CONTRASTING VIEWS

RIGHTEOUSNESS VS WICKEDNESS
PROVERBS 11

RIGHTEOUSNESS (R) as opposed to WICKEDNESS (W)
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(R) Leads to Integrity and is a guide
  (W) Leads to perverseness and destroys
(R) Leads to health
  (W) Riches prophet not
(R) Directs way
  (W) Leads to a fall
(R) Gives deliverance
  (W) Taken in naughtiness
(R) Delivered out of trouble
  (W) Delivered into trouble
(R) Has a sure reward
  (W) Works deceitful work
(R) Tends to life
  (W) Pursues evil to own death
(R) Delivered
  (W) Will not be unpunished
(R) Desires good
  (W) Expects wrath
(R) Procures favor
  (W) Seeks mischief
(R) Flourish as a branch
  (W) His trusted riches fall
(R) Recompensed and earth
  (W) Recompensed in earth more

When the wicked parish, as in the Mafia is killing each other, the city shouts because of the confusion, danger, and lawlessness.

When it goes well with the righteous, there is peace and prosperity so there can be times of rejoicing. When the upright bless the city, it is exalted. The upright with his mouth is making a proclamation of good.

But the works of the wicked can overthrow the city.

In other words, words are very powerful.

DELIGHTING

God delights in the prayer of the upright (Prov 15:8); he loves to hear it.  Does this also mean he loves to answer it?  The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous.  Some prayers, however, he will not hear.  For example, he is far from the wicked so he will not respond to their prayers.  He will not answer some prayers right away because it is best answered at another time.  Some prayers of the righteous are about good things, but these things may not be suitable for the person asking them.  Maybe the prayers are for or about things that are reserved for other people.  Maybe the person is asking for something they do not realize is not good for them. 

We often put God in our shoes, we assume God is driven by the same emotions we have.  We delight in something that is pleasant.  Perhaps we push away some pleasant thing because some other thing is even more pleasant.  Delighting is something we want to do.  Does the Lord also want to delight?  Does he long for it as we might?  Does he stop some other things so that he can “take some time out” to delight?  Does God get so crowded with pending tasks that delighting would mean that some other important thing would not get done?

“I love you Lord,
and I lift my voice
to worship you:
oh, my soul, rejoice! 
Take joy, my king,
in what you hear. 
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.” 

We sing this song, but what do we mean by it?  Are we wishing for God to  have a pleasant time, or are we just asking for his attention?  Is what we want is more important than what he wants?  Is this a wish from us for his well-being, or is it a request for our own sakes so that he will have favor on us?