Do Righteousness and Justice

Services

Sunday - 9:15 AM Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service

by: Denise Robinson

02/08/2021

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What is our relationship with God supposed to be like? Does God really know our inner thoughts and motives? What does God want from us or expect from us? Our first verses for today give us Solomon's thoughts on the matter. Then, Solomon continues to look at conduct - and how our conduct impacts our lives.


All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the lamp of the wicked—are sin. The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want. The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is right.  (Prov. 21:2-8)

Do righteousness and justice. Years later, the prophet Micah will pose a question: What does the Lord expect of us? He answers, "To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8). What qualities work against what God expects of us: our vanity, our pride, our hasty decision-making that fails to reflect on God's plan / desires for us, our desire for wealth by any means, and our willingness to ignore injustice even to the point where we act "violently" against others. Solomon calls this the "way of the guilty."

Meditation: With what you have read of Proverbs so far, can you think of some ways to contrast the "way of wisdom" with the "way of the guilty?" None of us walk in the way of wisdom all the time; but our goal is to work at it and get better at living by God's wisdom rather than our own. It means sometimes we are fighting against our very nature. But Solomon has, in previous verses, reminded us of the reward: blessing by God. How can you exercise your spiritual muscles to improve your walk along the way of wisdom?
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What is our relationship with God supposed to be like? Does God really know our inner thoughts and motives? What does God want from us or expect from us? Our first verses for today give us Solomon's thoughts on the matter. Then, Solomon continues to look at conduct - and how our conduct impacts our lives.


All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the lamp of the wicked—are sin. The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want. The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is right.  (Prov. 21:2-8)

Do righteousness and justice. Years later, the prophet Micah will pose a question: What does the Lord expect of us? He answers, "To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8). What qualities work against what God expects of us: our vanity, our pride, our hasty decision-making that fails to reflect on God's plan / desires for us, our desire for wealth by any means, and our willingness to ignore injustice even to the point where we act "violently" against others. Solomon calls this the "way of the guilty."

Meditation: With what you have read of Proverbs so far, can you think of some ways to contrast the "way of wisdom" with the "way of the guilty?" None of us walk in the way of wisdom all the time; but our goal is to work at it and get better at living by God's wisdom rather than our own. It means sometimes we are fighting against our very nature. But Solomon has, in previous verses, reminded us of the reward: blessing by God. How can you exercise your spiritual muscles to improve your walk along the way of wisdom?
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