The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.   Proverbs 11:30

It is interesting that long before we knew what it meant to be a "soul-winner," God blessed those who brought others to Christ.  He spoke of the wisdom of taking God's message of redemption to others.  There is so much imagery in this proverb that it is difficult to take it all in unless you step back and see each picture. 

The first picture we see is that of the "tree of life."  The fruit of the righteous one is a tree of life.  What is amazing here is that the tree of life is seen very early in Scripture.  The tree of life is in the garden of Eden - but is overshadowed by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because of the first couple's sin.  The tree of life is seen again at the end of Scripture in heaven where its leaves provide healing for the nations.  I believe that the tree of life is a type of Christ.  The only place the righteous can become righteous is in partaking of that tree - partaking of the righteousness of Christ.  So, it should not be shocking to learn that the fruit of the righteous is the very life of Christ.  It is that tree that brings life. 

When the righteous partakes of the life of Christ consistently - they will seek to give that life to others.  That is why we read the second half of this verse and do not find it at all odd that the wise man wins souls.  This was why Jesus, the original tree of life , came to earth in the first place - to seek and to save that which was lost.  When His life is moving through a man or woman - they will seek to win souls.  Consider Jesus' first call to His disciples, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 

Wisdom is doing all that we can as we live our lives to see men and women come to Christ.  Wisdom is so partaking of Christ, the tree of life, that our fruit is apparent.  When we do not grasp this - when we do not realize that God's ultimate act was to give His Son for the sin of mankind - we miss that it is wisdom's greatest passion to see the love of God passed on to those who desperately need it.  Truly, saints, if we are wise - if we have the fruit of Christ Himself flowing from our lives - we will take the gospel to those who are dead in sin.  When we do, we will watch once again our Lord be the Tree of life - and bring the very life of God to those whose soul's we win!

A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man's hands will return to him.  Proverbs 12:14 

How does a man have a "full" life?  This is an interesting question because first you would have to get a definition of what a "full" life is - and then you might be able to answer this question.  My own personal definition of a full life is one that remains full after death when we stand before God.  I know many people who describe a full life - but often their definition rests on a fullness that is very temporary.  Their fullness will go away - and often it will go away quickly.  They will find that either their fullness will end after their pleasure runs its course and begins to cost on the back end - or it will become a glaring emptiness once they leave this life and stand in the presence of God giving account for why they considered what God calls empty - fullness. 

God tells us how to have a "full" life.  It is by being a man who understands the power of words - and uses them to build up - to encourage - to bless - rather than to kill, steal, and destroy.  This man uses his words to bless because we read here that he is satisfied with good "by the fruit of his words."  Every word he speaks is like a good seed - one that God approves and desires for us to speak.  People are blessed and built up.  They are glad that they have been in his presence to hear these encouraging and wonderful words.  That is why he is blessed by them - because rather than his words coming back to haunt him - they are coming back to bless and reward him.  Please do not misunderstand, this is not a "yes" man who only says what you want to hear.  He is a man who speaks the truth - even when the initial reaction is negative.  But he is not wanting a reward of the instant reaction of his words - he is wanting the "fruit" of them.  It takes a while for fruit to develop.  Thus he lives for the long-term affects of his words.

But there is more we learn here.  This man also has the "deeds of his hands" return to him as well.  These deeds are those that honor and glorify the Lord.  They are deeds of kindness - and deeds which Jesus said would cause men to glorify God your Father when they experience them.  Thus they are biblically blessed words - and biblically condoned deeds.  How God wants us to have these kind of words and deeds be those that characterize our lives.  How do we live a life that speaks these kind of words and does these kind of deeds?  It is a life that turns to the Word of God for direction, for counsel, and for the words and deeds that is says and does.  What does God call a good deed?  Do that kind of deed.  What does God say are good words to speak?  Speak those kind of words. There really is no magic formula for a life that is blessed in the end.  It is simply a life that turns to God's Word to define how life is lived - and how one's mouth is used.

So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. Proverbs 1:31

We come to the close of this passage in Proverbs with two very sobering verses of warning.  These verses are not being used to issue innocuous threats, but to warn of very real consequences for rejecting the wisdom and the Word of God.  They were put here to help us see that a lifestyle that values its own wisdom and rejects God's is one that is filled with regret and destruction.

We are warned that if we choose to spurn God's Word - and this is in regard to the negative aspects of it - we will eat the fruit of our own ways.  Let me once again take just a moment to define what I mean by the negative messages of God's Word.  There are those who want nothing but positive, happy, you're OK - I'm OK messages from God's Word.  The problem with this view is that it completely ignores the fall of man and our inherent sinfulness and selfishness.  There is no way to gloss over these things - and unless they are confronted from time to time - we will sink into the mire that they create in us individually and corporately in our lives. 

What we are warned of is the danger of learning too late the fruit that will come from this way.  In Galatians chapter five we are told of fruit.  But before this fruit is introduced to us we are also introduced to the works or workings of the flesh. 

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. "

We see here that when we live in the flesh, which should be seen as embracing our natural state - rejecting God's Word and wisdom and instead choosing our own way, that the consequences of our choice are pretty disgusting.  These are the kind of things we see as the problems in our world.  They are also the natural consequences of rejecting the fear of God and living for ourselves instead.  What is described for us in verses 22-23 of Galatians chatper five is the fruit of the Spirit.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the consequences of embracing the Holy Spirit of God in our lives.  By the way, the Spirit is the One who teaches us God's Word - and will urge us to embrace God's wisdom and way. 

What I hope you see here is that there is fruit either way we go.  When we embrace the Spirit of God, the Word He teaches us, and the wisdom that comes with it - we experience wonderful fruit.  But if we embrace a rejection of God's wisdom - which also means we are rejecting His Word and His Spirit - there will be fruit corresponding to these choices.  That fruit is not good.

The other warning given to us here is that we will also be "satiated" with our own "devices."   The word "devices" here is "moesah" which means counsel and intrigue.  It refers to godless advice and counsel that will result in a wicked type of intrigue - one where we are seeking to escape the bad effects of following our own bad counsel.  Reality though, is that the judgments of God are inescapable.  When we choose moral paths there are moral consequences.  These cannot be outrun or negated.  What we are warned of in Proverbs is that we will be "satiated" with these consequences.  The word here means to be filled to the full - to be sated.  To help you grasp what this means - it refers to the feeling you get when you've had way too much to eat.  It is that sick feeling that you've eaten way too much and now you just sit their miserable.  The godless man has the unfortunate future of one day being sated with the moral conseqeunces of his own moral intrigue.  Having decided to test God to see if rejecting Him has consequences - he learns the hard way that every consequence God says will happen - just like He said it would happen.

A wise man knows that his choices have consequences.  He knows that as he does things, says things, and lives a certain way - it is like he is planting a crop for his future.  If he plants properly (honoring God's wisdom) the harvest he will gather will be a pleasant one.  But if he chooses the reject the wisdom of God - he is only making sure that he will be satiated with the consequences of his foolish choices.

The wicked man desires the booty of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit. Proverbs 12:12

Two ways of living and two ways of getting gain are presented to us in this verse.  One chooses to profit from the misery of others - from catching and snaring them.  The other profits because the very root of how he lives his life is productive and bears fruit.  Let's take a look at these two "ways of living" and see that by embracing one we will gain much wisdom.

First we are introducted to the wicked man.  He seeks to profit from his evil devices.  He always has a con going - always has a plan or a scheme whereby he will get the money he wants.  It is interesting the word that is used here for "booty" or "spoil."  it is the Hebrew word "matsod" and it refers to a hunting implement - most often a net or a snare.  Thus, the wicked man is said to desire the net or snare of evil men.  He delights in and takes pleasure in what an evil man gains from an ensnared person.  The wicked man sets the snare - he baits the net and waits for the unwitting fool to step into it.  Once caught - that person becomes the gain for the wicked.  He has nothing profitable himself to offer - just a life filled with another wicked plan or another snare laid out for the unsuspecting one who steps into it. 

The righteous to the contrary, leads a life that is profitable in itself.  He has a root that bears fruit of its own.  He sees no need of setting traps for others - wanting to take what is not his own for his profit. He is engaged in some godly trade that meets the needs of others - rather than wicked pursuits where he is only seeking to exploit the weaknesses of others for the purpose of fleecing them.  His desire is to bless and build up - and from such endeavors to produce fruit. 

These two men have very different pursuits, concerns, and ends from what they seek in life.  The wicked man is pursuing profiting from other's misfortunes - while the righteous man wants to bless them.  The wicked man is concerned that he may be caught and exposed as he sets traps and snares.  He has to use camouflage to hide the true intentions of his plans from those who see him.  He is also cautious because the majority of the time his path is contrary to the laws of men.  If caught he will be punished - something he definitely seeks to avoid.  The righteous man does not have to worry about what he is doing.  His concern is to bless others in the end.  He therefore is concerned about the needs of others - what it is they truly need or want.  He then gives himself to meeting those needs - and profiting from it thereby.  If, in the end, they want something harmful to themselves, he will not exploit their flesh.  That would not be producing fruit, but pain, suffering, and in the end, ungodliness (which will never truly bless anyone).  His concern therefore is matching the will of God with the way that he plants and cultivates things in his life.  This will always produce fruit that will last more than just a moment - it is the kind of fruit that lasts for eternity.  The end of these two men is much different too.  The wicked man is cursed by those he has trapped and netted.  They hate him for what he has done.  There is also no long term blessing for this man because the things he does are conrary to God's will.  In the end, God will curse him and bring punishment upon him.  The righteous man, though, is blessed now and for eternity.  Though his work may be harder and not as instantly productive - it will last.  Men will bless him and love him for what he does, and when it comes to eternity - he will receive blessing not just from men, but most importantly - from God. 

Two men, two very different paths, and two eternally different ends.  That is what we see in this passage.  God will bless the root of the righteous by having it bear the good fruit that is seeks.  But the wicked man whose life is snares and traps - will be watching behind him all throughout life - and will be paying for his wickedness because his root is dried up and dead.  Just as his root - so will be his fruit.