Proverbs 10:22-23 (ESV)
“The blessing of the LORD makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.”
Solomon reminds us that it is Yahweh who ultimately grants prosperity. A woman may labor diligently, plan wisely, and work faithfully, yet unless the Lord chooses to bless, her striving cannot secure lasting gain. This does not diminish the value of hard work. From the beginning, before the fall, God designed men and women to work, serve, and be productive. We flourish when faithfully engaged in meaningful labor at home, in the workplace, or in the church. Yet the righteous need not chase wealth anxiously, because they know that provision ultimately rests in the hands of God.
“The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” The Hebrew word translated “sorrow” is etsev, which can refer to painful toil, exhausting labor, hardship, or grief. Diligence is often the means God uses to provide, yet his favor does not depend on relentless human effort alone. Wealth pursued through anxious ambition, grasping self reliance, or fleshly striving often carries burdens with it. But what God gives is different. His gifts come with peace rather than misery.
Verse 23 turns to pleasure. “Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool.” The Hebrew word translated as “wrong” is zimmah, morally corrupt or wicked behavior. The fool laughs at evil. She finds sin amusing, clever, or entertaining, and even takes glee in what is shameful before God. She delights in gossip, slander, cutting remarks, rage, revenge, crude humor, or other destructive behavior. Some sins are celebrated openly. Others are excused and normalized. The fool treats what offends God as a game.
“But wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.” The wise person finds joy in what is right. She delights in living according to God’s design, turning from self indulgence and self pity, and becoming a blessing to others. Obedience is not misery to her. It is satisfaction. Wisdom brings her real joy, the kind that runs deeper than passing amusement and remains when empty pleasures fade. She enjoys laughter too, but in the right way. The pleasures of wisdom do not leave shame behind them.
As you walk the path of wisdom, you may find that many things the world calls funny no longer amuse you. That is not loss, but growth. Laughter is a gift from God, but never when it feeds cruelty, celebrates sin, or grieves the Lord. What makes you laugh? What gives you pleasure? If you have begun to enjoy what displeases God, ask him to recalibrate your desires. True joy is not found in sin’s empty laughter, but in the deep and lasting gladness that can be found only in God’s goodness.