Righteous people and wicked people often spend their money in very different ways. The spending of the righteous brings life to themselves and others. But the spending of the wicked brings sin, and therefore punishment.
How do we spend our income? That is a matter of wisdom and of the fear of the Lord. Boaz and Nabal are two examples of rich farmers in the Old Testament. Yet they had two different attitudes toward wealth and the God who gave them their wealth. Out of respect for God’s law, Boaz shared his wealth with Ruth and Naomi, who were two poor widows. Nabal spoke of “my bread and my water.” He refused to share anything with David and his men; he instead spent his money on drink.
16 The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin.