Proverbs 28:17-28 — In the end...

READ THIS: Proverbs 28:17-28

17 Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back. 18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit. 19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty. 20 A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. 21 To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread. 22 The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them. 23 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue. 24 Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys. 25 The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper. 26 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. 27 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. 28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

The broad takeaway from these verses put together is that we need to know what the end result of our actions will be. Sometimes, in the moment, we start to do something and say that it is totally okay, but it just simply isn't (24), so we should decide right now what is good/bad so we don't make a poor decision in the heat of the moment. What can help us decide what to do is knowing the end results of our actions. 

These verses tell us that there is a negative end to these things: 

• Doing the wrong thing in general (it results in guilt and wickedness for others, 17-18, 28)
• Wanting money desperately (it results in not having what you need, 20, 22, 25)
• Chasing after pointless things (it results in unsatisfied hunger, 19)
• Flattering people (it results in losing favor, 23)
• Wanting more than what you need (it results in conflict, 25)
• Ignoring the poor (it results in curses, 27)

Then, there is a positive end to these things:

• Doing the right thing in general (it results in being safe and having what you need 18, 20)
• Knowing where to put in hard work (it results in having what you need and more, 19)
• Calling people out when needed (it results in gaining favor, 23)
• Trusting God to provide (it results in flourishing and safety, 25, 26). 
• Giving to the poor (it results in God providing even more, 27)

But, the thing is, some of the positive/negative results depend on how we treat other people. In verse 21, it says that showing partiality/favoritism is bad, and then says that people will do terrible things just to eat. Sometimes, we look at people, and we judge whether we will treat them well or not based on if they are a good/bad person. What verse 21 tells us is that any person can be a bad person...just make them hungry enough. We can't decide how to treat someone based on how they act, especially if we don't know their situation (which...we never really fully understand ANYONE'S situation). No matter what someone has done, we can still do all the positive things for them! Why? Because that's what Jesus does for us. 

All of us have done the things that end negatively, and, yet, if we have put our trust in Jesus, we only get the positive things that Jesus earned on our behalf!!! In the end, it is wonderful when we do the things that end positively, but, we need to do them out of a desire to work alongside God, not out of a desire to earn something we will never deserve. 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1.  What motivates you to do the things that end negatively?

2.  What motivates you to do the things that end positively?

TRY THIS:

 

In the end...  (finish that sentence with what you want your life to look like in the end). 

Now, think about what you should be doing/what Jesus has done to help your life end that way!