The Light of the Righteous
[Proverbs 13]
Do you have joy in your heart that makes your face shine? Proverbs 15:13 says, "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." If there is sorrow in your heart, your spirit will be broken, and naturally, your face will not shine. However, if you have joy (gladness) in your heart, your face will shine. In today’s scripture, Proverbs 13:9, the Bible says, "The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked goes out." What does this mean? It means that the righteous, by doing good deeds (Matthew 5:16), are filled with joy in their hearts, and therefore their faces shine. For example, in the New Testament, the Spirit-filled deacon Stephen, who risked his life to preach the gospel for the sake of others, even faced persecution from his enemies. Because his heart was joyful, his face was like that of an angel (Acts 6:15) (Park Yun-seon). So today, I want to reflect on Proverbs 13:9 under the title “The Light of the Righteous” and consider the entire chapter of Proverbs 13 in two parts, so that we may receive the lessons that God has for you and me.
First, let us think about the extinguishing lamp of the wicked. I want to reflect on this in three aspects:
First, the extinguishing lamp of the wicked is pride.
Look at Proverbs 13:10: "By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom." What is pride? (Internet) Pride is the opposite of humility. It is a state of mind where a person harbors a sense of superiority, and they are never satisfied unless they are the center of attention. However, the core teaching of the Bible is that the fear of the Lord is the greatest virtue, and pride is the greatest sin (Proverbs 1:7, 6:16-17, 1 Peter 5:5). Pride is often divided into pride of power, pride of knowledge, and pride of righteousness. In the Bible, pride arises when a person focuses on themselves without regard to God. And the Bible teaches that the proud will certainly be humbled (Proverbs 16:18). In today’s scripture, Proverbs 13:10, the Bible says, "By pride comes nothing but strife." The reason for this is that a proud wicked person lacks the wisdom to listen to counsel (10). And because they lack wisdom, the proud wicked person does not enjoy even the correction or rebuke of their father (1). Moreover, the wicked do not enjoy correction because they despise the word of God (13). In other words, the wicked have no respect or fear of God's commandments, so they disregard the counsel or rebuke. Additionally, the wicked, because of their pride, pretend to be rich (7). Proverbs 12:9 says that the wicked, even when they lack food, pretend to be important. In Proverbs 13:7, the Bible says that the proud wicked person, even when they have nothing, pretends to be rich (pretends to be rich, but has nothing). Pretending to be important or pretending to be wealthy is done to show off to others, and it is not the true self but a lie. Whether we are poor or rich, lowly or exalted, we must live truthfully, giving thanks to God in whatever position or situation He has given us.
Second, the extinguishing lamp of the wicked is deceit.
Proverbs 13:2 says, “A man enjoys the fruit of his mouth, but the heart of the wicked will be consumed by violence.” Here, the statement about the wicked having a deceitful heart means that their heart is insincere and craves violence. And because the wicked longs for violence in their heart, they end up doing violent acts, and as a result, they will face the consequences of that violence (Park Yun-seon). However, the wicked do not just have a deceitful heart; they also have deceitful lips. Ultimately, the wicked, because of their deceitful lips, bring shame and disgrace upon themselves (v. 5). Furthermore, in verse 15, the Bible says, "The way of the unfaithful is hard." What does this mean? The wicked, who habitually lie, not only harden their hearts like stone but also find their way to be full of difficulties. Eventually, the wicked will be destroyed by opening their lips wide (v. 3).
Thirdly, the extinguished lamp of the wicked is laziness.
Look at Proverbs 13:4: “The sluggard desires and gets nothing, but the diligent soul is made fat.” The lazy wicked desire wealth in their hearts, but they do not work diligently. Rather, the lazy wicked seek to gain wealth dishonestly (v. 11). In Proverbs 12, the Bible says that the lazy wicked covet unjust gain (12:12) and use every unjust method to plunder from others. The Bible clearly says, “Do not trust in oppression, and do not vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Psalm 62:10). However, the wicked trust in oppression, become empty with what they rob, and set their hearts on increasing wealth. The reason for this is that the wicked follow things that are indulgent (Proverbs 12:11). In other words, the wicked, pursuing nothing of value, use all dishonest means to steal from others and accumulate wealth for themselves. However, as stated in Proverbs 13:22, the wealth of the sinner is “laid up for the just.” Look at Job 27:16-17: “Though he (the wicked) heaps up silver like dust and prepares clothing like clay, what he has stored up the just shall wear, and the silver shall be divided among the innocent.” Also, look at Ecclesiastes 2:26: “For to the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner, He gives the work of gathering and heaping up, that He may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and chasing after the wind.” Ultimately, the wicked, by their laziness, not only fail to obtain what they desire in their hearts (Proverbs 13:4), but even if they gain wealth through unjust means, God will ultimately give the wicked's wealth to the just.
Finally, let us consider the bright light of the righteous. We will reflect on three aspects:
First, the righteous shine brightly in this world through their mouth.
How do the righteous shine brightly in this world with their mouth?
(1) The righteous hate lying (v. 5) and rejoice in the truth, thus shining in this world. In other words, the righteous shine in this world because they speak the truth.
God hates lying lips (12:22), but He loves those who act with truth, in other words, those who are truthful. A true Christian knows that lying lips are only temporary (12:19, 22), and they also know that truthful lips will be preserved forever (v. 19). Therefore, the righteous speak the truth, and by doing so, they shine as lights in this world of lies.
(2) The righteous enjoy the fruits of their lips.
Look at Proverbs 13:2: “A man enjoys the fruit of his mouth, but the heart of the wicked will be consumed by violence.” What does this mean? It means that a person who receives the wisdom of God and teaches the words of life to others will receive God's reward (Galatians 6:6). In other words, the wise righteous person, by using their wisdom to benefit others, also receives God's blessing (Park Yun-seon). In Proverbs 12, the Bible says that the truthful lips of the righteous are like medicine (v. 18) and bring joy to others with good words (v. 25), guiding their neighbor (v. 26). Furthermore, the righteous can even save people with their honest lips (v. 6). Ultimately, the wise righteous person teaches God's words of life to others, benefiting them spiritually, leading them to salvation, and becoming their spiritual guide, all while receiving God's blessings.
(3) The righteous guard their mouth and preserve their soul.
Look at Proverbs 13:3: “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” The righteous guard their mouth. In other words, the righteous are cautious with their words. They speak the truth and teach the words of life, benefiting others and saving their souls, and in doing so, they do not open their mouth like the wicked, revealing their distorted lips and their faults (12:23). In Proverbs 10:19, the Bible says, “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” The wise righteous person restrains their lips. Pastor Park Yun-seon said, “If a person is not careful with their words, it is easy for them to speak evil words habitually. If that happens, they will first defile their own soul and then be destroyed by their many evil words (Matthew 15:11). Therefore, more than anything, a person must especially guard their mouth” (Park Yun-seon).
Secondly, the righteous illuminate this world with their life.
(1) The life of the righteous that shines brightly refers to their diligence. In other words, the light of the righteous that illuminates the world is their diligence.
Look at Proverbs 13:4: “The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” The righteous are diligent and work hard with their hands. They cultivate the land and increase their food (v. 23). Therefore, they save and diligently gather the wealth they earn through their labor (v. 11). Thus, the diligent righteous person receives material blessings from God, becoming wealthy and sometimes even avoiding danger because of their wealth (v. 8) (Park Yun-seon). And they pass down their inheritance to their children and grandchildren (v. 22). In other words, a righteous person who truly fears God leaves their wealth to their descendants. Of course, this assumes that the descendants of the righteous will also be righteous. Dr. Park Yun-seon said: “Even if a good person leaves their wealth to their descendants, if they (the descendants) are unjust, they will not enjoy the inheritance and will end up in bankruptcy” (Park Yun-seon). Of course, this does not mean that all righteous people will become rich by diligently working. In fact, many righteous people live in poverty even though they work diligently. If that is the case, the second part of Proverbs 13:8 says, “The poor hears no rebuke.” In other words, the poor righteous person will not be threatened by thieves. What is important here is not whether the righteous who believe in Jesus become rich or poor, but whether they are diligent or lazy. And the Bible says that the righteous shine brightly in this world through their diligence.
(2) The righteous illuminate this world by acting honestly. In other words, the light of the righteous that illuminates the world is honesty.
Look at Proverbs 13:6: “Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.” The righteous hate falsehood (v. 5). They forsake deceitful behavior and pursue truth. The reason is that the honest righteous person fears God (14:2). Therefore, the righteous respect and honor God’s commandments (13:13). And they obey God’s honest word, so all their actions are truthful (Psalm 33:4). In Isaiah 26:7, the Bible says, “The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just.” What does this mean? It means that the upright Lord not only protects the righteous (Proverbs 13:6) but also makes their path smooth.
(3) The light of the righteous that makes the world shine brightly is wisdom.
The wise person acts with knowledge (v. 16). Therefore, the wise righteous do not disregard correction (v. 18). The righteous have wisdom to listen to counsel (v. 10). In particular, the wise righteous gain more wisdom by walking with wise people (v. 20). And they have good wisdom, extending grace to others (v. 15). How do they extend grace to others? Look at v. 14: “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” The wise righteous extend grace by teaching others life-giving lessons, helping them escape the shadows of death (v. 14). In particular, the righteous with good wisdom extend grace to their children, disciplining them diligently because they love them. Look at Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” Therefore, the righteous with good wisdom are always rewarded with good (v. 21). In other words, when the righteous act wisely and extend grace to others, God repays them with goodness. Of course, when we talk about the reward God gives, we often think about the reward that God will give us when we go to heaven. However, I believe that the reward God gives the righteous is not only in heaven. God also rewards the righteous on this earth, allowing them to taste His goodness (Psalm 34:8), and repays them with goodness.
Thirdly, the righteous illuminate this world by fulfilling the desires of their hearts.
In other words, the light of the righteous that makes this world shine is the fulfillment of their desires.
Let us look at today’s scripture, Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” In Proverbs 10:28, we see that both the righteous and the wicked have hope. However, the Bible says, “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.” Additionally, in Proverbs 11:7, the Bible says, “When the wicked die, their hope perishes.” The reason is that the hope of the wicked is unjust, and therefore it cannot last. However, the Bible tells us that the hope of the righteous will not be cut off (Proverbs 23:18). In fact, the Bible says, “The righteous has hope even in death” (Proverbs 14:32). We, who have been justified by believing in Jesus, certainly have a future (Proverbs 23:18), and our future hope is only goodness (Proverbs 11:23).
However, the problem is that sometimes the fulfillment of this future hope is delayed. And when this happens, as mentioned in Proverbs 13:12, our hearts become sick. In other words, if the fulfillment of our future desires is delayed, we can become discouraged. But if we believe in the faithful God of the covenant, praying, expecting, and waiting, God will surely fulfill the hope He has given us in His time and will grant us the fulfillment of our desires. This will be like a tree of life to us, as Proverbs 13:12 says (Walvoord). Therefore, God fulfills the hopes (desires) of the righteous, and by doing so, He makes their light shine in this world without hope. Thus, the righteous will rejoice and be glad (verse 9).
Let me conclude this meditation on the Word.
Brothers and sisters, the lamp of the proud, deceitful, and lazy wicked will surely go out. But the light of the righteous will surely shine brightly. And we, you and I, are the righteous. By God's grace, we, who believe in Jesus Christ, are the righteous. As the righteous, we must shine the light of Jesus Christ brightly into this dark world. We must shine the light into this dark world with our lips. With sincere lips that hate lies and love the truth, we must shine the light by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to others and teaching the word of God, thereby benefiting their souls. With wise lips that guard our speech, we must shine the light into this dark world, preserving our souls. Additionally, we must shine the light into this dark world with our lives. We must not be lazy, but diligent, honest, and wise, so that we can shine the light brightly in this dark world. Ultimately, God will fulfill the desires of our hearts, causing us to shine His light into this dark world.
What is the desire of your heart? What is our future hope? Is it not that through the second coming of Jesus, you and I will be clothed with glorious spiritual bodies and ascend to heaven to live forever with the Lord? May the Lord fulfill this hope and make us shine His light brightly in this dark world.