Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Psalm 59 and Proverbs 22:17-23

“Don’t rob the poor just because you can,
    or exploit the needy in court.
For the Lord is their defender.
    He will ruin anyone who ruins them.” (v.22-23)

Here is a father putting the fear of God into his son by warning him of God’s active opposition and punishment if he should dare to take advantage of the poor, needy and vulnerable. This is not an act of cruelty and harshness, but an act of love. This father wants his son to prosper and flourish through choosing the path of wisdom and avoiding the path of folly. So, remembering that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, he speaks the truth in love and warns his son honestly that God will defend the poor and needy, and ultimately He will even put to ruin those who ruin the poor and needy. Justice will be done – if not in a human court, then certainly in the court of God!

Of course, the fear of God’s punishment is not the highest form of the fear of God. We’ve already seen a few times in the Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is about having such reverence, awe and love for God that we desire nothing more than to please God. When this is our heart, our desire is not to avoid God’s anger, but to pursue God’s pleasure. As human beings, there are times when we act wisely out of our reverence and awe for God, and out of the ensuing deep desire to be pleasing to God. But then there are times when our sinful selfishness is overwhelming and we are tempted to act contrary to what we know is pleasing to God. In these moments, Proverb 22:22-23 should act as a warning to us, calling us to do the right thing even if it is for the selfish motive of staying on the right side of God’s justice.

Heavenly Father, today I choose to live by my higher love for You, and to pursue Your pleasure through doing justice to the poor and needy. I choose to set aside selfish desires and ambitions and to make Your goodness my goal – knowing that ultimately this is the highest way to live. Amen.