Dread or Desire
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 10:24
What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Proverbs speaks in terms of principles. It tells us how things generally work in life. So, in what I am about to write, I am, likewise, speaking in generalities.
One of the distinctions between unbelievers and believers is how they see eternity. The Christian man and woman look on eternity with hope (or at least they should). Even when they face death and grieve loss, “they grieve but not as those who have no hope.” Death, in their mind, has lost its sting. There is no victory for the grave because Jesus conquered death and the grave for them.
The Christian desires and longs for the coming of Christ, the fullness of the Kingdom of God, and the restoration of all things to God, for His glory, and our good. Because of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, all of these desires will be granted. That restoration you long for in the depths of your heart will be granted.
The wicked unbeliever doesn’t have desires as much as he has dreads. He dreads eternity. He dreads judgment. He might deny it, but in the depth of his heart, he dreads it. And what he dreads will come upon him.
There is, in this little proverb, things a comparison and a contrast. Both the wicked and the righteous have a future outlook. One dreads and one desires. They both get what they expect. The difference is one gets what he dreads and the other gets what he desires. Also, notice the way that getting is described. It “comes upon” the wicked like fire falling from heaven, but it is given to the righteous like a gift on Christmas morning.
Both get what they expect, but the wicked expect bad and the righteous expect good.
And here is some good news…You can go from the wicked camp to the righteous one by way of Jesus Christ. We live in a day of amnesty. Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Now, anyone who puts their faith in Him will be saved. They will go from dreading the coming of Christ to desiring the coming of Christ.
