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Endeavoring to Live Upright Lives

Proverbs 3:31-32 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
³¹Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
³²for the devious man is an abomination to Jehovah,
but those who are upright are his confidence.

Do not envy a man of violence: The Hebrew verb envy (קָנָא qanah) means to be or become painfully desirous of what another has. Many persons who are prone to violence acquire goods or wealth that may lead others to be or become envious of their illegal fortune. The Hebrew noun violence (חָמָס chamas) refers to acts of aggression, fierce, cruel, violent, destructive, unlawful behavior, lacking moral restraint, especially involving physical contact. Psalm 37 warns us not to be “be not envious of wrongdoers!” The Psalmist King David said that God delivered him “from the man of violence.” – Psalm 18:48.

Do not choose any of his ways: Christians seek to avoid violent encounters. When they are faced with a threat of violence, they turn to flight when it is practical. Thus, they show that they are not trying to “repay no one evil for evil” or reform Satan’s fallen world and overcome every injustice but are waiting on God to express his wrath against the evildoers. – Romans 12:17, 19.

For the devious man is an abomination to Jehovah: The Hebrew verb devious (לוּז luz) refers to one who is insincere and deceitful, perverse, lost spiritually, misleading others from correct behavior, getting them off of the path to life. Abomination: (תּוֹעֵבָה toebah or תֹּעֵבָה toebah) It is a repulsion, abhorrence, that is, an object or person that is loathsome or repulsive. The sense of toebah is a detestable thing or person, which causes disgust in another person. Abomination: (שִׁקּוּץ shiqquts or שִׁקֻּץ shiqquts) It means abhorrence, an object to abhor, horror, monster, filth. The sense of shiqquts is detestable, implying that it can make a person unclean. – 2 Ki 23:13; Ez. 5:11; 11:21; Dan. 9:27; 11:31; Hos. 9:10.

But those who are upright are his confidence: Upright The Hebrew adjective upright (יָשָׁר yashar) refers to a person’s behavior that is in harmony with God’s principles or standards, the sense of honesty and integrity in relations as contrasted with the violent and devious man. The upright (יָשָׁר yashar) are God’s true believers, his holy ones, who are diligently seeking and searching to know, love, and obey God and to live righteously as one can within their human imperfection. – Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 5:12.