The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29

This proverb explains for us who God is near and the ones from whom He keeps His distance. It is a frightening thing to me to read that Jehovah is far from the wicked. Note that this does not say that the wicked man is far from God - but that God is far from him. Since this proverb has to do with prayer - we are talking about a wicked man and his prayers (if he has any at all). The only prayer that God will hear from a wicked man is a prayer of repentance. Otherwise we can read in numerous other places that God is sickened and wants nothing to do with his praying. Later in Proverbs we learn that, "He who turnes away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." (Proverbs 28:9) A wicked man would frequent a prayer meeting as often as an at-large criminal would frequent a police station. But when the wicked do pray, God will not hear. We read another terrifying passage in Proverbs chapter 1 about the prayer of the wicked.

"Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. "They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof." Proverbs 1:24-30

This passage warns those who think they can mock God and live with no fear of Him. It warns them that when calamity comes, they cannot turn to God only for deliverance from it. This is how the wicked pray - they turn to God when disaster comes, but then mock Him when everything is well. We read that God Himself will mock them in that day. He does not do so because He is vindictive. He does this because He knows that such praying rises from a heart that is wicked still. Therefore he will not hear. He is far from such praying. He even considers it an abomination to Him.

Fortunately, this proverb does not end with the statement about the wicked. God reminds us that He does hear the prayer of the righteous. There is a twofold way we should understand this. First, we need to see it positionally. The "righteous" is not righteous because of his deeds. We read in multiple places throughout Scripture that the righteous man shall live by faith. He is made righteous by faith in God's provision for sin. He is granted righteousness as a gift of God's grace. He cannot make himself righteous because he is steeped in sin. All he is fit for is punishment and wrath. God, though, has come to the rescue with blood of a spotless lamb that speaks on his behalf. This lamb was a physical one in the Old Testament, but that was just a shadow of the glory of God's grace to come. God sent THE Lamb when Jesus Christ came to earth and gave His life on the cross for our sins. That was sufficient payment for us - and God offers with it the very righteousness of Christ as a gift of His glorious grace. That is why He hears the prayer of this man (or any man for that matter). He stands in a divinely-provided righteousness that speaks effectively for him. Thus God hears!

The second way this passage should be understood is by a practical understanding. God hears the prayer of the saved man who practially embraces the righteous ways of God. We cannot, even as Christians, ignore obedience to God and expect God to hear our prayers. We read in the Word that if we regard sin in our hearts, we know that God does not hear us. Some complain of much prayer that seems to be ignored by God. But prayer that is ignored is prayer to One that we've offended by our choice of sin rather than righteousness. It is only when we take refuge in 1 John 1:9 - confessing our sins - that we can once again be heard.

Our Father is a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God. But we must understand that He is God, not a shabby version of Santa Claus. There are principles involved in how God hears and answers prayer. They are not complicated principles - but they are principles that are strictly adhered to as we approach Him. The key to answered prayer is walking and asking according to His will. If we allow sin to enter either our walk or our requests, we will find that our praying is ineffective. Embrace righteousness - both positionally and practially and you will find prayer a delight. You will also find a God who is eager to hear - eager to work - and eager to answer.

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.  - Proverbs 15:28

Look before you leap.  There is a proverb outside Scripture that reminds us to seriously think about the steps we take, because once we take them we cannot get them back.  Our proverb today is similar to this except it deals with what we say.  One might say that this proverb could be said this way, "Think before you speak!" 

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer.  We should note right from the start that the "heart" of the righteous is what is pondering his answer.  The godly man does not allow his mouth to run its own course without the management of the heart.  He wants to speak from the heart - not shoot from the hip.  The problem about shooting from the hip when we speak is the carnage that results from drive-by speaking.  This wise man thinks and considers what he is about to say.  He takes the time to meditate on God's Word before he speaks his own.  He discerns what is needed for the situation and speaks according to what God wants.  This godly man speaks as God directs in Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear."  Ultimately this man speaks those wonderful, edifying words that are like "apples of gold in settings of silver" which are words spoken at just the perfect time.

The wicked allows his mouth to have free reign in his life.  This is a dangerous thing because left to itself a mouth can be dangerous.  We read in the third chapter of James, "So the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.  See, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fireon fire!  And the tongue is a fire: the very world of iniquity, the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, ans set on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell."  These verses warn us in the starkest terms of the danger of allowing our mouths and tongues to gho unchecked in what they say.  When we do this it is inevitable that our mouth will "pour out evil things."  The heart of the wicked man will be fully expressed by his words.  The result of this will be much evil and pain in the world.  Consider how many horrible things started with evil words pouring out of a wicked man's mouth.  Think for a moment how Adolph Hitler mesmerized entire crowds in Germany by his wicked words.  Then consider what the end of his leadership brought to the world.  We may not ever do the damage of Hitler, but much harm can come from unwise, un-considered words. 

Precious ones, God wants us to think before we speak.  It will bring blessing to us - and will benefit those who are the recipients of our words.  May we submit what we say to our Lord every morning.  May we ask the Holy Spirit to bridle our tongues so that they do not speak of themselves.  May we surrender all we say for God's purposes and God's specific leadership so that they can truly edify those who hear them.

The evil will bow down before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
Proverbs 14:19

The word good in today's Proverb is so key to understanding this verse. It means that which is truly good - to its very core. This kind of good has love itself as its guiding principle. These men tend to rise in the world - or at least are ones who are still standing when the wicked man comes to the end that he deserves. It is at that point in their lives that they wind up bowing down before the good - and before the gates of the righteous.

Consider the story of Joseph and his brothers in the book of Genesis. Joseph was a good man - maybe a little proud in his early years - but still a good man. He faced a great deal of adversity in his life, starting with being sold into slavery by his own brothers. His brothers, on a different trek, seemed to be doing well for most of their lives after their evil deed of selling their brother into slavery. Then came the famine that struck the Middle East so hard that all nations wound up coming to Egypt for grain because of Joseph's wise stewardship of their years of abundance. That was when things changed.

The brothers who at one time stood above the pit where Joseph pleaded for mercy, were now coming before an Egyptian ruler begging for food. When their youngest brother was found to have a golden cup in his sack of food - they tore their clothes and begged for mercy before one to whom they had shown no mercy. What they found was that he was a good man - and after testing their hearts to see if they had changed - he spoke kindly to them, fed them, and sent them back to get his father. This was truly the picture of the evil and the wicked bowing down before the good and godly man.

The ultimate picture of this though is seen in our approach to the throne of God. We are truly the evil and wicked when it comes to standing in the judgment before our God. There is no way that we can have favor there - and should only expect judgment. Yet the Only One who is truly good will be standing there - or more properly - will be sitting on that throne of judgment. In that day as we bow before Him, we will find that if we responded to the gospel with repentance and faith - we will be graciously received. As we approach the gate of the righteous we will also find that the Righteous One is there awaiting us with His blood by which we are forgiven, made righteous, and accepted into the presence of God. There has never been more of a reason to joyfully shout to God - than for the grace that will be poured out upon us in that day. We will gladly bow before Him - and acknowledge our wickedness and sin - finding in him the only thing by which we can be saved.

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.   Proverbs 13:25

This is an interesting proverb dealing with God's provision for the righteous.  It involves both a promise for the righteous in regard to having enough food in addition to another apsect dealing with how the rightseous have an appetite that can be satisfied.  The second has more to do with the heart than it does with food.

When we look at this from the viewpoint of food and the filling of a man's stomach we see that God promises that we will have enough to satisfy our appetite.  In a psalm David said that he was young and now he is old, yet he has never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.  God has blessed me with the honor of knowing a couple from Latvia who actually walked from Latvia to Eastern Europe during WWII.  They did this while war was raging between the Germans and the Russians.  They actually were trapped in the middle of a battlefield for a couple of weeks.  During this time they had no food whatsoever.  Yet for two solid weeks God would have various members of the family find hot baked bread in the middle of a battlefield.  This was enough to satisfy their appetite each day.  Truly God will provide for the righteous. 

The stomach of the wicked is in need though.  This is often the case in lands where God is rejected and false gods are worshipped instead.  In India there is plenty of food for the entire population, but many are hungry because they will not eat cows for fear that it is a relative who was reincarnated.  Some even refuse to kill rats that ravage their wheat and corn supplies for fear that they will have bad karma from killing a person reincarnated.  Thus even though they have plenty of food each harvest, many stomachs are in need.  A false view of God leads to religious views that harm a society. 

There is another view of this proverb though that I also want to address.  This is the fact of our inner appetites.  Ecclesiastes says that God has placed eternity in our hearts.  That is why there is an insatiable appetite within mankind for something to fill an inner need.  Some spend their whole lives searchin in vain for this inner satisfaction because they seek it apart from Jesus Christ.  It is only in Him that this void can be filled.  So we see that this proverb is true once again - that the righteous (those who came to be righteous through what Jesus Christ did on the cross and by His resurrection) are filled and satisfied.  The wicked - continue to want and need and feel like something is missing.  My hope for each of you is that you will find your "eternal void" within filled by turning to Jesus Christ to find the salvation and the righteousness that will allow you to be satisifed and filled.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.   Proverbs 13:22

What kind of inheritance are you leaving to your children?  What kind of inheritance are you leaving to your grandchildren?  That is what today's proverb wants us to consider.  There is a blessing that we should pass to our families.  From what we read in Scripture there is one that we can pass to several generations if we choose to live as God would have us to live.  Let us take a look at this today.

The good man leaves an inheritance to both his children and his grandchildren.  He approaches his earnings in life in such a way as to use them frugally and save for the future.  This is how he provides an inheritance for his family.  Note that he is called a "good" man - which refers to his character.  In order to be such a man one needs to be selfless and desire to bless his children - rather than to spend it all on himself. 

One thing we need to remember is that God does not promise riches in wealth to all men in equal amounts.  Therefore to say that this refers only to money is foolish.  Solomon laments of the man who had worked himself to death to obtain money, only to leave it to a son who is a fool.  This man may have left wealth to his son, but he forgot to leave him spiritual wealth and wisdom.  Therefore the money he has earned and saved will only be wasted by a son who is a complete moron when it comes to how to live. 

We need to leave our children an inheritance of godliness and wisdom as well as one that we can financially.  Without this our children will suffer far worse than if they miss a few luxuries according to the dictates of society.  There are those who will have wealth, but may spend eterntiy in abject poverty in hell when they die.  This is no inheritance that you want to pass on to your family.  If we leave them with wisdom and with knowledge of the Word and of their Savior Jesus Christ - they will be rich for eternity - even if they don't live on the upper east side in this life. 

The wicked will leave their wealth to the righteous.  This means that although they live wealthy for the few years of this life, they will eventually die and leave all of it to others.  Since they have lived for wickedness, their children will most likely waste their wealth and have it transfer to those who use wise principles in how they do business.  These are those who are godly and good in their business as well as their daily lives. 

There is something that we desperately need to leave to our children and their children.  It is a good thing if we can leave them an inheritance that will help them afford a home or other things financially.  But more importantly is to leave them with an inheritance in the things of the Lord.  This is something that can never be lost.  God promised that a godly man can touch thousands over the lives of his children and grandchildren.  But to do so we need to be willing to invest, not just in stocks and bonds - but in a godly heritage that will take a lifetime to develop and prepare for our families. 

Adversity pursues sinners, But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity. Proverbs 13:21

When we sin, we are setting loose a nemesis who will hunt us down to bring us the adversity that our sin produces. That is a rather disconcerting thought - but still one that is true. When we decide to depart from the Lord for a period to pursue the fleeting pleasures of sin, we are paving with our own hands the road that adversity and retribution will walk to our door. This is why the wise man considers the end of a choice before he makes it.

Consider David in regard to this matter. He thought he was only lingering on the sight of Batsheba bathing for a lustful look. He did not know that the look would lead to a desire which would lead to a choice to bring her to his chambers. He did not know that this choice would lead to adultery with another man's wife - which would lead to a pregnancy that promised a scandal in the kingdom. He did not know that asking her husband to return from battle would lead to seeing Uriah's character and godliness far exceed his own. He did not know that this would lead to his order to have Uriah killed by the hand of the Ammonites as he reacted in panic about what to do. He had no idea that all of this would lead to a year of his life spent in spiritual agony as the Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin - and drained him of life itself. He couldn't even imagine that his little look - his brief indiscretion of lust would lead to two dead sons, a raped daughter, and 10 women locked away as widows for life. He did not see in his departure from pure eyes that several men would be killed with Uriah at the wall - and that thousands would die in a battle between himself and his rebellious son. If anything David thought this "little look" might result in a brief departure from God's will. He had no idea that he was paving a superhighway for adversity, pain, and regret that would last for many years to come. He was clueless that in that moment he was releasing a beast that would pursue him relentlessly until adversity would nearly overwhelm him as he trudged up a mountainside, cursed by a fool, and feeling that he was one because of the sin that had finally caught up with him. Indeed adversity pursues sinners.

We are not left hopeless though with this proverb. We are also reminded that the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity. David was pursued with adversity by his sin - but he was also blessed for his godly obedience. He deserved death for his transgressions, yet God showed him mercy. He was able to amass tremendous riches and wealth for the construction of the temple during the time of his son Solomon. He was blessed not just during his time on earth - but for all time by the fact that one of his descendents would be the Messiah. There is tremendous blessing that will come to the godly.

There is no better illustration of this than the gospel message itself. We read here that "the righteous" will be rewarded. Yet our problem is that we are sinners - not righteous. There is no way we can be righteous by our works or by God's law. But when we were helpless Christ died for the ungodly. He can make us righteous - having been the One who became sin for us - so that we might be made righteous because of God's gift of salvation. Because of the gospel we are righteous in God's sight - but only because a gift of God's grace was bestowed on us when we responded in repentance and faith to the gospel message. Our passge here reminds us that the righteous will be rewarded with "prosperity." The word for prosperity here means entering into a wholeness and restored relationship with God. Too many think prosperity means money and wealth - but we must remember that the greatest riches we can have are those that come in spiritual blessings arising from a renewed relationship with God.

We face one of two choices - which results in one of two ends. We can choose sin and rebellion which sets off a chase in which the sinner or rebel will be hunted down for a visit from adversity. We can also choose to embrace God's way of righteousness through the gospel. This will set off a much different kind of pursuit. This sets in motion the grace of God working in us throughout out lives here on earth. His grace will bless us with spiritual prosperity here on earth - but also will culminate with His blessing on the day of judgment as well. The wise man knows that sin and rebellion set loose the hounds of adversity. That is why he chooses instead to set loose the spirit of blessing in his life by the gospel.

In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death. Proverbs 12:28

Can there be a path where there is no death? How can Solomon say that wisdom means that there is a way of walking that does not have death on it? Death comes to all men. So what do we have here - a contradiction in the Scriptures?

There are those who try to find contradictions in the Bible - who can find tons of them. Their problem is that they do not allow for poetic license by the writers of Scripture. Of course these are the same people who do not expect others to take them literally all the time in their lives. When they say that they could kill someone for what they said - they do not expect the hearers to immediately alert the police about their murderous intentions. We all use these kind of expressions almost every day. It is only those who WANT to find problems in the Scripture that try to expose what is clearly poetic language.

What seems to be a contradiction here is actually understood when understanding this passage in the context of the whole counsel of Scripture. You see the Bible speaks of righteousness in a way that we do not normally conceive. It speaks of "absolute" righteousness in reference to God's righteousness. The "way of rightreousness" therefore is not a works thing, it is a faith thing. The righteous man lives by faith. This means that he receives righteousness as a gift - and the gift comes from God Himself. Therefore the way of righteousness is a lifestyle that looks to God for justification. In the way of righteousness is life. We experience life when we turn to Him and receive the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ on the basis of faith (see Romans 3:21-26).

In the pathway of this righteousness there is no death. This is not saying that people will not die physically. If you understand both Testaments of the Bible you know that there is more than one kind of death mentioned. There is physical death which is experienced by all men. There is also spiritual death - which is the common condition of all mankind. They are alive physically, but dead spiritually. The Bible refers to the second death in Revelation. This is what will happen to all those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life. They will be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the age - where they will die forever.

When we look at the whole counsel of God's Word, this passage not only makes perfect sense - but is even a declaration of the gospel itself. There IS indeed a "way of righteousness" that we can experience - through faith in Jesus Christ. It is THE ULTIMATE way of righteousness - and more than that - it is the ONLY way of righteousness. When we walk in that way - living by faith - there is no death in that way. We may die physically (which the Bible refers to as "falling asleep") but death will be swallowed by life - and life eternally. That is the truth of the gospel. It is not a contradiction - it is a glorious revelation!

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26

What kind of neighbor are you? Jesus once told a group of people that they were to love their neighbor as they loved themselves. An individual in the crowd, wanting to justify himself as well as hopefully humiliate Jesus, asked the question, "Who is my neighbor?" That brings me to a principle I've learned in my own life - as well as in Bible study. Here is the principle. If you don't like what Jesus said, the dumbest thing you can do is ask a smart-alek question about it. If you did not like what He said at first - you are really not going to like how He answers your question. When Jesus answered their question about a neighbor, He said in effect that anyone and everyone is their neighbor. In that particular story the two Jewish leaders were the goats and the Samaritan was the hero. I'm sure that this endeared Him even more to the Pharisees and religious Jews who asked the question in the first place. I went through all this to assert the fact that Jesus made it clear that all those around us - especially those in need - are our neighbors. So, having said this, I ask my first question again, "What kind of nieghbor are you?" That is what today's proverb helps us to become - very good neighbors to those around us.

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor. So, in order to be a good neighbor, you need to live and speak in a way that guides them. From what we read in the rest of this proverb - that the wicked leads their neighbor's astray - we see that this guidance has to do with leading them in the right way - in a good way. Another thing we can rightly assume is that since this is written in the Bible, which is God's revelation of Himself, the "right" and the "good" way of which we speak is God's way.

Do you lead your neighbor's in God's way? That is the real question that needs to be posed to each of us. First of all, do you know the spiritual condition of your neighbors? Are they Christians? Are they aware of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If not, this is where you begin. You being by leading them to Christ. That is most definitely the right way. But more and more in Christian circles we are not sharing Christ with those around us. I don't know if this statistic still holds true, but at one time it took over 90 Baptists to lead a person to Christ. Before you think I'm picking on the Baptists, I imagine that number doesn't change much when it is transferred to Calvary Chapelites. Who knows it may go up! The problem is that what this means is that probably 1 out of ever 90 believers is actually sharing their faith - and knowing what I do about my particular area - I bet that is too low a number. It is more like 1 out of 250 are sharing their faith in Jonesboro. So what does this mean? It means we are NOT being a guide to our neighbors when it comes to THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH in life itself.

God left us on earth after saving us so that we could be a guide to others. In proverbs it says that a wise man wins souls. A wise man takes every opportunity to share Christ with others - and lead them to turn from sin and put their faith in Jesus rather than in their false gods, their religious works, or in nothing at all. It also means that we are to be guides to our neighbors when it comes to truth in general. Therefore I ask another question. Are we being guides to our neighbors by the way we live - and the things we support and oppose? All it takes for evil to triumph is for CHRISTIANS to not guide their neighbors! We need to speak up concerning biblical morality and biblical principles. First though we might want to "live-up" these things. Our country used to be a Christian nation. The reason it has abandoned those principles is because Christians abandoned living them out and guiding their neighbors with them.

The second half of this proverb warns us that the way of the wicked - leads people astray. It leads their neighbors astray. The word "way" here is our old friend "derek" in the Hebrew. It speaks of a lifestyle. It is what we would see if a lifestyle was made into a path for us to see. When the wicked live the way they do - it leads people astray. If you do not believe this, think about how the stars in Hollywood live - and how it has affected our nation's morals. We see them in movies and on television as they push the envelope further and further morally. Christians protest - and even complain of what is put before us. The problem is that we don't come out with the positive alternative. Even worse - we are not taking the gospel to our generation - thus making sure that there are more lost people in our generation than in any before it. Lost people act lost - its what they do. Therefore by not guiding our neighbors - we insure that the next generation will be even more ungodly than our own.

Wisdom knows that fallen men will act fallen. Wisdom knows that sinners will encourage other sinners to act like sinners. Wisdom also knows that without a Word from God to arrest men in their sinful ways, they will not turn from them. The righteous in this passage are not righteous because of what they have done for themselves. They are righteous by faith in Christ. They are transformed because Jesus Christ has become to them not just righteousness - but wisdom as well. They are living godly lives because of the grace of God. Therefore the wise know that they must be guides to their neighbors. Otherwise their neighbors will not come to Christ. Romans chapter 10 reminds us that unless we guide our neighbors - they will not know Christ, believe in Christ, and be transformed by His power to walk in godliness. Listen to Paul's words to the believers of his day.

"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:14-15)

Our neighbors MUST be guided. We are the ones to guide them - and we cannot guide them unless we bring them the good news of the gospel. Not everyone who hears will receive Christ. But this we can know for sure, NO ONE WILL unless we guide them and share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with them. Be a guide to your neighbors - not someone who, through their silence, leads them astray.

No harm befalls the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble.  Proverbs 12:21

When I read this proverb I struggle a little.  The reason for my struggle is that I know of many of the righteous who have experienced physical harm.  But when I began thinking according to the whole counsel of God's Word, I take a much different view of things.  Let's take a look at this passage in light of God's eternal perspective.

No "real, lasting" harm befalls the righteous.  The example I will give is that of Paul.  In light of this I am going to quote a long passage of Scripture from 2 Corinthians 11."Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.  Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.  I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;  I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure."  (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)

Paul, after writing this, could have seriously complained about this passage in Proverbs.  He could have said, "No harm?!  Are you kidding me?  Harm is pretty much my middle name!". But that is not what he wrote.  Instead he wrote that he would boast even more about these things because they put him in a place of weakness, which he knew made him strong in the Lord.  He wrote to these same Corinthian believers that these were only light and momentary discomforts, that were working for him an eternal weight of glory beyond finding out.  This only works for someone who maintains an eternal perspective.  Paul said this in light of fixing his mind on the things that are above, not on earthly things.  But when we do this even the things that would seem like earthly harm become that which is an eternal blessing to us.  We don't live for the physical and this life.  We live for eternity.  Now let's look at this verse with God's perspective.

No harm befalls the righteous.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  The list in Romans eight covers it all.  Because we are blessed forever due to the righteousness of Christ, we are blessed eternally.  One might even say that we have eternal life!  Because of this, even the so-called bad things cannot harm us for they are working for our good as we are conformed to the image of Christ.  What a glorious truth!  What a magnificent promise! Now consider the wicked, who do not know Jesus Christ.  Many of them seem to live a charmed life here on earth.  Yet our proverb today tells us their lives are filled with trouble.  The blessings of the wicked only last in this life.  When they stand in the judgment all their life will testify against them.  James speaks of how their riches will burn them like fire.  The foolish, rich farmer lost everything in a moment.  At death all his wealth became evidence against him.  There are also judgments that will come in this lifetime upon the acts of the wicked.  Truly for them all things will come together for their condemnation.  

The key to grasping the wisdom of today's proverb is having eyes that see with an eternal perspective.  But then again, that is the key to wisdom at any time.  God desires for us to see as He sees.  This may not gain us all the world says is valuable sin this world and in this life.  But in the end only th perspective of God will be all that matters.  May God give us grace to not only see this way, but also to reason and live this way as well.