Today is Sunday, January 15, 2023, and it always seems appropriate on Sundays to share a bit of Scripture on here, and talk about how if relates to Family Preparedness. Today's verse is:
Proverbs 28, Verse 19
"A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who ends up chasing fantasies ends up in poverty."
This verse uses a contrast with a poetic twist. The Hebrew term translated "poverty" is unique to Proverbs and means "something below a necessary standard," or "lacking." The turn of phrase Solomon uses suggests that pointless activities take away from one's ability to prepare for the future.
This doesn't mean that we aren't allowed to rest or have recreation. Rather that they should not take precedence over responsibilities.
The New Living Translation is my personal study Bible, which I quoted here. However, there are other translations which phrase this passage slightly different, which I will share as well, because I feel that they have a message for us. The NIV verse is quoted as:
"Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty."
Another translation which I particularly like comes from the Amplified Bible (AMP), which carries this verse as follows:
"He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless people and frivolous pursuits will have plenty of poverty."
It's up to each of us to draw our own conclusions as to the intended message. I think that we can draw several conclusions based on just these three versions which we can not only apply to our endeavors at family preparedness, but also our daily lives. For one short Bible verse, there's a lot to unwrap and discuss, so I'll get started:
Work hard and you will be rewarded with plenty of food/bread.
Pretty straightforward, right? This is a called "work ethic" in today's culture. Those who bust their humps are generally rewarded at a higher rate than his co-worker who only does enough to just get by. Those of us who were raised right were raised with this quality embedded in us from an early age. If you studied hard, you were rewarded with good grades; if you finished all of your chores, you received an allowance; etc.
Chasing fantasies (and idiots) will land you in poverty.
In contrast to the idea descrived above, those folks who goof off when they're supposed to be working curiously find themselves no longer employed, as a rule. I think this also applies to folks chasing foolhearty pursuits like gambling, criminal activities, drug and alcohol abuse. These roads almost certainly lead to financial, personal and spiritual ruin.
For the second part of this Scripture verse, the Amplified translation is one that adds "worthless people" to the warning about following "frivolous pursuits." What does the Scripture mean when speaking of "worthless people?" It could be refering to toxic people that come in and out of our lives. The ne'er-do-wells. The unbelievers. Negative people. Those who live in some sort of alternate reality and aren't sure which gender they identify as.
I also think it has to do with our attention towards Hollywood and music industry types. We "follow" some of these musical and big screen icons on social media; we follow them with our hard earned dollars when we download their music, go to the cinema to see their films and in some cases try and pattern our own lives after what they say is hip, or chic.
We have our internet personalities on all of the social media platforms that we "follow" to get his or her content in our news feed. Maybe this part of the Scripture is a warning to be careful who we allow ourselves to "follow." Not all Hollywood actors are worthless, of course. Some music artists are wholesome. And there is a lot of fulfilling content from really great people out there on the Intarwub, if you look.
Work your land/cultivate your land.
Both the NIV version as well as the Amplified version give specific mention to what is obviously farming. I believe that this is important here, as the Scripture is telling us to work our own land to raise our own food. As a society, we have collectively gotten away from having even a simple vegetable garden. Our demand for pre-packaged food, fast food and everything that is "easy and now" (GrubHub, anybody?) has led our society down a trecherous path, and is creating a generation of people who have no idea how tomatoes are even born!
It is time for all of us to turn back to our roots (pun-intended); plant that garden AND teach our children and grand-children how to grow food; and the practice of canning and preserving those foods. Be the example. The lessons we teach today, will be retaught for generations to come.
In Closing:
The Holy Bible, whichever translation you choose, is a "must read" for all who walk with God and all who choose to follow the Family Preparedness movement. The Book of Proverbs, in particular, has several great passages that talk about being prudent and preparing for tough times.
If you have your own favorite Bible verse that talks about Family Preparedness, or if you have a different interpretation of Proverbs 28:19, I welcome both in the comments section.
And all God's people said, Amen.
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