No Lean Souls

“The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.” (Pr 10:3 AV)

It is important to know the definition of the word ‘soul’.  It varies depending on the context.  However, generally, it means the whole person as opposed to the body, soul, and spirit separately.  Again, the word is used to what we generally mean as the soul.  In this passage, the soul means the whole being as opposed to the body.  Note here the promise is to the soul and not the body.  There are times when the righteous will famish.  There are times of persecution.  There are times of drought or blight.  There are times of poverty.  All these can cause the body to famish.  The promise above is not for the body.  It is for the soul.  To famish means to hunger without the ability to be satisfied.  As long as the righteous seek to live righteously, the LORD has promised to fill their souls.

Note something important.  I am in no way saying I am a righteous person.  I have failed far more than the average saint.  When the LORD calls me home, there will be plenty of regrets.  Regret over things I have done or failed to do.  However, saying that, I can testify to the truthfulness of the above verse.  It has been the condition of our lives that we never did have a whole lot.  I didn’t have a brand new car until well into my forties.  Every jalopy I had since then was a used pile of bolts that didn’t last long.  As a young family, we particularly wanted for some need or desire.  Shopping at the Good Will was not out of the ordinary.  Many of my earlier dress clothes came from such an establishment.  As far as meeting the needs of my family, if it wasn’t for my very generous in-laws, our family would have famished.  But what I can tell you is those years often had so many simple yet immensely joyous experiences.  Like being the headline in the local paper as a family who went to cut down a Christmas tree.  We still bring that article out and hang it on the wall at Christmas time.  Or, the simple Christmas Eve services we used to go to in small country churches as we sang carols and sipped hot chocolate.  Or more dramatic events like weddings and the birth of our grandchildren.  There are awesome discussions over WhatsApp with my three preacher sons as we banter back and forth over some biblical puzzle.  There are the hand-in-hand walks with my precious wife and best friend as we stroll through the zoo or down an old-fashioned town square.  The memories are plenty and pleasant.

The point is this.  If we strive for righteousness, even if we fail, the LORD will reward us with a life of joy unspeakable and full of glory.  There will be pleasant memories of God’s blessings in the past.  The hardships will be a reminder of how faithful God has been even when things were not so well.  The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish.  This is a promise that gives strength to endure through the hardest of times.  Like when my son was examined and the PA thought he had a fatal disease, only to find out she had overreacted.  How precious it was to experience the LORD as He was in control of circumstances beyond our control.  It seems as though, at least for me, the bad memories are lost to good memories.  Perhaps because there have been far more of them than the former.  God has been good to me.  He always has.  The things that feed the soul are those things easily enjoyed by those who seek righteousness.  A sunset on the peaks of snow-capped mountains.  The sound of birds as they wake up in the morning.  The sound of an infant’s giggle.  The experience of a grandchild sitting on Pawpa’s lap.  All these things and more are the food that feeds the soul.  This is what the LORD promises for those who seek righteousness.