The City Rejoices
Several years ago, Patti and I were in northern Brazil on a mission’s trip. It was just the two of us at a bus stop when a Brazilian came over to talk to me. He seemed agitated by something and wanted to tell me about it. The problem was I don’t speak Portuguese. I kept shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders to communicate I didn’t know what he was saying. Finally, he stopped and stared at me for a moment. I thought he had understood. But then he started over with the same speech only much louder. I guess he thought I had a hearing problem. In reality what I had was a language problem. Não entendo.
Perhaps we have a similar problem in the church today. For various reasons the church and her message seem less and less relevant to the average person in our culture. There’s no question the church has lost significant ground in America. Some would suggest we just need to keep saying the same thing repeatedly only louder. In other words, the culture has a hearing problem. But maybe it’s not a hearing problem. Maybe it’s a language problem. It’s not just about getting something said, it’s about getting something heard.
The Proverbs are helpful with this. The solution isn’t always more words. Sometimes we need more action. What does the Gospel of Jesus bring to the community in a language secular people can relate to? In a word, shalom. As we’ve talked about before, we all end up living in the culture we create. The wicked have been running the cultural show now for many years. Again, remember the wicked in Proverbs are those who selfishly advantage themselves at the expense of the community. When the wicked prevail flourishing is replaced by an individualistic, dog eat dog culture that eventually consumes itself. The wicked will fall by his own wickedness. The treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
Certainly, this is where we find ourselves today as a culture. Most people seem very aware that something is off, and we’re headed in the wrong direction. But what to do? More of the same will not fix it. Condemning it doesn’t change it. Proverbs says, the righteousness of the upright will deliver them. It’s time to show the culture a better way to live.
Our Proverb this week offers people a glimpse of what this might look like. Rather than just yelling louder, we need to demonstrate a better way to live. We need to give people glimpses of shalom. Our actions will give credibility to our message.
A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight. When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. We have talked about this before. When the wicked prevail, people lie and cheat. If the highest goal is to advantage myself, I’ll gladly disadvantage others to do it. This is why our culture is weighed down with endless regulations, policies, and guidelines.
A false balance refers to cheating someone in a business transaction. In the ancient world you put your coins on a scale to determine value. If the scale was rigged the merchant could cheat the customer. This is an abominationbecause it destroys shalom. There can be no flourishing when there is no honesty. That’s why God delights in a just weight. Fairness and honesty make shalom possible. Who likes being cheated? Who likes wondering if they’re being cheated? There would be no need for all the policies and regulations if the righteous prevailed. Why? The integrity of the upright will guide them. What a welcome change that would be.
Why do people steal and cheat and take advantage of others? Because they are selfish. They need to win. However, in the end they lose. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but the righteous delivers from death.In the end the wicked come up empty. It’s a life wasted. But the righteous, the Tzadik, leads the way out of slough of despair to the flourishing of all people. Who doesn’t want that?
So many people want a better way, but they don’t know how to get there. They desperately need someone to lead the way. The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
This is why the Proverbs states, when it all goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting. Deep down in the human soul there is a longing for a place of mutual flourishing. It’s a place where the rich and the poor, black and white, male and female all experience safety, security and true justice and equity. Not some artificial moment staged for the cameras but a place of true flourishing for all.
The wicked can never produce such a place. It will always be the law of the jungle when selfish ambition rules the day. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted. But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down. This is a constant message in the book of Proverbs. Think about it; 3,000 years later people are still the same. The wicked bring death and the righteous deliver.
So, what can you do? You can do your part to create true flourishing in whatever environment God has you. If you own a business, what would it look like for your employees to flourish? How should you treat your vendors and customers? What does honesty and integrity look like in your industry? What would flourishing look like in your school or neighborhood or family? What are the great needs in your city that need addressing? How can you help? What would happen if your church leaders sat down with the mayor or city council of your city to talk about how the church could help serve your city?
When life in these pockets gets better, that’s a language hurting people understand. Just yelling louder won’t work. They’re not listening. Pockets of shalom create platforms for sharing the life changing news of Jesus. We must all do our part. Remember, the righteous delivers from death.