Proverbs 13:9-13
‘The lamp of the wicked, shall be put out…. But with the well-advised, is Wisdom!… Whosoever despises the Word, shall be destroyed; but he who fears the Commandment, shall be rewarded. The Law of the wise is a Fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death…. He who walks with the wise, shall be wise; but a companion of fools, shall be destroyed! (For) evil keeps on pursuing sinners. But to the righteous, good shall be repaid!’ Proverbs 13:9-21.
‘The lamp of the wicked, shall be put out — but with the well-advised, is Wisdom.’ Only those who have received the good advice to embrace Wisdom alias God’s Eternal Son and Word, shall not be extinguished like the lamp of the wicked. For ‘whosoever despises the Word, shall be destroyed. But he who fears the Commandment, shall be rewarded.’
Calvin says in his Institutes III:18:1: “Let us now proceed to those passages which affirm that God will render to every one according to his deeds…, the passages which describe eternal life as the reward of works…. ‘He that fears the Commandment, shall be rewarded!’ (Proverbs 13:13)….
“Though it is by mercy alone that God admits His people to life — yet, as He leads them into possession of it by the course of good works so that He may complete His work in them in the order which He has destined — it is not strange that they are said to be crowned according to their works, since by these doubtless they are prepared for receiving the crown of immortality…. The moment they are admitted to fellowship with Christ by the knowledge of the Gospel and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, their eternal life is begun — and then, He Who has begun a good work in them, ‘will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6)!”
‘The Law of the wise is a Fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.’ It is by graciously keeping God’s Law, that believers more and more drink from the Fountain of life. And that enables them to depart from the snares of death which entrap law-breaking unbelievers.
‘He who walks with the wise, shall be wise.’ He who associates with those who have become wise through meeting God’s Wisdom and Son and Word, shall themselves become wise by themselves becoming more and more associated with that Wisdom.
On the other hand, ‘a companion of fools, shall be destroyed!’ He who keeps associating with fools who keep on rejecting God’s Wisdom and Son and Word, shall themselves be destroyed. For they all unwisely keep plodding on in their unwisdom, till their miserable deaths!
For ‘evil keeps on pursuing sinners. But to the righteous, good shall be repaid!’ Evil keeps on pursuing those who keep on sinning, till they die in their sins. But to the righteous who keep on doing good, their good shall be repayed a thousand times both here and now and especially in the better life yet to come!
For the light of the righteous keeps on rejoicing — unto reward! And yours?
