Proverbs 11:5-9--The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 11:5-9
English Standard Version
​5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
    and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked walks into it instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

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These verses will contrast the way of righteousness (those who are blameless) with the path taken by the wicked.  The blameless man keeps his way straight, but the wicked man falls by his own wickedness.  We've talked about that in the past whether that is him falling into the traps that he has set for others, or those he makes friends with turn against him, or those he plots evil against fight back, or the LORD Himself destroys the wicked man to get justice for his victims.

The LORD delivers and saves the righteous.  I read this for so many years before I tied this together with the fact that none of us are righteous on our own accord.  We are all the wicked person in the book of Proverbs until God transforms us and clothes us in the righteousness of Christ through the blook of Jesus.  The wicked man (called treacherous here) will be a slave who is captive to his own evil lusts and desires.  While it is true that the righteous are slaves to Christ as well, there is freedom from sin in Christ, but the wicked is a slave to sin.

​There is no hope for the wicked man when he dies.  His judgment and condemnation are sure.  Not even his wealth will remain as it will be given to another that will waste it and not appreciate it.  His wealth cannot save Him from God's justice.  None of us will be able to bribe the LORD (He would not take our bribes anyways).  Justice and judgment will come.  The righteous are delivered by the LORD to eternal life and all the eternal riches that belong to Christ will also belong to us.  We will be co-heirs with Him and reign with Him.  There is nothing that can take that hope and certainty of salvation away from us, because it is based off of the righteousness of Christ, and not our own righteousness that we are found acceptable and rewarded.

​The LORD doesn't just save us from trouble for eternal life, but He saves us in the here-and-now too.  He even keeps us from walking into temptation.  The wicked man however runs towards evil.  Just think of the Lord's Prayer here, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (or the evil one)."  That is not just something future, but something in the here and now that we are supposed to be praying for.

The godless, wicked man uses his words to destroy his neighbor, but it is through knowledge and wisdom that the righteous are delivered (remember that both knowledge and wisdom belong to the LORD).  There is a hidden contrast there that the righteous man does not use his words to harm his neighbor, but to edify him.  "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, My Rock and my Redeemer."