Foundations
“A human being is not established in wickedness, but righteous people are not uprooted.” Proverbs 12:3
Not Established – Companies like to advertise their longevity. Established 1890. Established 1924. So do countries. Established 1776. But some of the biggest establishments aren’t around any more. They didn’t stand firm. That’s the meaning of lo-yikkon, not steadfast, not fixed or firm. God looks out over the universe and announces an everlasting principle of existence. No human being will stand firm in wickedness. All wickedness is transitory. It won’t last. No matter when it got started, it will collapse. You have God’s word on it (and His word is established forever).
We can use this principle to advantage (God is not opposed to heavenly advantage). We can be pretty sure that any enterprise based on wickedness will fail. But human activities based on righteousness have nothing to fear when it comes to longevity. So, if we want our efforts to last, we have to maintain righteousness as the real foundation.
It would be a big help to know what God considers wicked, since anything based on wickedness will fall. Fortunately, Proverbs doesn’t keep us in the dark on this one. Wickedness (rasha) is negative behavior that betrays a person’s inner disharmony and unrest. It reveals words, thoughts and deeds that seek the advantage for self rather than community. It’s the “me first” attitude. Greed, violence, threats, deceit, cruelty, perversity, treachery and abuse are all listed in Proverbs. They all have community implications. Wherever wickedness touches community relationships God announces its demise.
Most of us will read this list and say, “Oh, that’s not me. I don’t do those terrible things.” Really? Then why did Jesus die for you? My capacity for wickedness is no less than the capacity of those who sit on death row. My heart is just as dark. The only real difference is that I was a coward. I withheld my sinful explosion because I was afraid of getting caught. But God knew what I would have done because I thought about doing it before the fear took over. In my fantasies, I was a murderer, a rapist, a merciless tyrant, a liar, a cheat, a greedy businessman, a deceiving politician, an unfaithful spouse, an abusive parent, a perverse purveyor of pleasure. Without Jesus’ intervention, I would have fallen further than I did. Without His intervention, I will still fall. He is the foundation of my establishment, not me. The righteous are steadfast because they know they depend entirely on Him and for no other reason. No man is righteous in himself. To think so is to be lo-yikkon.
