Proverbs 10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
The idea of integrity includes honesty, truthfulness, decency, righteousness and trustworthiness. For most people, it’s when the inside matches the outside. Hanani is given little space in the Bible, but his character is summarized nicely: he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do (Nehemiah 7:2). If God summarized your character in a sentence, what would he say?
A professor said to his students, I’m giving two tests today: one is trigonometry and the other is integrity. I hope you pass them both. But if you have to fail one, fail trigonometry. There are many good people who can’t pass trigonometry. But there are no good people who can’t pass integrity. This agrees with David who prayed, I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17).
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth.
Getting money from God isn’t the point of the Bible, but neither is God against people acquiring wealth. Solomon’s wealth was legendary, and he saw it as a blessing from God. We too should be thankful for whatever God has given to us.
I don’t have Solomon’s bank account, but I sleep on a better mattress every night. I don’t have a personal orchestra, but I have access to better music at the touch of a button. I don’t have a personal chef, but I have a refrigerator, a microwave, and a grocery store close to my home. I don’t have a stable of horses, but I have a little truck that tops sixty miles an hour. I don’t have a palace, but I have climate control, indoor plumbing, and hot running water. God is the source of our wealth, and he should be praised for all that he’s given.
Proverbs 10:24 What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.
A common dream we have as children, and even as adults, is to be chased by a beast we can’t escape. We’re running against the wind, up a hill, or are falling down as the beast gets closer and closer. Thankfully, we tend to wake up in time, and are glad it was just a dream. But the nightmare of waking up in hell will never end. And who knows how demons will torment the lost forever?
Heaven is just the opposite: what the righteous desire will be granted. There are at least four universal desires: physical beauty, financial freedom, loving relationships, and a reason to live. Imagine the best possible you, in the best possible place, with the best possible people, and the best possible God. God’s answer to every request in heaven is yes, and his answer to every request in hell is no.
Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous shines brightly.
The more righteous we are, in fact, the more brightly we’ll shine. My friend bought a lamp to help him work on his car, but it kept falling to the ground. When he picked it up for the third time he said, I bought you to shine for me. Likewise, we’ve been purchased by Christ to shine for him. [L]et your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16), he said. Every good deed that we do makes our light shine a little brighter.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple believe anything.
Part of the fun of raising kids is telling them that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, and that the moon is made of cottage cheese. But even adults tend to believe much of what they’re told. When I was in college someone told me the word gullible wasn’t in the dictionary. Predictably I said, Really? Gullibility is normal in children, but if we never grow out of it we become superstitious, and give people money to tell us our fortunes.
Many react against gullibility by becoming so skeptical they refuse to believe almost anything. A good example are those who refuse to believe the earth is round because it appears to be flat. Regardless of the evidence, they refuse to believe in a round earth, because they don’t want to be wrong. But skepticism leads to wrong conclusions just as often as gullibility, since both are ways to avoid thinking.
The biblical approach to wisdom takes the middle way of discernment. It reviews the evidence, and carefully draws conclusions. The gullible require no evidence at all, and no amount of evidence will ever convince the skeptics. But Christianity is a reasonable faith based on sufficient evidence. It invites us to check the facts, and make our decision in light of them.
Proverbs 14:26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress.
This verse speaks to our need for security and protection from all who would harm us. Life can be threatening, and we need a place of safety where we can flee for refuge. Herod the Great built Masada for this very purpose. Imagine twenty acres on top of a high rock, with luxurious accommodations, and apparently impregnable. It was, no doubt, one of the most secure places on earth.
So when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, in AD 70, about a thousand Israelites made their way to Masada. But the Romans built a battering ram and, after several months, were able to breach the wall. Most of the people committed suicide, so when the Romans marched in they found a thousand dead bodies. Tragically, the fortress was not as secure as they hoped. Only God is a secure fortress in whom we can live and never die. He alone is our refuge.
Reflection and Review
What are the benefits of integrity?
How should Christians use discernment?
How does God keep us safe?
The idea of integrity includes honesty, truthfulness, decency, righteousness and trustworthiness. For most people, it’s when the inside matches the outside. Hanani is given little space in the Bible, but his character is summarized nicely: he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do (Nehemiah 7:2). If God summarized your character in a sentence, what would he say?
A professor said to his students, I’m giving two tests today: one is trigonometry and the other is integrity. I hope you pass them both. But if you have to fail one, fail trigonometry. There are many good people who can’t pass trigonometry. But there are no good people who can’t pass integrity. This agrees with David who prayed, I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17).
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth.
Getting money from God isn’t the point of the Bible, but neither is God against people acquiring wealth. Solomon’s wealth was legendary, and he saw it as a blessing from God. We too should be thankful for whatever God has given to us.
I don’t have Solomon’s bank account, but I sleep on a better mattress every night. I don’t have a personal orchestra, but I have access to better music at the touch of a button. I don’t have a personal chef, but I have a refrigerator, a microwave, and a grocery store close to my home. I don’t have a stable of horses, but I have a little truck that tops sixty miles an hour. I don’t have a palace, but I have climate control, indoor plumbing, and hot running water. God is the source of our wealth, and he should be praised for all that he’s given.
Proverbs 10:24 What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.
A common dream we have as children, and even as adults, is to be chased by a beast we can’t escape. We’re running against the wind, up a hill, or are falling down as the beast gets closer and closer. Thankfully, we tend to wake up in time, and are glad it was just a dream. But the nightmare of waking up in hell will never end. And who knows how demons will torment the lost forever?
Heaven is just the opposite: what the righteous desire will be granted. There are at least four universal desires: physical beauty, financial freedom, loving relationships, and a reason to live. Imagine the best possible you, in the best possible place, with the best possible people, and the best possible God. God’s answer to every request in heaven is yes, and his answer to every request in hell is no.
Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous shines brightly.
The more righteous we are, in fact, the more brightly we’ll shine. My friend bought a lamp to help him work on his car, but it kept falling to the ground. When he picked it up for the third time he said, I bought you to shine for me. Likewise, we’ve been purchased by Christ to shine for him. [L]et your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16), he said. Every good deed that we do makes our light shine a little brighter.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple believe anything.
Part of the fun of raising kids is telling them that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, and that the moon is made of cottage cheese. But even adults tend to believe much of what they’re told. When I was in college someone told me the word gullible wasn’t in the dictionary. Predictably I said, Really? Gullibility is normal in children, but if we never grow out of it we become superstitious, and give people money to tell us our fortunes.
Many react against gullibility by becoming so skeptical they refuse to believe almost anything. A good example are those who refuse to believe the earth is round because it appears to be flat. Regardless of the evidence, they refuse to believe in a round earth, because they don’t want to be wrong. But skepticism leads to wrong conclusions just as often as gullibility, since both are ways to avoid thinking.
The biblical approach to wisdom takes the middle way of discernment. It reviews the evidence, and carefully draws conclusions. The gullible require no evidence at all, and no amount of evidence will ever convince the skeptics. But Christianity is a reasonable faith based on sufficient evidence. It invites us to check the facts, and make our decision in light of them.
Proverbs 14:26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress.
This verse speaks to our need for security and protection from all who would harm us. Life can be threatening, and we need a place of safety where we can flee for refuge. Herod the Great built Masada for this very purpose. Imagine twenty acres on top of a high rock, with luxurious accommodations, and apparently impregnable. It was, no doubt, one of the most secure places on earth.
So when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, in AD 70, about a thousand Israelites made their way to Masada. But the Romans built a battering ram and, after several months, were able to breach the wall. Most of the people committed suicide, so when the Romans marched in they found a thousand dead bodies. Tragically, the fortress was not as secure as they hoped. Only God is a secure fortress in whom we can live and never die. He alone is our refuge.
Reflection and Review
What are the benefits of integrity?
How should Christians use discernment?
How does God keep us safe?