Sometimes it is obvious who is righteous and who is wicked. Other times, it takes a while and we only realize in retrospect who had our best interests at heart and who had his or her own selfish interests at heart. As we say in our contemporary proverbs; ‘Time will tell’ and ‘Truth will out’. Discernment of who is righteous and who is wicked is also a gift of God.
12: 5-6. The thoughts of the righteous are just;
The advice of the wicked is treacherous.
The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,
But the speech of the upright delivers them.
This couplet implies that discernment is a life-long conversation between head and heart, between yesterday and today, between us and God. That is what is meant by becoming wise; to consider our choices, and then to reevaluate them as we go along talking with friends and talking with God. Maturity is settling the issue, and moving on.
I have made some bad choices in life. I didn’t always know that they were bad at the time, but in reflection over the years, I see that I could have done better. I have made other choices that I wondered about then, but those choices are looking better and better as time goes by. Wisdom involves letting God shine his light on my story, accepting the evaluation, and adjusting my path as I move on. The Word of God, and the speech of upright friends and family, have delivered me along the way.
12: 25-26. Anxiety weighs down the human heart,
But a good word cheers it up.
The righteous gives good advice to friends,
But the way of the wicked leads astray.
Ain’t that the truth! Doesn’t anxiety feel like a weight in the chest? And, doesn’t a good word from someone lift that weight? Often it is someone we love and respect, but sometimes it is a stranger that we see once and never again. Let us be that friend who speaks a good word at the right time. Let us be that stranger who, appropriately, speaks an encouraging word.
14: 10. The heart knows its own bitterness,
And no stranger shares its joy.
I honestly am not sure what this means, but the verse has the word ‘heart’ in it as well as the emotions ‘bitterness’ and ‘joy’, so it seems to fit this devotional. Perhaps it is a hint that our deepest emotions are only known by those closest to us. That was more true in the past, before the advent of social media on the internet. Now we have to constantly warn our children, and often incautious adults, that some things are not meant to be shared so widely.
Still, only God knows all the deepest thoughts, fears, and desires of our heart. And God still loves us. Go figure.
15: 13. A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance,
But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
I close this devotional with this verse, and a reminder that we should not only look inward. What you see could be a spiral staircase winding down to depths where you do not want to go. Instead, remember also to look outward, considering others around you. Can you be happy for others when good things happen to them? Believers are, after all, the body of Christ.
Paul has much to say about us being like parts of a body; and this admonition speaks to us today: “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (I Corinthians 12: 26). I hope that you live in such a community.