Day 132, Year 1

The Path of the Upright

“The way of a guilty man is crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright.” (Proverbs 21:8 NASB)

“A wicked man hardens his face, but as for the upright, he establishes his way.” (Proverbs 21:29 NKJV)

“Establishes” in the second verse of today is biyn in Hebrew, which could also be translated as “understanding.” The translation of the latter half of this verse varies. Besides “as for the upright, he establishes his way,” there are some possible translations, such as “the upright directs his way,” “the upright discerns his path,” and “the upright gives guidance.” I would suggest “the upright acts with understanding,” or “the upright walks a path of understanding.” When God’s breath grants us understanding, this understanding would make us act steadfastly. For this understanding is not a self-righteous kind of wisdom but comes from God. Moreover, uprightness makes us steadfast because we are no longer weak-minded or like a willow bending with the wind. From this perspective, God’s uprightness permeates our whole beings. And we who are upright and pure also tend to invite God to help us and thus have a better understanding.

The word “upright” in both verses is yashar in Hebrew, and it could often be understood as “to do what is judged to be right.” In the first verse, it could be seen that people with a pure heart and spirit, upon realizing what is right, would do it steadfastly with understanding, thus acting uprightly. From this perspective, the purity of the upright lies in our ease in laying aside our own lusts and ambitions, but following God’s upright path. We then receive a better understanding from God easily, always acting with firm determination.

In contrast, the first verse goes “The way of a guilty man is crooked,” while the second verse goes “A wicked man hardens his face.” They describe the sinners who have seared their conscience, are unashamed of doing evil, and enjoy incorporating their malicious schemes into their work. They have paid vast efforts, yet yielded meager results, for evil has permeated their spirits, such that they end up with crookedness and shame, and their lives are filled with much hindrance and misfortune. The difference between the pure with uprightness and the wicked is that the upright would get rid of sins, and even fight against them, whereas the wicked would be guilty, carry sins, love them, refuse to discard them, and even spread sins around. So, we should not act according to our sinfulness. Instead, we should be mindful of where sins exist, and by the Lord’s power, win the battle within, combating sins, and replace them with God’s purity and uprightness.

Reflection questions:

1) Why are the pure and upright able to walk on God’s path easily and become increasingly understanding in the heavenly realm?

2) Is your inner self pure and upright enough? If not, what actions would you take to become more upright and/or pure?