Proverbs 12:3 ESV
No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+12%3A3&version=ESV]
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes man’s need for a strong foundation. In Matthew 7, for example, we read of the man who builds upon stone and the man who builds upon sand, and in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 we see again the necessity of righteousness to a good life, in this world and the world to come. The roots of the righteous, in other words, are steadfast.
Yet ‘wickedness’ often seems to be a good way to establish oneself. How many corporations, governments, scientists, and con-men have set themselves up for life with an act or pattern of wickedness?
The key word here is ‘life’. These men, at their most successful, set themselves up for life. Yes, they live cushy lives, have little trouble, and face the apparent hardship of a queen’s pet mouse. Despite this, and even setting aside the internal turmoil and despair their sin will assuredly bring upon them, their foundation is a passing phantom, and thus their happiness is likewise. They have, after all, build up treasures on earth, where “moth and rust destroy” (Matthew 6:19).
The foundation of the righteous, meanwhile, is a strong root of God and His love. They are “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3). God’s word and His character are a strong foundation, as this Proverbs assures us. We ought therefore to cling to this truth, both in our actions and in our thoughts, in order that we might not be moved.
God bless.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.