“The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but
the root of the righteous yields fruit.” ~ Proverbs 12:12 NKJV
By
Ryan Marks
Wicked men will desire the wealth that others have and they are even
willing to steal to get it. Their stealing may take the form of hidden fees, heavy
taxation, class-discriminated taxation, murder, fraud, pick pocketing, lawsuits,
and more because history has recorded that they do. Evil men have a record of
ranting and raving for wealth inside of themselves—indeed it consumes many of
them completely. Because the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1
Tim. 6:10), no wonder the thieves, the murders, and the false witnesses that
are among us often started out greedy for plunder not to murder, steal or lie.
On the other hand, there are the righteous. God keeps these people from
having to beg by providing for them from His own immeasurable riches, but this
is not so for the wicked. The righteous are righteous to their very roots (in
Jesus Christ’s righteousness). The roots of their lives bring forth the fruit
of their faithfulness over time: a loving, caring marriage; kindness and
compassion for the poor and hurting; wisdom; purity; fruitfulness from the
Lord; and a close, intimate relationship with the Lord. The righteous even affect
others to their very roots! It is here, at the roots, that the righteous man
plants his seed and fertilizes it by the divine grace contained in the
spiritual gift(s) that have been given to him by the Holy Spirit, into the
heart of another. The righteous man waters the roots of the lost whom he has
sown in with the life-giving water of Jesus’ Spirit, the Holy Spirit. It is
here that the righteous man rebukes, exhorts and teaches the wicked, he
fertilizes the wicked root with transforming nutrients from God’s Word. And it
is here that the righteous brings the Messiah, who is contained in himself, and
shines the SONLIGHT needed for the growth: the process of spiritual photosynthesis.
It is here at the roots that the righteous’ overflows his own reservoirs of sap,
the sap of the Holy Spirit that is in his veins; the water of the living Word
of God; and the light which is the Son of God living in Him!
And
what to say of the Salt that he is to the wicked? Perhaps it will taste bitter
to the wicked man at first, but with instruction and faithful administration it
can become the flavoring of his life! That is, if the wicked will accept it.
The righteous man stands firm when storms
arise because of his deep roots, but the wicked topples over: plundering
whatever he can from others and being destroyed, left hopeless and stranded in
the process of trying to obtain his greed’s fulfillment.
Remember
Proverbs 12:12 and be righteous by abiding in the vine of Christ (Jn. 15:5)!
Read Psalm 1.
