My dear readers,

Any Riches in Your Home?

Proverbs 15:6 “In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.” (antithetical parallelism)

The home is supposed to be the safest place on earth for families. Many children face bullies and problems in school, thus they need to come home and be safe. To the husband who struggles to make ends meet in the “dog-eat-dog” world of modern living, home is a place of peace and solitude. However, what is found in our homes determine this. The heart desires and determines what is found in our home. What the heart desires is thus determined by who our God is. If the ogre Mammon is our god, then what is found in our home is carnality and quarrels. If the Lord Jesus Christ is our Saviour and God, then what is found in our home is spirituality and peace.

I am sure that all of us desire strongly for the latter and definitely not the former. Proverbs 15:6 helps us understand what ought to be found in every child of God’s home. If it is not treasure then it will be trouble!

The House of the Righteous – The house of the righteous belongs to the child of God and no one else! The righteous ones are righteous in the eyes of God, not man. The only righteous ones are those whose sins have been forgiven and washed by the blood of Christ. This means that all believers have the potential to build for themselves a righteous house. The following describes the house of the righteous:-

1. Christ is the Head of the home; He is not the guest. This means that the Bible is the Book to obey.
2. The father is a believer. He is the head of the house. He determines the spiritual direction and focus of the home. This means that he must be a diligent student of God’s Word. He attends the church prayer meeting together with the other fathers, praying for his own family as well as others. He prays for and with the family. He ensures that his children are spiritually brought up by instilling in them spiritual discipline and life practices such as always praying before leaving home for school and praying with them before they sleep. Such a consistent upbringing will instil in the children a way of life that will last a lifetime.
3. He loves his wife as Christ loves the church. He is devoted to her and encourages her in the things of the Lord. He will always love the mother of his children. In this way the wife will obey and love the father of her children. In this way, the children will be able to see Christ in mom and dad.
4. The mother is also a believer. If she is not the husband’s love and devotion ought to win her over to Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:16 “For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” She will be the helper suitable for him as well as the homemaker to ensure that the spiritual direction he has set for the home will be followed. She must be a good and diligent student of God's Word. Staying home is of little use if the Word of God is not obeyed in the home.
5. An environment of holiness has been created in the house. The family learns to forgive one another in the Lord when there are quarrels.
6. The children will be brought up from birth in the way of the Lord even before they know the Lord personally. Biblical discipline and love encompass the parents’ way of bringing up the children. Parents know that the children were born with a sinful nature. This sinful nature will result in behaviour that is evidence of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Children will behave sinfully even before they know the difference between their right hand and left. Their godly parents will guide them through godly admonishment and needful discipline including the rod of correction.

In this house of the righteous is real treasure. The real treasure is not material things which are all perishable. They are truly fool’s gold spun by the god of this world who has blinded many minds so that they cannot see what real treasure is. These blinded minds will spend their life and energy pursuing after vanity until it is too late. They will only know the truth when they have breathed their last breath and find themselves in hell where there is no escape, only fire and gnashing of teeth. They will suffer excruciating pain for the innumerable sins they have committed against the holy Creator God who made them!

The real treasure is a godly home where all who live in it will taste godliness and holiness. Christ is seen and experienced because the Word of God is taught and obeyed. The peace of Christ will reign in the hearts of all who dwell in this righteous home. All who visit this house will also experience and depart with the same peace in their hearts through the fellowship they enjoy in this righteous home. It is a house of holiness and godliness where righteousness according to the Scriptures is loved and experienced.

The House of the Wicked – On the other hand the home of the wicked is a place of trouble. The word “trouble” is like the stirring of water. There is great disturbance. This is the opposite of peace in the home. Husbands and wives will frequently quarrel and the relationship is usually strained. The children will fight and quarrel like their parents. The parent-child relationship is strained and if there is a semblance of quietness it is usually superficial and related to the things of the flesh. The reason is that their minds are filled with pride, wickedness and carnality. These three sins characterise this sinful world and the wicked ones. That is why the world is in this state of mistrust and a plethora of murders. Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. Any good done to others is with ulterior motives and to benefit self. Self is god. There is no common ground in that home that will bring peace. The common ground is selfishness. Their ideas are centred on self. When there are five “selves” in the house there are at least five ways of doing things and all the five selves want to be the focus. This is the perfect recipe for disaster, not peace!

Instead of describing their house, God focussed on their revenues, i.e. income (what they bring in through hard work). Each works hard to get what each one wants for themselves. They share when it is convenient but ultimately what they bring in for themselves is closely guarded for their personal pleasure, longing and assurance. That is why we see parents taking children to court and vice versa. What do they fight over? What is it that is so important and precious to them that they are prepared to ruin their only parent-child relationship on earth? Materialism! What a foolish thing to do! What a poor exchange! Such a battle has no winners but only losers. The more revenue they have the more they fight. That is why God says that the revenue of the wicked brings in trouble! When the family is poor everyone would share. With more revenue, trouble is stirred like one stirs up a pool of calm mirror-like water.

The wicked spawn trouble and not peace. The revenue they obtain brings carnal comforts but no peace in their house, only more troubles!

Conclusion – The contents in our homes reveal the content of our hearts. A house full of eternal treasure is a reflection of its righteous occupants. The house full of trouble reveals wicked ones in the house. What does God see in our homes?

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor