The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
Summary: Once again Solomon compares the righteous and the wicked. Simply and plainly he tells us the outcome of their choices.
Solomon has a few more thoughts to share about the righteous and the wicked. In today’s passage, Solomon points us to the “desire of the righteous” and the “hope of the wicked.”
So what is the “desire of the righteous?” We have talked a lot about what it means to be righteous in these pages. What it means depends on our definition of what is “right.” Believing in God means we believe God defines what is right. Micah 6: 8 comes to mind:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I think it is fair to say that the “desire of the righteous” is to do God’s will. How can a person go wrong if they are humble before God, and act with justice and mercy towards all of mankind? Such an attitude ends in “good.”
Now, this gets interesting. Suppose someone doesn’t believe in God, or more likely does not know about God, but believes in godly principles. Is that possible? I think so, although I cannot know the hearts of people like God does. So in theory, it is possible that someone might not be a believer in God, and yet still act in a just and righteous way.
The “wicked” Solomon refers to are those people who oppose God. These people actively oppose God’s will and elevate their own will to the level of a god. They serve their own desires before anything else, and any method or device is used to promote their ends. This means that they will lie to your face to get what they want. Their “hope” is to gratify their own desires.
Just to be clear, I do not hear Solomon saying that if we aim to serve God, all of our earthly troubles disappear. It is possible that the righteous suffer persecution because they are righteous before God. The unrighteous often find such people irritating. Yet in the end, when we pass out of this life into the next, there are only two places we might end up. The “good” one is being with God in heaven, and personally, that is the one I am looking forward to. The “wrath” is the Lake of Fire reserved for those who have rejected Jesus as savior.
Application: Check your desires and hopes. Whom do they serve?
Food for Thought: Describe what motivates the righteous.
Describe what motivates the righteous.
Knowing that they are serving God and His righteousness.
Psalms 9:8 “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”
God’s Word motivates the righteous
Psalm 119:160 “All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.”
Our desire to shed our sinful nature motivates us to live a life of righteousness through God.
Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing”
Chris,
Thank you! Your last comment about shedding our sinful nature really touches home with me. The conviction of the Holy Spirit is righteous and the reality of my sin is … awkwardly uncomfortable. Dwelling in God’s forgiveness and walking in his ways is the cure and at the same time a great motivator towards righteous behavior.
Well put. They desire God, His ways, His truth, because He is what is good.
Show me your ways o Lord teach me your paths guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my savior and my hope is in you all the day long psalm 25:4-5.
Nice, Tim!
Excellent passage. 🙂
⭐
Good devotion and thought chain. I agree – they desire God and His will. Philippians 3: 7 – 11 comes to mind again. Everything is rubbish compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Amen, brother!
06-21-2022, Proverbs 11:23, Describe what motivates the righteous.
Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
All righteousness in a believer is the work of Jesus Christ our Lord in us. We come to Him in humility and shame because of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit who comes into our hearts the moment we turn from our sins in repentance. With some, there is a euphoric joy, as for the first time in our lives we are free from the burdens of all our sins.
Living for God as He is revealed through His word is not a self help program, it is a way of life through Jesus Christ. A path to holiness as we humbly continue to seek His will over our own. Our lives continue to change as we experience the incredible joy of allowing Jesus Christ to minister to those He brings into our sphere of influence.
This life of sharing Christ with others through word and deed is freedom from all the evil offered by this world, free from all burdens and lies. We live in truth, free from the burdens of the flesh, knowing we have eternal life in Christ, and are only passing through this world for a short time, allowing Him to minister through us as He desires, for however long He desires.
Ron,
I love your comment about living for God NOT being a “self-help” program! That deserves a comic of its own! We can’t live for God and self at the same time, can we? 🙂
It seems like a frequent battle we fight. How often must we be hit in the head with a 2×4 before we get the message? God’s will shall be done in everything, He is Sovereign, let Him work through His people.
Ron