Key Verse: “Greed causes fighting; trusting the Lord
leads to prosperity.” (v. 25)
The café was louder than usual that morning. Solomon was already there. Same corner table. Same linen shirt rolled at the sleeves. His weathered leather notebook sat beside his coffee.
But today he wasn’t alone. Amos sat across from him, long frame folded into the chair like a tired shepherd taking a break. When he saw me, he lifted a hand in greeting.
Near the window, a couple of guys were arguing. Pretty heated if you ask me.
“Ethan,” Solomon said warmly. “Perfect timing.”
I dropped into the seat beside them. “What are we talking about today?”
Solomon tapped the table lightly with two fingers, thinking. “This section of Proverbs...” he began, “Describes the kind of people who destroy lives… and the kind who build them.”
He slid the notebook toward me and flipped it open. Inside was a simple sketch: two circles. One circle had arrows pointing inward. The other had arrows pointing upward.
“In these verses,” he said, “I talk about corruption, oppression, greed, generosity, honesty—things that shape the soul of a society.”
He leaned back slightly. “But the heart of it sits in one sentence.” He quoted it slowly. “Greed causes fighting; trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.”
The argument near the window got louder right then. Something about money owed. Solomon gestured subtly toward them. “Case study,” he said with a faint smile.
I frowned. “So… greed causes fighting. That part makes sense. But what about the prosperity thing? Because I know plenty of greedy people who are rich.”
Amos chuckled softly. “You’re assuming prosperity means money.”
Solomon nodded toward him. “Exactly.” He leaned forward, voice lower now.
“The Hebrew word there carries the idea of wholeness… flourishing… well-being. It’s the kind of life where the inside of a person isn’t constantly at war.”
He tapped the notebook. “Greed is an appetite that never has enough.”
Steam from a fresh cup drifted between us. “The greedy heart always needs more—more recognition, more control, more security, more possessions. And when two greedy hearts collide…” He gestured toward the arguing men again. “War. Conflict. Struggle.”
Amos picked up the thought. “I’ve seen it in cities and in villages,” he said. “People chasing more land, more power, more wealth. But the more they grab, the less peace they have.” He looked at me. “Greed is hunger without a stomach. When you’re hungry and you eat a good meal, your stomach eventually says ‘I’m full.’ The hunger stops. But greed doesn’t work like that.”
That landed harder than I expected. I stared at my coffee. “So what does trusting the Lord actually look like, then?” I asked. “Because that sounds kind of vague.”
Solomon smiled gently. “It means you stop believing that your survival depends on grabbing more than everyone else.”
He let the words settle. “Trusting God means believing the Creator knows what you need—and that you can live open-handed instead of clenched-fisted.”
The café noise seemed to fade for a moment. Like someone turned the world’s volume down. Solomon’s eyes held mine. “When a person trusts God,” he continued quietly, “their heart stops competing with everyone around them. They stop measuring life by who has more.”
He pointed lightly at my chest. “And that, Ethan… is prosperity.”
Amos nodded slowly. “Prosperity in your spirit,” he said. “Clear conscience. Deep relationships. Peace in your soul. The ability to sleep at night.”
One of the men near the window finally stormed out, the bell over the door clanging behind him. Silence lingered for a second. Solomon watched the door close. “Greed promises fullness,” he said softly. “But it produces conflict.”
Then he looked back at me. “Trusting in the Lord may not make your bank account explode. But it will make your soul whole. Healthy. Prosperous.”
He closed the notebook. “Which wealth do you think lasts longer?”
I didn’t answer right away. Because if I was honest… I’d spent a lot of my life chasing the first kind. And I was starting to realize how tired it made me.
What? Proverbs 28 teaches that greed creates conflict and instability, but trusting God leads to true prosperity—an inner life marked by peace, wholeness, and spiritual well-being.
So What? Our culture often defines success by money and accumulation, but Scripture says the deepest kind of prosperity is a life rooted in trust, contentment, and alignment with God.
Now What? Ask yourself today: Where am I chasing “more” instead of trusting God? Practice one act of open-handed trust—whether generosity, gratitude, or choosing peace over competition.
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