The Tent of the Upright

Proverbs 14:11 - "The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish."

It's easy when reading the book of Proverbs to simply fly through the text without pausing to consider what you are reading. There are actually some rather strange verses in here that seem counter intuitive. If we stop to consider this verse rather than just breezing past it we will immediately notice that it is talking about the dwelling places of both the wicked and the upright. But the structures that are mentioned are vastly different. And we might even expect this to be the other way around. Why do the wicked get the houses while the upright are dwelling in tents? A house is more permanent, more comfortable and more secure than a tent. A tent is just a temporary structure that is not all that comfortable or secure. However, according to this verse the house of the wicked will not last, it will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 

For the wicked, this life is all they have. They seek to prosper here, they establish a house which they assume will last, but it will be destroyed. The righteous, however, dwell in tents, not a permanent structure, but then again we are not permanent residents of this world. Throughout the Word of God, both Old and New Testament, we find the righteous described as aliens and pilgrims on the earth. Hebrews 11:8-9 says of Abraham, the father of the faithful - "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise." They lived on this earth as pilgrims, recognizing that this world was not their home. The reason that Abraham was able to live in this way is given in verse 10 which says - "For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." He recognized that everything this world has to offer is temporary at best. He was looking toward something invisible and permanent which could only be seen with the eyes of faith. We are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Though we "dwell in tents" as it were, the tents of the righteous shall not be destroyed, but instead shall flourish. Though it may look like the house of the wicked is prospering, we must keep it in perspective. Though they may seem to be doing well for a time, it's not going to last. Everything that this world has to offer will pass away. Which connects this verse, Proverbs 14:11, to the next. Verse 12 says - "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." It would seem right to dwell in a house rather than in a tent. Logically, a house is going to last much longer. It just makes good common sense, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. It doesn't make sense to live as a pilgrim unless there truly is a better country to which we are traveling. The flesh would say, "Dwell in a house, establish yourself here. Get comfortable!" But we need to have an eternal perspective. Colossians 3:2 instructs us to - "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Look to those things which are unseen, for as 2 Corinthians chapter 4 says "the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." It may seem right to focus on the temporal, "but the end thereof is the way of death." And the ironic thing is that though this life as a pilgrim may be uncomfortable, unestablished and insecure, Proverbs 14:32 says - "The righteous has a refuge when he dies." Though we dwell in tents as pilgrims on the earth, after we die we have an eternal refuge. Not merely a house, but a stronghold. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Proverbs 14:11 - "The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish."