Righteousness

Proverbs of Solomon
1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
9 The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.
22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.
23 A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
24 What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.
27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. (Proverbs 10:1-32)

How are we to read the proverbs? Are they simply nice sayings (that seem a little out of date)? Do they give us rules for how to live our lives in this world? We can focus on a single proverb and try to apply it to our lives, or we can step back and see where the proverbs lead us: toward righteousness.
Righteousness is a matter of two things: 1) deciding, or having the will, to do right and 2) knowing what is right. Simply knowing is not enough. In Genesis chapter 4, Abel brought an offering that found favor with the Lord, but Cain’s offering did not find favor. God warned Cain: “7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Gen 4:7). God did not have to tell Cain what is right because he already knew. Instead God challenged Cain to make the decision to do right. But Cain chose another path. He allowed sin to master him and he murdered his brother.
How can we know what is right? Jesus warned that Pharisees that doing right is not just following rules. He said: “ 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23)
In the cross and we see the purest expression of righteousness. It is God’s righteous justice that sin be punished, but it is also God’s righteous mercy and love that God poured out the punishment upon Himself as His son Jesus accepted the punishment for all our sin.
When we read the proverbs, we should not look simply for rules. Instead, we see the proverbs guiding us toward two things: the decision to do right, and knowing what is right.

Prayer:
• Have you decided to do what I right in God’s eyes? Is it time to make that decision?
Turn to God in prayer with your decision.
• Are you sometimes confused about what is right in God’s eyes?

Read James 1:5: “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Ask God to give you the wisdom you need, through His word and through the Christian brothers and sisters that He has put in your life.