Day 27
The Good Man
Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty.
(Proverbs 11:3)
Differentially, Solomon shades and colors his nearly innumerable maxims on goodness. No matter which iteration, however, wrongdoing is always a mistake, a source of insecurity and weakness, ultimately producing destruction and death, whereas goodness or the good person is a perpetual blessing. The good man is rewarded with beautiful gifts and unexpected blessings.
God watches the affairs of men closely, rightly dividing good from bad, integrity from evil. There is a real sense, based on the rewards and punishments presented, that God keeps records. Even if that were not so, being an upright person is its own continual reward. Goodness results in ever-increasing success and intimacy with God but evil is, by definition, the law of diminishing returns and further separation from God. Further, the blessing of the good man is not limited to the good man himself; it falls to his children as well.
Being a good (upright or holy) person is not a legalistic lifestyle but is a condition of the heart; it is the natural expression of an intimate relationship with a loving God. Goodness, and God himself is ultimate goodness, is essential to a life of happiness, for there can be no peace of heart or mind without it.
Are you a good (godly) person? Are you presently moving from success to success or failure to failure? Do you believe your actions are being monitored and recorded? Do you believe in a “Day of Judgment” where good and bad will be weighed? What have you done with God? What have you done with the gifts and abilities God gave you to work with?