Day 33, Year 1

Righteousness or Crookedness

“All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.” (Proverbs 8:8 NASB)

In today’s verse, “my mouth” refers to “the mouth of wisdom.” The wisdom speaks, declaring her righteousness. “Righteousness” in Hebrew is tsedeq, which also means “justice, what is right or just,” including “justness of weights and measures, righteousness in government, righteous laws, the righteousness of God’s attribute, the resulting justification, deliverance, victory, prosperity, and righteous people who enjoy salvation.” The word for “crooked” here is the same Hebrew word, pathal, as “shrewd” in 2 Samuel 22:27, meaning “twisted” and also “wrestle” (Genesis 30:8). The word “perverse” is ‘iqqesh in Hebrew, and is the same in yesterday’s verse.

In the Old Testament, the heart of king Saul became crooked as he twisted God’s words and did not obey Him wholeheartedly. In the Bible, crookedness has a broader connotation, referring to everything out of God’s righteousness. As indicated previously, unfair trade, unjust governance, and unrighteous laws could all contribute to crookedness. This is why some Western societies, shaped by centuries of biblical teachings, are generally more fair and just. This sense of righteousness has to permeate many societal strata and people’s hearts so as to bring personal as well as societal transformations and be blessed by God.

One of the bases for human crookedness is knowing what is right but not doing so, or knowing what is wrong but still doing it. According to today’s verse, this indicates a lack of wisdom or one could say, an anti-wisdom attitude and behavior. Those who disregard right, correct, or even divine principles and do not follow them might often prioritize and deem other considerations more important, such as convenience, tradition, following trends, self-interest, or idolizing human authorities as gods. Crooked people who ignore divine and valuable principles are among those whom the Bible says can never be saved.

In many places, families serve as a breeding ground for unreasonable and perverse mindsets. Saul likely grew up in a perverse way and might even have inherited a tribal curse from his ancestors (cf. Judges 19-21). In contrast, David, who spent long periods away from home tending sheep before being inaugurated on the throne of Israel, seemed less influenced by negative family impacts. But believers who long and practice a righteous life, earnestly follow Jesus, and subsequently receive His blessings, are advised to examine the habits of our families of origin for anything that does not align with God’s words. With God’s and other believers’ help, we are on an easier way to break away from detrimental mindsets, irrational beliefs, and crooked practices that do not align with His righteousness such that we can walk in His path of victory with certainty.

Reflection questions:

1) When facing social injustice, are you more often the passively affected party or someone working to promote social changes? Why?

2) Are you aware of any irrationality or unreasonableness within your family of origin? Have you broken away from them and corrected them according to God’s words?