Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all things

Proverbs 28:1-14 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Warnings and Instructions

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.
² By the transgression of a land many are its princes,
But by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.
³ A poor man who oppresses the lowly
Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law strive with them.
⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all things.
⁶ Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked though he be rich.
⁷ He who keeps the law is a discerning son,
But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.
⁸ He who increases his wealth by interest and usury
Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.
⁹ He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
¹⁰ He who leads the upright astray in an evil way
Will himself fall into his own pit,
But the blameless will inherit good.
¹¹ The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
But the poor who has understanding sees through him.
¹² When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
¹³ He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
¹⁴ How blessed is the man who fears always,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Even for those who doubt or disregard God’s word and its spiritual truths, it is difficult to argue with the wisdom and logic of Proverbs. In today’s text it says:  Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them. Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all things.   We see, in our culture and society, that more and more the wicked are praised and glorified. When we glorify evil and praise the wicked, we in affect conspire with them in their evil. In Matthew 5:19-20 Jesus says:  Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  In Isaiah 5:20 God says:  Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!   In Matthew 10:41 Jesus says:  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.   It seems logical that those who receive the wicked in the name of wickedness, will receive the reward, or the consequence of wickedness. The text says that those who keep the law strive with the wicked. We should not condone evil, but rather strive against it. Romans 12:21 says:  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.   In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”   The text says:  Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all things.   Those who are evil and do evil, do not understand justice. They think that their evil should go unpunished. They justify, rationalize and even blame others rather than accepting the consequences of their actions. Not that a person who gets a speeding ticket is evil, but how often do we hear those who were speeding blame the cop who gave them the ticket? Those who seek the Lord understand not only justice, but also that what we want is not justice, what we deserve, but rather grace and mercy.  Psalm 37:1-6 says:  Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.  If we seek the Lord and delight in Him, we will be judged by His grace and mercy as righteous in Christ.

The text says:  He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.   We cannot pray and ask or at least we cannot expect that God will bless the things He calls evil. To ask Him to condone and bless what He calls evil is an abomination.    He who leads the upright astray in an evil way Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.  Again, Jesus says:  Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.       He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.   1 John 1:8-10 says:   If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.    How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.  In John 3:16-21 Jesus says:  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”  In truth, all of God’s word is logical and filled with wisdom for those who seek the Lord. All of God’s word, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals God’s wisdom, His will and His plan for us all, that we would receive mercy and grace, through Christ our Savior, rather than justice and judgment.

Thank You heavenly Father, for You word. Thank You Lord Jesus Christ, the revelation of God’s word and the demonstration of His love. Thank You Holy Spirit for giving me understanding of God’s word, that as I seek the Lord, I will understand all things.   Amen.