Read Leviticus 9, Isaiah 5, and Proverbs 10:1-16.
This devotional is about Proverbs 10:1-16, specifically verse 7.
Recently when we were on vacation, my family took a boat trip to an uninhabited island, where we spent some time on an uncrowded beach. It was a windy day, but the water was smooth and the boat ride was pleasant.
On the boat ride back from the island, the wind was at our back, so the ride was very pleasant, very smooth. Until suddenly, it wasn’t! The boat began to rock back and forth and continued to do that for several seconds. Why? Because a speedboat passed our boat going the other direction and our boat started rocking because of the wake left by the speedboat’s engine.
This could be thought of as a metaphor for how you and I interact with other people. When someone talks to you, buys from you, serves the Lord with you, or whatever, their life is affected by you, just like the wake of the speedboat affected our boat. In the water, the affects of a boat’s wake are temporary. The wake rocks your boat for a few seconds, and then calms down again.
And, this can be true with your interactions with others, too. If you don’t say or do anything unexpected, the wake left by your presence is minimal in another person’s life.
But unlike boating, a negative or positive thing you do or say can affect someone’s life for much longer than a wake affects another boat. Unkind words, violent threats or aggressive acts, dishonesty and other harmful things can disrupt another person’s life. Likewise, unexpected kindness—in words or actions—can change a person’s life for a long time, too, and maybe even permanently.
And, if you live with someone or near someone, or work with someone, or have any kind of long-term relationship, that person’s character will be revealed. You will see consistent acts of goodness or evil. You will hear over time whether the person’s words are honest and trustworthy or dishonest. More than a wake, which is temporary, you will form an impression of someone from repeated exposure that is positive or negative.
And, those who know you and interact with you will have the same experience with you. Your life will affect them in ways that are either mostly helpful or mostly harmful.
I think that’s what Solomon is saying here in Proverbs 10:7: “The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot.” A person’s “name” in the Old Testament stands for that person’s character, their personality, who they are. Other translations say, “The memory of the righteous…” but the same idea is communicated. When the wake of a righteous person hits the boat of your life, it is a consistently good thing. Over time, that person gains a reputation for righteousness.
A righteous person does what is right—consistently so. And, the wicked person is predictably sinful in how he acts and treats others. Each of them develops a name, a reputation, that stands for something. You are blessed by the goodness of the righteous person, so you think good thoughts and have fond memories when his name is spoken. The wicked person is just the opposite.
As Christians, we should do right because we want to please the Lord and reflect the holiness and righteousness of God in our lives. But “doing right” is not just a one-time act with a one-time consequence. It is a pattern of life that makes your life a blessing to others. Likewise, wickedness is a pattern, so the name of the wicked “rots” in the sense that it is forgotten, is buried, and decomposes with him when he dies.
What does your name stand for? Do people see God’s righteousness through you by the saving and sanctifying grace of God? Or do you leave damage and pain in your wake? Ask the Lord to change you so that your character leaves a legacy of goodness, righteousness, kindness, love, and truth. Then people will bless you when your name is spoken.