One of the pleasures of reading Proverbs rests in its clear-minded wisdom. No hemming and hawing—truth laid bare.

This gem stood out to me recently: The righteous despise the unjust; the wicked despise the godly.

I read about fraudsters bilking the government out of millions of dollars and cannot help but detest their actions and feel contempt for their persons. On the other hand, those engaging in these illegal activities scorn anyone looking over their shoulder. They prefer to remain anonymous in the shadowy corridors of their criminal behavior.

Is it OK to despise the unjust? Solomon doesn’t give a moral judgement, he just says what’s true. My first reaction to get angry, which in Solomon’s mind is the expected response. Should we bring such actors to justice, and give them a chance to repent and repay? Absolutely. We can even forgive.

But one thing is certain. Those enjoying the fruits of their corrupt behaviors won’t rise up and call us blessed. They will claw and spit and litigate. Why? Because they despise laws put in place by good people. The wicked are why we have laws in the first place.

Do I deplore those who cheat the system and take advantage of the vulnerable? Certainly, as all fair-minded citizens should. These criminals steal from the society that sustains them and then voice their disrespect for anyone questioning their actions. As Solomon pointed out all those years ago, in the see-sawing of justice one feeling is mutual—both sides despise the other.

Proverbs 29:27

Photo by Artem Kniaz