At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: But the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
Proverbs 14:11
There is a double contrast in this passage. The first and more obvious one is the contrast between the wicked and the upright. One category disregards the holy word of God, and the other embraces it, submitting to it.
The other contrast is between a house and a tent, between a permanent structure and a temporary one. And with that contrast stated, each dwelling place has something surprising said about it. The house, the permanent dwelling, will be overthrown. The tent, the tabernacle, the temporary dwelling place, will flourish.
Put another way, the security of the wicked is insecure, and the apparent insecurity of the saints is founded on a rock.
The wicked man likes to have a tangible scoreboard, something he can point to. “See, look at that, and see how I am prospering.” And God says to him, in effect, “you fool. This night your life is required of you” (Luke 12:20).
By way of contrast, the upright lays up treasure in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves cannot break in and steal (Matt. 6:19-20). He may look like a pilgrim, or a wayfaring stranger, but he is actually nothing of the kind. The tabernacle of the upright will flourish. Abraham dwelt in tents, but Abraham was also a very wealthy man—and with both kinds of wealth.
There are many places where this principle may be applied, but this is most certainly one of them. “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
