Proverbs 14:11 "The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish."
In each of Solomon's proverbs, it is the duty of the reader to discover the primary application so that the knowledge of the writer becomes the wisdom of the reader. When reading the proverbs, we should ask ourselves WHY Solomon contrasts two clearly different types of people or two obviously opposite things. Surely, there's more to the hundreds of proverbs in the Bible than good is better than evil or that God blesses righteousness but punishes wickedness. While God would have us to know those basic spiritual facts, He would have us to know so much more and ultimately, He would have us to make very specific application of those basic spiritual facts to the smallest details of our lives.
What then is unique to this proverb? What in this statement helps us make very specific application of basic spiritual truths to our lives? What else would Solomon have us learn besides ‘God blesses the righteous but punishes the wicked?’ The personnel contrasted aren't overly unique nor are the outcomes. Over and over throughout the proverbs, we read about the wicked and the upright being on opposite sides of every issue in life. What we don't see a lot of contrast with however, is the structure in which these two very different types of people are living. Unlike in other proverbs differentiating the wicked from the righteous, this proverb shows us two very different types of habitations for the wicked and the righteous. The wicked are living in a HOUSE while the righteous are residing in a TABERNACLE. When we identify these unique details, we should ask ourselves WHY Solomon didn't just contrast their houses and use the same word for both residences. This is the only time in all of his writings that he used the word, "tabernacle." Does that fact matter? In this particular case, I think it does.
A house is very easy for us all to envision and understand but how about a tabernacle? What exactly is a tabernacle? It can be a few things. In very rare cases in Scripture, it can be an inner sanctuary or a room within a house dedicated to worship or spiritual devotion or some other intimate practice. Such was likely the case in Psalm 132 when the psalmist rehearsed David's words who sought a permanent structure for the Ark of the Covenant, "Surely I will not come into the tabernacle OF MY house, nor go up into my bed." It is highly unlikely that this is what Solomon was referring to in this proverb because he rarely wrote about the spiritual practice of worship or even spiritual communion with God. His emphasis was on virtue, wisdom and on being spiritually equipped for a successful life. The word, "worship" never appears in any of his three Biblical books. Of the eight times the word or variation of the word, "praise" appears in any of his three Biblical books, it never refers to praising God; all eight only refer to the praise of man. The word, "tabernacle" in Scripture almost always refers to a tent of some sort, most notably and most often in reference to the portable structure that housed the Ark of the Covenant for decades. Eventually, the mobile Tabernacle of God became the permanent Temple of God when Solomon built the House of God of wood and stone. Given the overwhelming use of the word throughout the Bible in this sense coupled with Solomon's lack of worship content, it seems most appropriate to apply this meaning of the word to the proverb – that he was referring to a tent of some sort.
Concluding that Solomon is contrasting the "House" of the wicked with the "Tabernacle," or TENT of the upright, we can see beyond the basic spiritual fact that God blesses righteousness and punishes wickedness. Now that we've concluded that Solomon intentionally contrasted the permanent structure of the wicked with the temporary structure of the upright, we can make very specific application of this proverb. This literary picture teaches us then that prosperity isn't always an indication of God's blessing and furthermore, that a lack of prosperity isn't always the result of God's cursing.
It's easy for men and women to look out the window of their rigid and well-established homes and see a family living in a tent and feel more blessed by God. It's easy for the wealthy to look out the window of their mansions and see the family living in a tent and feel more righteous even. There's something in us that finds affirmation in possessions. There's something in us that finds validation in prosperity. There's something in us that finds security in strong buildings. It's terribly deceiving but when we look at those who don't have what we have, there's something in us that says, "we must be better than them." Similarly, there's something in us that asks, "what's wrong with me?" when we don't have what others have. For some strange reason, we too easily conclude that we must be doing something wrong if we're living in a tent when others are living in a house. It is natural for the human spirit to find a false sense of inner spiritual security when surrounded by thick walls and it is just as natural to lack a sense of inner spiritual security when watching the thin canvas walls of a tent moving in the wind.
For sure, this proverb reinforces the fact that God blesses moral uprightness and that He punishes wickedness. But this proverb is more than just that. It teaches us to not use physical possessions to gage God's pleasure or displeasure with us. It teaches us to not allow the clock to speak for God and to realize that what we see right now is not always indicative of how God feels about us or anyone in the moment. Just because the wicked prosper and live securely in a house now doesn't mean that they always will live in a house. Just because the upright wrestle with the wind while moving from site to site in a tent doesn't mean that they always will reside in a tent. This proverb teaches us not to find false security in things and assume that when we have things, we'll always have things or that once we get things, we could never lose things. God can overthrow a house with the deepest foundation and the thickest walls. If provoked by wickedness, God can overthrow the biggest building, remove the heaviest treasure and destroy the greatest empire in a heartbeat. When it comes to God's judgment on the wicked, no physical body is untouchable, no great structure is impenetrable, no luxurious possession is immoveable and no lofty position is irreplaceable. This proverb teaches us not to lack security because of the lack of things and assume that when we don’t have things, we’ll never have things or that our lack of things is because God doesn’t like us. When it comes to God's blessing on the upright, no physical body is beyond healing, no fragile structure is beyond repair, no empty bank account is beyond filling and no lowly job is beyond promotion.
Based on this proverb, God would have us focus on our morality and find our security in Him, not in perceived blessings. God can overthrow and turn over that which we find security in if we ignore our moral responsibilities. He can also cause something we have no security in to flourish, grow tall and lofty if we focus instead on our moral responsibilities. Let us put little stock in what we have and more stock in how we live.
What then is unique to this proverb? What in this statement helps us make very specific application of basic spiritual truths to our lives? What else would Solomon have us learn besides ‘God blesses the righteous but punishes the wicked?’ The personnel contrasted aren't overly unique nor are the outcomes. Over and over throughout the proverbs, we read about the wicked and the upright being on opposite sides of every issue in life. What we don't see a lot of contrast with however, is the structure in which these two very different types of people are living. Unlike in other proverbs differentiating the wicked from the righteous, this proverb shows us two very different types of habitations for the wicked and the righteous. The wicked are living in a HOUSE while the righteous are residing in a TABERNACLE. When we identify these unique details, we should ask ourselves WHY Solomon didn't just contrast their houses and use the same word for both residences. This is the only time in all of his writings that he used the word, "tabernacle." Does that fact matter? In this particular case, I think it does.
A house is very easy for us all to envision and understand but how about a tabernacle? What exactly is a tabernacle? It can be a few things. In very rare cases in Scripture, it can be an inner sanctuary or a room within a house dedicated to worship or spiritual devotion or some other intimate practice. Such was likely the case in Psalm 132 when the psalmist rehearsed David's words who sought a permanent structure for the Ark of the Covenant, "Surely I will not come into the tabernacle OF MY house, nor go up into my bed." It is highly unlikely that this is what Solomon was referring to in this proverb because he rarely wrote about the spiritual practice of worship or even spiritual communion with God. His emphasis was on virtue, wisdom and on being spiritually equipped for a successful life. The word, "worship" never appears in any of his three Biblical books. Of the eight times the word or variation of the word, "praise" appears in any of his three Biblical books, it never refers to praising God; all eight only refer to the praise of man. The word, "tabernacle" in Scripture almost always refers to a tent of some sort, most notably and most often in reference to the portable structure that housed the Ark of the Covenant for decades. Eventually, the mobile Tabernacle of God became the permanent Temple of God when Solomon built the House of God of wood and stone. Given the overwhelming use of the word throughout the Bible in this sense coupled with Solomon's lack of worship content, it seems most appropriate to apply this meaning of the word to the proverb – that he was referring to a tent of some sort.
Concluding that Solomon is contrasting the "House" of the wicked with the "Tabernacle," or TENT of the upright, we can see beyond the basic spiritual fact that God blesses righteousness and punishes wickedness. Now that we've concluded that Solomon intentionally contrasted the permanent structure of the wicked with the temporary structure of the upright, we can make very specific application of this proverb. This literary picture teaches us then that prosperity isn't always an indication of God's blessing and furthermore, that a lack of prosperity isn't always the result of God's cursing.
It's easy for men and women to look out the window of their rigid and well-established homes and see a family living in a tent and feel more blessed by God. It's easy for the wealthy to look out the window of their mansions and see the family living in a tent and feel more righteous even. There's something in us that finds affirmation in possessions. There's something in us that finds validation in prosperity. There's something in us that finds security in strong buildings. It's terribly deceiving but when we look at those who don't have what we have, there's something in us that says, "we must be better than them." Similarly, there's something in us that asks, "what's wrong with me?" when we don't have what others have. For some strange reason, we too easily conclude that we must be doing something wrong if we're living in a tent when others are living in a house. It is natural for the human spirit to find a false sense of inner spiritual security when surrounded by thick walls and it is just as natural to lack a sense of inner spiritual security when watching the thin canvas walls of a tent moving in the wind.
For sure, this proverb reinforces the fact that God blesses moral uprightness and that He punishes wickedness. But this proverb is more than just that. It teaches us to not use physical possessions to gage God's pleasure or displeasure with us. It teaches us to not allow the clock to speak for God and to realize that what we see right now is not always indicative of how God feels about us or anyone in the moment. Just because the wicked prosper and live securely in a house now doesn't mean that they always will live in a house. Just because the upright wrestle with the wind while moving from site to site in a tent doesn't mean that they always will reside in a tent. This proverb teaches us not to find false security in things and assume that when we have things, we'll always have things or that once we get things, we could never lose things. God can overthrow a house with the deepest foundation and the thickest walls. If provoked by wickedness, God can overthrow the biggest building, remove the heaviest treasure and destroy the greatest empire in a heartbeat. When it comes to God's judgment on the wicked, no physical body is untouchable, no great structure is impenetrable, no luxurious possession is immoveable and no lofty position is irreplaceable. This proverb teaches us not to lack security because of the lack of things and assume that when we don’t have things, we’ll never have things or that our lack of things is because God doesn’t like us. When it comes to God's blessing on the upright, no physical body is beyond healing, no fragile structure is beyond repair, no empty bank account is beyond filling and no lowly job is beyond promotion.
Based on this proverb, God would have us focus on our morality and find our security in Him, not in perceived blessings. God can overthrow and turn over that which we find security in if we ignore our moral responsibilities. He can also cause something we have no security in to flourish, grow tall and lofty if we focus instead on our moral responsibilities. Let us put little stock in what we have and more stock in how we live.
Recent
Archive
2025
2024
January
September
2023
January
February
March
April
October
2022
January
February
June
September
October
November
2021
February