Proverbs 18:10

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runs into it, and is safe.

Every worldview has its theory of sin and salvation. In other words, practically everybody will admit that man has problems and needs to be saved. The disagreement is on how to define man’s basic problem, and then how he is saved from that problem! The Book of Proverbs is a little Bible, in that it contains the basic truths of a biblical worldview in capsule form. Man’s basic problem is sin, and all of the violence and corruption in the world can be linked to his sinful condition. Of course, sin is rebellion against God and the transgression of His law. But how are we saved from this predicament? The answer is given in this little verse. We are saved from the evil that would destroy us by running to God!

Salvation is found in the name of the Lord. This means that we trust in the reputation of God, believing in what the Bible says about Him. We hang all of our hopes on what the words on a piece of paper say about the goodness of God, the history of God’s work in redemption, and the promises of God. It is our trust in God’s reputation. It is our faith that saves.

Proverbs 18:11

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.

Jesus said that we would always have the poor in our midst. Despite the utopian ideas of the Marxists who insist upon an egalitarian society, the undeniable reality of life is that there will always be those who are blessed with more wealth than others. There is a certain value in wealth, and this passage mentions one of them. Riches provide protection. As a walled city protects its citizens from marauding bands, so wealth protects a man and his family from the enemies of hunger, poverty, disease, and legal assaults. Generally speaking, rich people can protect themselves from lawsuits by hiring expensive lawyers. They might even be able to protect themselves from debilitating diseases by means of expensive insurance programs. In most Western countries today, the vast majority of the people are rich and hardly know what it would be like to be poor. They have built multiple layers of secure walls to protect themselves from every sort of catastrophe. Their security is found in their own savings accounts and government-mandated social security. They are supremely confident men—confident in themselves and in their own wealth. This is why wealthy people see no need for God. They are confident in their own abilities, their own economic systems, and their own corporations, banks, and governments.

Proverbs 18:12

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.

What happens to those wealthy men who build their empires and expand their wealth? For a century or two these men may ignore God in their conceit. After all, they have no need for Him! Their universities, entertainment industries, businesses, and governments promote godless humanism, all the time building substantial wealth and security for themselves! At the moment man’s pride is at its zenith, when the largest towers have been built, and all recognition of God has been utterly purged from the university textbooks, God brings these towers down. He utterly destroys their proud institutions and economies. Those high walls and strong cities that seemed so impregnable always come crashing down! In the last several centuries, what once were proud humanist empires have now ceased to exist, including the magnificent powers of Spain (16th century), France (18th century), and England (19th century). When will men learn to fear God and trust only Him for their physical and spiritual salvation?

All of us will die someday. How will our own abilities and our own wealth save us in that terrible day? It behooves us not to give way to pride for even a single day in our lives, but rather to place our trust in God alone (verse 10).

Family Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways can slothfulness be destructive to a person?

2. Where do we put our trust? Do we trust in God or in our own wealth and strength?

3. Should we build our castle walls with insurance programs, retirement programs, and social security programs in order to shelter ourselves from catastrophes? Why do we build these walls of defense?

4. How might we be sure that wealth and material blessing never displace our worship and trust in the living God?