Solomon continues his snippets of advice in Proverbs 11. “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” This has allusions to Psalm 1, that tree planted by the river of water, flourishing with its influence from God’s word. Solomon continues that theme a few verses later, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life”.
Proverbs 11 also contrasts the righteous with the wicked. Being righteous starts by following an example, since “Where there is no guidance, a people falls”. It affects all aspects of one’s life, starting with one’s attitude, “with the humble is wisdom”, and continuing to the way we treat our neighbours, “With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbour, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered… A man who is kind benefits himself”, focus in life, “The desire of the righteous ends only in good”, and daily habits, “Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor”. All of these ideas are picked up in the NT, and apply to our lives today as we follow the example of Jesus.