Proverbs 10:25

What will be left of your life and influence? If you live wickedly, God will wipe you out in this world and consign you to eternal torment in the next world. If you live a righteous life, God will bless you and your children now and give you eternal glory and riches with Him in heaven later. The lesson is easy – depart from evil (Pr 3:7; 13:19; 16:6; 16:17)!

Housing in Solomon’s time was tents or houses without foundations down into the ground. A hurricane or tornado could destroy and remove the structure entirely, so that it could not be found at all the next day; but a strongly built castle with foundations down deep into the ground or rock could withstand the blast of the wind and still be standing.

Entire cities of surface housing have been obliterated by wind and rain, yet many nations have buildings or foundations still standing after hundreds or thousands of years of weather. What made the difference? The latter had a secure foundation. A life built on the deep foundation of God’s word will survive this life and the great Day of Judgment.

All wicked persons will be torn to shreds and never seen again, like the passing of a noisy and violent tornado. In stark contrast, righteous persons build solid lives and leave a lasting legacy, and then they pass on to dwell forever in heaven. The wicked have come and gone for 6,000 years, and their arrivals and departures should not bother the righteous. Godly men and women should instead build lasting families with confidence.

Wickedness is a sure way to shorten your life and ruin your hope, but righteousness will extend your life and fulfill your desires. Trouble will certainly come and destroy the wicked, but the righteous are firmly established on a foundation that cannot be moved. This contrast between the wicked and righteous is one of Solomon’s main themes (Pr 10:6,9,16,24-25,27-30; 11:3,5-8,18-21,31; 12:2-3,7,13-14,21,26,28; 13:6,9,14-15,21-22,25; 14:11,14,19,32; 15:6,8-9,24,26; 20:7; 21:12,15-16,18,21; 22:12; 28:10,18; 29:6).

When you choose a wicked lifestyle, you set in motion God’s supernatural judgments against you and the combined effect of human punishment and high risk. This is a hopeless scenario, which only fools presume against. By choosing a godly lifestyle, you bring to bear God’s supernatural blessings, the favor of men, and the benefit of safety. There is no comparison between these two ways of living. What is your choice today?

Sodom rejected God’s sexual laws, but fire from heaven destroyed them all. Pharaoh abused God’s people Israel, but the Lord destroyed his land and drowned him in the Red Sea. Ahab rejected God’s prophets, so a chance arrow killed him in battle, dogs ate his wife, friends cut the heads off his 70 sons, and his daughter killed his grandsons-in-law. Judas chose to betray Jesus Christ, and in great grief he dashed his bowels across a field.

Alexander was named great and thought himself great, but he and his family were cut off and are no more. What happened to Cleopatra’s ambition and the nation she ruled? Can you find remains of Attila, Genghis Khan, King Tamerlane, or Sultan Suleyman? Where is the once-popular head of the third Reich? These men and most of their nations have disappeared from the earth or remain as mere caricatures of their former glory.

The righteous are also recorded in God’s word. Abraham was the perpetual foundation for the nation of God (Is 51:1-3). Phinehas had God’s promise of an everlasting priesthood for his zeal (Num 25:11-13). Jehonadab for his dedication would always have a man representing him before God (Jer 35:18-19). God built David an eternal legacy through his Son that sits on the throne of heaven at this hour (II Sam 7:11; Acts 2:29-36).

God’s favor is not limited to these few heroes of the faith. If you humbly walk before God and live righteously by the Bible’s standards, the King of kings will formally and publicly commend you to the entire universe (Matt 6:3-4; 25:31-46; I Tim 5:24-25; Heb 6:10). Furthermore, there are promises for your legacy as well through your children (Pr 11:21; 13:22; 20:7; Ps 25:13; 37:26; 102:28; 112:1-2; Jer 32:39; Acts 2:39).

If only God and wise men are considered, Charles Darwin and his hallucinations have passed away completely, but William Tyndale has provided a lasting legacy and foundation and is presently under the altar of God (Rev 6:9-11). Princess Diana has passed out of existence and left a monument to adultery and disgrace, while King James I gave the world a book bearing his name and blessed by God above all other books.

What will you do today to build a lasting influence and life that shall never be destroyed? Lay hold of truth, righteousness, and wisdom in the divine library called the Bible and bring your life to obey its terms. Humble yourself before the great God (Jas 4:8-10; I Pet 5:6) and follow Paul to obtain a crown in the Day of Judgment, when the wicked are destroyed and the righteous inherit a new heaven and earth (II Tim 4:8; II Pet 3:10-14).

Righteous men rejoice when the wicked are destroyed (Pr 11:10; Ps 58:1-11). Though the wicked are destroyed first by death, they shall be raised again to stand before God and be cast into hell. The righteous build their houses on the rock of divine wisdom lived and preached by Jesus Christ, and they will survive the storms of this life and that of the final judgment (Matt 7:24-27). He that doeth the will of God abideth forever (I John 2:15-17).