Editor’s note: Yesterday, we shared a devotion from 31 Days Through Proverbs by Proverbs 31 Ministries. You can read it here and then continue reading below.
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Today there are many popular TV shows, podcasts, movies, and novels featuring a “criminal mastermind” as the main character. The brilliant burglar who plans an untraceable heist, the conspirator who escapes an inescapable prison, the vigilante who avoids capture through evasive hijinks...
Sound familiar? While our world may encourage us to be entertained or even impressed by “getting away with” wrongdoing, Proverbs 28 reminds us that our response to evil reveals where our loyalties truly lie. As you read, notice how Solomon contrasts those who abandon God’s instruction with those who actively resist wrongdoing—and how true understanding of justice begins with seeking the Lord.
Read and Respond—Proverbs 28
1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.
3 A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.
4 Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.
5 Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.
6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse. A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.
10 Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
11 The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.
13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
16 A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.
17 Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.
18 The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are per- verse will fall into the pit.
19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
20 A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good—yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.
22 The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.
23 Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.
24 Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys.
25 The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.
26 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
27 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.
28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.
Throughout today’s reading, “the law,” or torah in Hebrew, refers to the rules for righteous living that God gave His people in the Old Testament. For quick reference, we can look to the Ten Commandments as an overarching summary. Write down as many commandments as you can from memory, and then read Exodus 20 for the rest.
When Proverbs 28:7 declares that “a discerning son heeds instruction,” the Ten Commandments is the law it’s referring to, connecting godly obedience and justice to wisdom.
Meanwhile, breaking God’s laws is connected to ignorance: “Evildoers do not understand what is right” (Proverbs 28:5).
We also see that while wisdom leads to thoughtful decision-making based on God’s Truth, disobedience dulls and distorts our minds such that “a person will do wrong for a piece of bread” (v. 21).
This may seem like a ridiculous exaggeration—seriously, a piece of bread? But let’s read Genesis 25:29–34. How and why did Esau decide to give his birthright to his brother, Jacob?
Next, read Genesis 3:1–13. What law did God give Adam and Eve? How and why did they break it?
Of course, the problem here isn’t the food. The problem is that sin fools us into believing the only things that matter in life are earthly things we can sink our teeth into right now—wealth, fame, pleasure, comfort, power—so we’re willing to do anything for just one bite.
But God’s law gives us an eternal perspective. Though sinners scheme and plot, the only real Mastermind in the universe is the One who created it, and He upholds justice for the good of those who love Him. For instance, Proverbs 28:8 assures that extortionists and embezzlers who line their pockets with stolen cash will someday be humiliated to realize that, all along, they were really making deposits into God’s heavenly account, and He will use it to provide for the poor. In the end, no one actually “gets away with” evil. In fact, what the wicked mean for evil, God will redeem and use for good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).
The cross is the ultimate example of this! “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:8–9).
To wrap up, let’s go back through this chapter and list all the verbs associated with both following God’s law and denying it. Include the verse number as you go:
How does this list help you to see how following God’s law helps you not only make better decisions but benefit from them as well?
Excerpted with permission from 31 Days Through Proverbs by Proverbs 31 Ministries, copyright Proverbs 31 Ministries, Inc.
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Your Turn
No one actually “gets away with” evil even if it seems like they do right now! What we choose to do and not do matters greatly. And, remember God gave us His laws for our benefit, not to restrict our freedom but to expand it as well as our joy! ~ Devotionals Daily