Flourishing

DEVOTION
PROVERBS
FLOURISHING
Prov 12:12
12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.
NIV
I am not sure I agree with the exact interpretation of the scholars here. First I see the word “men” has been added for clarification and secondly the word for desire is also rendered as delighted. So I would have said that those who are morally wrong delight in the results of evil. Now I suppose it is the same thing in a sense because those who are morally wrong, those who God considers as wicked surely most what the rest of evil men obtain through their deeds. In either case I think it is a sad commentary on the human condition that refuses to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Whatever plunder they achieve in the world will pale in comparison to the plunder they will get at the judgment. The end result of their desires for that which is evil I dare not even imagine. But not so with those who are considered righteous. Now again I remind myself many people who are in the wicked category may be nice well-meaning people, with good intentions toward others, and doing many good deeds, but with a heart bend against God. Therefore he declares them wicked. I also know that those who he declares as righteous, like me, are not perfect human beings and we all still have elements of sin in our life. I know I do, not that I am proud of that fact, but it is a fact, and I would be deceiving myself to think otherwise. But I have accepted Jesus Christ in my life, and I know I am a changed person from who I was, and what the desire of my heart was and who I am now and the desire of my heart now. Do I make mistakes? Yep, no doubt, but I keep asking for more help from the Holy Spirit and keep seeking the forgiveness of God, and keep trying to do better. I think that is the big difference between the wicked and the righteous. I have to believe I have grown more as a person being rooted in the Word of God then I would have before God intervened in my life, In fact, I think I would be dead already and I would have encountered the plunder of being evil. But not now, I have been forgiven, I have been redeemed, I have been saved from that plunder and I can rest in the arms of my Lord. I will truly flourish.