but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.
3 A ruler who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law resist them.
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.
6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
8 He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest
amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
even his prayers are detestable.
10 He who leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into his own trap,
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
11 A rich man may be wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;
but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.
13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD,
but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
Questions to consider:
- How do a nation’s sins affect its rulers? What about vice versa?
- What qualities of character and action are commended? Which are condemned?
- What is the prerequisite for knowledge? For mercy?
Possibilities for prayer:
One of the things that we’ve seen over the course of our study of Proverbs is God’s heart for justice. Verse 5 makes pretty clear that to really understand what justice is and means, we need to seek the Lord. Over the past couple weeks at ECV, one of the things the prayer ministry team has felt is that there are people seeking to know God more deeply and that God wants to respond to that seeking. Today, let’s seek the Lord and His justice, the ability to understand justice fully.
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