Proverbs 18:5 – It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

Hello readers, back with a new blog today. Hope you’ve had a good week, it’s Sunday morning here, and we are in Spring. It’s always incredible the seasons, at some point it just changes and everything feels different. After months of cold and wet weather, now there is a warmth in the air. Everything has come to life seemingly, everything is flowering or about to flower, and I was thinking of how much every Spring we get a reminder in nature of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus said he is the resurrection, and only in Christ do we find resurrection spiritually and also practically as we live our lives.

I do a lot of pruning in my job and we have fruit trees at home as well, and I prune gnarly old looking trees, as every tree looks after a while. Yet when Spring comes suddenly the buds swell and pop and trees that looked harsh and unwelcome and uninviting and old and dead and inhospitable and bare are suddenly covered in delicate beautiful flowers. And after the flowers, the leaves pop out of everywhere and everything is different. The tree is transformed, suddenly bursting with life and full of fruit.

The resurrection is a pillar of the Christian faith. And you and I will need a resurrection in our lives both when we get saved, and during our lives as we go through tough seasons where everything seems to die. All had looked lost for the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. He was betrayed into the hands of the wicked, and there was nothing they could do about it. Here’s their hero and their dreams and ideas and hopes are shattered as he’s falsely accused, and tried, and crucified. It was above their capacity to solve. Just a few poor believers against the mighty machine of the Roman empire and the Jewish religious and political system. They saw what was happening and were helpless to intervene.

It really had never sunk in that all this was the whole point of Jesus Christ coming to earth. People often have a wrong handle on it all. Jesus wasn’t taken by surprise or unable to deliver himself, no he willingly laid down his life. If he didn’t want to die he wouldn’t have. He even chose when to die on the cross. And he rose from the dead. He took life in death. Only God can do that right. But imagine that joy when they saw the empty tomb, when Jesus appeared to them. So often evil just seems to win and keep winning, so often it’s just like sin and evil and wickedness is swallowing up anything that is holy, pure, right and good.

There is a season where it seems like Satan, this world and the flesh is winning and has won. But if you are in Christ, you will be the winner. Satan and sin’s season has an end. And Jesus rose from the dead victorious over sin, death, hell, Satan and this world. Jesus had said when he was arrested “but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Satan and this world got an hour, but we get forever. Hour of power or eternal glory? What will your story be? Sin only has pleasure for a season. There is a season where sin is fun and seems to pay off and there is great pleasure and delight and satisfaction in it. But that season will end, just like our winter of 2021 has just ended and is gone forever.

But on with the blog, I’m talking about another verse in Proverbs today, one I saw in recent months and I just thought of how right it is, but how applicable it is. Just read it for yourself, it’s one small verse. Maybe you’ve never realized what it’s actually saying and the truth of what God is saying. “It is not good to accept the person of the wicked”. This is a statement that is violated everywhere and just about everytime all over the world every day. I can think of many example in my own life where I’ve seen this verse played out, or even in my own life.

So often we judge and frame our judgments and assessments and what we believe to be true and right around someone’s person rather than what God has said, which is the truth. We judge according to people’s “persons” rather than righteous judgment based on what God has said. There are many wicked people who are accepted in families or societies, who are stars and heroes and role models and people of influence… even though they are wicked. People accept them because of their person, because of who they are.

How often this plays out in families. Because parents have a child, and their “person” is that they are “their child” be it son or daughter. So because it’s their son or daughter, they overlook or forgive or excuse or justify their wickedness. They’d never say this is wrong or rebuke that sin because it’s “their son”. Exactly what the Bible is saying not to do. Violation of this principle in scripture is rife and at the core of much wrongdoing and evil in our society and churches today. What right and wrong and how sin and issues of life are handled are undone and perverted because of accepting the “person” of the wicked.

How many parents or grandparents have changed their mind about homosexuality because they have a son or grandson who comes out. See, that is a despicable sin, but because it’s “their son”, it’s fine. They change their entire moral compass because of the person of the wicked. See, “my” son is “lovely” and he’s a “loving and gentle man”, never mind the fact he’s a sodomite who calls God a liar. Family is a big test, because when it’s your son or brother or mother or father or sister or daughter, often that really tests how much we will follow Jesus Christ and hold to and stand for what’s right. Often people really aren’t’ convinced of God’s word as truth in just about every area of life. How many parents will fight to the death to defend and excuse and justify their child’s wickedness because it’s “their child”.

When who someone is to you comes before God’s word, you are putting them above God. If God is the most High, and he is, you have just elevated someone above God. And the Bible says it is not good to do that. God must come first, because God’s word is the truth, and the truth is what makes us free. What we all need is truth. There are a bunch of people who need the truth to be helped, not to be pandered to and excused and justified and defended just because of who they are to you. Think of that tribe of Benjamin in Judges. They fought to the death and many good soldiers died all to defend a bunch of sodomites who raped and killed the Levite’s concubine. Imagine dying for worthless sons of Belial like they did.

The Bible shows us many examples of people who did and not did what that verse says. And look at this example in the life of John the Baptist. John the Baptist could’ve accepted the person of the wicked, but he did not. He did not accept Herod’s person in judgment. See, Herod’s person was that he was king of Judea. He was a somebody. He was high in society, he had power and influence and control. He was royalty and famous. That was his person. And because of who he was, nobody would’ve told him that what he did in taking his brother’s wife was wrong. That’s why he did it. The religious system never said what he had done was wrong. Where were all the Pharisees and scribes rebuking his sin? Oh that’s right, they didn’t rebuke him because of his person, because of who he was.

But along came John the Baptist. And Herod even liked listening to John the Baptist. But one day, John the Baptist said the wrong thing, he touched on Herod’s sin in his own life, and as we all know, that is a no no isn’t it. When preaching and truth gets direct and personal, that’s when we have a problem with the preacher. When personal conviction comes, that’s when it goes to enjoying listening to hey what are you saying you judgmental hateful bigot. See, people don’t mind talking vaguely about stuff, but when you start naming sin, that’s when you’re liable to get your head chopped off. Herod loved John the Baptist’s preaching until it affected his own sin and brought conviction to his own wickedness.

I think of famous sports people, we have many heroes in Australian society who because their person was a good sportsman, or because they are charismatic, and likeable, and funny, we accept their person. They’re heroes of our society. Despite the fact they are wicked. I can think of many people working in media, or politicians, or celebrities, all important people, they’re accepted and justified and adored by the public, yet they live in sin. Everything they do and stand for in life is against God, against righteousness, against truth. But we love them because of their person, because of who they are. The person takes precedence over the wickedness.

The thing is, God doesn’t violate this verse. He doesn’t accept the persons of the wicked. It doesn’t matter how great you are, it doesn’t matter “who you are”” if you don’t repent of your sins, if you don’t place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, you will be going to hell. Everyone in hell is related to someone. They’re someone’s father or mother or son or daughter. Everyone in hell did something, or had positive attributes, maybe they had great achievements, maybe they didn’t, but God didn’t accept their person. And he doesn’t accept our person either. Who you are doesn’t matter. Your status, your reputation, your character, your personality, your intentions, your person… it doesn’t matter. Wickedness will get you in hell. The Bible says God is angry with the wicked every day.

Does this make sense? It should. Because this is as common a violation of God’s word as any. We make judgments based on who they are and who they are to us. Because of who they are in society. Because you think they’re funny. Or because they’re nice. Because you have a soft spot for them. Because of their person we accept them, despite the fact they live in sin, curse God with their life, deny the truth, hate the light, walk in darkness… yet we accept them and look the other way and even excuse and defend them.

I often think the biggest problem in our society isn’t all the sodomites and so on, it’s the Christians violating this verse. Jesus had his biggest opposition from the religious crowd. So it is today. If all the Christians were right with God our society would be ok again. But it’s the Christians who have thrown out God’s word and who have no salt and light. They’re the problem. The amount of Christians who defend sodomy and every other sin because “they’re nice people” or “they love each other”. They defend and excuse and justify every form of wickedness based on the person of the wicked. “Hate the sin love the sinner” type stuff, yet it is sinners that are going to hell with their sin. See, it all sounds good, but just how Biblically correct is it actually. They’ve thrown out what God has said is right and wrong because they’ve accepted the persons of the wicked. They go by who you are, not by what God has said. Nowdays they don’t even care what God has said, and don’t even think God has said it anymore. They’ve got a Baal like God, because Baal couldn’t speak, and they’ve reduced their God down to a God that can’t communicate to his creation. Make sure your Lord isn’t actually just Baal while you think you’re serving God and feeling all religious and godly.

Notice how that is not the end of that Proverb, because what happens when you accept the persons of the wicked is that you then “overthrow the righteous in judgment.” Boom. See, because once you accept the person of the wicked, guess who you’ll have a problem with? The righteous. You know who you’ll be fighting against? True Christians. You’ll justify the wicked and you’ll condemn and find fault in Christians actually standing for truth. How often is that played out. Christians defend sodomites before they’ll defend true Christians. I’ve experienced a small splinterof this, but many have experienced a lot more. Look at the example in Jesus’ day… the Pharisees and scribes and rulers all accepted each other’s persons. Their society was based around who you are, your religious and political status… your person… and they overthrew the only righteous to exist in judgment. Look what they did. They were vehemently opposed to Jesus Christ who said and did what was right.

I was thinking yesterday, the only person in existence that nobody had a legitimate case against was Jesus Christ. And look how bad they went after him. Out of every person to have ever lived, only with Christ alone did you have no legitimate grievance or case against. You couldn’t say one thing he did wrong. There’s not one thing you could pin on him. It’s actually incredible when you think about it. So it wasn’t really that Jesus did anything wrong or was wrong, it’s they were after him because they were so wicked. They lived out this verse. They were so envious and jealous and mad and hated his guts because of what he preached. Because of the truth. As soon as you start accepting the wicked, you’ll start overthrowing the righteous. Once you start accepting the persons of the wicked, oh you don’t judge sin, you don’t call sin sin, the person you’ll be persecuting is someone that holds to what the Bible says. And it happens everywhere all the time.

Today, it’s the people who call sin sin who are the bad guys. At the core of this verse is hypocrisy, because it’s a verse on judging. We are all making judgments all the time. Just without God’s word we can’t make a good one, a right one, an equal one, a truthful one. And what an evil way of judging and evaluating and assessing people and situations to base it on their “person”. Imagine judging a situation not based on truth, but on who and what they are. That is perverting judgment. Just because Herod was a ruler and a big dude in society didn’t mean what he did was ok. Even David, he sinned with Bathsheba, just because of his person as the king, the Psalmist, the guy that defeated Goliath… that didn’t make his wickedness ok. Imagine if Nathan said hey David it’s ok. Look it’s bad for others to do that maybe, but with you, it’s not so bad. Because of who you are David. Look, if someone else was in your position they’d do the same. And you’ve been under incredible stresses David, you have to release that a bit. David people just need to understand you a bit more, you’re not to blame David.

The truth is that when you start accepting the persons of the wicked, you’ll be after the righteous who are actually standing for what’s right. Both things go together, just as this verse says. It’s an inescapable consequence of your perversion of what’s right. And so many Christians are the worst opponents of truth these days. Guess who the biggest battle is with these days? People calling themselves Christians who are more worldly than the world and more reprobate than the reprobate. Because they’re accepting someone’s person, they’ll persecute someone who doesn’t accept someone’s person and just calls out wickedness for what it is. See, as with any aspect of following Jesus Christ, it’s very revealing and convicting. Because someone’s righteousness will show up your unrighteousness. Why do you think Cain killed Abel? Abel didn’t wrong him. But he killed him because his obedience convicted Cain’s disobedience. If you stand for truth, your biggest opponents will be those who know the truth but aren’t standing for it because they’re compromising and compromised.

Stop accepting wickedness just because of who someone is, be it who they are to you, or who they are in society. Stop accepting wickedness just because of who it is. Sin is sin. Wickedness is wickedness. Light is still light. Truth is still truth. And God still hasn’t changed. Sodomy is still sin. Fornication is still sin. Adultery is still sin. Alcohol and smoking and drugs are still unclean and unholy and unhealthy and going to ruin your life. It doesn’t matter who you are. We are so loaded with situational ethics and morality and relative truths. Sin doesn’t need to be pandered to and understood better and explained away, it needs to be called what it is… sin.

Jesus called sin sin and that’s why they were crying out crucify him. Because he exposed their garbage. He also told them how to be saved from their sin, but they didn’t want that either, because they didn’t want to be told that they were sinners who needed saving in the first place. They had a problem with Christ not because there was a problem with Christ, but they were a bunch of lying hypocrites who perverted truth and righteousness constantly. We have a society jam packed full of people who pervert judgment and have a problem with someone who judges rightly. This verse is the wisdom of God not to do this, will we heed the Bible and stop accepting the person of the wicked and overthrowing the righteous in judgment?

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