear ourselves out trying to become rich and must instead abandon our “own wisdom.”

What is this “own wisdom” we must abandon?
It refers to seeking to accumulate wealth through deceitful human methods instead of following God's Word (Park Yun-sun).

In the modern version, “abandon your own wisdom” is translated as:
“Be wise enough to control yourself.”
When I read this, I was reminded that we must have self-controlling wisdom.

What is this wisdom of self-control? Two things:

1. Thinking wisely.
   We must open the wings of thought and think wisely and carefully, not assuming or judging others freely.
   We should not simply believe everything people say but listen with discernment and try to understand their true motives.

2. Exercising restraint.
   We must control our hearts.
   Even if our wealth increases, we must not set our hearts on it (Psalm 62:10).
   I believe that true self-control of the heart means resisting all kinds of greedy temptations and keeping a contented heart.

If we do not control our hearts, we will fall into the temptation of greed and become its slaves.

Look at the passage from today’s reading, Proverbs 28:20:
"A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished"
[(The Contemporary Bible) “A faithful person will receive abundant blessings, but the one who rushes to become rich will not escape punishment.”].

From this, we can see that the author of Proverbs is comparing the “faithful person” (a sincere person) with the “one who hastens to be rich” (a person rushing to become wealthy).

With this comparison in mind, when thinking about those who rush to become rich, we can deduce that such people are not faithful or sincere.
Think about it: How can someone who is rushing to get rich work faithfully?
A person rushing to get rich is not sincere and will “walk in crooked paths” (v.18).
In other words, such a person lives falsely (v.18, Contemporary Bible).
Therefore, the Bible says, “Better is a poor person who walks in integrity than one who is rich and crooked” (v.6).

Furthermore, the person who wants to get rich quickly is impatient.
Because of this impatience, they try to become wealthy through their own means, attempting various businesses to gain profit, but they fail to realize that they do not know what tomorrow holds (James 4:13–14).
They do not understand that their life is “a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (v.14).
However, the Bible says, “The impatient person shows foolishness” (Proverbs 14:29).
And it also says, “The impatient person will end up in poverty” [“If you act hastily, you will end up poor” (Contemporary Bible)] (Proverbs 21:5).

Thus, the person who is rushing to get rich lives falsely, and because of their impatience, they demonstrate their foolishness. As a result, they will not escape punishment, as the Bible says (Proverbs 28:20, Contemporary Bible).

Dear friends, rather than striving to become rich quickly, we must work hard to be honest and faithful people.

We should not become rich through two paths.
In other words, we should not be people who pretend to walk the righteous path in front of others while secretly walking an evil path.
We must seek God and, with the wisdom He provides, understand that “A person who walks in integrity, though poor, is better than one who is rich and crooked” (v.6).
Proverbs 19:22 in the New Translation says:
"What is expected from a person is faithfulness; it is better to be poor than to be a liar."

Dear friends, we must be faithful people (Proverbs 28:20, Contemporary Bible).
And we must live faithfully (v.18).
By doing so, we will receive abundant blessings (v.20, Contemporary Bible).

I want to conclude this reflection. We must not become these kinds of people:

• We must not be “wicked rulers” (evil managers).

• We must not be “ignorant rulers” (foolish leaders).

• We must not be “murderers” (those who shed blood).

• We must not be “those who walk in crooked paths” (those who live falsely).

• We must not be “those who follow wasteful living” (those who spend time in vain).

• We must not be “those who hasten to become rich”.

Rather, we must become people like this:

• We must hate greed. Then, we will live long lives.

• We must live in sincerity and truth. Then, we will receive salvation.

• We must work diligently. Then, we will have plenty to eat.

• We must be faithful.
  Then, we will receive abundant blessings.