A wise righteous man
[Proverbs 29:6-11]
As we all know, we have heard the phrase “praise and worship” a lot. But what do you think "praise" is and what do you think "worship" is? Among the books I read a long time ago, I still remember what I read about praise and worship in a book written by Pastor Seong-Geon Hong, who served in Youth with Mission in Korea. According to Pastor Hong, “praise” is to praise what God has done for us, and “worship” is to worship the existence of God, that is, who God is, His being. At that time, as I read what he said in his book, it came to my mind that I must have been a little persuaded. In particular, when I think about the difference between praise and worship, I felt it was right to worship God no matter what situation I was in. The reason is because even though there are many times when I don’t understand what God is doing in my life, and there are countless times when I cannot praise God with faith, when I know and believe that God is God, I have no choice but to worship Him no matter what. In Nehemiah 9:6, we see the Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hasabneiah, Serebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah (v. 5) tell the Israelelites gathered together (v. 1), “You alone are the LORD” (v. 6). As I meditated on these words before, I was taught that we too must confess, “You alone are the Lord” (v. 6). We have no choice but to confess, “You are the Lord God” (v. 7). The reason is because our God is a righteous God who faithfully fulfills His promises to us, who forgives all our sins, and who has mercy on us and saves us with His great mercy. Therefore, we sincerely confess, ‘O God, You are my God’. There is a gospel song called “Step by Step.” If we look at the lyrics of the song, it says: “Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise you ….”
Today, under the title of “A wise righteous man,” I would like to receive three lessons on how the wise righteous man acts.
First, the wise righteous man sings and rejoices.
Look at Proverbs 29:6 – “By transgression an evil man is ensnared, But the righteous sings and rejoices.” The Bible says that the righteous sings and rejoices. Why does the righteous sing and rejoice? Could it be because there is something good happen to him? Who wants to sing and rejoice when something bad happens? Then what good will happen to the righteous man who sings and rejoices? In order to answer this question, we must consider the first half of verse 6. Look at Proverbs 29:6a – “By transgression an evil man is ensnared, ….” Isn't it natural for the wicked to commit sins? Isn’t it true that a man sins because he is wicked? If he is righteous, then would he sin? One of the sins of the wicked is mentioned in Proverbs 29:10 – “Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life.” In other words, one of the sins of the wicked is that he hates the blameless and the upright, and likes to shed blood in search of his life. No wonder the wicked hate the blameless and the upright. And one of the reasons for the hatred is because the sins of the wicked are revealed through the blameless and the upright (Ref.: Eph. 5:11). What are the consequences of these wicked people? In other words, what is the result of hating the blameless and the upright and shed blood in search of his life? Look at Proverbs 28:10a – “He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, ….” The result of the wicked is that they fall into their own trap (28:10). The Bible Proverbs 29:6, says that it is to ensnare themselves. Also, in the first half of Proverbs 12:13, the Bible says, “An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, ….” This word of God says that the wicked are trapped. When we look at both the preceding verse, 5 that says, “A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps” and verse 6 that says “By transgression an evil man is ensnared …,” the Bible says that he who hates the upright and the blameless, and not only seeks his life and sheds blood, but also flatters his neighbors, in the end casts the net at his feet and makes himself the snare. Then, if we think of the righteous as opposed to the wicked, I think it will be easier to understand. In other words, the righteous man doesn’t sin as the wicked man does, and therefore the righteous man doesn’t do anything that would ensnare himself (v. 6). Rather, the righteous man escapes trouble (12:13). Looking at this word, we can understand why the righteous man sings and rejoices (29:6). In other words, the reason the righteous man sings and rejoices is because the Lord helps the righteous man to escape trouble. Although the righteous man suffers tribulation because the wicked man persecutes the blameless and the upright, the Lord rescues the righteous man from the tribulation. That is why the righteous man keeps his faith in the midst of tribulation and persecution, and praises and rejoices in God with faith. That praise is the praise of God's salvation, and that joy is the joy of salvation.
Then, the question we can ask is, ‘How could Paul and Silas in Acts 16 be able to praise God while being imprisoned?’ In other words, the question is, ‘How did they praise God in that prison even though they had not yet been delivered from prison?’ As I asked this question, I meditated again on the words of Acts 16. At that time, I was reminded again that the providence of the true God is interesting. The reason is because Paul and Silas came to Philippi (Acts 16:12) and were looking for a place to pray (vv. 13, 16) and their place of prayer was the deep prison. It is also that Paul was eventually imprisoned because he healed the slave girl who had spirit by which she predicted the future in the name of Jesus Christ (vv. 16-18). And they eventually prayed and praised God in prison (vv. 23-25). Isn't it interesting to you that God doesn't make us pray in chapels, but in places like deep prison? But how could Paul and Silas pray and praise God in prison? (v. 25) How could they praise God in such a situation when the Lord had not yet delivered them from the prison? I think it was possible because Paul and Silas believed that God would deliver them from prison. In other words, they praised God even in prison because they had faith in the God of salvation and the assurance of salvation that God would deliver them from prison. Like Paul and Silas, shouldn't we also praise God with such faith and assurance of salvation under any circumstances?
We must be wise righteous Christians. The wise righteous Christians sing and rejoice. The reason is because of the God of salvation. Although the wicked hates the wise righteous people, and sin, that is making a snare to themselves. On the surface, the righteous can suffer because of the persecution of the wicked. But in the midst of suffering, the wise righteous Christians can praise and rejoice in God because of the grace of salvation God has given them in Jesus Christ. Look at Isaiah 38:20 – “The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD.”
Second, the wise righteous man concerns for the rights of the poor.
Who do you think concern you the most? Is that your spouse, your parents or your best friend? I think the person who concerns us the most is a proof that that person loves us the most. However, no matter how well that person knows us, he will never know us fully. Nevertheless, we are comforted and strengthened by him who concerns us the most and understands us the most. In the midst of this, as we get to know the circumstances of those we love, as we often say, we cannot get rid of the thought that there is no person or family without an inside story. For example, on the surface, it seems that they are a couple living happily without any problems. But as we talk, they have their own inside story, and I think that we cannot fully understand them and their story. In Genesis 40:14, Joseph, who was falsely accused and imprisoned, interprets the dream of the cupbearer of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and says: “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.” When the chief cupbearer restored his job according to the Joseph’s interpretation of the dream, Joseph asked him to think of him and does him a kindness by mentioning him to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. But the cupbearer had forgotten Joseph for two years. That is, he didn’t do as Joseph requested, nor did he mention Joseph to Pharaoh. Then, two years later, when King Pharaoh had a dream and there was no one to interpret his dream, only then did the cupbearer remember Joseph and told Pharaoh about Joseph (41:9-13). As a result, Joseph stood before Pharaoh and became the one who was in charge of the whole land of Egypt by interpreting his dreams. I wrote this while meditating on this Bible story: ‘If someone who knew my circumstances was doing well, he should have thought of me and showed me kindness. But he could not remember me and forgot me (Gen. 40:14, 23). Although I could have been discouraged, I trusted in God, who knows my situation best, and put my hope in Him. Two years later, God made that person who knew my circumstances to remember me through some kind of opportunity. And he did what I asked him to do for me (41:9-13). As a result, God not only delivered me, but exalted me (vv. 37-43).’ Our God knows our situation better than anyone else. We must trust in that God and put our hope in Him.
Look at Proverbs 29:7 – “The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, The wicked does not understand such concern.” If we look at this verse, the Bible says that the righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor. The righteous is kind to the poor (14:31, 19:17), shares his food with the poor (22:9) and gives to the poor (28:27). A righteous king faithfully judges the poor (29:14) and protects the life of the poor (v. 10). But the wicked doesn’t understand such concern (29:7). So the wicked not only shuts his ears to the cry of the poor (21:23), but also closes his eyes to them (28:27). The reason is because the wicked is hardhearted toward the poor (Deut. 15:7). Rather, the wicked mocks the poor (Prov. 17:5), threaten them (13:8), and even abuse the poor to increase his wealth (22:16).
A biblical example of this is Ahab king of Israel in 1 Kings 21. He longed for Naboth's vineyard close to his palace, even though he had “a better vineyard” (1 Kgs. 21:1-2). But Naboth said, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers” (v. 3), so “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers” (v. 4; Ref.: v. 6). So Ahab “lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat” (v. 4). Seeing this, his wife Queen Jezebel asked Ahab, “Why are you so sullen? Why won't you eat?” (v. 5), and King Ahab told her everything (v. 6). In the end, Queen Jezebel plotted to kill Naboth and took his vineyard and gave it to Ahab. The Bible says that Ahab sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord (vv. 20, 25). The Bible says that “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD” (v. 25).
The Bible Isaiah 32:7 says, “The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.” What does it mean? It means that the wicked man has evil plans to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just, the wicked man put the poor in a corner. Would such wicked man care about the poor? By no means does the wicked man care not to pay attention to the needs of the poor, nor to recognize the needy. The reason is because “The wicked does not understand such concern” (Prov. 29:7). Therefore, the wicked ruler oppresses the poor people (28:15). And an evil judge deprives the needy of justice and robs the poor of their rights (Isa. 10:2). But the righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor (Prov. 29:7). So the righteous defends the afflicted among the people and saves the children of the needy (Ps. 72:4). The righteous man who knows God can solve the problems of the poor and those in difficult circumstances and handle everything well (Jere. 22:16). Above all, the righteous man brings good news to the poor (Isa. 61:1). In other words, the righteous man preaches the gospel to the poor (Lk. 7:22).
Jesus preached the gospel to the poor (Lk. 7:22). The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, has come upon us, so we must preach the gospel to the poor (4:18). And we are to be gracious to the poor (Prov. 28:8), consider them (Ps. 41:1), and give gifts to the poor (Esth. 9:22).
Third and last, the wise righteous man turns away anger.
As I was reading the book "THE HEART OF REMARRIAGE" by Gary & Greg Smalley, I thought about the need for righteous anger in a marital relationship. The reason is because righteous anger brings healthy changes in the marital relationship. But unrighteous anger worsens the marital relationship by sinning through each other's words and deeds. I think one of the biggest problems in the marital relationship is the inability to control anger. If even one of the two cannot control their anger, it seems that the small spark of the couple's conflict can be enough to turn into a wildfire and burn the entire couple's relationship. So we should not express our anger at ourselves to other family members. It is also a bad habit to express sinful anger on family members. One of the ways to break that bad habit is to first humbly admit why we are angry with ourselves and that it is our own fault.
Look at Proverbs 29:8 – “Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger.” Here, “Scorners” who set a city aflame refers to the proud and the angry men. And these proud and angry men blow the sparks of contention and stirs up the city (MacArthur). Look at Proverbs 26:21 – “Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife.” Can you imagine? What if you add charcoal to hot embers and wood to a burning fire? Wouldn't the burning fire become the bigger fire? Such a quarrel-loving person fuels a fight, turning a small fight into a whale fight. So Proverbs 29:9 says this: “When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.” Such a proud and contentious angry man is a fool, and the wrath of the fool is more dangerous than a bear robbed of her cubs (17:12). What is the reason? It is because the fools are less rational in anger than wild bears (MacArthur). Can you imagine the fool irrationally showing anger right now? (Prov. 12:16) The fool not only irrationally expresses anger right away, but also kills the other person after holding anger in his heart with perverse thoughts for a long time. An example is Absalom the son of David in 2 Samuel 13. He continued his anger for two years to kill Amnon, who raped his sister. In this way, if a person holds anger for a long time, he will surely commit a sin (Park). If we hold anger like this for a long time, we can stir up trouble not only at home but also at the church. So, I think, we should not get close to people who get angry easily (Prov. 12:16). Those who harbor anger for a long time with twisted thoughts should be avoided (2 Sam. 13). We should never meet anyone who is irrational when he is angry (Prov. 17:12).
The Bible Proverbs 29:8 talks about the person we need to approach and meet like this: “… But wise men turn away anger.” A proud and easily angered man disturbs a family, church, or city, but a wise man turns away anger. How can the wise man turn away anger? I want to think about only two things:
(1) Look at Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.”
The wise man seldom gets angry. As in the second half of Proverbs 29:11, the wise man holds his anger back. That is, he is slow to anger (Jam.1:19). He is not in a hurry. And he calms a quarrel (Prov. 15:18). But when we are quick-tempered and easily angered, we are bound to quarrel. The reason is because we cannot control our mouths in anger and speak rudely, but we speak harsh words and words that hurt others (v. 4). That's why we need to shut our mouths a bit when we're angry. In other words, when we are angry, we must restraint from speaking. The reason is because the words that come out of our mouths can be a harsh word that stirs up anger if we don't control our anger (v. 1). Therefore, we should be slow to speak when we are angry because we can hurt others (Jam. 1:19).
(2) Look at Proverbs 25:15 – “By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.”
The wise man speaks soft words. And his soft tongue can break the bone, which means he can do hard work (Walvoord). What hard work can the soft tongue of the wise man do? The Bible says that the soft tongue can persuade the hearts of a ruler (v. 15). Here, the term “ruler” refers to a high-ranking official such as a judge. He who demands a certain judgment from an unjust judge is easily resentful because of the judge's negligence. But if the wise man maintains a gentle attitude to the end, the judge will be moved (Park). How is this possible? How can we turn the heart of an unjust judge with a gentle tongue? It is possible with persistent persuasion (v. 15).
I remember the word of Proverbs 15:1 – “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” The wise man turns away anger of others with soft words. I hope and pray that we will become wise people to turn away anger.
We must be the wise righteous Christians. The wise righteous Christians sing and rejoice. The reason is because the Lord brings the righteous out of tribulation. In other words, the reason the wise righteous Christians sing and rejoice is because of the God of salvation. Although they may suffer, the wise righteous Christians can praise and rejoice in God in the midst of suffering because of the grace of salvation that God has given them in Jesus Christ. The wise righteous Christians are concerned for the rights of the poor. They relieve the injustice of the poor and saves (delivers) the descendants of the needy. Also, the righteous Christians who know God can solve the problems of the poor and needy and handle everything well. Above all else, the righteous Christians bring good news to the poor. In other words, they preach the gospel to the poor. The wise righteous Christians turn away anger. The wise Christians seldom get angry. Rather, they restrain their anger and are slow to anger. They not only put their opponents to rest with their soft words and their gentle answers, but also make peace with them by their perseverance and persuasion. I hope and pray that we will become such wise righteous Christians.