Day 149, Year 1

The Righteous will be Delivered through Knowledge

“With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.” (Proverbs 11:9 NASB)

The “knowledge” mentioned here is the same as that of yesterday (Proverbs 24:5), both da’ath in Hebrew, meaning “knowing, discernment, understanding, or skill.” The Bible does not use the term “intellectual” as we use it today. Instead, “the wise” is used more often in the Bible. Some of the wise are the righteous people with divine knowledge, as mentioned in today’s verse. It is worth noting that the righteous ones who are saved through God’s knowledge are highlighted in many verses. Solely having some knowledge of God does not lead to salvation. Thus, we should pursue God’s justice, righteousness, and knowledge so as to be saved. The “righteous” is emphasized in today’s verse. 

We who truly believe in the Lord Jesus are not only justified by faith, but will also gradually receive His righteousness in our lives. In this way, the salvation of the righteous through knowledge can be realized in those who acknowledge Jesus as the source of all knowledge and follow His righteousness. Whether or not to advance in God’s righteousness and spiritual knowledge is a daily choice for every believer.

When we understand the second half of the verse through the first, the principle of “through knowledge the righteous will be delivered” could also be applied to interpersonal relationships. To begin with, if godless people can corrupt their neighbors with words, then surely God’s righteousness and spiritual knowledge can impact people even more powerfully through us. The righteous need to intentionally seek people with whom we can share His righteousness, especially with those who are eager to receive it. Contrarily, sharing knowledge about righteousness with those who hate God might backfire. And we who are pursuing the path of faith also need to discern right and wrong, good and bad, among the spiritual knowledge after we receive it.

The first half of today’s verse indicates the defiling nature of the godless ones. We then must discern the influence of those around us. If we feel that our faith is weak or our understanding of the faith is shallow, we need to distance ourselves from anyone who might corrupt us or make us godless. However, if there are unbelievers around us who have no negative impact on our faith but are open to hearing us, we do not have to distance ourselves from them. Perhaps one day, these nonbelievers who have no evil influence on us may come to believe in Jesus through us.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you determined to distance yourself from all the corruption of godless people? If it were difficult for you to avoid certain godless persons, what would you do?

2) Does your life need more progress in righteousness or spiritual knowledge? If any, what specific steps would you take?