In
these last six verses of Proverbs 10, is the description of the reward of
living righteously. Here Solomon tells us how wonderful we truly will be when
we choose the path of righteousness. And only a wise person is endowed with
acuity to make such a decision.
A
righteous life begins with honouring and reverencing our God, with whom we have
a covenantal relationship. Connected to Him we are given knowledge on what to
do and wisdom on how to act. Thus, we
are enabled to live according to His divine order resulting in health and
vitality. In the book of Proverbs, we have already seen several times that the fulness
of life will be the portion of the wise. He shall experience length of days. This
indicates how prospective life can be for us who choose to live righteously. On
the other hand, one who is wicked is not given the privilege of a long life. The
thing is this: both the righteous and the wicked cherish hope, but they will experience
a different end. The hope of the righteous will be realized and he shall be
made glad. Whereas, what the wicked eagerly hope will never be realized. Worse
still, it will perish.
Due
to the connection with God, the righteous will have a splendid refuge. The Lord
will be His stronghold. They will be
divinely strengthened to endure the trying times of life. Like Psalm 46 tells
us, the Lord shall be their refuge and strength, their very present help in
trouble. Hence, the righteous “…will not
fear, though the earth should change. And though the mountains slip
into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the
mountains quake at its swelling pride.” At the opposing end, the wicked will
not have any ground to stay confident. Straying from the righteous path,
overwhelming punishment awaits them.
The righteous also has astonishing testimony to
tell. From their mouth, hearers receive wisdom. Their words bring hope,
motivation and wise admonition, motivating and guiding hearers to a fruitful
and fulfilling life. They speak to edify others. This is not true of the
wicked. For from their mouth will come perversity leading to destruction. They
will be cut off because in Matthew 13:36, the Lord reminds us that we will all
have to render an account for every careless word we have spoken.
We are made righteous in Christ, so how should we behave?
Obviously, these verses call us first to honor the Lord and live reverently
for Him. The promise is true life, a life at its very best form. Then we will
find God being our refuge and shelter from the stormy blasts of life. Finally,
when we walk righteously, our speech will be a source of encouragement to the
weary. We can bring hope and comfort to the down-trodden. What a testimony we
shall be for God!
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