Proverbs 14:32-35 (KJV) The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death. 33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. 34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. 35 The king’s favor is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.

If I were to sum up the theme of these four verses it would be:

Those who do evil are afflicted, but those who follow righteousness are blessed!

There Is A Payday Coming Someday

Proverbs 14:32 (KJV) The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

People of every age have mocked God, ignored His precepts, terrorized His people, and generally bathed themselves in wickedness. They believe that they are doing this with impunity. They could not be more wrong. The Bible tells us that:

Ecclesiastes 12:14 (NKJV) God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, WHETHER GOOD or EVIL.

You do not get away with doing evil.
You do not get away with failing to do righteousness.
Jesus said:

Matthew 5:13 (AP) You are the SALT OF THE EARTH. But if you, the Salt, lose your saltiness, you are GOOD FOR NOTHING but to be CAST OUT and walked on by the world.

God will judge the works of EVERY life, the things that we didor did not do while we were on this earth. This includes “every secret thing”, the things we did in the dark that we thought no one saw. God saw it.

Hebrews 4:13 tells us that “Nothing in ALL CREATION IS HIDDEN FROM GOD’S SIGHT”.

That which we do is seen, and recorded by God. The text goes on to say that everything is…

“Laid bare before the eyes of Him WHOM WE MUST GIVE ACCOUNT”.

Our Lord Jesus Himself said “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matthew 10:26). God sees everything.

The wicked are deceived when they do evil and seemingly get away with it, because punishment many times is not immediately forthcoming. They take God’s name in vain, and God in Grace does not respond. They violate the moral law of God’s Word, and nothing happens. They do the things that God says not do, many in the pulpit itself endorse biblical ignorance and defiance, and nothing happens. Their ministries grow, and crowds of people flock to their false teachings and endorsement of evil.

Why doesn’t God punish them now? The Bible tells us that God does punish, but over time. The Scripture says:

Numbers 14:18 (NKJV) The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.

Our God is longsuffering, merciful, forgiving. But “He by no means clears the guilty”. God watches, and waits. When the “fathers” do evil, their children suffer the consequences of their wickedness. A good illustration of this is found in the Days of Noah. The Bible says:

1 Peter 3:20 (NKJV) … Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

God tarries. God waits. But “God is faithful”. A payday is coming someday.

God could have immediately punished the world, but gave Noah 120 years to prepare the Ark and preach the Gospel. God waited. But eventually, judgment fell, and only eight were saved from all creation. God will punish sin, but tarries. We are told in

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God waits patiently for the wicked to repent. Some will not. They will harden their hearts toward God, and one day they will face horrendous judgment! What does it mean that …

Proverbs 14:32 (KJV) The wicked is driven away in his wickedness…

The wicked – those who do evil and refuse to do righteously – will one day stand before God and be judged. John the Revelator saw this Great White Throne Judgment:

Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV) … I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

As people stand before this Great White Throne there is a sense of terror. There is no happiness nor joy here. Payday has come. John said “I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened”. These “BOOKS” are the works of the wicked, the evil that they did while on this earth. All the evil that the wicked thought they got away with, now it comes out. We are told “the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books”. Every work is judged, whether committed in the light or in the darkness. Nothing is hidden. No one escapes. No one can hide out. Those who died and whose bodies decayed and were eaten in the seas of this earth, they are brought forth. Those in every graveyard – public or private – are brought forth. “they were judged, each one according to his works”. The wickedness that they did now comes to bear. God is not unaware. God is not dead. God is pouring out His wrath against all evil – and all the wicked shall be repaid.

These people are “DEAD” not because they suffered physical death. They are “DEAD” because they rejected God when they could have received Him.

They REVILED rather than REPENTED.
They HARDENED rather than HUMBLED their hearts.
Rejecting LIFE, they embraced spiritual DEATH.

The proof of their wickedness is that their names are not written in the Book of Life. “anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire”. Dead creatures do not belong in God’s Heaven. God did not send them to damnation. They sent themselves. “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness”. They made their choice, and regardless as to how well known or rich they were while on the earth, they are now stripped of everything. They are imprisoned by fire.

Not so the righteous, those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior.

Proverbs 14:32 (KJV) … but the RIGHTEOUS hath HOPE in his death.

The “HOPE” of the Christian is not the same as worldly hope. For the world, “hope” means a “wish”. For the Christian, “HOPE” means the fulfillment of God’s promise to us who believe.

Romans 5:1-6 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Our hope is not based on a wish, but on the Wisdom of God, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:24). We who are saved have received Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. We surrendered our lives to Him Who died for us, and rose again to lead us. We have a “sure and steadfast HOPE as an anchor of our souls” (Hebrews 6:19) because of Jesus, because of the character of God. Jesus Christ is our High Priest, our Shepherd, our Lord. And where He is, we will one day be.

The righteous has HOPE in his death – but the wicked will only find themselves driven away from God BECAUSE OF THEIR WICKEDNESS. There is a payday coming. Look to Jesus while you can.

Wisdom Gives Us Rest

Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.

Those who hear and apply God’s Word in their lives “REST IN THEIR HEART”. Your faith shows in the fruit of your life, in the works you do on a daily basis. When we apply God’s Word to our lives, we will have:

1. CONFIDENCE in God, and in His promises. We who are saved by Grace rest in the confidence that God is with us, and goes before us:

Proverbs 3:26 (NKJV) … the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

We have confidence that God hears us – as long as we ask according to His Spirit:

1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

2. CONVICTION that I am fully accepted by God through the merit of Jesus Christ alone – I am a child of Grace.

Ephesians 1:3-6 (NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

The Christian is not saved based on his self-conviction, but on the Grace of God we find through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. God now considers us – because we are in Christ – fit to enter Heaven. God called us to salvation, and “chose us in Him” from eternity past. Our destiny is not hell fire, but we are “predestined .. to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself”. We are children of God because of Christ. When God looks at us, we are “accepted in the Beloved”. Because we love Jesus, the Father loves us.

3. That we are now COMPANIONS of God.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV) … Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Matthew 28:20 (ESV) … I am with you ALWAYS

John 14:18 (ESV) I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

4. We have COURAGE because of His promises.

Deuteronomy 20:1 (NKJV) When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

2 Chronicles 20:15 (NKJV) … Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

1 Peter 3:14-15 (NKJV) But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear …

5. We are COMFORTED by God as we look to Him.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Fools parrot their nonsense and silliness, but those who belong to God rest in His Word and in our faith.

Sin Hurts More Than Just The Sinner

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness EXALTETH a nation: but sin is a REPROACH to any people.

Thomas Constable’s Commentary on Proverbs notes:

“World history has proved the truth of this proverb repeatedly, but the great biblical example of it is the history of Israel— especially during the monarchy. When good kings and righteous conduct (“righteousness”) prevailed, Israel flourished. But when bad kings led the people into “sin,” judgment followed.”

Word Study: When a nation follows the righteousness of God, that nation is “EXALTED”. This is the Hebrew verb rûm (pronounced room), which means “to be lifted up, to be set on high, to be raised to a higher standard”. As this is in the POLEL stem (imperfect) it can mean “to cause to grow up”. Nations that follow the righteousness of the God of Scripture will, like a well nourished child, grow into adulthood. Nations that reject God’s righteousness for “SIN” find themselves anemic, deprived of that which makes for growth or health. This same word was used in describing the great Noahic Flood:

Genesis 7:17 (KJV) … the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up {rûm, Qal stem, imperfect} above the earth.

Because Noah and his family honored God with their lives, they were LIFTED UP above the judgment that He placed on the earth – whereas the unbelievers left behind drowned in their sin.

Proverbs 14:34 … but SIN IS A REPROACH to any people.

Word Study: The word translated “REPROACH” is the Hebrew ḥeseḏ. This is not a verb, but a noun. If you follow God and His righteousness, He does good toward the nation. But if you reject God’s righteousness you become “a wicked or shameful thing”. A good illustration of this principle is the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of ancient Rome. The Roman Empire rose to power fueled by a sense of civic duty, justice, and order. As the Empire grew, moral decay and corruption along with internal strife grew. Though Christianity prospered in the midst of this madness, Rome eventually fell not from its enemies, but through internal moral rot. One source I found noted:

“This proverb challenges conventional understandings of power politics, indicating that a nation’s greatness and power are determined by its moral character and not by its political, military, or economic strength.”

Before God sent Israel into the Promised Land, He told them:

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (NKJV) … if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God

But God also warned Israel:

Deuteronomy 28:15-16 (NKJV) if you do NOT obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 “CURSED shall you be …

Whether our nation, our community, our Church, or our families are blessed and lifted up or cursed and cast down will depend on how we treat the Lord our God. He demands obedience for blessing. This verse flows into the last verse of this chapter:

Proverbs 14:35 (KJV) The king’s favor is toward a WISE servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.

Our God is King of all that He has created. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 10:16 (NKJV) The LORD is KING forever and ever …

Psalm 47:2 (NKJV) For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

In fact, our God is often called “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Daniel 2:37; Revelation 19:16). When we who are His children, His servants honor Him, He blesses us with favor. But to those who disparage and mock the King of all, He reserves wrath and judgment. God blesses those who love and honor Him, but curses those who reject and mock Him.

One of the websites I recently discovered – the Contradict Movement (Andy Wrasman) – noted:

“God’s people will receive his peace, strength, blessing, and protection. Psalm 29:11 says, “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” Psalm 95:6-7 remind us of previous points of God’s kingship, that he is our maker and God, and as such, we are given the comforting image that “his people we are occupants of his pasture.” Being the people of his pasture, we have the Lord’s blessing and protection, and in response Psalm 99:3 tells us the response of his people: “Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord.”

We who are saved belong to Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Loving Him, we obey Him. Obeying Him, we show we love Him. God shows favor or blessing toward those who heed Him. But to those who disrespect the Lord, shaming Him, God reserves wrath.

This is rarely preached in today’s consumer Christian world, but Jesus often referred to the accountability of the believer. In

Luke 12:43-46 (ESV) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces.

Those who claim to be “Christian” and yet live a life filled with self and selfishness, there is coming a payday someday. Pastor John Piper wrote:

“… the parable is spoken to followers of Jesus, but the reason it is spoken to them is to warn them that if they turn their back on their Master and start using their reputed role as His servants to act selfishly and abuse those in their charge, He will put their lot with unbelievers.”

If you are saved by Grace, through faith in Christ, Jesus is both Lord and Savior to you. He is our Master, and we His bond-servants. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bond-servants of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1, NKJV).

Believers in Jesus should consider themselves bond-servants or bond-slaves of Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:22 (ESV) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.

Christians are called to be faithful to God, “as bond-servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6). We renounce other worldly masters and put God first (Matthew 6:24), giving ourselves fully to our God (Matthew 16:24). We do not do this to be saved, but because we are saved. We are not our own, but are “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). We glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits – for we are His possession.

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen.