“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them.” Proverbs 28:4
Devotional Thought For The Day
The obvious tension is pointed out, and it is prevalent in most human interaction. One cannot both forsake the law and also keep the law; one cannot praise the wicked and support the law; one cannot keep and uphold the law without creating strife with those who reject it. The author has in mind not just legal principles, the moral code in Scripture, but all of the Word of God. Of course, it is the law that identifies what is wicked and what is not – although human beings are incorrigible at both adding to the law and taking away from it to suit their own desires and sensibilities. Bottom line is that if you are on the side of God’s Word you will have strife with those who violate it and reject it; if you are among those who can praise violation of God’s Word then you have forsaken the law.
The proverb is not written against those who fall into sin but then repent, rejoice in God’s forgiveness, affirm the goodness of His Word, and set out to go and sin no more. Rather, the proverb addresses a far deeper and darker condition – that of taking the side of evil against God, against His Word, and against His people of faith. The problem with forsaking the law and praising the wicked is that one is now critical of God, asserting that He is ignorant, that He is no God, and that His followers, those who affirm His Word, are the wicked and ignorant ones. Although we are civil about this currently, this is the tension when it comes to issues like abortion, marriage, homosexuality, heterosexual promiscuity, greed, selfishness, and false religion. God’s Word clearly condemns these things as wicked, but people who want to do these things praise them as good. Those on the side of God’s Word will naturally strive against these destructive and murderous things – we cannot do otherwise. And our calling is not just to spout about morality, but has to do with repentance and God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation – all of which is lost when one determines to praise transgressions.
Now there are some who will say that any opposition to the wicked – to those who reject God’s Word – is misanthropic, hatred of others. Nothing could be further from the truth, although this is a very neat and clever trick of those who praise the wicked. You see the confusion that is being attempted – and the unresolvable tension between these camps. The two groups affirm and cherish direct opposites, and both cannot stand. Nor can we work together if we have opposing and mutually contradictory aims and goals. If we hated the wicked we would simply ignore them – and leave them in darkness and destruction, or perhaps attempt their eradication. But the former would be tacit approval of their anti-God views, aiding and abetting their spiritual destruction, and the latter would be joining them in wickedness. Though they would like to paint us as hating them, it is actually love that compels our strife with the wicked – and again, not simply for moral reasons, but rather that they might come to repentance and God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness. And if it is love that moves us, then our “striving” will also be done in love – with patience, kindness, gentleness, winsomeness, and without hypocrisy, self-righteousness, pride and arrogance.
This is a difficult balance to maintain – to strive against those who forsake the law and praise the wicked, but to do so with real and genuine love. It is painful at times, and the accusations and animosity and malice wither and erode the ardor of our love. So we must constantly confess our own sins and remain close to Jesus, so that the warmth of His love continuously refreshes our love. Without this, we too have forsaken the law – for “love is the fulfilling of the law.” [Rom. 13:10] Many, for the sake of upholding the law, forfeit and lose their love of others, and thus actually forsake the law themselves. Lord, forbid! So our spiritual warfare is very difficult, and we end up looking like Jesus Who prayed forgiveness, and not punishment and destruction, for those crucifying Him. We certainly do not look like some victorious boxer glowering over a pathetic kayoed victim. So let us take care to imbibe the wisdom of this proverb that we remain on the right side, in God’s camp.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for our own temptations to praise the wicked, and for the times when we give tacit approval by our silence. Forgive us also for the malice we harbor against those who reject Your Word and oppose Your kingdom. Help us to remain in humble repentance, and with the power and warmth of Your love, help us to remain firm and fervent in our love for others, including the wicked. We pray this for ourselves, and for those we seek to serve. Amen.