Proverbs (Part 145) - Pro 11:6

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6. Pro 11:6 – "The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness." A. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: i. Definitions a. Righteousness n. – Justice, uprightness, rectitude; conformity of life to the requirements of the divine or moral law; virtue, integrity. b. Upright adj. – III. fig. 8. a. Of persons: Adhering to or following correct moral principles; of unbending integrity or rectitude; morally just, honest, or honourable. c. Deliver v. – I. 1. trans. To set free, liberate, release, rescue, save. b. Now esp. To set free from restraint, imminent danger, annoyance, trouble, or evil generally. d. In other words, men who adhere to and follow the moral principles set forth in the scriptures, are of unbending integrity, are morally just and honest, and conform their lives to the requirements of God's law will save and liberate themselves from the traps, trouble, and punishments which will befall those who do not. ii. Examples of upright men being delivered by their righteousness. a. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from death in the fiery furnace because they were faithful to their God (Dan 3:28). b. Daniel and Mordecai were delivered from death because of their righteousness (see notes on Pro 11:5). iii. Those who fear God and keep His commandments will be delivered from self-destruction and punishment from God caused by sin (Pro 1:33). iv. Upright men who maintain their righteousness will be delivered from the calamity that befalls their nation (Eze 14:14, 20). v. Getting wisdom from the word of God will cause God's children to live righteously and will deliver them from evil men (Pro 2:10-15) and strange women (Pro 2:16-19). vi. Repenting, being baptized, and thereby being added to a local church will save children of God from being corrupted and destroyed by this evil generation (Act 2:37-42). vii. A preacher can save himself and his church from heresy, error, disunity, and trouble by taking heed to the doctrine of God and continuing in it (1Ti 4:16). B. but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. i. Definitions a. Transgressor n. – One who transgresses; a law-breaker; a sinner. b. Transgress v. – 1. a. trans. To go beyond the bounds or limits prescribed by (a law, command, etc.); to break, violate, infringe, contravene, trespass against. b. intr. To break a law or command; to trespass, offend, sin. c. Taken ppl. – pa. pple. of TAKE v. d. Take v. - II. To seize, grasp, capture, catch, and related senses. * in literal and physical sense. 2. trans. To lay hold upon, get into one's hands by force or artifice; to seize, capture, esp. in war; to make prisoner; hence, to get into one's power, to win by conquest (a fort, town, country). Also, to apprehend (a person charged with an offence), to arrest; to seize (property) by legal process, as by distraint, etc. b. To catch, capture (a wild beast, bird, fish, etc.); also of an animal, to seize or catch (prey). e. Naughtiness n. – 1. a. Wickedness, viciousness, depravity. f. In other words, men who are sinners who break God's laws will be caught in the trap of their own wickedness. ii. God will see to it that transgressors are taken in the net of their own sinful schemes (Psa 9:15-16). iii. They will be taken by their own iniquities (Pro 5:22). iv. God will render the evil of the wicked back on their own heads. v. The following are a couple of examples of this. a. Abimelech (Gideon's son) (i) Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon – Jdg 7:1) (Jdg 9:1), slew 70 of his brethren so that he could reign over the men of Shechem (Jdg 9:5-6). (ii) Abimelech was later fatally wounded in the head by a mill stone dropped by a woman from a tower he was attempting to set on fire (Jdg 9:50-53). (iii) He had his armourbearer kill him with a sword before he died so that it wouldn't be said that a woman had killed him (Jdg 9:54). (iv) God used that woman to render the wickedness of Abimelech upon his own head (Jdg 9:56-57). (v) Abimelech was a transgressor who was taken in his own naughtiness. b. Nabal (i) Nabal was churlish and evil in his doings (1Sa 25:3). 1. Churlish adj. – 1. Of or relating to a churl; of the rank or position of a churl; pertaining to churls, rustic, common, vulgar, mean. 2. Intentionally boorish or rude in behavior; hard, harsh, 'brutal', surly, ungracious. (cites 1Sa 25:3 in KJV for sense 2) 2. His name meant "fool" (1Sa 25:25). 3. He was such a son of Belial that he would not be spoken to (1Sa 25:17). 4. Belial n. – 1. The spirit of evil personified; used from early times as a name for the Devil or one of the fiends, and by Milton as the name of one of the fallen angels. (ii) When David was fleeing from Saul he sent men to Nabal to entreat him for help, to which Nabal responded roughly and refused to come to their aid (1Sa 25:10-11). (iii) David had treated Nabal well, but he in turn requited him evil for good (1Sa 25:21). (iv) The LORD returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head and killed him (1Sa 25:37-39). (v) Nabal was a transgressor who was taken in his own naughtiness. c. The Devil who orchestrated Christ's death was destroyed by it (Heb 2:14; Col 2:14-15). (i) Had Satan known that crucifying Christ was the means by which God would save His people and destroy the Devil, they would never have done it (1Co 2:8). (ii) Satan was a transgressor who was taken in his own naughtiness. d. Some other examples are: (i) The men who tried to have Daniel murdered (see comments on Pro 11:5). (ii) Haman who tried to have Mordecai murdered (see comments on Pro 11:5). vi. Mischief will come upon those who seek it (Pro 11:27).