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Delve Deeply and Expansively into God’s Word

Proverbs 12:3 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
³A man is not established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

A man is not established by wickedness: The Hebrew noun (adam) is rendered man, which is a general term for a person or collectively as a people. Established (כּוּן kun) here means that a man is not proven, secured, stabilized, sustained having no legitimate authority by way of wickedness, with a focus on the lack of durability or lastingness. Wickedness (רֶשַׁע resha) is a quality, state, or condition that does not conform to God’s standard of moral excellence that is wicked, bad, evil, or worthless.

but the root of the righteous will never be moved: Line two begins with a figurative expression, the root of the righteousness, which gives the reader a picture of a tree with very deep roots, meaning that the righteous one cannot be easily removed, he possesses durability or lastingness, secure, stable, and sustained. Will never be moved is literally “will not totter,” meaning the stability and durability of the righteous one with his deep roots in God’s word.

The good man cannot be unrighteous or unjust, of course. So, we need to be deeply rooted in God’s Word, which will bring about righteousness, making us pleasing in the eyes of God. In this life, many times the wicked seem to prosper. (Psalm 73) However, this is temporary and nothing more than slippery ground. Therefore, there is no reason to envy such ones. In contrast, the righteous one is stable, just as the deep roots of a tree. The roots of a tree, like the giant sequoia of California, are unseen, but they can cover several acres, giving it a solid anchor that can withstand a flood, high winds, and even severe earthquakes. Similar to those roots in the nourishing soil of the earth, the minds, and hearts of the righteous one need to delve deeply and expansively into God’s Word and draw from its life-giving waters. Our faith, like the sequoia of California, will become firmly rooted and strong, with our hope being sure and firm. Despite this, it must be remembered that even the great sequoia of California feels the effects of storms and earthquakes, so too we can feel the effects of a storm-like trial and at times, we may even tremble in the face of difficult times, but our deep and expansive roots will enable us to not totter.