“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”

Proverbs 11:3

The book of Proverbs typically communicates through contrasts. Here, the contrast is between the upright and the treacherous. Notice that the upright are guided by integrity, while the treacherous are guided by crookedness.

The first thing we might want to do when meditating on this verse is a self-exam. What characterizes my life more, integrity or crookedness?

Admittedly, a self-exam like this is difficult because people tend to evaluate themselves more favorably than others might evaluate them. And by more favorably I mean less accurately. Because of the tendency toward self-deception it is difficult to recognize our own lack of integrity. But we must examine ourselves (honestly!) lest we find ourselves unwittingly on the road to destruction.

The word guide is interesting to me because I do a lot of tour guiding in Israel. And when I guide groups, my function is to lead them to various destinations. In this verse, guide can be used similarly. Here, we see that integrity guides the upright. But where does it lead them? The answer seems clear: to greater righteousness. Conversely, where does crookedness lead the treacherous? To destruction.

Where do you want to end up? As is common in Proverbs, the reader, stands at a fork in the road; one path leads to life, the other to destruction. Which path will you choose? Will crookedness guide you to destruction? Or will integrity lead you to righteousness? It’s your choice. But choose you must. Please choose righteousness.

“The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.”

Proverbs 10:7 ESV

One of the lasting effects of righteousness is the blessing that your memory is to those you leave behind. Conversely, one of the lasting effects of wickedness is the curse that your memory is to those you leave behind.

In the case of the righteous, conversations and memories are often filled with smiles and laughter as people say things like “Do you remember when he/she ….?” Or the memories offer encouragement because of how gentle or thoughtful or selfless or kind was the person of righteousness.

In the case of the wicked, people often are left cursing the wicked because of the destruction that he/she caused. Or they are left wondering how things could have been different. “What if I had done [this or that] differently, would it have encouraged him to change his ways?” “If he could only have stopped [this or that], things would have been so different.”

Notice in the case of the wicked, the path of destruction can be very obvious, but it can also be very subtle. The “what if” questions, for example, often bring doubt or guilt or shame upon those who are left behind, even though they are not guilty of another person’s wickedness. In other words, the wickedness continues to affect others. This is rot.

Jehoram, King of Judah, is an example of the wicked person. He came to the throne at the age of 32 and reigned for 8 years. “And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 8:18 ESV). Second Chronicles gives more details: “… His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. ²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings” (21:19-20 ESV).

The words that struck me were, “And he departed with no one’s regret.” What is the memory you want to leave for others? Blessing or rot?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

The book of Proverbs is a call to wisdom. Wisdom is exalted in a variety of ways, just as foolishness is decried in a variety of ways. A host of word pictures are used to illustrate wisdom. And repeatedly, the reader is encouraged to seek wisdom.

Sometimes all the talk of wisdom can lead the reader to frustration, wondering “How do I get wisdom? Where does the wise road begin?” The answer is found in 9:10. The beginning of wisdom, true wisdom, is fearing the Lord. In reality, the better mindset is not to chase wisdom, but to chase the Lord because wisdom without God isn’t really wisdom. In chasing God and godliness, we become wise.

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”

Proverbs 8:12

Notice in this verse those who surround wisdom: prudence, knowledge, and discretion. In other words, as you grow in wisdom, you should notice the other qualities as well. For example, if you lack discretion, it is very likely you lack wisdom as well. If you are growing in prudence, then it is likely a sign that you are growing in wisdom.

If you ever wonder if you have wisdom, it may be a good idea to look for the presence of wisdom’s three partners in your life as a self-test.

“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;”

Proverbs 7:1 ESV

If we are not careful, we may read past the word treasure. The word keep deals with the action, the word treasure deals with the heart. It may be helpful to be reminded that the word treasure means to highly value.

Let that sink in a bit.