Starting a Foundation

(Proverbs 14:24 KJV)  The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.

You probably got this verse right the first time you read it this morning.  I wish I could say the same but I must confess that my first reading was totally off.  At first I thought it was comparing the rich and poor.  I thought it was calling one “wise” (2450) and the other fools” (3684).  Both words are there but that is not the dynamic. 

This is comparing the wise with the foolish.  That is a different equation.  People who are wise may be financially wealthy but there is no correlation.  That is not the “riches” (6239) that are being emphasized.  The wealth that is found here is in a life well lived.  It is worn as a reputation based on a character saturated with the principles of God.  It is an environment that shows the result of not acting like a fool in the daily decisions we make and priorities we follow.

So?  Take your pick.  Will it be wisdom or foolishness?  Will it be gold or pot metal?  The future waits.  The foundation is being built starting now.