Proverbs 12:7

Proverbs 12:7 "The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand."

This is the proverb that Solomon wrote to summarize his father's psalm, the thirty-seventh psalm. What Solomon wrote in fifteen words, David wrote in forty verses.  Both writings teach us that virtue doesn't prove its worth in one hour or in one day or even in one year.  Wickedness offers immediate payouts but righteousness provides long-term yields.  Wickedness is like gambling in that you can get something substantial out of it in the short-term but it always hurts you in the long-term.  You can get thousands of dollars for throwing a pair of dice or by pulling a lever but you'll lose many more thousands in the end because of the addiction that first payout creates.  On the other hand, righteousness is like investing in an annuity or in another long-term savings product.  You won't always see immediate returns but with patience and consistent contributions to that fund, there will be money waiting for you in retirement.

Through proverbs like this and especially through detailed passages like Psalm 37, the Bible consistently reminds us to trust the long-term value of virtue and not to get deceived by the short-term pleasures of sin.  Virtue is not a drug that provides immediate relief; it is a lifestyle that that leads to long-term vitality.  Virtue is not a lottery ticket that cashes out the next morning; it is a way of life that builds long-term security.  In this proverb, this wise son taught what his father taught - KEEP WATCHING!

TODAY, Washington, Albany and seemingly, all of our state capitals are full of corrupt politicians.  KEEP WATCHING because there is coming a day when they will be overthrown.  Wickedness doesn't provide long-lasting provision and protection.  Corruption, bribery and lies can only provide prosperity in the short-term.  Pride and arrogance have no stamina in that they can't give a person in the long-term what they give in the short-term.  News outlets make a living off of covering powerful wealthy people being stripped of their offices and thrown in jail after years of prosperity.

TODAY, Hollywood is full of arrogant, God-hating, sin-exalting actors.  KEEP WATCHING because there is a coming day when they will be overthrown.  Do a little research and you'll find that most of these actors and actresses who make millions by promoting fornication and substance abuse in their films often end in failed marriages, addictions and poverty.  Wickedness offers a quick start but knows it can't get you long-lasting pleasure. Like the speedy rabbit in Aesop's fable, wickedness quickly gets you out ahead of the rest of society with some early success.  But like the rabbit in the fable, it doesn't have the stamina or more importantly, the sense to give you any long-term success.  Righteousness, on the other hand, may appear severely deficient in providing any success in a wicked world, but like the tortoise in the fable, it wins in the end.
 
When it comes to virtue and vice, KEEP WATCHING!  Self-pleasing decisions provide immediate payouts but always put a hefty bill in a self-addressed envelope in the mail.  The pen of wickedness possesses ink that puts people boldly on the map but as that ink dries, it dries transparent and that powerful person is eventually nowhere to be found.  The ink in the pen of righteousness is not nearly as bold but it is permanent with no eraser or white-out strong enough to blot its recipient out.

This truth is so important because when we believe it, we welcome the virtue of patience into our souls.  When we believe the truth that righteousness' blessings are long-term, we will do RIGHT and just KEEP WATCHING.  We won't get frustrated if our marriage isn't fixed after loving our wives for one week straight.  We won't get disappointed if God doesn't answer our prayers after praying once.  We won't get discouraged if our mind isn't calm after reading our Bible for two days.  We won't get disenchanted if our grief doesn't go away after going to church for a few weeks.  Do right and just KEEP WATCHING.  If you're tempted to take the short-cut to pleasure and relief by forsaking virtue, just KEEP WATCHING.

The Bible has the advantage of seeing what we can't see - all of time, both the past and the future.  It tells us that wickedness comes across like a winner when it is a clear loser.  Doing right always wins in the end.  Hebrews 11:25 tells us that sin only offers pleasure for a season while Psalm 16:11 informs is that God offers pleasure for evermore.  This is best illustrated through the race between Lust and Love.  Lust is exciting and enjoyable as it gets off to a quick lead but in the end, "Charity never faileth."  Adultery provides a real thrill but rarely, if ever do the relationships founded in adultery survive.  Marriages founded in daily charity stand and they stand long after the physical passion fades.

In Psalm 37, Solomon's father KEPT WATCHING and he concluded this way, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not SEEN the RIGHTEOUS forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (verse 25). He went on to write in verses 34-37, "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the WICKED are cut off, thou shalt SEE it. I have SEEN the WICKED in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, LO, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and BEHOLD the upright: for the END of that man is peace."

Do right and just KEEP WATCHING.  It never pays long-term to do wrong.  Do right today with your employer.  Do right today with your government.  Do right today with your spouse.  Do right today with your child.  Do right today with your family member.  Do right today with your friend.  Do right today with your enemy.  Do right today with your neighbor.  Do right today with your God.  In the END, you'll be happy you did.