“The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.”
As Solomon refers to righteousness delivering them it is in the same way Jesus uses the ides when He prays “deliver us from evil” in His priestly prayer. Here Solomon goes a step further by assuring that those who are unfaithful are not delivered from evil but suffer the consequences of their unfaithfulness. Evil will always prey on humans however, as we live under the covering of righteousness provided by God we escape much of its grip and certainly it’s final consequence, hell. Living in righteousness provides its own reward as we see God work in us, with us and through us to His glory. As the old song says, “He didn’t bring us this far to let us down”. That doesn’t mean the righteous won’t suffer. But, the consequences of unfaithful living bring a whole extra array of suffering. Physical illness, broken relationships, even mental and emotional pain that come from poor life decisions await them. Solomon spends an inordinate amount of his writings articulating the clear lines between righteous and evil living. It is obvious that he understands there is little gray area in our life paths. ‘For me or against me” was Jesus choice of words. We should live with the same understanding. Today live clearly on the path of God’s followers. #BeTheEdge
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,” Ephesians 5:15 NIV