Consider this

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

CONSIDER THIS

Prov 21:12

12 The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

NIV

We are a little confused with this and all the other translations as we look at the original Hebrew in the interlinear text. There are words not included in the Hebrew text which have been added for supposed clarification such as “the” and “one”. It may be the word order carries that implication and we are going to have to defer to those who have spent a lifetime doing translations of Hebrew. Yet it seems strange to Capitalize Righteous One and have a footnote denoting it could be man instead of one. However a man could never bring the wicked to ruin. So then we are left with the Righteous One, who would have to be God. He takes note or as the Hebrew text says, wisely considers the place, the dungeon, the family, the court, house, the word carries a wide application, but nevertheless it would indicate God wisely considered where the wicked are in their relationship to him. He sees and ponders on their position in his creation, how they have walked their own path and where they are spiritually. This again shows us he has allowed them to make they own choice to be wicked. However there it a time coming they will indeed come to ruin. We all have the choice to determine our own destiny. The wicked may well fell they are doing their own thing, living for the pleasures of this world. They might seem to be making it big, being on top of the world, living the good life, having all the physical pleasures they can gather to themselves. But a day of reckoning is coming, the sheep and the goats will be gathered to the throne of God and those of us who have been labeled sheep, because we belong to the Good Shepherd, will be told to come enter into his rest. But the goats, those who rebuked Christ, who refused his offer, and went they own way, will be cast into the lake of burning sulfur to their ruin, perish, which is the second death. This should give us great reason to rejoice for we are counted among the righteous rather than the wicked because we are in Christ. But at the same time we should not have an attitude that the wicked are going to get what is due them. We should consider they still have time to come to Christ. God is patience wanting all to be save and that none should perish. This should give us a reason to get out of our comfort zone, our attitude of us four and no more, and speak up about Jesus, about the Good News, for their sake. How can we just go about being saved and living, working among so many who are lost without making some effort to bring them to the saving knowledge of Christ? Yes, it is the work of the Spirit to convict men of the sin. But how will they hear unless someone tells them? Conviction of sin is the first step, but then they must know what to do, having been convicted, besides feeling guilty. They must hear the good news their guilt has been overturned by Christ and they can be declared innocent. Let us walk in step with the Spirit so we can be aware of someone under the guilt of sin. Then we can show them the way to freedom.  This is something to consider.