How’s your conscience?
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
I’ve always loved this verse.
Who doesn’t know the unease that can come from a guilty conscience? When you know you’ve done something wrong (or simply are afraid you might have), every look holds a threat. Every word is an accusation. You’re nervous, on edge, and waiting to hear what you did wrong.
In a word, guilt breeds fear. A prime example of this in the Bible is King Herod, known to history as Herod the Great. A master (and brutal) politician, Herod was greatly disturbed when travelers entered Jerusalem seeking one born “king of the Jews.” This was Herod’s title. He had his favorite wife and a son killed in order to maintain his title, his position, his power.
Now these Magi come seeking a baby, and Herod feels threatened. So threatened, in fact, that he has all the baby boys near the town of Bethlehem slaughtered. He was so wicked that he was afraid of an infant.
That’s a brutal example, but what false and damaging assumptions have you made when your conscience is disturbed? When have you lashed out in anger at a family member, made horrible assumptions about a friend, or been afraid to spend time around someone you would otherwise enjoy because your conscience is screaming that you need to get away?
Contrast
Now, think of a lion. Perhaps you think of a ferocious beast roaring to terrorize prey, or a challenger. Or maybe, like me, you think of a really big cat, laying in the sun. Either way, what you have is an animal fully confident. Rarely would someone think of a scared lion. This could be you. This should be you. The righteous, Proverbs 28:1 tells us, are as bold as a lion. They have nothing to fear.
This has a two-fold meaning for the Christian.
Of course we think of the words of David in Psalm 32:1-2,
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
To be forgiven by God, declared righteous because of Christ’s work, not your own, means that you can have confidence where it matters most: in the presence of The Almighty. You can come before God claiming the rights of a child (John 1:12).
But here in Proverbs, the direct meaning has a lot more to do with the practical freedom that comes from having a clean conscience. When you aren’t doing things that make you feel guilty, it’s a lot easier to be bold. If you owe no one anything except the love God commands (Romans 13:8), then you will not have to run scared because of the opinions of mere mortals. The righteous are as bold as a lion.
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