A Mouth of Justice

(Pro 10:11 KJV) The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

The key word here is not “mouth” (6310), but “righteous” (6662).  Our understanding of what it means to be righteous can get us off on the wrong foot.  Too often we equate righteousness with following a set of rules.  There is nothing wrong with the rules.  After all, God is the one who gave us the Ten Commandments.  Jesus said He did not come to do away with the law.  Righteousness does not begin or end with a moral code.  But it certainly includes it.

The meaning of “righteous” (6662) that we often miss is the idea of justice.  As our culture does with so many good ideas, this one has been corrupted.  Justice does not have adjectives like “social”.  Those concepts are political tools to manipulate people and make the law a gimmick that has a different meaning for the in group than it does for the out group.  Biblical justice is based on the unchanging nature of God.  Justice is rooted in the standards He laid down, not in the position that will gain the most power for the group running things.

So?  When we speak we must speak in accord with God.  That is why we cannot lie.  That is why we cannot cheat.  We are to be different, as painful as that can be.