Marbled steak and tardy tenants

We recently read Proverbs 15.17 in our two-year Bible reading plan: ‘Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.’

My first response upon reading this was: ‘And better yet is a juicy steak lovingly served!’

I’m sure the writer of Proverb would agree, but that’s not the point he’s making. The point of the proverb is to emphasize the importance of love, and this way of saying it memorably emphasizes the point. Loving relationships are more precious than a marbled steak.

The previous verse makes a related point: ‘Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it’ (Proverbs 15.16). I recently heard a story over coffee with a friend that underscores the truth of this proverb.

A number of years ago, my friend was a young man starting out in business and doing very well for himself. In addition to starting his own company, he had already purchased a number of apartments that he was renting out. However, he was stressed and burdened with all there was to do. One of his renters was consistently behind in rent, and one evening my friend called him and demanded that he pay or be evicted from the apartment. The tenant got on his motorcycle and drove through a rainstorm to deliver the tardy rent check. When my friend opened the door, the tenant was standing there with a huge smile on his face, beaming. My friend was surprised and asked what was so great and what the guy was smiling about. The tenant replied that he had just been promoted at work. ‘What are you doing now?’ my friend asked. ‘I’m now the spring inspector,’ the guy replied. He was inspecting springs (I’m not sure what kind of springs), and this had made his day and brought him great joy. He was so happy that it was obvious just to look at him.

My friend has always remembered this exchange and it has shaped the way he does business. The question that came to his mind after the tenant left was: ‘Who is the smarter guy here? Who is happier?’

This is good for us to remember. It is not a call for us to inspect springs instead of starting our own business. But it is a reminder to hold to what is truly important. ‘Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.’

Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 16, 09:23 AM