Author: Jeff Englund

The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

Summary: Knowing the right thing to do simplifies life immensely. Choosing to be unfaithful seems to open up more choices, but all of them lead to the same place; destruction. 

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with humility comes wisdom.

Summary: Pride, disgrace, humility, and wisdom are conditions of the human spirit. We seem to cycle through them as we work our way through life. Understanding the different meanings of the word “pride” helps us to better understand the goal of humility and wisdom. 

The Lord detests dishonest scales,
    but accurate weights find favor with him.

Summary: Dishonesty is rarely seen as being dishonest by the person doing the dishonest deed. Rationalizations are easy to come by. We can justify almost anything if we try. Yet God knows what we are doing. He watches us and is mindful of our motives. 

The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,
    but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

Summary: Following the crowd is something we humans do well. Like sheep following the sheep in front or geese flying in formation, we rarely step out on our own. This is why it is so important for us to pick the right group to follow. We need to seek the righteous and avoid the wicked. 

From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,
    but a perverse tongue will be silenced.

Summary: Solomon continues to point out the differences between the words of the righteous and the perverse. 

The righteous will never be uprooted,
    but the wicked will not remain in the land.

Summary: Having a place to live is important to everyone. The Israelites were descendants of a “wandering Aramean” (Deuteronomy 26:5). God gave them a place to live with the condition that they remembered who gave it to them. Decisions have consequences and their failure to remember God resulted in exile. Today, those in Christ look forward to a new land of our own; heaven. 

The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

Summary: Once again Solomon encapsulates the essence of God’s nature in a few words. Those who turn to God find peace and safety. Those who defy God find judgment. 

 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
    but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

Summary: This passage brings us back to the spiritual mirror. It reflects both our wicked natures and our righteous hopes. The path we pursue determines the kind of person we are.