Proverbs 13:6-10
 
Prov 13:6 (KJB)
Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
 
Righteousness - Preserves or guards
Overthroweth - Perverts
 
Here we have the person who has become saved. The righteousness of Christ which is imputed to the believer has the ability to keep or guard the Christian from going astray, that is, to walk in sinful ways. (1 Pet 1:5 KJV) Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5 states that we are kept or preserved by the power of God. The indwelling Holy Spirit will make us sensitive to situations which can be detrimental to us. On the other hand, the sinner, that is the unsaved, will be perverted by the sin they walk in. Their life is steeped in the sinful way and it will result in them being overthrown on Judgment Day. A sinful life will never go on for a long time because the sin will eventually be exposed, whether here on earth or on Judgment Day. No one sins in secret. (Isa 29:15 KJV) Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
 
Prov 13:7 (KJB)
There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.
 
Here is a verse which teaches the difference between the prideful and the humble. The prideful person attempts to make people think they are something or have some great gifts but in reality these people are spiritually bankrupt. The unsaved are spiritually dead and even though they may project that they are some great spiritual leader or possess some great spiritual gift, in essence they have nothing. On the other hand, there is the humble Christian who may not have the world’s largest ministry or be the most verbal person and yet, even though they are meek or humble, they have great riches. Those riches are the salvation that they possess. They may seem poor in material goods and they may always seem to be last but in the eyes of God, they are no different than any other Christian as all stand on equal footing. The loud unbeliever may boast to be something, but because of the salvation given by God the humble person is something. Therein lies the difference.
 
Prov 13:8 (KJB)
The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.
 
Ransom - Redemption
Heareth - Listen, understand, or obey
 
Here is a comparison between the rich man and the poor man concerning physical wealth. A rich man will have the ability to get himself out of situations which the poor man lacks the resources to do. The rich can get the best health care and the best of everything this world has to offer but with wealth comes some snares. One of them is that there will be people who will try and get their wealth by sinister methods but the poor man does not hear those types of rebukes because he does not have the wealth the rich man has and therefore is not susceptible to those types of life threatening situations. There is also a spiritual application to this verse. The man who has riches are those who are redeemed. The riches in view would be the riches of the Gospel. (2 Cor 4:7 KJV) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Earthly riches cannot redeem anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ and the true Gospel can. Those who are poor lack the Gospel and therefore they cannot hear the rebukes of Judgment and that they must be saved so they will not face it.
 
Prov 13:9 (KJB)
The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
 
The light of the righteous shines like the sun because of them being saved. The light in them progresses outward and tends to bring light to whomever they speak to. It is the light of the Gospel which causes the righteous to rejoice because rejoicing is the outward expression of joy. (1 John 1:7 KJV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. On the other hand, the wicked do not have that light of the Gospel within themselves so they have to carry a lamp which is external. The only light they bring is an artificial light which soon will be extinguished as all the wicked will be judged and sentenced to hell but the light of the true believer will go on forever.
 
Prov 13:10 (KJB)
Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
 
Contention - Strife or debate
 
If the pride of man was removed from all debates or strife, there would be total peace on earth. The problem is that a person’s pride seems to dictate many situations and discussions. Those discussions always lead to strife among people because sinful pride, by both parties, will never allow themselves to be viewed as wrong in the sight of others. Pride is the basis for almost every sin imaginable. Pride dictates that a person will not get caught. Pride dictates that whatever a person says is the truth and everyone else is wrong. Pride is at the heart of contention but on the other hand, those who are well advised, that is, those who learn from many counselors will grow in wisdom. The more a person learns humbly, the greater in wisdom they grow. The more a person engages in contentions, the greater in pride they grow which only has detrimental effects on a person’s life.

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