but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright saves them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.
When the wicked die, their hope perishes,
and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.
The righteous are delivered from trouble,
and the wicked get into it instead.
With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
Whoever belittles another lacks sense,
but an intelligent person remains silent.
A gossip goes about telling secrets,
but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.”
The Proverbs talk a lot about, well, talking! It seems that God allows that brief thought which might flit through our minds (It shouldn’t take residence), but once it becomes words it can foment into all kinds of evil. Very often the rightness—or wrongness—of our lives becomes obvious when we open our mouths. I know that it’s true for me. Often that very thing about which the Lord is dealing with me turns from temptation into sin when I speak it. For it is in speaking it that it becomes evil for someone else.
There is no way to disconnect our hearts (our thoughts, our expectations, our hopes, our dreams, our desires) from our mouths. Once thought—meaning more than fleeting—the words seem to take a life of their own. But again, it’s about, I think, how long we think on something. Fleeting thoughts, taken into captivity and banished, are gone. Fleeting thoughts allowed to take up residence . . . those are the ones that capture us and lead us into sin.
“So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed” (Colossian 3:5a NCB).
Our Lord Jesus taught: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19 NKJ).
I think that it’s very revealing that He mentions “evil thoughts” first. Out of our thoughts come our actions. We cannot act without thinking. And so, if we are willing to discipline our thinking, we will be far in disciplining our actions.
“ . . . we take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NRSV).
The fact is, do we take every thought captive? Or do we actually entertain them, enjoy them, allow them to carry us away to places of revenge and lust and power? The fact is, I know as a believer how I am supposed to react in almost every situation. I know that when I’m wronged, I’m supposed to forgive; that when I’m hurt, I’m supposed to bless; that when I’m lacking, I’m supposed to trust.
But I don’t. Plain and simple. Instead, often, I entertain thoughts of evil, of revenge, of pay back, of wallowing in prosperity. And it is those evil (yes, let’s paint it as it really is) thoughts that get me into trouble every time.
Over and over again the proverbs talk about righteousness as compared to evil.
• The integrity of the upright guides them,
• Righteousness delivers from death
• The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight
• The righteousness of the upright saves them
• The righteous are delivered from trouble
• By knowledge the righteous are delivered
• When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices
• By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted
• An intelligent person remains silent
• One who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence
The righteous are guided, are delivered from death, delivered from trouble, kept safe . . . and those around them (the city) rejoice! I want to be counted among the righteous.
© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).
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