Proverbs 11:4 (ESV Strong's)
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 11:6 (ESV Strong's)
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
Proverbs 11:8 (ESV Strong's)
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
Proverbs 11:9 (ESV Strong's)
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
Proverbs 11:21 (ESV Strong's)
21 Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
Righteousness Delivers
The theme of the above proverbs is that God provides righteousness that delivers from evil, peril, punishment. The righteousness spoken of Proverbs it typically not understand as the righteousness that Paul describes in Romans. It is from the same source, faith in Christ, but simply stated in a different manner. The righteousness of Proverbs is the result of someone who has wisdom. Note how Solomon, the author, stated this in the beginning of Proverbs:
Proverbs 1:2-3 (ESV Strong's)
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
Solomon is giving us instructions “in righteous” living. It is a benefit of Wisdom. We obtain Wisdom by the fear of the Lord (standing in awe of Him and recognizing who He is in our lives):
Proverbs 9:10 (ESV Strong's)
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
When we fear the Lord we are putting out faith in Him through His Son. We have to remember that Christ is the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2). The above proverbs all speak of what happens when we have Christ as are righteousness. When someone has the Wisdom of God (through Christ) they are declared righteous by God. That righteousness delivers them from what we see in the above proverbs. Some turn to riches to deliver. They will not. Some turn to their own evilness to deliver them. It will not. Some turn to their words to deliver them. They will not. Only the righteousness that God provides through the wisdom of fearing Him will deliver us from the evils of this world. It should be noted that these proverbs do NOT say that we won’t experience hardships. It does not say “when” and “where” the deliverance comes. Solomon is talking about eternal deliverance. Verse 4 makes that abundantly clear: “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” Those who put their faith in God and fear Him will experience pain and suffering in this life (just go visit Job). But, those who have the wisdom of God in Christ, will be delivered in the end.
When tough times come we do get an understanding of who are friends are and what will and can deliver us tough times. We tend to think we are good against a storm ... until the storm comes. We seldom can predict the severity of tumult, even though we plan for it. Tornadoes devastate a community. What people thought would protect them often doesn't and can't. We live in a false sense of safety, security and serenity. In this proverb Solomon warns us that in the day of wrath, one of our great "safety nets" will also fail. The crash of the stock market in 1929 is a great example of this. Some jumped to their death because they had "lost everything." Riches, as tempting as it is too trust in them, do not and will not and can not deliver us in the day of judgment. Ask the nation of Israel when the Assyrians came to take them captive (Amos 4, 6). But, those who trust in God's Righteousness will be, ultimately, delivered. They too may faced physical death and difficulty, but their final destination will be peace with their Father. Let's not trust in family, finances or futures. Let's trust in a Friends who sticks closer than a brother who will and can deliver from wrath: God the Father, the Wisdom found in Christ.
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