Bird's-eye view
This proverb sets before us the foundational principle of all genuine civics. It presents two paths for any city, any community, any nation: the path of exaltation and the path of ruin. There is no third way. The contrast is stark and absolute, as it so often is in Proverbs. A city's ultimate fate is not determined by its economic policy, its military strength, or its educational system, though all these things are affected. A city's fate is determined by the character of its citizens and, more pointedly, by the nature of the words that flow from that character. Righteousness, expressed through blessing, builds up. Wickedness, expressed through perverse speech, tears down. This is a spiritual law with unavoidable material consequences. It teaches us that theology is the most practical and public science of all, for the health of a city is a direct reflection of its relationship to the God of all truth and order.
We are shown here that words are not mere vibrations in the air. Words have architectural or demolitionary power. The speech of the upright is constructive; it is a blessing that lays stone upon stone, raising a city to a place of honor and stability. In stark contrast, the speech of the wicked is deconstructive; their mouth is a wrecking ball, bringing the walls and foundations crashing down. This proverb is a direct refutation of any political theory that imagines a society can be neutral. A society is either being blessed into a greater glory, or it is being cursed into rubble. The determining factor is the source of its public discourse: the hearts of the upright, or the mouths of the wicked.
Outline
- 1. The Two Destinies of a City (Prov 11:11)
- a. The Constructive Power of Righteousness (Prov 11:11a)
- b. The Destructive Power of Wickedness (Prov 11:11b)
Context In Proverbs
Proverbs 11 is a chapter full of contrasts that lay out the practical consequences of wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness. The chapter begins with the Lord's hatred of dishonest scales and His delight in a just weight (Prov 11:1), establishing from the outset that God's ethical standards have direct bearing on the marketplace and public life. The theme of public and civic consequences continues throughout. Righteousness delivers from death (11:4), the wicked fall by their own wickedness (11:5), and the city rejoices when the righteous prosper (11:10). Our verse, verse 11, is the direct logical extension of the previous one. When the righteous go well, the city celebrates; here, we learn that the blessing of the upright is the very mechanism that makes the city go well in the first place. It is a central plank in the Bible's political science, demonstrating that personal character and public speech are never private matters; they are the very foundation of civilization.
Key Issues
- The Civic Nature of Righteousness
- The Power of Public Discourse
- The Inevitability of Social Consequences
- The Antithesis Between Blessing and Cursing
- The Source of True Social Order
Words Build Worlds
In the beginning, God spoke and the universe came into being. He said, "Let there be light," and there was light. This is the ultimate foundation for understanding the power of words. As creatures made in the image of this speaking God, our words also have creative or destructive power. They are not neutral. They never are. Every word spoken is either aligning with God's creative and ordering Word, or it is aligning with the chaos and deconstruction of the serpent's lie. This proverb applies this profound theological reality to the realm of civics.
A city is not just a collection of bricks and mortar, asphalt and steel. A city is a community, a shared life, and that shared life is built and maintained by words. Oaths, laws, promises, testimonies, exhortations, songs, and stories are the invisible architecture of any society. When those words are rooted in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, they build a strong, stable, and exalted society. But when they are rooted in rebellion, envy, deceit, and perversion, they act as a solvent, dissolving the bonds of trust and mutual respect that any community needs to survive. This proverb tells us that what happens in the city council, the courtroom, the marketplace, and the dinner table is ultimately a reflection of what is happening in the pulpits and in the hearts of the people. The words spoken in public are either a blessing or a curse, and the city will rise or fall accordingly.
Verse by Verse Commentary
11a By the blessing of the upright a city is raised up...
The first clause shows us the positive side of the equation. The key terms are blessing, upright, and raised up. Let us take them in reverse order. The verb "raised up" or "exalted" means to be lifted high, to be set in a place of safety, honor, and prominence. This is what every sane person wants for his community. But how does this happen? It happens by the "blessing" of the upright. This is not talking about some magical incantation. A blessing is a word of favor, a pronouncement of good, an invocation of divine grace that also translates into practical wisdom and beneficial action. The upright are those who are straight, who conform to the standard of God's law. Because their hearts are aligned with God's reality, their words are also aligned with reality. When they speak, they bring order, justice, encouragement, and truth. Their business dealings are honest. Their counsel is wise. Their testimony is true. Their leadership is just. All of this speech, flowing from an upright heart, is a "blessing" to the civic body. It is the invisible force that causes the walls to rise, the commerce to flourish, and the people to live in peace and prosperity. True social progress is the fruit of righteousness.
11b But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
Here is the antithesis, the negative side of the ledger. The instrument of destruction is the mouth of the wicked. The result is that the city is "torn down," or overthrown. The wicked are those who are twisted, who have deviated from God's standard. Their hearts are corrupt, and so what proceeds from their mouth is necessarily corrupt. Jesus tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The mouth of the wicked is a fire hose of civic poison. It is the source of slander that destroys reputations and erodes trust. It is the source of lies in the courtroom that pervert justice. It is the source of flattery that leads rulers into folly. It is the source of godless ideologies taught in the universities that undermine the foundations of law and morality. It is the source of gossip that sets neighborhoods on fire. It is the source of perverse and blasphemous entertainment that corrupts the imagination of the young. These are not harmless peccadilloes. This kind of speech is a spiritual wrecking crew. It demolishes what the righteous have built. A society that gives the microphone to the wicked is a society that has decided to commit suicide.
Application
This proverb forces us to take our words, and the words of others, with the utmost seriousness. We live in an age that is drowning in the words of the wicked. Our airwaves, our internet, and our public squares are filled with the kind of speech that tears cities down: deceit, slander, folly, blasphemy, and endless grievance. As Christians, we are called to be the "upright" whose blessing raises the city up. This has several direct applications.
First, we must govern our own mouths. Our speech in public and in private must be a blessing. Does it build up? Is it truthful? Is it gracious? Or do we participate in the tearing-down through careless gossip, slander, and foolish talk? Our words contribute to the health or sickness of our community, starting with our own homes and churches.
Second, we must understand that the central blessing the upright can bring to a city is the proclamation of the gospel. The ultimate wicked speech was the lie of the serpent in the Garden, and the ultimate blessing is the truth of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the word that creates a new people, an upright people, out of the ruins of sin. When we preach the gospel, we are laying the only foundation upon which a truly exalted city can be built. A city is raised up by the blessing of the upright, and the ultimate upright one is Christ Himself. His blessing, the gift of His own righteousness, is what makes us upright.
Finally, we must not be naive about the nature of public life. We cannot build a good society with wicked words. We must not honor or elevate those whose mouths are instruments of destruction, no matter how clever or entertaining they may be. We must contend for a public square where truth is honored and lies are exposed, where righteousness is promoted and wickedness is shamed. This is not about being political in a partisan sense; it is about being faithful in a biblical sense. The city is either being built up or torn down, and our words are either the trowel or the hammer.