Uprooted
The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land. (Proverbs 10:29-30)
This proverb poses a difficult question. Read verse 29 again. How could the "way of the Lord" possibly be the ruin of anyone? Even someone who does evil? But that's the point. If someone continually sins, he is rebelling against God. If a person lives knowingly in a sin, yet puts on the outward trappings of a godly life, does the outward appearance help? Not at all. In fact, it may deceive others so that even that person's friends are unaware of the sin and do not call it to his attention.
The "land" mentioned in verse 30 is sometimes mistaken for the land of Israel. However, a similar statement is made in Job 18:17 where a non-Israelite (a "Shuhite" -- possibly from Midian) is talking about Job's land of Uz, probably corresponding to Edom or Moab, also outside Israel. What the writer here seems to be talking about is wherever our dwelling is on earth, but there is also an application we can make into eternal life. You and I have been declared by God to be righteous -- through faith in Jesus -- and thanks to God's grace, we will live forever in heaven, and we will never be uprooted.
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask God to forgive you for the times you have willingly rebelled against God and sinned. Ask for a rich measure of the Spirit to move you toward Godly living and the encouraging of others.