Proverbs 10:9
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He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
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A consistent course of righteousness will keep a man confident, and he will not stumble in life. But rejecting instruction and wisdom, and choosing his own way, will lead a man to trouble and pain; and this perverse rebellion will be revealed to others.
The sister proverb declares, "Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once" (28:18). The slight variation in wording helps fill out the sense of the warning. The upright man will be safe from trouble in his life, but the perverse man will fall into trouble surely and quickly.
Our proverb adds that secret hypocrisy and hidden rebellion will be discovered and exposed to all good men. Zophar instructed Job about hypocrites by saying, "Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?" (Job 20:4-7). Judas and Ananias perverted the way of the Lord, and their judgments are well known.
A sincere and faithful man, who walks righteously before God and men, will be secure in his conscience, in the blessings of God, and in safety from trouble (28:1; Is 33:15-16). He is single minded with no fear of detection, for he has never practiced deceit or hypocrisy. He neither fears devils or wicked men, for Jesus Christ is his helper and heaven his home. He will not fear the future, for his heart and steps are fixed in God's word. He knows that God is with him, regardless of what men may think. He knows that difficulties for other men will not defeat or destroy him. He is confident and safe.
But the man who chooses sin and perverts the way of righteousness will fall at once, and all men will know his secret perversity. To disobey is truly to be perverse, for it is corruption of, and rebellion against, God's wisdom. Perversity is God's word for disobedience, and we should respect the seriousness of it (Job 33:27).
Sin has consequences, and the hypocrite cannot hide his wicked heart and private life for long. He shall fall at once, and all good men will see his perverse practices (26:24-26). Noble saints will even pray for this exposure (Ps 144:7-8,11). Though he thinks he has covered his sin well, the Lord sees every motive of his heart and every hidden act. If he makes it to the grave with his lying pretense in place, it will show up in his family and/or in the great Day of Judgment (Eccl 12:14; Luke 12:1-5).
Upright men will be commended, but perverse men will be despised (12:8). Upright men fear the Lord, but perverse men despise him (14:2). So it is better to be a poor upright man than to be a rich perverse man (28:6).
The man who walks with the Lord Jesus Christ is the surest of them all (Heb 13:5-6). He is content and confident, and the Lord will be with him when all men desert him (II Tim 4:16-18). Paul was not ashamed of his despised life, for he knew Whom he had believed (II Tim 1:12). Reader, are you walking surely with the Lord this day?
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