Proverbs 8.17-19
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.”
The life that God created, that scripture talks about, and that Jesus brings is not some kind of super-spiritual, mystical, other-worldly experience. It is life designed for living and working in the real world of cause-and-effect.
God designed us for life in the world he created. As I frequently remind everyone, God’s design for the life he gave to us is three-dimensional: moral, functional, and relational. These three dimensions are what it means to be made in God’s image, as these are attributes of God himself.
Each of the three dimensions are designed to operate a certain way, or what scripture calls the “right” way. This right way is called tsedek in Hebrew, which is most often translated “righteousness.”
The three dimensions are also designed to work together in an integrated way. Moral rightness should inform what you do functionally and relationally. Functionality is an integral part of the relational and moral. Relationships are an essential part of what you do morally and functionally.
Though it is almost exclusively used to describe moral standards, tsedek refers to God’s standards in all three dimensions. It is actually a serious theological mistake to limit tsedek (rightness) to the realm of morality, because it sends the wrong message that God has standards for the moral dimension of life, but not so much for the relational and functional dimensions.
But make no mistake. God is the Author and Designer of the tsedek/rightness of all three dimensions, and the wise person seeks to understand and align with God’s design in these three dimensions.
Note in verse 17 that Lady Wisdom says she loves those “who love me” and “seek me diligently.” In other words, the Lord blesses those who seek to understand and align their life with his moral, relational, and functional standards.
Proverbs here speaks of the wise person as being successful and “wealthy” not primarily because of some supernatural thing that God does, but because of the practical and productive things the wise person does. Under most circumstances, the people who follow the way of wisdom and honor God in all that they do will be successful.
The success and “wealth” referred to is a metaphor for the good things in life: a healthy marriage, happy family, effective government, peaceful society, productive business, fruitful church.
The message is clear and strong: Seek tsedek in all that you do. Understand God’s standards of rightness morally, functionally, and relationally … and align your life and work with those standards. And in your zeal for moral rightness, do not neglect the functional. With respect to the things you are responsible for, understand how they are designed to function, and get good at them.
Trust God and do the work.
