Proverbs 21:1-15
1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 A haughty look, a proud heart,
And the plowing of the wicked are sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue
Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.
7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them,
Because they refuse to do justice.
8 The way of a guilty man is perverse;
But as for the pure, his work is right.
9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,
Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger,
And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath.
15 It is a joy for the just to do justice,
But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
The just will be joyful in justice while the sinful suffer in pursuing sin. It must be first understood that God moves the hearts of men, especially observable in rulers who affect so many but also in each of us, for His sovereign purpose and according to His plan. No matter which way we turn, He can redirect our heart’s direction to its intended end. Yes, we all believe that our way is the right way to go yet fail to see that God is testing us to see if we willing realign our way to His according to His word. He wants our hearts to have the right reason and motivation to learn to follow Him, not expecting perfection yet setting that as our goal we race towards (Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 3:13-14). The goal is Christ and conformity to Him. Our lives as living sacrifices are the best righteousness and justice we can attain to, for submitting to our Lord in loving and willing obedience to please Him who sacrificed His only Son for us demonstrates our own admission of His righteousness and justice in which we stand. We still do justly and righteously, but with Him getting the glory because only He could earn it for us. We then are to be holy as and because He is holy. Our good works of justice and righteousness flow as a result of our salvation, not to attain or maintain it. That being said, the sinner chooses to continue in pride and high mindedness as they sow bad seed and reap of it. The diligent ones reap of their efforts while those quick to attain things find their hastiness leaves them missing the goal and reaping nothing. Likewise those who lie instead of truthfully pursuing material gain (or even worse, spiritual gain) find death in that fantasy of self-seeking at the expense of just and righteous pursuits in patience on the long road on the upward pursuit of holiness in sanctifying conformity to Christ. The wicked refuse this and run after violence and perversion in their guilt and commitment to pervert justice. But we who are made right with God in Christ find our works made right as well in this pursuit of holiness. Those not on this path, but on the road to destruction, these are contentious and have no favor in other’s eyes as they pursue and glorify evil in their dealings with their neighbors. Instruction by God either will teach us more on our path of godly understanding in the knowledge we gain, or the correction of punishment will bring wisdom the hard way. If we are then righteous, we will expose the hidden darkness (Ephesians 5:11-13) just as our righteous God overthrows the wicked for their continuing evil thoughts and actions. We then should live out our justice and righteousness by helping the poor who need our help and give good things, not to be seen, but to meet those needs (Matthew 6:1) as God meets ours. Yes, it is a privilege and great joy to do justly and show mercy (Micah 6:8), unlike the sinful and unrepentant who seek sin and reap only suffering and destruction. May we find joy in the pursuit of holiness in the justice of God’s mercy and wisdom.
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