THE ROOT OF THE RIGHTEOUS

“A man is not established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:3, 12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Twice in this chapter, Solomon uses the expression, “the root of the righteous.”  How are we to understand that?

THE DEFINITION OF THIS—Our righteousness is rooted in faith.

The righteous are those who are not merely self-righteous—proclaiming their own goodness in prideful religiosity that is not matched by reality. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were condemned for that.  Our Lord branded them hypocrites, and their hate for Him led them to reject the Lord of glory and demand His death.

The truly righteous are those so declared by God.  They possess the righteousness which is by faith.  That position of declared righteousness is the very righteousness of Jesus as He has paid for our sin by bearing it on the cross and provided us His righteousness as we have received Him. “For [God] made [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor.5:21).

It is more than a profession of righteousness, for when it is real, there is the practice of righteousness.  We are not saved because we do works of righteousness, but we do works of righteousness because we are saved.

Then there is THE DESIRABILITY OF THIS—Our root provides stability and productivity.

Stability comes when we our roots reach into the righteous standing of faith.   “A man is not established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.” (v.3). The wicked will be uprooted in the day of judgment, but the righteous will be rooted in the Garden of God. In this life we have the stability to stand when “the howling‬ storms of doubt and fear assail,” as the old hymn states.  We stand firmly on the promises of God.

Productivity arises from roots that draw from vital connection to Christ through faith.  “The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.” (v.12). The wicked are always lusting for more, while the righteous generate much fruit for the glory of God (John 15:8) and this fruit is the life of Christ reproduced by His Spirit.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal.5:22-23a).  We serve fruitfully in the power of God.

Are you a tree rooted in righteousness or a tumbleweed driven by the prevailing winds of the age?