Proverbs 10:3

 Proverbs 10:3 (KJV) The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Proverbs 10:3 (NIV) The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

Proverbs 10:3 (NLT) The LORD will not let the godly go hungry,
but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.

Supporting Scripture:
Psalm 34:9-10 Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Psalm 37:25 I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.

Matthew 6:31-34 (Jesus speaking)  31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

"The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish", or "to perish by famine": not but that good men may be afflicted with it, as Jacob and his sons were, when the famine was in Egypt and in other lands; and as the apostles, particularly the Apostle Paul, were often in hunger and thirst, yet not so as to be destroyed by it; for in "famine" the Lord redeems such from death; though the young lions lack and suffer hunger, they that fear the Lord shall not want any good thing; at least whatever they may suffer this way does not arise from the wrath of God, nor does it nor can it separate from the love of God and Christ, Job 5:20. Moreover, the souls of such shall not be famished for want of spiritual food; shall not have a famine of the word and ordinances; their souls shall be fed, as with marrow and fatness, with the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock: the church, though in the wilderness, is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, Revelation 12:14 - Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Psalm 107:1-9 (NLT)  1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
4 Some wandered in the wilderness,
lost and homeless.
5 Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
6 “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them praise the LORD for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

God promises to make provision for us. What we need, and when we need it, will be provided unless there is a higher purpose going on that God alone knows about. For instance, when Jacob and his family were in Canaan and there was a famine, they experienced lack. Enough for them to be forced to go to Egypt for supplies. They might never have gone to Egypt but for that reason and God had a plan and purposes to fulfill for them in Egypt. He had prophesied to Abraham that his descendents would go to Egypt and be there 400 years until the inhabitants of Canaan had been given every opportunity to turn to God. Once that time of opportunity for the Canaanites was over, then God would use Moses to lead the descendants of Jacob (later re-named to Israel, thus the children of Israel) out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land where they would defeat the Canaanites. God had been planning this all along and He had maneuvered Joseph, the son of Jacob, into position in Egypt to provide for Jacob, his family and servants during the famine. But they had to first be desperate enough to go to Egypt. So God allowed them to suffer lack in order to push them to Egypt. God had a big, huge plan all along and their temporary hunger was what pushed them to be where God wanted them to be. Once in Egypt, Jacob and his family were well provisioned by Joseph who had been warned in a dream of what would happen and whom Pharaoh had commissioned to be in charge of the famine efforts.

There were times with the Apostles went hungry. That doesn't mean God didn't care about them or was not able to provide for them. God certainly knew their needs but He had His own reasons and it would be worth it. I guarantee if you asked the Apostle Paul, in Heaven, what he thought about those times when he was hungry or experienced pain, "Was it worth it?", he would now give a resounding, "YES!! Praise be to God and glory to His Name!"

God is most concerned with our spirits. We may be more concerned with our bodies and with material things but God is ever working for what is best for our spirit to grow. And the only true satisfaction we will find for mind, body and spirit is to be found in God! At the root of our dissatisfaction is a never-ending thirst that nothing in this world can satisfy. We try to fill that hole with all kinds of things in this world but it will never satisfy. Only God will satisfy us.

John 6:27 (Jesus speaking) "But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
...32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty...
47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

Psalm 63:1-5 (NLT)  1 O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Psalm 73:25–26  25  Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26  My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Another thing to ponder on is how God is fully able to provide for all our needs and desires. He is a God who owns everything. It is all His! The stars in the heavens down to the last grain of dirt is His. He created it. He knows where every nugget of gold is, every vein of precious stone, every valuable mineral... there is nothing hidden from Him because He created it. We have lists of the world's richest men/women? God is alone on the list of the Richest. Because He actually created and owns everything. The rest of us are given use of His possessions. So who do you think God takes care of first? His Children or strangers who reject Him? There is no lack with God and Christians are His Children!

Philippians 4:19 And my God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in the Messiah Jesus.

Psalm 50:10-12  10  For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11  I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12  “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.

Acts 17:24-25  24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.

Why aren't Christians rich then? Because God knows each of His Children and He knows what each of us needs and what we don't need. If we were all rich, we might think we didn't need God at all. Or money would turn us into selfish, greedy people so it's better we don't have too much money. God knows if money or riches would turn us into corrupt people and ruin our spirits. What I'm trying to say is, each of us are unique and we learn in different ways and there are different agendas, schedules, goals, and tailored lesson plans that God has to use so that we grow spiritually according to our unique ways. God knows this person needs this and that person needs something entirely different. A parent knows each child is different and needs different approaches in order to learn. One child might learn if they are sent to the corner to think about what they did. But that might be totally ineffective to another child. The other child may need a swat on the behind to learn the lesson. And a third child might need to learn the hard way with some consequences. We must come to the conclusion that God created us; He knows what is best for us; and, we can trust His love for us. So we take what God gives us and thank Him because He is doing what is best for us.

1 Timothy 6:9 (ESV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

Luke 12:15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

That's not an easy conclusion for humans to accept. We want to be in control and we don't want problems. Sunny days, baskets of puppies and stacks of gold. But we don't grow spiritually by trying to take control away from God and doing our own thing. In fact, we lose ground spiritually when we do that. We all struggle with it, so you are not alone. It helps to realize the struggle. And it's a daily struggle. To submit our will to His Will is a struggle. But we can do it. Did I say it was a struggle? LOL!

Something else to think about is the difference between "necessities" and "luxuries". Too many times we think of things as "necessities" when they are really "luxuries". When my parents got married, they didn't have a TV. In fact, there were years I remember when we didn't have a TV as little girls. When I was 18 and newly married, I only had a 9" black and white TV with 3 channels. I had bought it with my little earnings when I was about 14 yrs old. So it was already 4 yrs old when we got married. That was our only TV for 1 1/2 years of marriage. Then I really splurged and bought a 19" black and white TV for Stan for Christmas. We finally were able to move up to a color TV, multiple TVs, satellite, flat screens, sound bars. Today, young people think they each need a color TV with cable or satellite, DVRs, remote controls, sound bars, blah, blah. What was a luxury for my parents is commonplace now. What was a luxury for my husband and I is commonplace now. But that doesn't mean having a large, flat screen, color TV with cable/satellite is a "necessity". It's not. You won't die if you don't have it. I know, I didn't have it when I was younger and I didn't die from it. I could die if I don't have food to eat, or shelter during bad weather, or clothes for warmth, or medicine. Those are necessities. But not having a TV won't kill me. I might be miserable for awhile until I figure out other things to occupy my time. But I won't suffer and die without it. In America we are fairly spoiled with all the technology we have become accustomed to. Beware of riches that lead to the ruin of the soul.

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Mark 10:17-25  17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

When we put God first in our lives and see Him as our only treasure, all the other things will fall into place! "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" means we see God as our treasure, more precious than anything this world has to offer. We desire Him. We look for Him. We seek Him. We want Him above anything on this earth!!! Then all these things will be added to us.

But this proverb has something to say about those who only look for satisfaction in worldly things. Nothing in this world will ever satisfy. People have a craving, a longing and they think people or stuff will fulfill that craving. Because they are looking to other things, instead of God, they will never be satisfied.

God frustrates the eager longing (for food or other good things) of the wicked; they are never satisfied, and get no real enjoyment out of what they crave. - Pulpit Commentary

"Casteth away" ... - Better, overturns, disappoints the strong desire of the wicked... they never get the enjoyment they thirst after. - Barnes Notes on the Bible

The people you look to for happiness and fulfillment cannot do it. They are not God. It's an unrealistic expectation to believe they will satisfy your need.

The things you think will satisfy you and bring you happiness and joy cannot do it. They are not God. Things will decay, rot, burn up, become obsolete, mold and mildew. They cannot satisfy and it's unrealistic to think they will.

A new job, more education, different circumstances, self-help, better health, drugs... none of these things can satisfy. They may bring you some happiness for a short time but then it's gone, leaving the craving even bigger than before. They are not God. To think they can fulfill you and supply your need is unrealistic.

God wants you and He wants you to be solely His Child. No idols, no other gods before Him. He created you. He loves you. He provided a way for you to be saved. He has given you everything you need to be who you were made to be. In our rebellion we are always looking to something else to fulfill us so we don't have to have God. So God sometimes allows us to find out the hard way that nothing else gives you satisfaction and eternal life. He frustrates your attempts to get it from something else other than Him. He won't leave you happy and ignorant of eternal damnation. He will keep letting you get frustrated until you finally turn to Him and are saved through Jesus Christ. Eternally safe and secure in Jesus! Thank God for His love that leads us to salvation through Jesus!

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

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