Proverbs 2:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it,

NIV: For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

NASB: For the upright will live in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;

CSB: For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it;

NLT: For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.

KJV: For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

NKJV: For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;

Prior verses gave dire warnings about the consequences of sin, with the ultimate penalty being that of death. Verse 20 struck a note of hope, in that those who follow a better path can expect better results. Here, in verse 21, the tone shifts to something much more positive: the promise of a reward.

Human beings are hardwired to enjoy reward systems. Throughout Scripture God outlines various rewards that await us for being diligent in our service to Him. To the modern reader, a promise to "inhabit the land" does not seem to be much of a reward. Cultural context, however, is important. For the Israelites, the original readers of these words, the covenants God made with Abraham and David to give them the Promised Land were eternal promises (Genesis 12; 2 Samuel 7:16). Inhabiting God's Promised Land then becomes a significant reward to the one who will follow God. This reward indicated they were an heir to the promises of God.

This particular aspect of the blessing is later extended to Gentile believers when we are adopted into God's family (Galatians 3:17–29; 4:4–7). The significance of the promise to live in the land is reiterated by the author of Hebrews. Hebrews 3:12–19 explains just how significant of a promise this truly is.

Proverbs 2:16–22 focuses on the virtue philosophers such as Plato refer to as integrity, which is better labelled as temperance. This virtue is more than doing what is right even when no one is looking, which is how we often define integrity. Rather, it is also keeping ourselves from situations where we might be tempted to do wrong. In the modern sense, integrity is marked by what you do, while temperance is marked by using other virtues to avoid negative situations. For instance, Paul warns how being drunk leads to debauchery (Ephesians 5:18). A person exhibiting temperance might restrict or eliminate use of alcohol, thereby avoiding drunkenness and therefore, avoiding debauchery. This can be stated succinctly as a man mastering or controlling himself (James 3). This passage contrasts the outcome of not controlling oneself against the benefit of living with integrity.

In Proverbs chapter 2, Solomon highlights various virtues, as well as provides encouragement to live a virtuous life. As in chapter 1, specific concepts wil reoccur, and are used in certain ways. Here, these are ideas such as courage, integrity, wisdom, and justice. The gist of this passage is the positive effect that virtue—including these various aspects—will have on one's life. In contrast, those who pursue non-virtuous living will suffer dire consequences.

The overarching theme of Proverbs chapter 2 is the relationship between virtue and discernment. As described here, virtuous living is moral living. As a person strives to live a moral life, he or she develops a greater ability to discern right from wrong. Further, beyond simple matters of right and wrong, as virtue grows within a person, he or she becomes more proficient at discerning trickier situations. Real life predicaments often present two or more seemingly valid options. Discernment, then, also includes determining which of many different options is actually best. Likewise, many life situations appear to offer only a variety of bad options. There, discernment is once again required, to determine which option presents the correct choice, or to recognize where a ''good'' option has been hidden.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.