Proverbs 11:17-31

Proverbs 11:17-31 

One of the challenges we face is, as the saying goes, “to keep the main thing the main thing.” In other words, our tendency is to make the “advantages and benefits” of life the focus of our lives. We fail to realize that these are or should be secondary byproducts. In Proverbs we see a return to ‘the primary’ as the focus of life rather than the less important secondary benefits. This focus is hard to maintain with all the secondary beneficial distractions. In verse 19 we may see the word ‘steadfastness’ in our English translation. This verse speaks of the vigilance needed to live righteously. Righteous living is no fluke or accident but rather the focused agenda of life; it is the consecrated effort of every moment and decision. Life is the byproduct, not the objective. 

An example of the unexpected byproduct is provided for us in verse 21. The Hebrew idiom is difficult to understand. Verse 21 literally says, “Hand to hand, the evil man will not go unpunished.” What does “hand to hand” mean? There are three possibilities: one, the powerful union of evil people will not protect the evil individual. Two, the evil that passes from generation to generation will bring certain ruin. Third, engaging in evil is to be held by the hand that leads to destruction. Whatever the author's specific meaning, the by-product of evil is ruin. 

Verse 30 is unexpected. We might have expected that the righteous man is a tree of life. But it refers to the fruit of his life. The emphasis is laid on the attractive power of his conduct and goodness. Few things are less attractive than a person who is short-tempered, harsh, and arrogant and who blabs a lot of ‘God-talk.’ But the man whose gracious behavior springs from an inner righteousness is powerfully attractive. The English translation of the second part of this verse is a little weak. “Wins” could literally be translated as "seize, take, marry, or buy." This is not a call to coerce conversion, but our lives are so compelling and their total goodness is such that people's souls find them completely irresistible. 

“Lord, let my life be a powerful attraction to draw all men to You. AMEN.”