Finishing Last

"A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches" (Proverbs 11:16).

We are entering a section of Proverbs which describes the benefits of righteous and kind behavior. In other words, those who live and love well do not always finish last. Today's passage contrasts the life of the kindhearted woman and the ruthless man. This is not a contrast of gender but rather a contrast of character.

A person whose character is commendable is in view here. The woman here is known to be gracious. She is honored for her loving and gentle spirit. People recognize and give tribute to the depth of her grace. They are blessed by it and thus she is honored.

However, the man who is violent (ruthless) receives something totally different. He receives only wealth. Do you find yourself asking, "What's wrong with that?" While there is nothing evil about money in and of itself, there is something really wrong with obtaining money in an evil way.  Not only that, there are several Proverbs that remind us that wealth is inferior to the really good things in life, such as honor. Read Proverbs 1:19, 10:2, and 11:4 and you will see that riches can, at best, only give us surface satisfaction in life.  It is a waste of our energy to ruthlessly go after riches when a respectable life is so much better.

Therefore, it is decision time! Are we going to be gracious people or violent (ruthless) people? Are we going to live lives that are honored by those we impact for good or resented by those we hurt as we chase after money? To be gracious is to live out of the depths of a soul truly changed by God, while being ruthless gains us only the surface satisfaction offered by the world's riches. Talk about finishing last!