A Chapter A Day - Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28 continues with its observations of human behaviors delineated by wise vs. foolish. As I dig deeper in this book, I realize that there is nothing in human nature that God is not aware of or surprised by. Each chapter points out character flaws or virtues which are divided into two camps - wise or foolish. Some things in life are black or white with no gray area. There should be no gray areas in your character. If you are unsure, seek wisdom, search the scriptures, talk to God until you end up on the right side.

Today I'll leave you with a couple of gems from this chapter.

Gems

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion (v1). This verse speaks of having a guilty conscience. A guilty conscience will give you no rest - you're unsettled in your actions; there's a constant expectation of dread. But when you have a conscience that gives you peace because you know that you have done the right thing, there's nothing to hide and you are bold as a lion.

To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread (v21). The KJV says to have respect of persons is not good; for a piece of bread that man will transgress. Treat all people fairly, in the same way, you wish to be treated. Don't treat some men better than others simply because of their status, class, race or whatever you determine to be better in your mind. When you show favoritism, this mindset will allow you to do things you normally would not do, and the reward is not usually in line with the status of the individual. I employ the golden rule in determining how I treat people. The golden rule which is found in the New Testament in Matthew 7:12 says, “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you.” (BTW I do not believe the platinum rule trumps the golden rule). It’s a beautiful thing to see this rule play out in your life; people looking on wonder why you have the ability to talk and interact with the CEO, VP, or any other position of high stature. Many books have been written about interacting with different people, but it’s not the title you’re interacting with it’s the person. Also, think about how you feel when the golden rule is not applied to you; you feel less than a person, slighted because of some status. It’s not a good feeling. If this happens to you often enough, you learn to treat people with the basic respect we all deserve. Don't show favoritism, treat the rich and the poor the same (v3,6,27). If a person has a need that you can meet, meet the need.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves but when they perish the righteous increase (v28). Many people are saying if a certain person wins the Presidential election that they're moving to another country. This is the equivalent to the righteous hiding because the wicked are in power. When wicked people are in charge there is a fear and a real danger in the land. When we look back in history a wicked ruler's reign was marked by fear because of what they did and could do from their position of authority; many hid or fled. The elevation of the wicked drives people to seek refuge from tyranny. On the contrary, quite simply, when the righteous are in charge, everybody wins. The sentiment in this verse is echoed in verses 2 and 12.

Read on.

Feel free to share other gems from this chapter; I love your comments.