"A good man obtaineth favor of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will He condemn."
Proverbs 12:2
“A good man obtaineth favor of the LORD.”
These are encouraging words. The “good man” may have the LORD’s favor, but who is a “good man?” When we read Romans, we would echo that statement!
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:10-11).
If every person is a sinner, who can be a “good person?” This will never be the outcome of a man without God’s intervention. Thankfully, God has interfered in man’s plans in a significant way. He sent His Son to us to teach us about our sinfulness, dying in our places, and our need for Jesus to be our Savior. He offers us salvation from sin and eternal, new life in Christ. This new relationship is when a person begins to be “good.”
There are several words in Proverbs that describe the character of the righteous and wise man.
“…such as upright (11:3, 11), blameless (11:5), a man of understanding (11:12), trustworthy (11:13), kind (11:17), generous (11:25), prudent (12:16, 23), truthful (v. 22). In verse 2 good is another characteristic” [1] (BKC).
Only God can make these permanent changes in our character.
“Obtaineth Favor”
“A good man obtaineth favor – First, it is God who makes him good; for every child of Adam is bad till the grace of God changes his heart. Secondly, while he walks in the path of obedience, he increases in goodness, and consequently in the favor of the Lord” [2] (Clarke).
“favor – The Hebrew word used here refers to what is pleasing or acceptable (Proverbs 10:32; 11:1). The person who seeks to do good is pleasing to Yahweh (11:27)” [3] (FSB).
We need to continually search and ask for God’s Wisdom (James 1:5).
“For whoso findeth me [wisdom] findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD” (Proverbs 8:35).
“But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.”
Evil men always have wicked plans in mind.
“Wicked Devices”
“A man of wicked intentions He will condemn: God sees the heart and sees wicked intentions before they result in action, and even if they never result in action” [4] (EWC).
“The man who covers selfish and vicious designs under a profession of religion or friendship will be condemned” [5] (Henry).
“But a person who is crafty (cf. 14:17) or deceptively shrewd not only is not favored by God; he is also condemned (“declared guilty”; cf. Exodus 22:9) by God” [6] (BKC).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let’s keep busy striving to live for Jesus, remembering God’s expectations for a “good man.”
Quote: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew).
[1] BKC, Sid S. Buzzell, “Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 930.
[2] ACC – Adam Clarke. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] FSB, John D. Barry, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Pr 12:2.
[4] EWC – David Guzik. Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[5] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Pr 12:2.
[6] BKC, ibid.