Forsaking vs Keeping

For Thursday, January 3, 2008
Proverbs 28:4

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law strive against them.

The heroes of the wicked are the wicked. Lawbreakers admire successful lawbreakers. They think their fellow transgressors are clever and brave. To them the wicked follow their passions, which is what gives real fulfillment in life. They are those who truly follow their heart. And they are realistic about life. They understand their fellow man, that he is not to be trusted, and that the fool deserves his treatment.

Lawkeepers do not merely disapprove of the wicked; they strive against them. They work to foil the efforts of the wicked to break the law. They recognize such transgressors for what they are - selfish to the point of being cruel, heartless, and reckless. They know that real fulfillment does not lie in trampling the weak and disrupting order. They know the difference between cleverness and ruthlessness, between bravery and defiance of the good. They also understand their fellow man, and so bind the wicked and protect the weak and the foolish.

Society tries to blurr the line between the two, but Scripture is clear. On which side do we stand? If on the side of the lawkeepers, take note that we are not merely to shake our heads at lawbreakers, but strive against them. We are to work for justice; we are to be our brothers' keepers. We are not to turn our gaze from the evil about us, but strive against it.