Proverbs 11:5 (Mini Sermon)

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1.      Pro 11:5 – “The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.”

1. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way:
   1. Definitions
      1. Righteousness n. – Justice, uprightness, rectitude; conformity of life to the requirements of the divine or moral law; virtue, integrity.
      2. Perfect adj. – B. Signification. General senses. 1. Thoroughly made, formed, done, performed, carried out, accomplished. Obs. 4. a. In the state of complete excellence; free from any flaw or imperfection of quality; faultless.
      3. Direct v. – 1. trans. To write (something) directly or specially to a person, or for his special perusal; to address. a. trans. To cause (a thing or person) to move or point straight to or towards a place; to aim (a missile); to make straight (a course or way) to any point; to turn (the eyes, attention, mind) straight to an object, (a person or thing) to an aim, purpose, etc.  b. To inform, instruct, or guide (a person), as to the way; to show (any one) the way.  5. a. trans. To regulate the course of; to guide, conduct, lead; to guide with advice, to advise.
      4. Way n. – III. Course of life or action, means, manner. 11. a. A path or course of life; the activities and fortunes of a person. pl. Habits of life, esp. with regard to moral conduct.
      5. In other words, men of integrity who wholly and completely conform their lives to the law of God will be guided and lead by it into good activities and conduct throughout the course of their lives.
   2. The righteous will have a desire for his ways to be directed to keep God’s word (Psa 119:5).

• The righteous will ponder his ways and turn his feet towards God’s testimonies (Psa 119:59).

1. When the righteous trust in the LORD and acknowledge Him in all their ways, the LORD will direct their paths (Pro 3:5-6).
2. Consider the following godly men whose righteousness directed their way.
   1. Daniel
      • Daniel’s enemies tried to find occasion against him and found neither error nor fault in him because he was faithful (Dan 6:4).
      • They then conspired to make him an offender by enacting a law they knew he would not keep because of his faithfulness to God’s law (Dan 6:5-9).
      • Daniel kept God’s law instead of the king’s law (Dan 6:10) and was cast into a lions’ den (Dan 6:16).
      • Daniel was saved from being killed by the lions because he believed in his God (Dan 6:21-23).
      • His righteousness directed his way straight through traps and tribulations to deliverance and honor.
      • His enemies, on the other hand, fell by their own wickedness (see below).
   2. Mordecai
      • When king Ahasuerus promoted Haman and set him above all the princes, he commanded that all the king’s servants should bow before Haman (Est 3:1-2).
      • Mordecai would not bow before Haman because he was a Jew, and the law of his God forbade it (Est 3:2-4).
      • This infuriated Haman who then made plans to hang Mordecai (Est 3:5 c/w Est 5:14).
      • Mordecai was delivered because of his righteousness and was set over the house of Haman (Est 8:1-2).
      • His righteousness directed his way straight through traps and snares to deliverance and honor.
      • His enemy, on the other hand, fell by his own wickedness (see below).
   3. but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
      1. Definitions
         1. Wicked adj. – 1. Bad in moral character, disposition, or conduct; inclined or addicted to wilful wrong-doing; practising or disposed to practise evil; morally depraved. (A term of wide application, but always of strong reprobation, implying a high degree of evil quality.)
         2. Fall v. – To descend freely (primarily by ‘weight’ or gravity): opposed to ‘rise’. 1. a. intr. To drop from a high or relatively high position.  c. fig. esp. with reference to descent from high estate, or from moral elevation.  e. fig. of calamity, disease, fear, sleep, vengeance, etc.  III. To lose the erect position (primarily with suddenness): opposed to ‘stand’. * To become suddenly prostrate. 19. a. intr. To be brought or come suddenly to the ground; also to fall prostrate, to the ground, etc. b. fig.; esp. in to fall to the ground: to come to nothing; to be discredited or futile. to fall flat.  22. In moral sense: To yield to temptation, to sin; esp. of a woman: To surrender her chastity.
         3. Wickedness n. – 1. The quality of being wicked; wicked character or disposition; depravity, iniquity, immorality.
         4. In other words, men of bad moral character and disposition will fall from their high estate, come to nothing, and be discredited due to their depravity and immorality.
      2. His own iniquities will take the wicked himself (Pro 5:22).
         1. God will bring upon the wicked their own iniquity and cut them off in their own wickedness (Psa 94:23).
         2. The wickedness of the wicked will be used to correct them (Jer 2:19).

• Consider the following wicked men whose wickedness caused their fall.
  1. Daniel’s persecutors
     • They conspired to kill Daniel (see above) and ended up getting eaten by the same lions that they planned to feed Daniel to (Dan 6:24).
     • They dug a pit and fell into it (Pro 26:27; Psa 141:10).
     • They received the judgment they pronounced upon Daniel (Mat 7:2; Deut 19:16-20).
  2. Haman
     • Haman conspired to hang Mordecai (see above) and ended up being hanged on the very gallows which he built to hang him on (Est 7:9-10).
     • He dug a pit and fell into it (Ecc 10:8; Psa 7:15-16).
  3. God sees to it that the wicked fall by their own wickedness (Psa 9:15-16).
  4. They will eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices (Pro 1:31).