What Is Righteousness?

There are two basic meanings to righteousness as it is used in Proverbs and throughout the scriptures:

The first is being in a right relationship with God. When we are right with God by grace ad through faith, it provides the foundation for right living.

The second is heading in the right direction. It does not indicate perfection, but direction. The general direction of our lives is toward God and God's will and we are ready and able to be taught, guided, and corrected.

Those two factors constitute the qualities of a righteous man or woman.

About the ROLE MODEL acroymn: I noticed I left it out. I will have to find it in my notes.

Proverbs 11: 1-14 – NIV -

¹ The LORD abhors dishonest scales,
but accurate weights are his delight.

q Dishonest scales:

o Obscure truth

o Cheat people

o To get what you don’t deserve

o What’s wrong with that?

q Accurate weights

o They are what they are.

o They reflect qualities God values:

§ ____________________

§ ____________________

§ ____________________

² When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.

q How does pride lead to disgrace?

o Exposure (as Frauds)

o ___________________

q How does humility lead to wisdom?

o We don’t miss our lessons.

o The Julia Child model.

o The 99% factor.

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

q Integrity guides the upright because of vv. 1-2 principles.

o Those principles show that the upright are guided by truth and

o They are guided by humility.

q What is duplicity?

q How can understanding duplicity help us to understand integrity better?

Some Verses on Righteousness

Righteousness makes a straight way.

⁴ Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.

q When can money help?

q As you grow in these qualities, truth will become more recognizable to you.

q When is money no help at all?

q What do we need then?

Righteousness makes a straight way.

⁵ The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

q Key Word 1 – Righteous

q Key Word 2 – Blameless

q Key Word 3 – Wicked (Wickedness)

⁶ The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

Righteousness delivers from the TRAP.

q Deliverance vs. the TRAP of evil desires.

q The TRAP

o T – Temptation comes first.

o R – Rationalization comes next.

o A - Acceptance of evil as an option follows.

o P – POW! You’re trapped.

Righteousness preserves hope.

⁷ When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes;
all he expected from his power comes to nothing.

q Compare the expectations of the righteous with those of the wicked. What is their source and power?

Righteousness rescues from trouble.

⁸ The righteous man is rescued from trouble,
and it comes on the wicked instead.

q Trouble boomerangs back to the troublemakers.

Righteousness enables us to escape the power of malicious words..

⁹ With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.

q The mouth of the wicked is destructive toward his neighbor.

q Knowledge characterizes the righteous.

q What are some ways that this might work?

Righteousness produces a cheering section.

¹⁰ When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

q Will people rejoice in your prosperity or

q In your destruction?

q Dorothy in Oz: Ding Dong the _____ is dead.

Righteousness exalts a city with blessings.

¹¹ Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

q What does it look like when a city is exalted?

q How do the righteous bless a city? See the following verses.

Blessing the City

By choosing our words carefully

¹² A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,
but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

q 90% Silence

q The art of holding one’s tongue.

q Refusing to participate in negativity.

By not participating in the disease of gossip.

¹³ A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

q Betrayal

q Confidence

q Healthy secrets vs. unhealthy secrets.

By participating in the decision making process.

¹⁴ For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure.

q For average citizens – Give guidance

q For leaders – Seek guidance.

Lessons from this Chapter

1. Wisdom is of vital importance.

2. Get it and use it.

3. Receive the blessings or take the consequences. It’s a choice.

Proverbs 10 – NIV -

¹⁷ He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

MSG: ¹⁷The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you're lost for good.

q Your choices influence others, whether you intend for them to or not.

q What is a Role Model

o R –

o O –

o L –

o E

o M –

o O –

o D –

o E –

o L -

¹⁸ He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

MSG: ¹⁸Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.

q Since you cannot hide hate, you must dispose of it some other way.

q Strategies for disposing of hate:

o Designate

o Insulate

o Speculate

o Obligate

o Stimulate

o Expectorate

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

²¹ The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.

MSG: ¹⁹The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. ²⁰The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless. ²¹The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

q We are warned and encouraged about our words:

o Use them sparingly.

o Use them beautifully.

o Use them to nourish others.

o Exercise sound judgment and know that words reveal your heart.

²² The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.

MSG: ²²GOD's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.

q We need to view wealth differently.

q It is better to receive your blessings from the Lord because the kinds you manufacture always come with trouble.

²³ A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

MSG: ²³An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom.

q From what do you derive your pleasure? It will tell on you.

q When is mischief clearly not fun?

o When it is rude.

o When it is used to exclude.

o When it is used to intrude.

o When it is used to allude.

o When it pervades our attitude.

²⁴ What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.

²⁵ When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.

MSG: ²⁴The nightmares of the wicked come true; what the good people desire, they get. ²⁵When the storm is over, there's nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren't even fazed.

q “Self-Fulfilled prophesies”

q Your worst fears can come true when you are out of synch with God. Storms are coming ... but ... don’t dread them for ...

q Storms come to all, but the righteous keep standing.

²⁶ As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.

MSG: ²⁶A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble; it's vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.

q Lazy people burden others.

²⁷ The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.

²⁸ The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

MSG: ²⁷The Fear-of-GOD expands your life; a wicked life is a puny life. ²⁸The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash.

q Wisdom gives you cause for great optimism.

²⁹ The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

³⁰ The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.

MSG: ²⁹GOD is solid backing to a well-lived life, but he calls into question a shabby performance. ³⁰Good people last--they can't be moved; the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.

q Plan for future security: Choose righteousness.

³¹ The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

³² The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

MSG: ³¹A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp. ³²The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.

q What you talk is what you are.

q If you are right with God, you know what to say already.

q If you are not right with God, your speech is a habitual cesspool. Get right with God.

q Clearing the air is not the same as stinking it up.

Proverbs 10a – NIV -

¹ The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.

q Your choices affect your parents.

² Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.

q You can get whatever you want through cheating, lying, and stealing, but it will be of no value to you once you have it. Why?

³ The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

q What does this verse say to you?

⁴ Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.

q This is God’s plan for making money: W-O-R-K.

⁵ He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

q What does it mean to sleep through the harvest?

q How does one gather crops in the summer?

⁶ Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. ^[a]

⁷ The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot.

q God and wisdom decree that there is a difference between a righteous life and one that is wicked and violent.

q Look at the word vio-lent. Compare it to vio-late. Violence comes when we violate God’s ways and laws.

q What are you going to leave behind? What will your reputation be after you are gone?

⁸ The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

q The choice between listening with an heart of obedience and trying to make our own points is pivotal to success.

⁹ The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

¹⁰ He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

q Integrity and edifying speech foster security life.

q Crookedness, moral ambiguity, ceaseless chatter, and violence bring ruin.

¹² Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.

q When you see dissension, look for a love problem.

q You can cure dissension with love.

q To say it another way, “Love does not ‘nitpick.’ It is willing to overlook some things for the sake of unity.

¹³ Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

¹⁴ Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

q Your words will identify you as wise or not.

¹⁵ The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

¹⁶ The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

q There is a correlation between wisdom and wealth and wickedness and poverty.

q To have a lot of money does not make the wicked rich.

¹⁷ He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

q Your choices influence others, whether you intend for them to or not.

¹⁸ He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

q Since you cannot hide hate, you must dispose of it some other way.

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

²¹ The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.

q We are warned and encouraged about our words:

o Use them sparingly.

o Use them beautifully.

o Use them to nourish others.

o Exercise sound judgment and know that words reveal your heart.

²² The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.

q It is better to receive your blessings from the Lord because the kind you manufacture always come with trouble..

²³ A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

q From what do you derive your pleasure? It will tell on you.

²⁴ What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.

²⁵ When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.

q Your worst fears can come true when you are out of synch with God. Storms are coming ... but ... don’t dread them for ...

q Storms come to all, but the righteous keep standing.

²⁶ As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.

q Lazy people burden others.

²⁷ The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.

²⁸ The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

q Wisdom gives you cause for great optimism.

²⁹ The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

³⁰ The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.

q Plan for future security: Choose righteousness.

³¹ The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

³² The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

q What you talk is what you are.

Footnotes:

a. Proverbs 10:6 Or but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence ; also in verse 11