The Flourishing of the Righteous
“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.
When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
By justice a king brings stability to the land, but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.
A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.
An evil man is caught by his own sin, but a righteous one sings and rejoices.
The righteous consider the cause of the poor, but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.
Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger.
If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.
Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.
A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.
If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.
A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.”
“A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery. When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” For several years, we worked under one supervisor who knew better than anybody else. For him, it was “My way or the highway;” in other words, you either agreed with him or you could leave. We watched in horror as he nearly ran that institution into the ground. Blessedly, others protested and God removed him, but he left still protesting that his ways were all correct and that he was a victim. He failed to realize he was his own worst enemy.
“A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.” Nobody with a lick of sense will have anything to do with prostitutes. Not only will such a person squander his wealth, but he can also contract HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B or C, and a host of other sexually transmitted diseases, many of which might not even have yet been identified. Parents of such individuals can only watch in horror as their son destroys himself, and they might even find themselves raising their grandchildren.
“By justice a king brings stability to the land, but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it… If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked… A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.” Leaders who can be bought will sell out to the highest bidder, leaving their nations in dire straits. In some countries, leaders have allowed foreigners to take over land and industries, collapsing local businesses. Any leader willing to listen to lies will encourage officials to be wicked. God favors leaders who treat the poor fairly.
“A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.” If something sounds too good to be true, it generally is. Accept someone’s flattering statements and the next thing you know, that person will be demanding all sorts of favors.
“An evil man is caught by his own sin, but a righteous one sings and rejoices.” The same people willing to flatter you are also watching you closely to see if you mess up. Once you’ve sinned, the same people who were praising you will be reporting you and spoiling your reputation. Even when evil people appear to succeed, their sins will eventually catch up with them.
“The righteous consider the cause of the poor, but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.” Once more, God is reminding us of His concern for the poor. We are God’s hands and feet to help those around us.
“Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger.” Few things are more seductive or destructive than sarcastic criticism. All the time people are laughing at the quick wit exhibited, they are also wondering how true those sentiments are. Personally, I have weathered several bouts of unrest among hospital staff; most of them began with rebels muttering vicious but witty complaints. Sadly, these upheavals generated a great deal of heat but very little light or truth and the only lasting effect was discouragement of those trying to be righteous leaders.
“If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution… A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.” Somehow, the more foolish people are, the more they like to spew forth verbiage without any discernible logic. The general idea seems to be to overwhelm people with words. It is far better to remain quiet and allow people to wonder if you are foolish than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!
“Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.” Wicked people cluster together because they cannot stand being around the upright. Why? Upright people put the wicked under conviction just by their righteous behavior.
“The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.” When influential people become impressed with themselves, they forget that God is the One who controls their lives and they may mistreat the poor, feeling they are somehow superior. But it is God who has given all people life and it is God who controls their destiny.
“A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.” Well-behaved children are an incredible blessing. My parents disciplined us strictly when we were very little but had to exert relatively little discipline later. We would return from visiting friends, only for their parents to compliment our parents on how well behaved we were. (Of course, our parents would ask us WHY we didn’t behave that well at home!) Whether or not you believe in corporal punishment, you must discipline kids early if you don’t want them to have problems later.
APPLICATION: These verses continue to emphasize qualities of effective leadership and social justice. God is passionately concerned about the way we treat the poor and underprivileged. God also wants us to remember the benefits of righteousness and the pitfalls of wickedness.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to help the poor around us and to discipline our children and ourselves, remembering that we might be raising future leaders. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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