The Boldness of the Righteous
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
A land in rebellion has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.
A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.
Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.
Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.
He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.
A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.”
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” When you know that you are doing the right thing, you can trust God to care for you. I have spent much of my medical career heading small mission hospitals under all kinds of conditions. At one facility, we faced a meningitis outbreak at the same time we were struggling with a water shortage. Financial challenges, staff strikes, killer workloads-you name it and I have experienced it. There have been many times when God has reminded me that I am His lioness and that He has given me the courage of a lioness to help my patients and workers and their families.
“A land in rebellion has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.” Very few things are more chaotic than a country undergoing a coup. Suddenly, all kinds of factions appear. Tribal frictions that span centuries suddenly heat up, causing fighting in several different places. Once such chaos erupts, it takes a leader with understanding and knowledge to soothe all factions and maintain order.
“A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.” A wicked leader who is in need will extort money from anybody, including the poor. Unfortunately, such people will suck off all resources, leaving devastation in their wakes.
“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.” The law is not a threat to the innocent; however, lawbreakers can barely tolerate righteous people. Wicked people will cluster together. If you are seeking God, rest assured that God will give you wisdom to understand His law.
“Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.” Rich people frequently believe that they can get away with anything as long as they have sufficient money to buy their way out of problems. But sooner or later, such people will encounter a problem so big that their money and influence are useless. The poor know better; they realize they have no defense apart from righteous behavior.
“A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” In a closely-knit society, children who misbehave bring shame to their families, not to mention financial ruin. One of the problems parents are facing in our area is the phenomenon of high school graduates who have done so poorly on their leaving exams that they are not qualified to go on for further training. Sadly, many of these people are so lazy that they don’t want to go to farm or to learn a trade. Parents have stinted themselves and have spent money on school fees, text books, and uniforms, only to find their sacrifices have been useless. Now many of these young people are hanging out on street corners looking for trouble and demanding money from their poor illiterate parents.
“He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor. Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.” God knows the human heart and God knows those who are extorting money from the poor through being loan sharks and those who are lawbreakers. Medieval Christians used to exclaim, “God sort all!” when they encountered a baffling problem. In the end, God will sort people out.
Matthew 25:31-46 tells the story of Jesus coming into his kingdom and sorting out the compassionate from the wicked. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
“He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.” God protects the upright. There have been times when we have narrowly dodged problems after being given misinformation.God has protected us from foolishness.
“A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.” Growing up near small towns, we witnessed firsthand the influence of the local banker, the local doctor, the local veterinarian, and the local industrialists. Everyone in town knew whether or not these people were good people.
“When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.” Who doesn’t love a hero or heroine? We always hope that the good people will win. But sometimes wicked people seize control; at that point, it’s best to take shelter and pray!
“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” There is no way to deceive God; He sees everything we do. How should we handle our sin? Confess quickly, renounce our sins, and remain reverent. Hardening your heart will only lead to disaster.
APPLICATION: The main theme of these verses is righteousness. If you will practice righteousness, you can be bold as a lion. You will govern wisely and care for the poor. You will see through the deceptions of the wicked. And most important of all, God will approve of you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to seek Your righteousness above everything else, knowing that as we do so, You will strengthen us and encourage us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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