Read
5A good person hates deceit,
but those who are evil
cause shame and disgrace.
6Live right, and you are safe!
But sin will destroy you.
7Some who have nothing
may pretend to be rich,
and some who have everything
may pretend to be poor.
8The rich may have
to pay a ransom,
but the poor don't have
that problem.
9The lamp of a good person
keeps on shining;
the lamp of an evil person
soon goes out.
10Too much pride causes trouble.
Be sensible and take advice.
Reflect
If you’ve been following along with the reflections on Proverbs, this passage is going to seem familiar. It cautions against sins such as deceit, pretense and even pride.
In fact, proverb after proverb sounds so similar. Solomon is saying repeatedly, using strong language and various examples, that there are only two choices in life: good and evil, God’s way or Satan’s way. If something is not good, it is evil.
Perhaps you’re tired of reading this and think, “check, check, check – yup, I’m good.” Or, “yeah, yeah – I know. I’ll try harder.” Or perhaps, “I disagree; life is full of shades of grey.”
It is reasonable to assume that Solomon, whom God filled with holy wisdom, was hammering these points because making good choices is hard. In fact, on our own, we tend to make bad choices. Yes, evil choices (to use Solomon’s words).
As Christians, we believe that God’s grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9), and we should believe that; however, we are not absolved of responsibility for our thoughts or actions.
In John 14, Christ says that if we love him, we will obey him (John 14:15,21) and, in his abundant grace, he ensures we are not alone in this difficult journey; we have his Holy Spirit who will guide us (John 14:16-17).
The book of James says all we need to do is ask God for wisdom in making decisions, having faith that He will help, and he will richly supply the wisdom (James 1:5-8).
The Proverbs are valuable in helping us to see the difference between good and evil, so we can choose not to sin – and his Holy Spirit is there to help.
Respond
Heavenly Father who is all-knowing, we ask for help in recognizing the daily choices we need to make between good and evil, so that we can be obedient and be a blessing to you and to others. By the grace of Christ, we pray, Amen.
Jo Lynne Duck (Sheane)
Once found on the national airwaves as a reporter, Jo Lynn Duck (Sheane) now lives in Windsor, Ontario joyfully living as a wife and mom of two school-aged children. She also completed a Master of Theological Studies at Tyndale Seminary. She taught journalism at St. Clair College and worked as a local producer until she switched gears completely. She is now the Admissions and Marketing Coordinator for Maranatha Christian Academy in Windsor.