Proverbs 28:1-5 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 28:1-5, which read,

v.1 - The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Are you looking over your shoulder and there is no one there?  Is it because of a guilty conscience?  This is how the wicked live.  They know what they are doing is wrong and they are just waiting for it to catch up to them.  The righteous is the just the opposite.  They are running into the hurricane of this world rather than running from it.  There is no fear of death because of the death and resurrection of our Lord and His promise of eternal life.  They are "above reproach" as it says for the qualifications of an elder because they have surrendered their lives and are in submission to God's words and ways.  One is running away from nothing at the moment but something is coming, hell, and the other is running to Someone, capital "S."

v.2 - By the transgression of a land many are its princes, but by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.

If foolishness is followed, the land, or your life has many rulers or princes.  There is a lot of instability that is going on.  You are following one train of thought and then another and then another.  Sometimes it is determined by which way the popular wind is blowing.  The opposite is true for the wise.  The man of understanding and knowledge has one ruler.  He follows God's Word and it tells him that it will endure forever.  He does not need to check which way the popular wind is blowing because his direction is set by the Lord.  Many earthly princes or rulers will come and go but his Ruler, capital "R," is still on the throne.

v.3 - A poor man who oppresses the lowly is like a driving rain which leaves no food.

This proverb doesn't give us the opposite but we can fill it in.  The poor man or the foolish man takes from the very people he is like and it results in them having less rather than helping them to have more.  It is like a driving rain at the wrong time that washes away the planted seeds rather than helping them to be nourished when they have risen and been rooted.  The farmer prays for rain but for it to come at the right time for his crops.  If we flip this proverb over, the wise would be a rain at the right time which would benefit others and provide for them food.  I think we could ask the question of this proverb, "Am I selfish or selfless?"

v.4 - Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive with them.

Solomon is full of opposites this morning.  The first part of this proverb reminds me of the last verse in Romans 1.  "Although they know God's just sentence--that those who practice such things deserve to die--they not only do them, but they applaud others who practice them."  Bad is praised.  They clap for evil.  The opposite is the one who keeps the law or loves the law for what it does.  The law is there for us to know God, to know our sin, to know our Savior, and to know how to live our lives for the glory of Him.  Again we are given the two sides of the coin.  There are just two sides.  We are either for God or against God.  There is no middle ground or third way.

v.5 - Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things.

There is an understanding that comes with seeking and following after God.  The Bible starts to come alive because God opens our eyes and ears to understand it.  We are pursuing Him in faith and the faithful are feed by God from His Word.  Those who are running from God do not have this understanding.  They are the ones in the New Testament who hear the parables of Jesus and scratch their heads to what He is talking about.  They see it as all nonsense because their leader is Satan who is all about self and Christ is all about others.  

5 proverbs today giving us some opposites to consider with plenty more in chapter 28.  The righteous have clear consciouses because they are following after God.  The righteous have one Ruler, capital "R," who rules over their whole life and the life to come.  The righteous bring helpful rain and resources to others for their benefit.  The righteous see the law for it purpose to know God, know our sin, know our Savior, and know how to live.  The righteous understand because they are pursuing the God who opens our minds to know Him and His ways.  Let us walk in the righteousness offered and provided by our Lord today.  Let us pray.

"Lord, thank You for the two sides of the coin today.  Thank You that there is not a third way.  May I see the error of my ways and get back on Your path, the path of righteousness that comes from You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam