Money Wise Pastor

Career, life, and money wisdom from a pastor's perspective

The Bible and Money: Proverbs 27:12

| By Rich | |

This week’s Bible and Money focus is on Proverbs 27:12:

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” – Proverbs 27:12 (NLT)

This verse paints a picture of two types of people:  the prudent and the simpleton. I looked up these two words in a couple of dictionaries and I found the following definitions:

  1. A prudent person is someone who is wise, judicious, and careful about providing for the future.
  2. A simpleton is someone who is deficient (or lacking) in judgment, good sense, or intelligence.  A fool.

If you're wise you'll have an emergency fundWhen I read Proverbs 27:12 in light of these definitions, I find that it can apply to many different types of situations, but it especially speaks to me with regard to money.

To me, this verse says that it is wise to look ahead to potential dangers or problems that may arise and plan for them accordingly.  In other words, a prudent or wise person will save for emergencies and plan ahead to buy or replace things that will need to be replaced in the future.

I think it also speaks of discernment when it comes to financial opportunities, warning us to stay away from shady deals or “get rich quick” or “too good to be true” opportunities that, sadly often end up being ponzi schemes that have caused great pain and loss to many Christians, pastors and churches.

In contrast, the simpleton, or fool, lives for the moment.  He gives no thought to what might happen in the future.  He blindly ignores the warning signs of upcoming danger.  And when trouble comes, he suffers the consequences of not being prepared or planning for an emergency.  Sadly, his family suffers as well.

We all know we’re going to face a financial difficulty sometime in our lives. Maybe it’s a major repair bill, a job loss, or sudden illness.  Why do many of us fail to plan and prepare for these situations? Why do we often end up using debt to pay for it instead?

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About the author

Rich Rich writes on money and personal growth from a pastor's perspective here at Money Wise Pastor. He loves In-N-Out Burger (and has the t-shirts to prove it), big cities, international travel, running marathons, and helping others create more freedom, purpose, and fulfillment in their life and work. Find him on Twitter and Facebook.