The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
Summary: Repetition is something that we find in Proverbs repeatedly. One reason is that repetition is a teaching tool. Another reason is that there are subtle differences in each iteration that illuminate another aspect of truth.
Why does the Bible repeat itself? Over and over again, Solomon seems to say the same thing: righteousness is good, wickedness is bad. Isn’t it enough to state the obvious and be done with it?
No. It is not enough.
There is value in repetition. When a child is learning a new word, they repeat it over and over. When God repeats something over and over, we should pay attention. Then there is the question of nuance. Nuances are those subtle differences that tell us whether a picture was taken in the morning or the evening.
Imagine taking a picture of a pathway in a park. Now come back later and take that same picture at the same location the same way again. Guess what? The second picture will be different. Outside of a studio with controlled lighting, it is almost impossible to take the same picture twice. The lighting will be different. The clouds in the sky are different. Leaves on the ground come and go, people change and never is the same picture seen twice. Each time the shutter clicks, a change is recorded.
So what is different in this verse? What has Solomon captured in this thought that is unique?
The first line seems a bit odd. What does “the righteousness of the blameless” mean? Looking at the original Hebrew text, I get the impression that Solomon was drawing a distinction between how well we identify with God’s priorities and how careful we are to walk in his ways. The first has to do with a person’s heart and the second has more to do with a person’s behavior.
The “path” that the righteous walk on is not like the pathway in a park that we were talking about. It is not a path that we follow. Instead, this path is made up of the footprints we leave behind. It is where we have been rather than where we are going.
The path that the wicked leave behind is a crooked path (See Proverbs 2: 12-15, 10: 9). Tracing their footprints leads you to their hiding places. Along their paths are the broken lives of people they have abused. They run from one worldly pursuit to another, ignoring God’s priorities and serving only their own desires.
The thing that sets the wicked apart from the righteous is really quite simple. The righteous have their eyes on God. The wicked willfully ignore and deny God. Ultimately, any strategy that ignores God is destined for destruction.
We cannot afford to be short-sighted. This world is not all there is. The life that matters most is our spiritual life and the well-being of that life depends on our relationship with God.
Application: Take a look back at the paths you have trod. Are they getting straighter? Would you like them to?
Food for Thought: What does the word “righteous” mean to you?
What does the word “righteous” mean to you?
Well normally I could just say prayer is always a great answer, but my prayers are selfish at times. So instead my answer is Jesus……???…… definitely the only righteous person I can think of.
Tim,
In this case “Jesus” is a Gold Star answer! 🙂 I wonder, though, are selfish prayers unrighteous? Jesus prayed that he would not have to go to the cross. (Matthew 26: 36-46)
What does the word “righteous” mean to you?
When I think of the word righteous I think of the words justice, truth, and integrity. Someone who knows the truth and acts upon it with grace. People can try to be righteous, but in the end no display of righteousness comes close to the righteousness that God gives.
Roman 3:10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
Philippians 3:9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Chris,
Thank you! Great reference verses!
Your words bring to mind another question. Is righteousness binary or non-binary? By that I mean is it like a lightbulb?
The old style incandescent lightbulbs would operate on any voltage. Normal voltage gives a bright light, a lower voltage gives a lesser light. Some of the newer LED bulbs are not dimmable. They are either on or off.
Are there degrees of righteousness?
When Paul writes “There is no one righteous, not even one” he is referencing a theme mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The context is that no one is perfect before God. Yet the Bible constantly refers to righteous and unrighteous acts.
Going back to the lightbulb, if righteousness equals light and I have two bulbs, both on, are they both righteous to a certain degree even if they are different brightnesses?
Keep in mind that I agree no one is as “bright” as God. But do we reflect his light in the world through acts of righteousness?
Im gonna need to pray, think, and meditate on this one Jeff!
Thanks Chris!
The job description of TMB is to get people to think! We call that a success!! 🙂
There are some things well worth repeating or reading over and over — The Bible! Thanks Jeff🙏
Amen, Jim.
Can’t get enough of God’s Word! 🙂
I think we often use the word righteousness to refer to morally good character. There are people in the Bible referred to as righteous, in which there moral character is godly and in alignment with God’s values. Of course, when talking about salvation, we depend on Jesus’ righteousness and not our own. It is His righteousness alone applied to us that makes us right with God. In this sense, Paul said he did not depend on his own righteousness, but on Christ’s righteousness. Philippians 3: 8 – 9.
Thank you, Rich.
Amen!
05-17-2022, Proverbs 11:5, What does the word “righteous” mean to you?
As previously stated, righteousness is the perfect holiness of Christ, an essential attribute to the character of God, literally meaning “One who is right”.
Righteousness is the only living standard that is acceptable for us to stand before the Father. The wages of sin is death, but in the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.
Proverbs 12:28
The Bible clearly defines righteousness as something God’s people are to pursue, yet we are unable to produce it, Christ produced it for us. Our righteousness is imputed from Jesus through the atoning work that He accomplished on the cross.
2 Timothy 2:22, Philippians 1:11
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Only the perfection of Christ could have accomplished this work. Only Jesus could have lived a perfect, obedient, and sinless life. Only Jesus could have atoned for the sins of His people. Only the righteousness of Christ will enter His Kingdom
2 Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 5:20
Ron,
Thank you! You are so very right about our need for Christ’s righteousness to enter God’s Kingdom.