There Will Be Bowing… Proverb for the Day 14:19

Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous

While most proverbs talk about daily life — here and now — this wise saying focuses on what’s up ahead. While He’s not mentioned, this verse is just God’s reminder about how things will eventually be — when the dust all settles and the smoke all clears. 
In parallel phrases of Hebrew poetry, four regular characters of Proverbs are contrasted — “evildoers” and “the good” as well as “the wicked” and “the righteous.” There’s no great new insights here…just a couple reminders.

While the term “evildoers” focuses on the bad they do, the Hebrew word is more about who they are. Their thoughts and attitudes are morally corrupt — and their actions are just a natural follow-through of how they think.

This verse says, in the end, they “will bow down in the presence of the good.” That means, when the smoke all clears, “the good” are still standing tall and “evildoers will bow in their presence.”

While a synonymous term, “the wicked” is more focused on their legal guilt for violating God’s standards. Again, it starts with bad attitudes and thinking…which again leads to inappropriate actions.

“The wicked” will be bowing “at the gates of the righteous.” When the dust all settles, “the righteous” and their stuff (their “gates”) are still standing strong in the face of the now-bowing wicked.

Sometimes, bad people seem to get away with things and we wonder what we should do about it.

Probably the best thing we can do is just keep ourselves on that “good” and “righteous” path. Because, when that day comes, we’ll be among the last ones standing!