Qualities of nobility

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 17:1-29 

John 19:23-42 

Psalm 119:129-152 

Proverbs 16:12-13

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Proverbs 16:13 "Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he loves one who speaks honestly."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In our Verse for Today, Solomon is speaking about the ideal. He is presenting a best case scenario where a good king is on the throne. While a good king (or leader) values "righteous lips" and "one who speaks honestly," not every leader does.

For that matter, ordinary people often do not necessarily value those things either.

But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's define our terms.

"Righteous lips:" someone whose speech comes from a good heart informed by the Bible. They uphold the standard set forth in God's Word as the ideal to be attained. Their words often contain Scripture.

"one who speaks honestly:" someone whose words can be counted on. They will tell the truth even if that truth is undesirable.

So, the one commended by the king in this text is someone who has a moral standard that has been informed by Scripture. And when they speak, you know that they are accurately speaking to what is true, whether that truth is pleasant or distasteful.

Unfortunately, too many people who go by the name "Christian" aren't spending sufficient time in Scripture and so their talk isn't "righteous." In fact, the name of Jesus rarely crosses their lips from one week to the next.

Further, too many people who go by the name "Christian" aren't honest when they speak (they say what people want to hear) and they bristle when they are confronted with unpleasant truth by people who are honest with them.

That's the difference between a wise person and a fool...

Proverbs 9:8-9 "Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke the wise, and he will love you. Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more."

Those who are wise desire righteous lips and honesty even if those words reveal that they are out of conformity with what is right. They listen gladly so that they can make the necessary adjustments in their own life.

So, today, ask the Lord to empower you as you work to become a person with righteous lips and who speaks honestly. Further, encourage those around you to be like that. Going one step farther, if you are truly a wise person, you will encourage others to be honest with you when you are not demonstrating righteous lips (or a righteous life).

After all, if you are saved, you aren't just a common person. You are a child of the King. And as nobility, you need to act like it. And we need honest people with righteous lips to help us along.