Righeous Is As Righteous Does

(Proverbs 13:5 KJV) A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

Honesty is a constant companion of the “righteous” (6662). Again it strikes me how often words and themes are repeated in Proverbs. It would seem repetitious, but I think God understands we need to be constantly reminded. We see that with righteousness. You might know someone who always quotes the verse that says “there are none righteous, no not one.” They seem to ignore all the references that say we are to be righteous. It is not by our own strength, it is through grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ever fall back on “I’m just a sinner, saved by grace” as an excuse. Use that when you need to forgive someone else, but not to excuse your failures.

How can people say that a believer never “hates” (8130)? Like many words it depends on the context and the target. When hate is acceptable is when it is aimed at sinful activity. In Proverbs I can’t find any acceptable hatred toward people. The righteous only hate unrighteousness.

One form of unrighteousness is “lying" (falsehood NASB)” (8267). Falsehood has many forms and expressions. Those who sincerely desire to be righteous recognize and avoid all forms. We get very good at sophistry and rationalizations that make it possible to look pious without the ethical demands messing up our plans. Most of the time, if we will listen to the Spirit, we can avoid the compromises that our society demands. This attack on liars is another often repeated theme of Proverbs and the entire Bible.