Jump Start # 2089

Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Our verse today is one of the many contrasts and comparisons found in Proverbs. Often, it’s the fool and the wise. Other times, like here, it’s the wicked and the righteous that are looked at side by side. The wicked flees. The wicked flees for no reason. No one is pursuing, but he’s running scared.

Why? It may be his conscience. He is wicked. He has done wrong. He fears getting caught. He is always on the run. He is always suspicious. He trusts no one. There is little rest and no peace for the wicked. Ruthless dictators have illustrated that. They distrust the very people they have chosen to surround them. So, one by one, he removes them. Many ancient kings, even in the Bible, assassinated and murdered their own family members, to prevent them from rising up and being rivals to the thrown. The 1930’s, when the FBI was just starting, many of the now famous bandits were gunned down as they fled from authorities. The life of the wicked is always on the run.

What a miserable life that is. Too often, using and abusing others to get what he wants and then having to flee when they have found out what has happened. The life on the run has do deep roots and no strong relationships. Some are this way with their jobs. They are always leaving one job for another. It’s not about career moves, money or opportunity, it’s because they have foolishly done wrong and they fear getting caught.

In contrast, there is the righteous. He does not fear. He does not flee. He is bold as a lion. There are few things if any that would make a lion run. His size, his presence as earned him the title, ‘the king of the jungle.’ The Wizard of Oz presented the cowardly lion. Those two expressions do not fit together. A lion is not cowardly. What the Oz lion was missing was “the nerve,” or, courage.

Bold as a lion in facing those who disagree. When truth is on your side there is nothing to fear. I’ve had people through the years present the idea of what if we are not right? What if when the world is over, we learn that there is no God? What if? Stand bold, Mr. Righteous. There is nothing to fear here nor flee from. There is too much proof, too much evidence, all around us for any other conclusion.

What if there are missing books of the Bible? What if we do not have the whole message? Stand bold, Mr. Righteous. Nothing to fear here. There is too much evidence and too much proof for any other answer.

Recently, I’ve heard some claiming that Jesus already came. They say He came in the year 70. Because of that there is no resurrection, no Heaven, we missed it all. I wonder why those that say that even worship, much less preach and take money from churches. But there’s nothing to fear here Mr. Righteous. Stand boldly like that lion. There is too much evidence and too much proof for any other conclusion that what the Bible plainly teaches.

Underling this contrast between the wicked and the righteous, between fleeing and standing bolding, is faith and courage. When one knows, one can stand. It’s the lack of faith that makes one weak and unsure. This is why the strong breeze of delusion is all it takes to get some off course. They read something in a book. They read a blog. They hear a friend boasting some stuff. Without strong faith, they begin to waver. They wonder. Could it be possible that they are right? And before you know it, they are fleeing. They leave what they once believed. They now dwell in the land of doubt.

The Ephesians were told to no longer be tossed here and there by the winds of false doctrine, by deceitful scheming, by craftiness of men. Stand firm. Grow up. Be mature in your faith. Those are the very things that gives us the courage like that lion.

When one knows truth, he knows what is right. He doesn’t have to know everything that is wrong to know what is right. He stands where God wants him to be. Courageous. Strong. Steadfast. Unmovable. Like a tree firmly planted with deep roots. The wicked is running here and there, always on the go, never accomplishing much of anything, but the righteous stays put. He stays with God. He knows. Nothing will move him.

He knows evolution isn’t true. He doesn’t have to be a scientist, he knows the word of God. He knows same-sex marriages are not right. He doesn’t have to swim in the cultural pool of ideology, what is fair, genetics and so forth. He knows the word of God. He stands, bold as a lion.

What is turning so many young people today to teachings that are not Biblical is a lack of strong faith. The very idea that “I am spiritual, but not religious,” comes from someone who lacks true understanding in God’s word. They will accept anything because it feels good, is different and is new. They are chasing the wind. They won’t stay with their new found insights for long. Soon, they will be off chasing something else. Always fleeing from the one thing that will give them meaning, purpose, and hope, the word of God.

So, we must continue to teach the word of God. Don’t back down from challenges, questions or those who want to throw darts at your faith. Hang in there. Stand your ground. Be bold. Be that lion. Remember Peter before the Jewish officials who ordered no more preaching in Jesus’ name. Peter preached. They recognized the boldness of Peter. He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t going to be pressured. Bold as the lion.

The wicked runs because they are not right. They have a lot of bark and a lot of volume but they lack proof, evidence and the support of God’s word.

We sing, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus.” There is nothing to be afraid of when you are standing with God.

Roger