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HEN I was a child, I (and a few of my siblings) would
sometimes play cops and robbers... or perhaps cowboys and Indians. When we played cops and robbers, there was
obviously a good side and a bad side.
But of course, there are many kinds of criminals and many kinds of law
enforcers. In this chapter Solomon uses
a variety of characters on both sides.
In this case, on the bandit's side we find foolish men,
wicked men, talebearers, slothful men and rich men. Again, in this chapter, on the side with the
boys in blue we find righteous men, wise men, husbands, poor men, humble men
and friends. Of course, riches are relative,
and the author of this chapter was both very godly and very rich. So, when categorizing players on any stage,
consider more factors than just one.
Rich men do not necessarily have to speak roughly (as in Proverbs 18:23),
even if many of them frequently do.
If your life and mine were objectively
evaluated, would we fit better as an enforcer or an infractor? Oh yes, I know that we are all guilty of infractions. And, I also recognize that it only takes one
infraction to make one guilty by God's standard of perfection. I'm not about to preach some kind of "do-your-good-works-outweigh-your-bad-ones"
soteriology. Without God's grace, none
of us can obtain salvation or sainthood.
However, a report card listing our daily moral successes and failures
does still have its place, not for our entrance into heaven, nor to allow us
one moment of pride, but in gauging our own spiritual direction, honest
practical self-evaluation is essential.
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