The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
Summary: Solomon once again points to an interesting contrast between blame and perversity. Since God knows our hearts, he understands infallibly whether our intent is perverse or innocent. In the eyes of our Father, we can return to a state of being blameless.
Solomon keeps on cranking out the hits, one after another! Today’s “hit” is to compare the “perverse” with the “blameless.” In a way, Solomon is harking back to our discussion of what it means to be righteous.
So what does it mean to be ‘blameless?’
The answer is not black and white. Instead, I would call it “relational.”
Let’s imagine a father and a son walking down a country road. The son sees an interesting rock beside the road and walks over to examine it. He picks it us and brings the rock over to his dad and says, “Dad, look!” Dad looks down just in time to see the rock, which is quite large, slip out of his son’s hands and land on his own foot.
OW!!
Now the question is, does the dad blame the kid for dropping the rock on his foot? In fairness, the answer could go either way. If the dad is a certain kind of person, he might blame the kid for what happened. (Sorry, kid. We don’t get to pick our dads…) Other dads, those who reflect God’s love for us, might take a different approach. They might look at the rock on their foot and through the pain realize that the flattened foot was an accident. Such a dad might say to the kid, “That’s alright, son. I don’t blame you…”
Do you see the difference?
Even though the kid drops the rock on his dad’s foot, if the dad doesn’t blame him, he is ‘blameless.’
But what if the kid did it on purpose?
We have all seen the glint in the eye of someone who feigns an accident. “Oops! Sorry!!,” they say, but when you look in their eye, you know they did it on purpose.
The word “perverse” describes a person who deliberately goes against what is right and proper. They seem to enjoy seeing how far they can push the limits of those who are in charge. When these people are little, we can hope they outgrow this tendency. When they become adults, there are fewer options.
As we walk through life, we Christians tend to beat ourselves up about our sinful nature. While it is true that we are born sinners, once we come into a relationship with Jesus, God delights in us. Think about that. The Creator of the universe delights in you because of your love for his Son, Jesus. Wow!
Application: Focus on God’s love for you for the rest of the day and experience God delighting in you.
Food for Thought: What does it mean to you personally if God has stopped blaming you for who you are?
What does it mean to you personally if God has stopped blaming you for who you are?
Personally for me, it means that I can grow under grace. Instead of focusing on my failures, I can accept God’s grace and know that if I make a mistake, that the Holy Spirit will help me learn from it. I like how Solomon said “whose ways are blameless.” Not “who are blameless.” To me it highlights that if our heart’s desire is to follow God’s Word, He won’t condemn us for falling short. It also highlights that there is action on my part, that I am trying to live a life that is pleasing to God. I think that our falling short is part of how God sanctifies us. We drop a rock on our foot and we ask God why, and He says the rock is too heavy or too slippery for us to hold. Then we know that we can’t handle that rock alone.
Just to clear though, I am not saying that we should try and experience sin so that we know what not to do. That would be an example of a heart that is perverse.
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Nicely said, Chris.
To my way of thinking it is the ‘perverse’ who try and twist such words to permit sinful behavior. We who want to please God understand that we are not talking about a free pass to sin. Instead we are talking about knowing a God of immense Love and walking with him every day.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 6:1-2
Your comment makes me think of this passage.
Nice reference! 🙂
06-17-2022, Proverbs 11:20, What does it mean to you personally if God has stopped blaming you for who you are?
We become a different person, a new person as we live knowing, now, through Christ we stand blameless before God.
Colossians 1:22, But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
Christ Himself as well as every man and woman of God in our Bible, knew they were walking with God, in God. They were blameless, and this fact allowed them to endure any and all adverse circumstances as an opportunities to demonstrate their faith and glorify God as they endured His will in their lives.
As believers we have become alive spiritually and are in the process of growing in Christ as we die to self, our physical desires. We have the power to use adversity in life to grow closer to God. We know God is in control of every situation and all things work together for good. Rather than looking for every excuse to blame Him, we learn to trust in Him at all times, in all circumstances.
Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
When Job was going through severe trials and tribulations did He blame God? Being Blameless before God, Job had the power to praise God rather than blame Him for His circumstances. He knew God is Sovereign, Loves His children, and therefore is always doing what is best for each of us.
Job 1:20-22, Job 13:15,
Also see, Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28
We become humble in our faith as we stand tall, quietly reaching out to God and holding Him tight…. Knowing we are being touched by God forever. When we know we are no longer blamed for who we are, we stop blaming God. It will change our perspective on intimacy and openness because we no longer feel we are alone, being punished. We are with God, drawing on His power as we grow in His will.
Ron,
I love how you turn our topic around and include our tendency to “blame” God. By accepting his forgiveness and living a blameless life, we become free to release others from blame as well, especially God. Wow…
That was a fun meditation brother! Thanks for the question.
Ron
2 Corinthians 5: 16 – 21 tells us that in Christ we are a new creation and that God no longer counts our sin against us. It also gives us a great response – to be His ambassadors in a world that desperately needs to be reconciled to God. What it means to me is that I should be thankful and should let other beggars know where I found bread.
Great verse, Rich.
It leaves us “beggars” begging for more! 🙂