Sometimes you run across a passage in the Bible that is so packed with information that you just have to store it away and chew on it over time. That’s what I found in Proverbs 12 this morning. When Solomon wrote this Proverb, he was contrasting the righteous or upright person with the evil person. He outlines some characteristics of a righteous person.
There was so much truth that all I knew to do was to bullet point it for future processing. Below is a bullet point list of characteristics of the upright man in Proverbs 12.
Characteristics of the Upright Person
- loves discipline and knowledge
- obtains favor from the Lord
- condemns evil
- not established by wickedness
- has just thoughts
- gives wise words and counsel
- his/her house will stand
- praised for insight
- has regard for the life of his/her animals (livestock/resources of his/her work)
- tills his/her land (works hard)
- yields fruit
- will escape from trouble
- satisfied by fruit of his/her words
- gets a return on investments
- listens to counsel
- conceals dishonor
- tells truth and speaks what is right
- his/her words bring healing
- his/her truth established forever
- finds joy in being a counselor of peace
- no harm befalls the righteous
- keeps secrets well
- his/her good words brings gladness
- guides his neighbor
- his/her precious possession is diligence
- his/her ways lead to life
The depths of living a life of faith can be overwhelming, but I’m glad we can never outgrow the deep truths of faith! Let’s work to develop some of these characteristics of a righteous person.
