Day 137: February 26, 2026 – Psalms 36-39 and Proverbs 15-16

So this is where you read the famous phrase: pride comes before the fall. I do find that both psalms and proverbs are very black and white. You are either evil or you are good. You either pursue evil and then things will happen to you that are not very good, or you will pursue the good and your life will be somewhat smooth sailing. I know that there is a Scripture in Matthew where Jesus says that God allows the rain to fall both on the evil and the good, but for the most part Psalms and Proverbs is prescriptive: if you do this then God will respond in kind.

We do know that this is not necessarily the case. We do not experience in this life rewards for clean living or punishment for evil. We can safely say that those whose primary concern are finances and their lives reflect that in how they treat other people do not necessarily live a life that is tragic or terrible. The converse is true, those who dedicate their lives to justice and righteousness do not necessarily live lives which reflect wealth or blessings. I can tell you of a number of people I have in mind whom I would consider righteous and yet their lives look more like Job than they do Solomon. The black and white of Scripture is not played out in life, but I do believe that there is some real truth to be told in how we perceive life and how our lives are experienced in regards to these words. If we pursue evil do we really feel a peace that Christ can offer. I would argue no. The converse is also true.