Monday
Proverbs 11.1 “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.”
Surely this isn’t about God as the Weights and Measures Ombudsman? Well, actually it is! Holiness and righteousness are not just about our private devotions, but about our standards of behaviour in public. Our love for Jesus is demonstrated by our heart’s affections and commitments; but also by performing actions and practices consistent with love for Jesus. Remember Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” Honesty in how we use our money is basic and persuasive evidence that we take seriously Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbours.
Tuesday
Proverbs 11.2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
One of the more obvious signs of pride is that the proud person is often unaware of their own arrogance! Entitlement is a built in sense of superiority to others. Paul warned. “Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, rather think of yourselves with sober judgement.” (Romans 12.3) Wisdom is based on how we respond to life experiences, what we learn from them, and that takes a willingness to learn, to know ourselves well enough to accept that sometimes we are wrong. Humility is shown in that readiness to listen to God, to our own heart, and to our life.
Wednesday
Proverbs 11.3 “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”
This verse describes a collision of moral opposites. Integrity is about truthfulness and consistency of character, so that a person’s behaviour is known to be trustworthy, so reliable it becomes predictable. That’s what good character is. Duplicity is the skill of deceit, being two or even three-faced, depending on whose company we are in. Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no’. He was talking about an oath taken in court. But the words can also test our trustworthiness to be, and do, and speak in ways that are ‘upright’. Duplicity is destructive of trust, an acid in the soul.
Thursday
Proverbs 11.4 “Wealth is worthless on the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”
“You can’t take it with you” is one of those folk proverbs that at least recognises the limitations of money and possessions. That’s why Jesus encouraged us not to store up on earth, as if that was a permanent arrangement! Treasure in heaven is what lasts. This proverb places huge value on righteousness, those ways in which we have made a difference in the lives of others by compassion, generosity and care for justice. Yes, for the Christian what delivers from death is faith in Christ and trust in God’s grace. But faith has practical outcomes, visibly evident in the life we then lead.
Friday
Proverbs 11.5 “The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.”
This is wisdom at its most practical. A straight way is walked by those whose characteristics are already mentioned – humility, honesty, integrity, right priorities. The metaphor of the straight path, contrasted with the crooked path is very common in the Old Testament. Torah, the Law, is itself the path of righteousness, and obedience is to walk the straight path. Wickedness carries within it the seeds of its own destruction – as another Proverb says, the wicked get caught in their own trap.
Saturday
Proverbs 11.6 “The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.”
Many of these proverbs were aimed at preparing people for public life. Wisdom is a process of learning to take responsibility, to act responsibly, and to be an influence for good wherever God places us. “The unfaithful” is a description of those who can’t be trusted, who break promises, who look after themselves, and who never take responsibility for their own actions. To be “trapped by evil desires” is to be a slave of our own appetites. According to Proverbs, that’s no way to live. True freedom comes when we give ourselves to the service of God who is righteous and faithful and who will “lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Sunday
Proverbs 11.7 “When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes, all he expected from his power comes to nothing.”
You can’t read Proverbs without bumping hard into politics, just as surely as you will bang your knee on the heavy coffee table if you walk across the room without putting the light on! This verse is about the folly of putting our trust in powerful people, who, when they die, their power dies with them. Israel had seen this time and again. This is the distilled essence of Wisdom teaching: only God is worthy of our ultimate trust. And that God is righteous, faithful and without injustice. Christians of all people know that our hope is in God, and in his Son Jesus raised by the power of the Spirit. When it comes to power, we look to the Lamb in the midst of the throne.
Leave a Reply