Proverbs 12:3-4

³No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. ⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Buy or Rent

Which one do you prefer: To buy a house or just rent one? According to experts, to buy a house or just rent has pros and cons. If you settle for extended time in one place, it is more favorable to buy a house, and then you sell your house when you decide to relocate somewhere else. But if you are transient and stay for few months or less in particular place, you may prefer to rent a house or room for short stay. Paper work of buying and selling house isn’t worth your time.

But still, if you are a business person and you’ve got sufficient funding for investment, you may stay long or short, buying a house is also an investment. How do you interpret what it advises in Ecclesiastes 11:2, ²Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

If you’re investor, you would prefer to venture in a peaceful city. Peace and prosperity go together. Do you agree? Do you take chances in chaotic city? Bad elements in the society may destroy properties. Or worse, they take money by force. If you have so much wealth but you worry about bad elements, you cannot sleep well; that is not very funny. So, what can we do about peace and order?

Always remember and have serious consideration what it admonished in Jeremiah 29:7, ⁷Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Peace and prosperity are inseparable twins that we should seriously pray for. Many young people leave the peaceful life in the countryside and try to find prosperity in the city. In comparison, concerned residents somewhere beyond the border are also leaving their prosperous city because they are worried that illegal activities may overrun them; they cannot peacefully sleep at night.

It’s very advisable to regularly pray for peace and prosperity where you are situated right now, if you wish to settle, and you want to establish your roots.

 1.  Established

³No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

This proverb may practically bring to mind springtime, when snowfall ends, and flowers, trees, grasses and weeds begin to sprout. Few weeks after the last snowfall, grasses and weeds will vigorously grow and compete to establish their presence. When you mow your lawn and cut the grass, you may want to uproot the weeds because you just don’t want them in your yard or lawn, right?

You’ll uproot weeds because you consider them as not good. In contrast, you plant fruit trees, veggies or flowers because you consider them as good.

Likewise, the Lord wants righteousness to be established. He won’t totally uproot wickedness at the moment, just yet. The complete removal of wickedness is reserved on Judgment Day. Let us reflect on the parable of wheat and weeds.

Christ Jesus told the parable of wheat and weeds in Matthew 13:24-30,

²⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The wheat pertains to believers of Christ, and the Lord himself helps us grow spiritually in godly righteousness. Just as he stated in the parable, the evil plants weeds where the Lord planted good seeds of righteousness. The weeds are the followers of darkness. The harvest time pertains to the Judgment Day when angels of God gather all the elements of darkness and throw them into the eternal lake of fire. Then the righteous believers who diligently obeyed the Lord will shine and radiate their new life in Christ in the kingdom of God forever.

It was also prophesied in Daniel 12:2-3: ² Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

God rewards us according to what we do. Agree? A seminary professor interpreted it that each believer will receive different wattage and brightness in heaven. Some believers will brightly shine like 100 watts light bulb while others will be blinking like Christmas light. Blinking lights are cute to watch at night but you would rather use bright light when you are doing something important, right?

Excellent job pays excellently well. Pay for not so excellent job is not good.

2.  Excellent

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

The literal translation of “noble character” is excellent, efficient, strength.

Excellent character includes efficiency and strength. The idea of strong, efficient, and excellent wife suggests a woman who actively participates and utilizes most of her ability or effort for good. In comparison, the translation “noble character” can be possibly interpreted as dignified, decent and modest personality of wife.

Modesty is admirable display of a woman “For your eyes to admire only!” It’s like a golden crown decorated with precious stones on the head of a king.

The term “crown” is commonly understood as symbol of royalty, wealth, and power. It can be interpreted that excellent wives with efficient strength are like crowns that would amplify the standing of their husbands in the society.

In contrast, “disgraceful wives are like decay in their bones.” Wives who cause embarrassment are like cancer that corrodes the bones of their husbands.

Vashti

The powerful king of Persia, Xerxes gave a banquet and displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom.  Nobles, officials, military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. Queen Vashti also gave banquet to the women of the officials. When King Xerxes was in high spirit from wine, he commanded his eunuchs to bring Queen Vashti to display her beauty to the nobles and dignified visitors. But Queen Vashti refused. King Xerxes was furious. He may have been embarrassed that the queen disobeyed him openly.

King Xerxes sought advice about the law. They advised in Esther 1:16-20, ¹⁶ “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. ¹⁷ For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ ¹⁸ This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.

¹⁹ “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. ²⁰ Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.”

The story narrated that after Queen Vashti was removed from her throne as queen of Persia. It was not very simple offense to embarrass the mighty powerful King Xerxes before dignified officials of the entire kingdom of Persia. The removal of Vashti as queen may have embarrassed her so much before the wives of dignified officials of the entire kingdom of Persia, her relatives included.

And of course, Esther was chosen as the next queen of Persia. Somehow, the Lord allowed the undesirable attitude and behavior of Queen Vashti, so that the excellent, efficient and noble character of Queen Esther would be magnified.

King Xerxes replaced the beautiful Queen Vashti. Likewise, the Lord of lords, the King of kings will remove and replace anyone who will not obey him.

Everyone has wickedness, but by the grace of God and empowerment of his Holy Spirit, we behave in godly righteousness and please God Almighty!

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