Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 11:21
by David Chadwick
"Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.”
Proverbs 11:21
“Be assured…” is how today’s proverb starts out. Let’s take a look at it together. “Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered” (Proverbs 11:21).
According to these words, we should be absolutely assured of the truths in this Scripture. So what is it of which we should be assured? That no evil person will go unpunished!
How many of you have ever been wrongly hurt by an evildoer? Betrayed by a close friend? Used by a boss for his or her own benefit? Abused by a spouse? Lied about? Slandered? And then seemingly gotten away with their evil acts?
Does any of this sound familiar? Of course!
We have all had people wrongly hurt us. It’s an unfortunate part of living in a broken world.
But according to God’s Word, no evil person will go unpunished. Every evil person who has ever lived must face the judgment seat of God. They will be judged for their wrongdoing and will face consequences. God’s judgment will be a perfect judgment.
Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Alexander the Coppersmith did the apostle Paul “great harm.” Paul simply said, “the Lord will repay him for his deeds” (2 Timothy 4:14).
What a powerful reminder for us all! We must leave vengeance to the Lord. Only he can and will judge all things perfectly. We can’t match his righteous ability to bring about justice in our sinful state. Our flawed human hearts, minds, and perspectives are always skewed.
Nonetheless, rest assured: God will judge all evil and wrongdoing.
In light of that, don’t be vengeful. Don’t become an evil person in your pain caused by evil people. Remember, bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. So, release your offenders. Forgive. Let God be God. And enjoy the rest of your life knowing he will ultimately bring about true justice.