Danny Fourie

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.  Proverbs 15:16-17

Solomon illustrates two families. The first family is not rich. They have but only a few earthly possessions. But the fear of the Lord lives in their home. There is respect for God and his Word.

Solomon sketches a second family. They have money and things, luxury and prosperity. What is the issue with this family? Unrest reigns. The family is disrupted. They are jittery. There is no peace and order in the house.

Two families … totally different. The question is now, which family do we prefer? The rich or the poor family? Solomon prefers the poor family. Not for the sake of the poverty as such, but because the fear of the Lord lives in that family.

In the next verse we see both families around the table. We tend to get to know a family best at the table. With the first family there is not much on the table. There is a green dish, a bowl with vegetables. For a Jew in the time of Solomon it was a simple meal, actually a side dish. Nothing special. And yet the meal is something special, because in this family, love rules. It is as if one hears the family members say to one another: Isn’t it nice to be together? Isn’t the Lord good in providing for us?

The second family is also around the table. On the table is a massive meal, a feast of a meal. The meat of a fattened calf is on the table. In Israel this was special. But look at the people around the table. They are stony-faced. There is no joy. They peek at one another with jealous looks. Actually they hate one another.

What is better? The family around the meagre table, with love, or the family around the festive table, full of hatred? The first family is by far the one to choose. The love exceeds the meal by far.

It is clear what Solomon means. True prosperity stands on two pillars: the fear of the Lord and love. Where these two factors are present, there you will find a blessed life.

Prayer: Lord, teach us that where love towards both you and one another are to be found, there we will find true joyous life.  Amen.