Read Proverbs 11:1–8
Questions from the Scripture text: How does YHWH relate to what sorts of scales and weights (Proverbs 11:1)? What does pride bring (Proverbs 11:2a)? What do the humble have (verse 2b)? What guides the upright (Proverbs 11:3)? What destroys the unfaithful? What do not profit when (Proverbs 11:4a)? What does righteousness do (verse 4b)? What directs the blameless (Proverbs 11:5a)? In what sort of way (verse 5b)? What delivers the upright (Proverbs 11:6a)? What takes the unfaithful (verse 6b)? What happens to the wicked man’s expectation (Proverbs 11:7a)? When? What else perishes (verse 7b)? Who is delivered from trouble (Proverbs 11:8a)? To whom does it come instead (verse 8b)?
What is righteousness, and what does it do? Proverbs 11:1–8 looks forward to the sermon in this week’s midweek meeting. In these eight verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that righteousness is a right standing with God, and it directly benefits and delivers the upright man.
A right relationship with God. The main theme of this section is that righteousness does men direct good. It doesn’t just result in things that do the man good; the righteousness itself does the man good. This is because righteousness is not merely an evaluation of character or conduct, but the status of a man in relation to God.
The Lord is always relating to everything in His creation. All existence depends on Him continually and interacts with Him continually. This is the relation of Proverbs 11:2 to the rest of the chapter. The issue with deceptive balances is that YHWH hates them (Proverbs 11:1a), and the goodness of a complete stone in that balance is that He delights in them (verse 1b). Pride brings disgrace (Proverbs 11:2a), because it doesn’t have wisdom—it doesn’t have that fear of YHWH that accompanies true modesty (verse 2b). It is God Himself Who personally responds to pride and humility in this way (cf. Proverbs 3:34).
In every situation, the main issue for you, dear reader, is not so much what your action can accomplish, but how you and your action are relating to God.
The good that righteousness does to the righteous. Since the upright are straight/right before the Lord, and everything that occurs happens in relation to the Lord, it is not surprising that righteousness itself does a man good. The rest of the passage details much of this good.
Righteousness guides the righteous. So much of living is about decision-making. The righteous has integrity that guides him (Proverbs 11:3a) and makes his way straight (Proverbs 11:5a, cf. Proverbs 3:6b). But the treacherous are destroyed by their own crookedness (Proverbs 11:3b) and wickedness (Proverbs 11:5b).
Righteousness delivers from death (Proverbs 11:4b). Let the pragmatist recognize that there is one situation whose pragmatics are more important than any moment in life: the moment of death. Riches cannot help you then (verse 4a). The hope and expectation of the wicked expire then (Proverbs 11:7).
Righteousness delivers from trouble. What is true at the end of life is true also throughout it. The desires of the treacherous overtake them (Proverbs 11:6b), and troubles come to them (Proverbs 11:8b), but the upright’s own righteousness delivers them from troubles (Proverbs 11:6a, Proverbs 11:8a). Because the righteous are right with God, they may know that the effect of their troubles is for their good, and the days of their troubles are numbered. Dear reader, if you are right with God in Christ, taking it to heart can make your troubles untroubling!
How often are you thinking about how you and your actions are relating to God? What place does clinging to Christ for your standing before God have in such thoughts? How much do your troubles trouble you? From this passage, how could this be improved? How often do you consider the day of your death, and what will happen then?
Sample prayer: Lord, thank You for giving us Christ to be our righteousness, so that we may have a right standing with You. Grant that how our thoughts and actions relate to You would be our primary consideraation about them, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP15 “Within Your Tent, Who Will Reside” or TPH424 “If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee”
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