The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, but He casts away the desire of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:3)

Here we see a contrast between the righteous and the wicked – a common comparison that is made in the wisdom literature of Scripture. The soul of the righteous is not allowed to famish, while the desire of the wicked is cast away. The contrast, however, extends beyond the objects (i.e. the righteous and the wicked) to the actions of the LORD. There is something the LORD does and there is something He does not.

The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish. This is a precious promise that is reiterated in a number of Scriptures. Psalm 34:9 says, “Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.” The same idea is repeated in the following verse. “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10). In Psalm 37:25 David wrote of his experience saying, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” Likewise Jesus spoke about the Gentiles worrying about what they will eat and drink, but He exhorted His disciples, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33).

Unlike those who do not know God, God’s people are to have the utmost confidence in God’s provision. And while this does not mean that the righteous will not be affected by hunger and famines that come (i.e. Jacob, Elijah, and Paul); particularly those brought about via persecution; God’s people can be assured that even famine, at its worst, cannot separate them from the love of Christ (Rom 8:35). But again, concerning Proverbs 10:3, it does provide Christians with an expectation of both God’s material provision and possibly – given the broad use of Hebrew word for “soul” – spiritual preservation. The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish spiritually. The LORD’s righteous one will not shrink back (Heb. 10:39); he or she is held tightly (Jn. 10:28); and kept by the power of God through the graciously given instrument of faith (1 Pet. 1:5).

With the wicked, however, it is a different story. Like Proverbs 10:3, Psalm 112:10b says, “The longings of the wicked will come to nothing.” The LORD casts their desires away, meaning, they will not come to fruition, or, as some commentators note, eventually the substance they have acquired will show itself to be fleeting. Riches will make itself wings and fly away; health will eventually give way to death, whether slow or instant; and as both the righteous and the wicked know, this side of eternity is not immune from sorrow. Everything is fleeting – particularly as it relates to the wicked. The house they have built is on sinking sand. The foundation will not hold forever. It will eventually come tumbling down. And per Proverbs 10:3, God is the one who does such righteous casting.

Such a text provides an impetus for both comfort and trembling. For the one made righteous by faith in the person and work of Christ, comfort; for the one standing on the wicked ground of rebellion, trembling. And the Christian, assured of the perfection of God’s doings, should worship Him in light of both realities, as the God who not only gives and takes away, but preserves and casts away.