Riches Do Not Last Forever

The wisdom from the Old Testament book of Proverbs that I chose for my blog’s theme was intentional. Sadly, many read this Proverb and miss the main points when it comes to how they live their lives and settle on life’s priorities. The two verses are: “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?” Proverbs 27:23-24

Three Principles for Wise Living

Principle One: Pay Attention

There are actually three “invest” principles in this short proverb and there may be more. The first is that if you have resources like an IRA, bank account, property, or other “flocks and herds” you should pay attention to the health of those resources. Disease and predators can kill your sheep, cattle, and every other form of temporary wealth you have.

I have been helping an elderly woman with moving her accounts from one broker to another. The former broker was charging her an obscene amount for less than prudent investing “help.” He is much like the wolf devouring the sheep from the flock. When this process is complete her annual income from her investments will more than double and her costs will drop from thousands of dollars per year to a couple hundred dollars per year. Principle One: Are you paying attention?

Principle Two: Life is Short

“Riches do not last forever.” There are a couple of reasons this is true. The first is that you can lose your wealth. It doesn’t take too much time to see this during our lifetimes. It shows up in the lives of professional athletes, Mega Millions lottery winners, and people who live life with awful priorities and choices. Errol Flynn helps us see this when he said, “My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”

Understand you and I will die. What we hoard for our own use leaves our hands as soon as our heart and brain cease to keep our dying bodies alive. Principle Two: Life is short as are our treasures.

Principle Three: There are Alternatives

Although it isn’t said, this should drive us to think about alternatives treasures and investments. Things that don’t “last forever” implies that there are forever things to consider. Jesus wanted his followers to understand this type of investment when he said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44

The best ways to discover the investment Jesus talked about in “the kingdom of heaven” is to read John’s Gospel and the Apostle Paul’s book to the church in Rome: the book of Romans. Paul’s 60 AD investment portfolio was far different from the average person in the year 2025.

How to Identify a Follower of Jesus

They see their “flocks and herds” as a tool for good works and generosity that results in both “a good foundation for the future” and that “which is truly life.”

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Cindie encouraged me to do more “personal” pictures in my blog post. One of the ways she and I share is how we help pastors and their wives in India. This investment is with both our time and our treasure. This picture shows me teaching a Biblical Theology class via Zoom on my birthday in 2022.

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.