Wait for It…

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts. Proverbs 20:14

Solomon watched with interest. The merchant was having a difficult time with the buyer, who kept complaining about the terrible deal he was being offered. But eventually, he took it. Solomon followed him to see what he would do next and quickly heard a change of tune. Now the buyer was boasting, “This was the greatest deal in the history of deals.”

Why do we do this? We pretend not to be interested when we really are. We’re not honest because we don’t want to be cheated. That is understandable in this world. But God is not this world, and God never cheats us. His word and his wisdom are treasure of incomparable beauty and worth. Everything he offers us is choice. When we acquire wisdom for free at the open market of Scripture, let’s make sure we tell everyone where to find the best of the best.

I think we can use this bit of insight in our own lives, whether we are merchants or not. Have you ever offered someone what you knew to be sound wisdom, but they weren’t interested in taking it? Would it surprise you to learn that the very same person probably thought a good deal about what you said, once they were gone? God’s word is resilient like that. So let’s drop the gems of truth all around us and wait for jeweled fruit.