(Use
the “Back” button or arrow on your device to return to the Study Index when
finished)
20. Proverbs 12: “The Identity
& Rewards of the Righteous”
New
Hope Café on Castleton Ave. in Staten Island, New York –Evening Concert on
7/21/2012
(edited
October 2019)
We all bear a name and, most likely, a number
(or several) that identify us in our society and culture. Recently, while
travelling outside of the USA, I found that I needed to maintain my passport
paperwork at all times. That was all new to me. But in this study we will see
that the most important identity a believer can bear is the degree to which we
resemble our Creator in thought, word, and deed, and, as the New testament puts
it so well: “in Spirit and in Truth” (see John 4:23).
The first nine verses of Proverbs chapter 12
deal with the rewards of the righteous living. I think we should say “ultimate”
rewards because many of us become quite disillusioned with the actual defeats
and sufferings of true believers, in this life, and the apparent gains of the
wicked. If you have ever felt this way, you are in good company. Even Solomon
who originally wrote these words in the Bible, eventually I think, stepped away
from the “rewards” part of them. We’ll get back to that later.
Verses
1-9:
“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth
reproof is brutish. A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. A man
shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not
be moved. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh
ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. The thoughts of the righteous are right:
but the counsels of the wicked are deceit. The words of the wicked are to lie
in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. The wicked
are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand. A man
shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart
shall be despised. He that is despised, and hath a servant, is
better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.”
These
things certainly don’t always play out immediately in real life, wouldn’t you
agree? How about over a person’s lifetime?
Solomon
observed many people over many years. And, as the King of Ancient Israel, he had
to judge crimes and complaints among his subjects. As time wore on his attitude
and his faith were sorely tested. Later in his Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 1,
he wrote this, “Vanity of vanities…all is vanity…I have seen all the
works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of
spirit.”
Is
that how you feel about the concept of justice in this world? I know have questioned it at times. But all
New Testament believers, from Pastors to the youngest Sunday School child,
myself included, need very much to continue to believe that righteous living is
worthwhile. Even if the rewards are, at times, delayed. We must be very
cautious in how we handle what King Solomon says to us in verses 1-9 if we are
to avoid the hopelessness that swallowed him up in his later years.
Let’s
move on for now, and take a look at Solomon’s description of the qualities that
identify a righteous person. For me, they all ring true for us today:
|
Verse 10: KIND “A righteous man
regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are
cruel.” Kindness that extends even to
animals, and especially to human beings. The wicked can even cause trouble
when trying to do well. |
|
Verse 11: DILIGENT “He that tilleth his
land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is
void of understanding.” Honest labor is God’s will and
He can lead us to it and through it. Ignorance seeks, through worldly wisdom,
to cunningly avoid appropriate and required tasks. (This verse reminds me of
an old Blues song about a man on death row. Mournfully, he cries: “Bad
company brought me here.”) |
|
Verse 12: PATIENT “The wicked desireth
the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.” Controlling personal ambition.
Not envious of others, especially of evil men. |
|
Verse 13: SELF-RESTRAINED “The wicked is snared
by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.” Circumspection of others and
inner reflection before speaking. |
|
Verse 14: RESOLVED “A man shall be
satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's
hands shall be rendered unto him.” Inner harmony and purposefulness
to think, speak and actually DO good. Believe and trust in God bears fruit in
your labor, your living, and your heart. |
|
Verse 15: TEACHABLE “The way of a fool is
right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” No man should be his own,
highest authority. That is self- worship and humanism, not faith and trust in
God. |
|
Verses 16-19: SELF-DISCIPLINED “ A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth
shame. He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false
witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the
tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever:
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” Our words matter and can make a
real difference for better or worse. The heart and tongue of the righteous
builds up. Audrey (the Pastor and leader at the New Hope Café at that time) has
preached to me and prayed for me, personally. Her ministry of good words and
good wishes will stay with me for the rest of my life. (That has proven true,
I can tell you, even though Audrey herself is now in Heaven.) You don’t have to make front
page news and do worldly or flashy things to have a righteous impact on
others. Holy Spirit-guided words can literally change and heal the world
around you. And this is God’s will for all of us. |
But
before we can bring out those healing words to others, we must BE HEALED
within. A believer in Christ today can become so discouraged by setbacks that
their ministry, whatever that may be, is silenced and their faith damaged. This
clearly was the case with King Solomon according to the Scriptures. Though he
was the wisest, and I think we could say, the most powerfully righteous man on
earth at that time, he became the disillusioned fatalist who penned the Book of
Ecclesiastes and also, though it is not often spoken of today, he eventually
became a worshipper of devils (see I Kings chapter11).
Please
to not take this as an attack on King Solomon or his contributions to the
Scriptures, because I consider them ALL to be profitable for study and
spiritual growth. But being so error prone myself, I know that I need to look
carefully for not just the bright side of the life of faith, but also its
pitfalls. And these closing verses to Proverbs chapter 12 present some very
dangerous pitfalls.
Verses
20-25:
“Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the
counsellors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the just: but the
wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his
delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth
foolishness. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall
be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good
word maketh it glad. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but
the way of the wicked seduceth them. The slothful man roasteth not that which
he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. In the way
of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death.”
I wish this were always true here on this earth but experience
shows that it is not as simple as Solomon states it. It is Eternal Truth, but
if you are counting on it in everyday life, you are being set up for a fall.
King Solomon had only the Law of Moses and a Covenant of works
within which to function. That is a good reason for us NOT to “pile on” with
criticisms of his failures. I don’t, in any way, feel superior to him. His
spiritual failures are largely publicly known while most of mine are still
private. God has set him forth as an example to all of us. And there is much in
his life to be admired, but we should not follow him into error, either.
Let’s learn from his mistakes. And the biggest,
(besides marrying 1,000 beautiful women—my desires in this area too have,
mercifully, remained private! 😊) the biggest error on his part was to believe and teach that
righteousness brings immediate worldly success and happiness at all times.
That is wrong, I think. That concept, which still prevails in much of the
Church today, is a faith killer and is also often used to discredit the Gospel as an on-going
way of life.
More than ever, we need to be righteous in the sight of God and live
that way toward our neighbor. But unlike young Solomon and even his Father, King
David (in many of his Psalms), we must be ready to accept delays in rewards and
blessings that cannot be fully expressed in this present world. We MUST learn
from all the Old Testament Fathers, but the actual blueprint for a believer’s
life today is Jesus, alone. His life and His Love. Only in Him can we find
Hope. Hope of a Love that thrives even through suffering.
_______________