Growing All The Richer

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,

and the one who waters will himself be watered.”

- Proverbs 11:24-25

There’s a scene in the TV show Parenthood where someone is amazed Kristina Braverman can get her son to do homework. Without saying a word, she reaches under the counter and pulls out a huge tub of candy. The other day, we had a family meeting because the boys had been fighting more than usual, and after a prolonged discussion of factors and possible solutions (Esme’s suggestion: pay them all money not to fight), we settled on stickers. If they could go half a day without fighting, all four get a sticker. If someone is a peacemaker at any point, all four get a sticker. It actually worked for the few days we tried it. Man, I’m going to miss the days the kids could be bribed with stickers.

These verses don’t say, “one gives freely, because one mustn’t be selfish.” Or, “whoever brings blessing will be a nice person.” We aren’t supposed to not desire wealth, riches, and return. This runs all through the Sermon on the Mount: “rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven… for if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?... for then you will have no reward… And your Father who sees in secret will reward you…” (Matthew 5-7). We aren’t supposed to not lay up treasures. We aren’t supposed to be above reward.

What we ought to do is see how reward and true wealth work. If I operate only in a material, immediate plane, these verses don’t make any sense—and too often, my first instinct is to hoard what I have. But there’s botanical element weaving through this chapter in Proverbs. The Hebrew for “gives freely” means literally “scattered,” as in seed, which only yields crop if one lets go of it, dies to it. True generosity requires perspective, seeing that we grow rich not through what we hang on to, but what we give up, because it brings us eternal rewards and earthly non-material rewards. Because the act of giving is itself a reward, which, as David preached, transforms us. True generosity requires we have something to give, a deep experience ourselves of the seed of the Word and the living water. May we receive these verses as rebuke, encouragement, promise; may we see how they work true in our lives.