Tag: Justice

Mother playing peekaboo with smiling toddler in a playroom

Marching Confidently in the Wrong Direction

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“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter a heart may be sad, and joy may end in grief. The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves, and a good one, what his deeds deserve. The inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches his steps.” (Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Kids are easy to fool. They’ll believe just about anything. You can tell them something utterly silly, and they will take you entirely seriously. On the one hand, this can be fun if you are playing a harmless joke on them. On the other hand, you have to be very careful with it because you don’t want to accidentally damage their trust or push them toward cynicism. The better option if you are going to have some fun with it is to let them in on the joke quickly and use the playful moment to teach them a serious lesson. It’s unwise to rush into things. It’s always better to evaluate carefully and move forward with discernment. This is something Solomon points us to at the end of this next set of proverbs. Let’s take a look.

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Mother gently comforting a young boy seated beside her in a living room

Disciplining for Life

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“Disaster pursues sinners, but good rewards the righteous. A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. The uncultivated field of the poor yields abundant food, but without justice, it is swept away. The one who will not use the rod hates his son, but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently. A righteous person eats until he is satisfied, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.” (Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭21‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Disciplining kids is tough. As a parent, you always wonder whether you are doing right. Were you tough enough to match the misdeed? Too tough? What exactly is an effective punishment or even merely a consequence in light of what they did? Is that even the right way to think about it. Of course, this is all much easier when it comes to other people’s kids. Then you always know with perfect clarity and discernment what they should have done. It’s just with your own kids that it becomes challenging for some reason. But what is clear is that you have to do it. Not disciplining them at all isn’t an option if you want them to turn out even remotely well. Solomon agrees. Let’s talk about this and a few other matters as we finish up chapter 13 today.

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Hiker standing on rocky mountain peak with sun rays breaking through clouds

Get While the Getting Is Good

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“A worthless person, a wicked man goes around speaking dishonestly, winking his eyes, signaling with his feet, and gesturing with his fingers. He always plots evil with perversity in his heart; he stirs up trouble. Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly, beyond recovery.” (Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

There is a basic human intuition that we should reap what we sow. If someone does good things, they should expect to receive good things coming back their way. If a person does evil things, however, just the opposite expectation should frame their thinking. Given the world as it actually seems to exist, we don’t necessarily see this kind of thing playing out as often as we’d like. Yet this basic intuition is more right than perhaps we realize—something the collection of Proverbs helps us to see. Let’s take a look at another of the many examples of what Solomon had to say about this.

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Man in traditional clothing praying on a rug with a cityscape in the background at sunset.

Justice Will Yet Be Served

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“The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous; He mocks those who mock but gives grace to the humble. The wise will inherit honor, but he holds up fools to dishonor.”
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭33‬-‭35‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Think for a minute about the last time you saw somebody get away with something they shouldn’t have gotten away with. Remember for a second the last time you prayed something along the lines of, “God, when are you going to do something about ______________?” We live in a world in which it seems like the wicked prosper all the time. Evil people thrive while good people get punished for their good deeds. Why does God allow all of that? The truth is that He won’t forever, and wise people understand and live in light of that truth. Let’s talk about it.

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Sunlight streaming through clouds onto rocky mountain peaks and valleys

All the Best Stories Get a Happy Ending

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“For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous ripped out of it.” (Proverbs 2:21-22 CSB – Read the chapter)

The best stories always have a happy ending. That’s not the same thing as saying every story has a happy ending, but the best ones always do. In the end, the good guys win. Perhaps even more importantly, in the end, the bad guys lose. We celebrate that in our stories because it doesn’t always or even often feel like it’s what happens in real life. Here, injustice feels like it wins the day more often than it doesn’t. Evil people thrive in spite of the best efforts of those who are trying to advance the cause of righteousness. Given that, a proverb like this one feels hard to believe. Let’s talk about what we should do with it, and why, in spite of appearances, it really is true.

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