No Sorrow In Blessing

“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Pr 10:22 AV)

 

I have read or heard preached this verse hundreds of times.  If not thousands of times.  Almost in every case, it is read, written about, or preached the blessing of the LORD is material gain. However, note the word is in the singular and not the plural.  Also, not the singular ‘it’ instead of them.  This lends to a different understanding of the word ‘blessing’ than is normally expounded.  The Hebrew definition means benediction. A benediction is an utterance of good wishes.  It may or may not contain specific items of good wishes.  Perhaps the wish of good health without details of what that might mean would be considered a benediction.  Or, more generally, a broad desire of goodwill towards an individual would be considered a benediction.  There may also be an element of praise, recognition, or affirmation involved.  In other words, the blessing of God above is not a bigger paycheck, a cure for a disease, or prosperity in our endeavors.  Rather, the blessing of the LORD is the LORD’s desire for goodwill on those who love Him.

I had wonderful grandparents.  They were the best.  On both sides of the family, my grandparents showered their love on all of us grandkids.  Each in their own way.  My mother’s father loved to hunt.  He would take us, boys, on a right-of-passage hunt during the fall pheasant hunt.  That was his favorite.  We would get all dressed up and trudge through fifty feet of snow (just kidding) to watch him and my uncle shoot a bird out of the sky.  We watched as his bird dog, Lady, point, and flush.  It was awesome.  My father’s father was that quintessential grandfather who always had a small trinket or two to hand to us and see our smile.   A brand new penny.  A lifesaver.  A pack of gum.  Something small that brought a bit of joy to our hearts.  As we grew older, the trinkets stopped.  Instead, he would share an encouraging word.  He would share his wisdom, observations, concerns, and dreams for our lives.  The immature kid in me would rather have gum or candy.  But the growing and maturing kid in me felt loved and appreciated far more than a gumball could ever accomplish.  The gum and candy rotted my teeth.  But his words of encouragement stuck with me.

We pursue a lot of things in life that really have little to no lasting value.  The world teaches material gain is what life is all about.  However, with that material gain comes sorrow.  A new car has to be maintained and the first scratch is always gut-wrenching.  A house is a wonderful treasure to possess.   But it wasn’t always yours and when you pass away, it will be someone else’s.  Keeping it up requires a part-time job.  The material things of this life can be enjoyed – to a point.  After a while, we realize that with the material things of life comes a commitment to safeguarding them that almost makes possessing them not worth the effort.  When it comes to God’s blessing, there is no sorrow with it.  He wishes us well because He loves us.  Sometimes that works out in the temporal.  However, more times than not it does not.  Spiritual blessings are far more eternal than anything of this world.  What I am trying to express is I would rather have the words of benediction from my God who loves me than anything He can grant in this temporal life.  No one can take away the hours I spent with my grandfathers, listening to their words of advice and encouragement.  In the same vein, there are spiritual blessings from the LORD that can never be stolen or wax old with rust.  There is no sorrow added to God’s words of affirmation.