April 13

Apr 13 - Today we look at Proverbs 13 verse 6
"Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner."

Integrity is a major theme throughout Proverbs because integrity is such a foundational character of wisdom. The root word for integrity is the Latin word integer. We learned about integers in primary arithmetic - it's a whole number. Integrity is moral wholeness. It is a personal commitment to be moral in every area of life rather than a fraction of one's life. If a person seeks to live according to nine of the ten commandments, they have no integrity. Why is integrity so closely associated with wisdom? Because the ten commandments reveal living the way God meant life to be. Wisdom seeks to live life the way God meant life to be. Jesus summed it up like this (paraphrase); "A person of integrity loves God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, and their neighbor as themselves."
"Righteousness guards the man of integrity." A person of integrity is a righteous person. Not perfect, but committed to the concept of being perfected. He does not live in willful disobedience in some area of his life. He may occasionally slip and fall into temptation, but his integrity guards him from being overthrown by the weakness of a moment. His integrity causes him to be quick to confess and repent, make necessary reparations if called for, and be quickly restored to his relationship with God - which is the way life was meant to be.
"Wickedness overthrows the sinner." Here we have the contrasting statement. In this case, a sinner is one who lives in some area of willful disobedience. One area is enough. The apostle Paul made this self-discovery when he was converted (Romans 7:7-11). He thought he was righteous, but the Holy Spirit revealed that he lived in violation of the tenth commandment. He was a covetous person. Apparently it was through this revelation that he realized he was a sinner. He was dead to God because he had no integrity. This, of course, leads to the glorious good news of the gospel in Romans chapter 8, that when we are dead in our sin, we are made alive through Christ. His precious blood restores integrity. Hallelujah!
But what about the unrepentant sinner? I am intrigued by the word overthrow in this passage. Do you see the picture? Two companions working side by side. One thinks he is in control when suddenly he tries to go in a different direction and he discovers he is no longer in control. The companion overthrew him and now has control. This is the unwavering reality of sin! It lets one think they're in control until they attempt to go in another direction. Then one discovers he does not possess the strength to be free. They may find relief for a season, but sin is embedded in the flesh, and it drags the victim back onto the path of destruction. Upon discovering his own sin, Paul writes in Romans 7:8, "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire." Discovering the strength of sin is not enough to help the victim break free. There is only one avenue of escape, and it is free to all that desire it. It is by confession and repentance, and calling on the Name of the Lord. Our strength is never enough. His strength is always more than sufficient. Every sinner can join the great apostle Paul and come to the place of declaration of victory;
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24)
Our righteousness is continually dependent on our ongoing relationship with Christ, and will serve to guard our integrity. To think we can court but one area of sin in our lives is a fatal error, for in every instance sin will become the master.