"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing.
But righteousness delivers from death."
How many times have you looked around you and wondered just how life works? How can some people appear to reap such great rewards, to own so many things, to have so much going for them in life, yet you know they have hurt other people along the away, you think they have lied to their own benefit, you have watched as they climbed to greater heights only by standing on the backs of others around them. And then you see someone who has done no wrong in their life, has inflicted no harm on others, yet they seem to have nothing at all to show for their lives; no grand mansions or fancy cars or remote island vacation homes. Have you even asked the Lord why this could be, where is the justice in allowing one who has wronged others to possess so much while one who stands blameless has nothing to show for it, no material rewards for goodness and doing good?
We're used to being rewarded for doing good. From an early age, some form of payment has been used to reward us for doing the right thing, and to encourage us to keep doing the right thing. Maybe our mother complimented us for cleaning our plate, or gave us a nickel for helping to set and clear the table. We got higher grades in school, and maybe a bit of cash, for studying hard and doing all our homework. We get promotions on the job, and subsequent pay raises, for working hard and helping the company stay profitable. If we do good, we expect some form of reward. So why do some who surely do good in the eyes of God not also benefit in earthly rewards?
In Proverbs, the wise king Solomon tells us that our reward for doing the right thing will be our delivery from death, that our righteousness will deliver us. This is not mortal death Solomon speaks of, but the eternal death reserved for those who do not receive God's grace, the same death that Jesus defeated after three days in the tomb. King David reiterates this message, giving additional weight to Solomon's words, when he sang, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer." (2 Samuel 22:2) God and only God, through His grace and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus the Christ, can deliver us from eternal death and allow us to live by His side in heaven for ever and ever.
Solomon tells us that the one who compromised the commandments of the Lord, who hurt others on his climb to earthly wealth, will profit nothing from the treasures he amassed. He may enjoy them on earth, during this fleeting mortal life, but his wickedness will be revealed and he will suffer death for eternity. But the humble one, the righteous one who seems to have nothing, instead has gained everything, and will live with our Lord and Master forever.
What greater reward could we ask?
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