The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out. Proverbs 13:9

Here is one of a number of proverbs that we have to understand with the Hebrew mindset in order to get what it is saying.  It is imperative to grasp what the words light and lamp mean to get what is being said here.  But before you get discouraged and decide to read a different proverb, this one can be understood through a song I learned as a child.  The song is sung after sticking your index finger up into the air.  If you haven't figured out what song I am referring to, it is the song, "This Little Light of Mine."

The light of the righteous rejoices.  To a Hebrew light referred to the posterity and prosperity of one's life.  These things also were what pointed to the favor of God upon them - by which they enjoyed their prosperity of soul - and by which God guaranteed them a posterity (memory and children) that would be blessed.  The righteous man has a light that rejoices.  It is a light that shines on and on into the future.  This man's life shines brightly with the favor of God.  That favor is granted to him because of God's grace - and because he continues in it to choose righteousness rather than sin and godlessness.  One older Hebrew writer compared the flickering, dancing light of the candle to this passage.  The light of a candle dances as it lights a room - flickering and jumping to offer its illumination to all those around.  So also the righteous man joyously walks through life regardless of his circumstances.  He shows such a wonderful prosperity of life - and rejoices in all that God does in his life - whether it is what the world would call good or bad circumstances.  Paul describes it this way in Romans.  God works all things together for good to those who love Him and who live according to His purposes.  He rejoices because God has predestined this man to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ!  No matter what happens he knows that this process will continue till He sees His Lord.  That is the joy and the delight that exists in any disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The wicked though do not know such prosperity.  Proverbs tells us that their lamp goes out.  What is interesting to note here is that for the Hebrew a lamp meant more a testimony of their life than anything else.  We read of the lamps of the seven churches - and the Lord speaking of their lampstand being removed.  Here the wicked are shown to have the most ignoble of ends.  They face their lamp going out.  They may shine for a while on earth - but in the end there is no light whatsoever.  Whereas godly men and women leave a light for years and generations afterward - all the wicked leave us is the legacy of their darkness.  Think of the wicked leaders like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.  Think of their legacy.  They ruled for years - but died horrific deaths.  Now their very names reek of darkness and evil.  This is what awaits those who live for wickedness.  One of the most terrifying thoughts is that they will be cast into a lake of fire that will burn for all eternity.  But even though it will burn like fire - it is described as outer and utter darkness.  The smoke of their torment will go up forever - and yet no light whatsoever will be manifest.  Truly their lamp goes out - not just for a moment or a season - forever.

Wisdom embraces a life of righteousness and light.  Wisdom realizes that such a life, even with its difficult moments far outshines the momentary brightness of the wicked in this world.  For us the Scripture holds true.  The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter till the full day.  That, dear saints of God is our future! 

By transgression an evil man is ensnared, But the righteous sings and rejoices. Proverbs 29:6 

Snares are usually set by a hunter for an animal.  They are set with great care and caouflaged so that the animal is unaware of their presence.  The goal is for the animal to think everything is fine - and suddenly be caught in the snare and trapped.  This normal situation with snares makes this proverb all the more interesting to us because God is warning us that certain behaviors and choices that we make actually set snares - not for another - but for ourselves. 

The way that an evil man sets a snare for himself if by his sin.  The word transgression here means rebellion.  The word speaks of rebellion against God and His laws.  So the snare that the evil man sets for himself to be caught in is his own choice to rebel against God and His laws and principles.  This ensnares him - it sets a trap for him and is bait for him as well.  The word "ensnare" here means more than just a trap.  The word actually speaks more of the bait that is in the trap.  The bait here is the whole idea of living life without any responsiblity to God and to His Word.  It is a life free from restraints - and free from serious responsilibity to God.  We don't have to worry about God and His authority.  We don't have to worry about accountability for our moral choices.  We're free to do what we want. 

This is the most effective bait available to Satan.  He catches thousands of people who don't want to be accountable to God - and who think that they truly can live however they want without consequences.  The truth is that such living places us squarely in a trap.  We cannot get past God's commandments.  We will not sidestep them - we will trip over them and fall.  Just like the proverb says, we will be ensnared when it is all over.

The righteous though sings and rejoices.  This is interesting to consider because it runs so contrary to the opening statement.  Why do the righteous sing and rejoice?  Since most proverbs present two opposing sides we can look at how that would help us understand what is being said here.  Transgression ensnares and is bait for the evil man - and yet is a motivation for the righteous to sing and rejoice.  When we look at the idea of a man being righteous we know that biblically this only happens by faith.  We are made righteous by a gift of God's grace, given because of what Jesus Christ did through His death, burial, and ressurection.  So whereas sin ensnares the evil man - the righteous one sees it and has an opposite reaction. 

The righteous man sees sin and does not see an opportunity to live how he wants.  He does not desire a life free from the constraints of the Law of God.  He sees a completely different picture.  First he sees that God is not constraining him except from doing something that will hurt himself.  Every prohibition of the Word of God is there because we need protection from the ravages of sin.  He sees the love of God at work - whereas the evil man sees God trying to rob him of pleasure he should rightfully have.  When the righteous see the love of God in His commands, he sings and rejoices!  What a wonderful, loving God he has who has marked out all the things that bring pain and destruction! 

There is something else that the righteous see in the Law of God.  He sees himself.  At first this will not be a reason to sing and rejoice because what he will see is rebellion.  He has rebelled against God and done evil as he has disobeyed God's commandments.  That is painful at first to realize - but in the end it is a reason for glorious rejoicing and singing.  It is only when we see our sinful rebellion against God's Law that we come to grasp why we need Jesus Christ.  As Galatians 3:24 tells us, ". . . the Law is given to us as a tutor, to lead us to Christ so that we might be justified by faith."  In our sinfulness we no longer are deceived and think we can be right with God on the basis of our own works.  We are led to Christ to be declared righteous by faith in what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.  There, dear ones, is the reason to sing and rejoice!

The evil man sees sin as an opportunity to live out his demented ideas of freedom.  He thinks he is free and that he will not have to be ultimately accountable for his actions.  Too bad that he will find out in eternity that such thoughts were only the bait of Satan to damn his soul for eternity.  The righteous sees sin as a reason to run to the cross of Christ for redemption and forgiveness.  He sees his sin as proof that his works are worthless in making himself acceptable to God.  This revelation from God is reason enough for him to turn to God in faith for the only righteousness that will stand in the judgment.  Knowing this is absolutely fantastic!  It is glorious and definitely turns our hearts to singing and rejoicing because of the manifold grace of God!