Proverbs 2:10–22

"When wisdom enters into the heart," it shapes the spirit and mind, and forms the desires after itself. Then it lives in what is good, and finds this divine knowledge pleasant to the soul. So it becomes a discretion that preserves us from the evil around us and from the traps laid for us. It keeps watch over us, and discernment will watch you, "keep you," as one who watches and guards the path.

After all it is not a question of the head, but of the heart. Solomon himself in the Book of Proverbs lays much stress on the heart. "My son, give me your heart" (chap. 23:26). "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (chap. 4:23). "wisdom will come into your heart … discretion will watch over you" (chap. 2:10-11).

As to the study of truth or its investigation, it must be with the intention to obey, not to speculate. "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God." … "If you call out for insight [understanding that you lack it], and raise your voice for understanding [in earnest to have it], if you seek it like silver [with an estimate of its value], and search for it as for hidden treasures [willing to dig the whole field over rather than fail in your search], then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." It is the heart's estimate of the truth that stirs up diligence in pursuing it. It is this, not the mind's dry activity, that decides the rate and measure of progress in it.

The knowledge of wisdom must be sweet to the soul in this way, if it is to profit us. The mind may acquire it, yet the heart is what enjoys it… So we can well understand why "desire without knowledge is not good" — older translations read "that the soul be without knowledge is not good" — for the understanding must guide and govern the affections.

It is a wonderful day in the history of a soul when he begins to appreciate the thoughts of God, as we have it in Proverbs 2. He gives up the thoughts of men as vain, foolish and evil, and the soul drinks in the nectar of heavenly wisdom with great eagerness. The soul now lives on another level than the natural man, and a different order of things fills its attention.

Proverbs 2 gives us the result of a heart that submits to the words of wisdom and searches earnestly for it: the knowledge of the fear of Jehovah, and the knowledge of God Himself. Whoever applies himself to this will be kept. He will not only have no part with the wicked man, but will also be delivered from the deceitful woman — from corruption.

When wisdom enters into the heart and knowledge in its genuine, solid character is pleasant to the soul, the results are most valuable. "discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you" (vv. 10-11), for these become most powerful influences, both for defence and for taking the offensive.

Obedience to the Word is the only path to blessing. While one formal Scripture may not give the answer to a particular circumstance, the mind of the Lord is always learned through the heart and conscience, in submission to His Word (Prov. 2:10).

It is after all not a question of the head, but of the heart. Solomon himself in the Book of Proverbs lays much stress on the heart. "My son, give me your heart" (chapter 23:26). "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (chapter 4:23). "Wisdom will come into your heart … discretion will watch over you" (chapter 2:10-11).

It is a wonderful day in the history of a soul when he begins to appreciate the thoughts of God. We have it in Proverbs 2: "wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." The soul abandons the thoughts of men as vain, foolish and evil, and drinks in the nectar of heavenly wisdom with great eagerness.

We have several words used in connection with this: wisdom, a common Hebrew word, chokmah, meaning practised, experienced, skilful. … We have also beenah, meaning discernment; Proverbs 2:3. … And mezimah, Proverbs 2:11, discretion, being what we call up to things.

"Witty inventions" in Proverbs 8:12 is the same word as that translated "discretion" in Proverbs 1:4, Proverbs 2:11, and elsewhere. Fürst gives for Proverbs 8:12, "knowledge of intelligent counsels."

"When wisdom enters into the heart," when it shapes the spirit and mind in this way, and the desires are formed after it, so that it lives in what is good, and finds this divine knowledge pleasant to the soul, it becomes a discretion. That discretion preserves us from the evil around us and from the snares laid for us, and keeps watch over us. And discernment shall watch you, "keep you," as one who watches and keeps the path. What they are kept from is twofold here: the wickedness of men and corruption.

In Proverbs 2:10-22 we find warnings against "the evil man" (verse 12) and also "the strange woman" (verse 16). These clearly have a simple and literal meaning. It is just as clear that the two expressions personify evil in its two main features: violence on the one hand, and corruption on the other.

But the discretion that flows from wisdom guards just as well from "the strange woman" (v. 16) and her flattering words. In her, lust reigns, not love, and selfish passion, not true affection and tender regard.

So when wisdom enters into the heart, and knowledge in its genuine, solid character is pleasant to the soul, the results are most valuable. "Discretion will watch over you; understanding will guard you" (vv. 10-11). These become most powerful influences, both for defence and for taking the offensive.

"If you seek it like silver [with a proper estimate of its value], and search for it as for hidden treasures [willing to dig the whole field over rather than fail in your search], then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." … It is the heart's estimation of the truth that quickens diligence in pursuing it. This, and not the mind's dry activity, decides the rate and measure of progress in it.

How wonderful is the wisdom Jehovah gives the heart! It works no less on the negative or dark side than on the positive. This is especially so where the knowledge that goes with it is pleasant to the soul. Discretion and discernment follow, watchful against an evil world. Violence and greed are not the only dangers; there is also the way of evil through deceitful speech. Silence is not always golden. But "the tongue of the righteous is choice silver" (Prov. 10:20). Or, as the New Testament urges, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt." How powerful the soft and pure answer is! It turns away wrath, and it checks heat and pride and self-will.

It is dangerous to hear perverse things; it is wicked to speak them. How soon after this the paths of uprightness are forsaken to walk in the ways of darkness! Evil words allowed lead to a walk which God's light never shines on. How sad the descent into rejoicing to do evil — delighting in the perverseness, or the deceits, of evil! It is to glory in the worst shame.

"When wisdom enters into the heart," it shapes the spirit and mind, and it forms the desires. So the heart lives in what is good, and it finds this divine knowledge pleasant to the soul. Then wisdom becomes a discretion that preserves from the evil around us and the traps set for us. It keeps watch over us, and discernment will watch you, "keep you," as one who watches and guards the path. What they are kept from is twofold here: the wickedness of men, and corruption.

There is no question here of joining in violence to gain wealth. And what we need to be kept from is not the wrong that evil men do to us. It is the wisdom and sense of what is right, which the fear of God leads to, that keeps us from being drawn into the path of the wicked man. Wickedness is deceitful! We are apt to become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin... It is the way of the evil man from which the soul is kept here (v. 12). The servants of Jehovah are assumed to have a path of uprightness, at least to some degree. Natural conscience has such a path too. The evil man has left it.

The tide of evil runs in two broad channels: violence and corruption. They are first mentioned in Genesis 6:12-13. They are personified in "the evil man" and "the strange woman" of Proverbs 2:12, 16. The world is just the same today.

The way of evil itself may have many attractions. But there are also people "who leave the paths of uprightness" to choose the ways of darkness, so their influence adds to the attractions of the evil way (vv. 12-15). The believer is to stand firm against both of these temptations. He is fully able to do this if he simply receives the wisdom God offers to all men freely.

When wisdom enters the heart, and knowledge is genuine and solid and pleasant to the soul, the results are of great value. "Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you" (vv. 10-11). These become very powerful forces, both for defence and for going on the attack. They deliver you from "the way of evil" (v. 12), the broad way that deceives many, and also from "the man who speaks perverse things."

It is dangerous to hear perverse things; it is wicked to speak them. How soon after this the paths of uprightness are forsaken to walk in the ways of darkness! Evil words, once allowed, lead to a walk that God's light never shines on.

The fear of God gives wisdom and a sense of what is right, and that keeps us out of the path of the wicked man. Wickedness is deceitful! Sin deceives us, and we easily grow hardened by it… The servants of the LORD are meant to have a path of uprightness, at least to some degree, and so does natural conscience. The evil man has left it.

The wicked have their "path"… This picture is a familiar one: life is compared to a road. Living our lives is like walking a path. The path of the wicked is the way of life the wicked live, and it is to be avoided at all cost. As verse 19 shows, it leads into the darkness of night, where sooner or later a person is certain to stumble.

There is no light on this path. He was not walking in the light in which a man does not stumble. The conscience is never truly good there. It is not exactly a bad conscience, but a good conscience always stands in the presence of God… Here were passions ready to be trapped, with nothing to guard them. Here was a conscience that darkness suited better than light, a conscience not walking in the light. Here was a lazy will that was still somewhat ashamed of its own ways. This was not a path in the broad daylight of God.

The way of evil itself may have many attractions. But there are also people "who forsake the paths of uprightness" to choose the ways of darkness, so their influence adds to the pull of the evil way (vv. 12-15). The believer is to stand firmly against both temptations. He is well able to do it, if he simply receives the wisdom God offers freely to everyone.

It is dangerous to hear perverse things; it is wicked to speak them. How soon after this people leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness! Allowing evil words leads to a walk that God's light never reaches. How sad the descent into rejoicing to do evil — into delighting in the perverseness, or the deceits, of evil! It is to glory in the worst shame — how crooked in their paths and perverse in their course! Truly their judgment is just.

The way of evil itself may have many attractions. But there are also people "who leave the paths of uprightness" and choose the ways of darkness. Their influence adds to the attractions of the evil way (vv. 12-15). The believer is to stand firm against both of these temptations. He can fully do so if he simply receives the wisdom that God gives generously to everyone.

This is not about going out to join in violence to gain wealth. And what we need to be kept from is not the wrong that evil men do to us. It is the wisdom and sense of what is right, which the fear of God leads to, that keeps us from being led into the path of the wicked man. Wickedness is deceitful! We are apt to get hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We need to walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise… Here the soul is kept from the way of the evil man (v. 12). The servants of Jehovah are assumed to have a path of uprightness, to a certain degree; and natural conscience has one too. The evil man has left it.

A pagan writer could say, "I see and approve of what is better, but I follow the worse." And an apostle names the last degree of evil in such people: they not only practise things that deserve death, but take pleasure in (or agree with) those who do them (Rom. 1:32)… Ungodliness destroys the moral landmarks, just as it did among the Jews: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20).

The Old Testament gives us a similar passage in Proverbs 2:10-22. There we find warnings against "the evil man" (verse 12) and also "the strange woman" (verse 16). Clearly these words have a simple, literal meaning. It is just as clear that the two expressions stand for evil in its two main forms: violence on one side, and corruption on the other.

It is dangerous to hear perverse things; it is wicked to speak them. How soon after this people leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness! Evil words allowed lead to a walk which God's light never illuminates. How sad the descent into rejoicing to do evil — delighting in the deceits of evil! It is to glory in the worst shame. How crooked in their paths and perverse in their course! Truly their judgment is just.

The wisdom and sense of what is right, which the fear of God leads to, keeps us from being led into the path of the wicked man. Wickedness is deceitful! We are apt to get hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We need to walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise — wise about what is good... Here the soul is kept from the way of the evil man. The Lord's servants should have a path of uprightness, to a certain degree; natural conscience has one too. The evil man has left it.

We need to watch against more than unworthy tricks in business or a self-exalting spirit. We must watch against perverseness in our heart and ways. Christ could call Himself "the truth." He was absolutely what He also spoke. His ways and His words perfectly agreed... "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." A twisted path ends in ruin.

The path of Christ is narrow, but direct through this world to Himself in glory. God has always called His saints to walk with Him before their eyes. He now declares His will in this way, to honour the Son. So, "Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." For evil lies on both sides.

He is their shield and protects them in their walk. He watches over His own way. It is a way God Himself protects. When men walk in the fear of God, He is "guarding the paths of justice" and "watching over the way of His saints," for God's way and their way are the same... It may be a wilderness, in which there is no way, but we have God's way in it, marked by His own presence.

Mankind has become a crooked and perverted generation. We are to live in a way that shows the sharpest possible contrast. Only in this way will we be lights in the darkness of this world.

But the discretion that flows from wisdom guards just as well from "the strange woman" (v. 16) and her flattering words. With her, lust reigns, not love. Selfish passion rules, not true affection and tender regard. Debauchery is all you can expect from a woman who forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.

Verse 16 then warns against the seductions of an immoral woman. She uses flattery to gain her own ends. Here she proves unfaithful to her first husband (v. 17), and she will seduce any man who is willing. But where does her house and her paths lead? The end of such things is death.

That she was a "stranger" who sought familiarity is enough for any soul with the fear of God. Man is made in such a way that this should always signal danger. When woman was first made, there was no strangeness. She came out of the man, to be his wife, his counterpart. The danger is far greater now. In a fallen condition, "the strange woman" abandons the propriety of her sex. She appeals with flattering words to the vanity, the pride, or the lusts of man!

In this first description of her, flattery, foolishness and faithlessness are the marks she bears. A footnote suggests that the word translated "guide" can also be translated "familiar friend." … Her character shows three outstanding marks in this first reference to her. (1) A false representation: flattery marks her instead of truth. (2) Unfaithfulness to her Lord: she has forsaken her guide. (3) Astray from the truth: she has forgotten the covenant of her God. No one can hope to find the path of life in her company.

Accepting flattery is accepting falsehood, because flattery is deceit. It is not meant honestly, and it is not sober, real fact. Satan is highly skilled in such methods.

The discretion of wisdom preserves us from a second kind of evil: "the strange woman" (v. 16), the snares and attractions of corruption. These are the two forms of evil: wickedness, and even violence and wrong. That is, leaving the law and seeking to satisfy one's lusts by violence and corruption. … The ways of "the strange woman" are death. The language is stronger here than with the robbers before, or the wicked men just above. They are bad enough, but the way to "the strange woman" is the way of death. It corrupts and destroys heart as well as conscience. True affections disappear and turn into lusts.

Look carefully at all the places where this woman is described, and you will see that she is a fitting figure of what the New Testament calls "Mystery, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes" (Rev. 17:5). In these first seven chapters of Proverbs we are called on five times to consider this woman. Evidently she is a great danger to the sons of wisdom, and we need to take great care in case we fall victim to her flatteries.

"The strange woman" left both the principles we have seen. The first is the fear of God, according to the way He had revealed Himself. The second is the care that had authority over her earliest thoughts, and through that gave her a place in holy affections and subjection. The book assumes that everyone here has had dealings with God in a known relationship and has grown up in His ways — inside the covenant of God's people.

The book takes the first influences to be the healthy ones of father and mother, and the fear of Jehovah. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it," is its language. Every day we see the young growing up and moving out of the influences and shelter of the home of their youth. That is how the book looks at them here — and of the corrupt woman it says, "the guide of her youth."

A footnote suggests that the word translated "guide" can also be translated "familiar friend." … She has forsaken the guide of her youth — her familiar friend. The true Christ of God has long been displaced among her people, whatever her profession may be. Instead of walking in the light of His counsel, she is walking in the sight of her own eyes.

In Proverbs it is always "Jehovah"; only once is "Elohim" used (Prov. 25:2), and in Prov. 2:17, "Elohey-ha," her God.

We do not hear the glad news of grace in this book. There is no gospel call throughout. It speaks to people who are under the law and the covenant, though others may profit by it too. So in this book "Jehovah" appears again and again, while "Elohim" is rare and carries a special force where it does appear.

The discretion that flows from wisdom is just as effective to guard us from "the strange woman" and her flattering words. With her, lust reigns, not love. Selfish passion rules, not true affection and tender regard. Debauchery is all you could expect from a woman who forsakes the guide of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

The ways of "the strange woman" are death. The language here is stronger than it was about robbers or wicked men before. They are bad enough, but the way to "the strange woman" is the way of death. It corrupts, and destroys the heart as well as the conscience. True affections disappear and turn into lusts. It is self in its lowest and most absolute form.

Folly is the path that pleases the flesh, where a person gratifies and indulges the natural desires. It is the path of self-will and disobedience. The foolish woman is the personification of it. It is the corrupt religious system around us. In the past age it was corrupt Judaism; today it is corrupt Christianity. What Scripture says of the foolish woman is that she "forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God" (Prov. 2:17). It is not hard to recognise her today with such a clear description.

The first thing said of the professing church is that it has fallen. It had left its first love. It had become less eager to follow the Guide of its youth.

Proverbs 2 shows us what comes of a heart that submits to the words of wisdom and searches hard for it. The result is the knowledge of the fear of Jehovah, and the knowledge of God Himself. Whoever gives himself to this will be kept. He will have no part with the wicked man, and he will also be delivered from the deceitful woman — from corruption.

"Strange" is a word much used and important. All gods that are not Jehovah are strange gods; fire not from the altar was strange fire. It means what does not belong to us, what is not within the God-given relationship we are in… God made them male and female, "bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." That was the closest possible relationship, as belonging to him, and the expression of it was right. This was mere corrupt lust; the woman, a stranger to that divinely formed relationship. It spent the nature and the heart, and ended in death.

Corruption is as hateful to God as it is destructive to man. That is clearest when it takes the form of violating a holy relationship… So here it says that "her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed." Israel as a people had to prove this before the Christian world existed to follow the same deadly course. It is just as true of each person.

Of special interest are the repeated warnings against the "strange woman." The strange women the Spirit of God warned him about in his youth are the women of other nations, Gentiles… The Spirit of the Lord saw ahead to the sad end of the great and wise king. So He warned him against the strange woman, pictured as the prostitute who traps people and whose ways end in death. But he did not heed the heavenly wisdom that had instructed and warned him.

A woman like this is the special symbol of false religion, as Revelation 17:4-6 shows. The woman Babylon the great is "the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth." People are often deceived by their lust for pleasure; and religions that offer such enticements carry people away into evil that can engulf them in eternal remorse.

Wisdom from Jehovah is what gives a person the good sense to walk in the way of the good and to keep the paths of the righteous. So the faithful of old were led. But how much brighter is the light of life when we follow Him! God has made His ways and words on earth known to us as He has of no one else.

When wisdom enters the heart, it shapes the spirit and mind. It forms our desires after itself, so that a person lives in what is good and finds this divine knowledge pleasant to the soul. Wisdom then becomes a discretion that keeps us from the evil around us and from the traps laid for us. It keeps watch over us. What it keeps us from here is twofold: the wickedness of men, and corruption.

The discretion that flows from wisdom guards just as well against "the strange woman" and her flattering words. With her, lust rules, not love; selfish passion rules, not true affection and tender care. You can expect nothing but debauchery from a woman who abandons the guide of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.

Corruption is as hateful to God as it is destructive to man, above all when it breaks a holy relationship. See how Revelation speaks of Babylon and her counterpart, and how God deals with them. So here we are told that her house leans down to death, and her path to the dead. Israel as a people had to prove this before Christendom ever existed, and Christendom then followed the same fatal path. It is just as true of one person.

The evil is so captivating that verse 19 tells us, "none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life." Warned like this, we should refuse the very first pull toward such temptation. How much better to "walk in the ways of goodness and keep to the paths of righteousness."

We turn back first of all to consider the record of the "strange woman" who is mentioned more than once in the first seven chapters of this book. A careful look at all the places where this woman is described will show that she is a fitting figure of what we know in New Testament language as "Mystery, great Babylon, the mother of harlots" (Revelation 17:5). In these first seven chapters of Proverbs we are called five times to consider this woman. She seems to be a great danger to the sons of wisdom, and we need to take great care in case we fall victim to her flattery.

This first reference to her gives three outstanding marks of her character. (1) False representation: flattery marks her instead of truth. (2) Unfaithfulness to her Lord: she has forsaken her guide. (3) Astray from the truth: she has forgotten the covenant of her God. No one can hope to find the path of life in her company.

The snare of a prostitute is truly dangerous. She has lost all shame, and her schemes are subtle and varied. She "is a deep ditch," like "a strange woman in a narrow pit," and only God's mercy and power can lift anyone out of it.

So it is wisdom from Jehovah that secures the discretion to walk in the way of the good and to keep the paths of the righteous. This is how the faithful of old were led. But how much brighter is the light of life in following Him whose ways and words here below we know from God as we know no one else's! Still, before He shone in this world of darkness, Jehovah's word was a lamp to their feet and a light to their path.

The evil is so captivating that verse 19 tells us, "None who go to her return, nor do they regain the path of life." When we are warned like this, we should be sure to refuse the first pull to give in to such temptation. How much better to "walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous" (v. 20)!

He watches over His own way. God Himself protects it. He keeps and guards "the paths of judgment" when men walk in the fear of God. And "He preserves the way of his saints," for God's way and their way are the same. Moses said, "Show me now your way," and Jehovah was to go with him. This is a great blessing. It may be a wilderness, in which there is no way, but we have God's way in it, marked by His own presence. "When he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them." His word is, Follow me.

How are we to find such companions? How are we to test the heart? By their ways. And I find my companions as I walk myself in the path of righteousness, and faith, and love, and peace, to which I am called. Suppose I wanted to find the people travelling by a certain train to the next town. What could be simpler than getting on the train myself? Once we are on the road ourselves, we find the people who are on the road, and it is the only practical way. My own path stays distinct. That path governs who I walk with; my companions do not govern my path.

As the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, so the heart values the company and counsel of the wise, and walking with them supplies good lessons. But a companion of fools shows all too clearly where his heart is. He cannot escape the corruption of their evil talk, and without deliverance he will be destroyed.

The last verses of the second chapter show that it deals with God's government in this world. It assumes a relationship with God as Jehovah in Israel. It does not touch on a new nature.

In the thousand years of peace, the upright and blameless will remain in the land. The wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful uprooted from it. Believers in this present age of grace will have a far higher inheritance than the godly people on earth in that time. Our inheritance is heavenly. That gives us an even greater reason to live now in faith and godliness.

Proverbs 2 shows the result of a heart that submits to the words of wisdom and searches hard for it: the knowledge of the fear of Jehovah, and the knowledge of God Himself. God keeps the person who gives himself to this. He will have no part with the wicked man, and God will also deliver him from the deceitful woman — from corruption. The chapter declares the judgment of the earth and the prosperity of the righteous.

The positive character of uprightness should have for us an attraction that will lift us high above any tendency to waver. In the thousand years of peace (the millennium) the upright and blameless will remain in the land. The wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful uprooted from it.

Wisdom from Jehovah is what secures the discretion to walk in the way of the good and to keep the paths of the righteous... And the day is coming fast when every eye will see it: "the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it." What was clearly shown in the days of David and Solomon is only a witness to the full display of this truth in the coming kingdom.

Believers in this present time of grace will have a far higher inheritance than the godly people who live on earth during the millennium. Our inheritance is heavenly. That gives us an even greater incentive to live now in faith and godliness.

The Book of Proverbs refers to the government of God here below, on the principle that "whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). This is true of saint or sinner. Grace saves the vilest, but the government of God is over all.

God might bring an Israelite back to the land. But if he walked carelessly, he would have no claim on the promises made here. This principle is very important. It applies as much to the Christian as to the Jew, and to the saints of every age. To enjoy the blessings of any period, you must walk in line with what God has revealed of Himself at that time. It is always true that God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly.

Proverbs 2 shows us what comes of a heart that submits to the words of wisdom and searches hard for it: the knowledge of the fear of Jehovah, and the knowledge of God Himself. Whoever gives himself to this will be kept. He will have no part with the wicked man, and he will also be delivered from the deceitful woman — from corruption. The chapter declares the judgment of the earth and the prosperity of the righteous.

In Proverbs 2:10-22 we find warnings against "the evil man" (verse 12) and also "the strange woman" (verse 16). Obviously these have a simple and literal meaning. It is just as clear that the two expressions stand for evil in its two main features: violence on one side, and corruption on the other.

The day is coming fast when every eye will see that "the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it." People saw this clearly in the days of David and Solomon, but that was only a witness to the full display of this truth in the coming kingdom, when "the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it."

In the thousand years of peace the upright and blameless will remain in the land. The wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful uprooted from it. Believers of this present age of grace will have a far higher inheritance than the godly people living on earth in those thousand years. Our inheritance is heavenly. That gives us an even greater reason to live now in faith and godliness.

All that he quotes in this way is from the Old Testament, and refers, as the quotations themselves prove, to the removal of the wicked out of the earth simply, without indicating their after-condition.

Let us remember that this is the Old Testament side of the truth. We shall fall into great error if we take it as the whole truth. If "the future of the wicked is to be cut off," this does not mean that he has no future — that his portion is extinction. It means only that the earth will be freed from his presence, and so from the misery that presence causes. Even the Old Testament shows us Sheol, the place of the dead, which a person enters when he leaves the body. And the New Testament clearly reveals Gehenna, the place of the lost, on one side, and the paradise of God for the saved on the other.

The opening chapters set out moral wisdom in the fear of Jehovah as the true and sure safeguard. The world around is full of self-will, with its evils of violence and corruption. These chapters do not bring in redemption, and they do not bring in a new nature. What they bring in is duty — chiefly the Israelite's duty to submit to God's instruction. The result is a settled place in the land when the wicked perish out of it.