Destruction and Deliverance (Proverbs 11:9)
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Proverbs 11:9
With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
This right here is a picture of destruction and deliverance.
With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
If you can’t relate to at least the first half of this verse, I’d call you OUTCHO’ mind!
It’s so relatable, is it not? Haven’t we all had moments where we were so fueled by anger, and our frustrations reached a boiling point, that we started thinking of things to say to our opponent – be it a friend, a foe, a family member – that would just absolutely destroy them?
I’ve been there. I’ve said things in anger – not lies, but sharp truths meant to wound. And that’s the scary part. Sometimes it’s the truth, spoken without love, that does the most damage.
The point is, without the Spirit of Christ, we would all be destined to destroy each other with our words.
So what’s our deliverance from this? Well, I just told you. The Spirit of Christ.
“By knowledge the righteous are delivered.”
I love the way this is worded because it alludes to the importance of knowing God – of knowing Christ. Not just knowing about Him, but knowing Him personally – knowing His voice, His heart, His mercy. It is through our knowledge of Him, who He is, what He’s done, that we are delivered from destruction – not just the destruction that comes toward us, but the destruction we’re capable of causing.
Whenever I reflect on this verse, I’m led down two similar but distinct paths:
First, this verse gives me cause to reflect on my language, and where I’ve been tempted to destroy – or actually have destroyed – my neighbors with my words.
Second, it makes me ask: How am I being shaped by the knowledge of God? Am I just nodding along in church, or am I truly getting to know the God whose words never destroy in pride but always restore in love?
Hosea 4:6 says, “For lack of knowledge my people are destroyed…”
We are destroyed because we don’t really know who God is. We may know of Him, we may even go to church every once in a while, but do we really know Him? That’s the question.
Because if we did – if we truly knew the One who, when insulted, didn’t insult back… who spoke peace over enemies and forgiveness from the cross – then our words would start to sound different too. Not perfect. But different. Redeemed. Life-giving.
And that’s the good news of this Proverb. The destruction isn’t the end of the story. Jesus, the Word made flesh, speaks a better word – and if you know Him, that word can become yours too.
Let’s pray.
