Proverbs 20:8 Commentary and Bible Study

The picture is of an ancient king with absolute power in his kingdom and ultimately responsible for all justice in his dominion. This king is just and righteous and is known to be so by all his citizens. He is not subject to bribes and shows no partiality towards any favourites; he always administers justice according to truth and loves justice in his heart so that all know that he is incorruptible. What the king decides is the rule of law in his land and it is of great importance to him that he understands the law and administers it without fear or favour. Beneath him are some less worthy people who would get away with evil if they could. Possibly they wish they had another king in place, for they do not dare to promote their schemes because they fear his punishment if they do. The king has enormous influence on the conduct of all his people. The eyes of the king scatter all evil because what the king sees, he knows about, and what he knows about he acts to regulate with justice. When the wicked or the subtle are considering doing some evil deed, the question they ask is, ‘Has the king seen this? Does he know about this?’, for they are afraid to proceed with any scheme that is known to the king since he will surely bring them to justice.This picture of justice in high places is a fitting representation of one of the most powerful bulwarks against corruption and deceiving influences. When a person places principles of truth and justice at the helm of their lives, they give assent for justice to forbid and punish everything that is inconsistent with its principles. The Christian must have the belt of truth around his waist and have on the breastplate of righteousness. He must be careful to follow conscience and so avoid making shipwreck of his faith. Conscience sees all that goes on in the heart for the heart is transparent to its gaze. The heart therefore knows that whatever it considers is going to be scrutinised and dares not bring forth a plan which will bring it into contention with conscience. Above conscience is the Lord, at its best the conscience is the heart’s interpretation of what God desires. Knowing the tastes of the Lord and knowing his infinite power to reward the good and to punish the evil, we proceed with care in the fear of God and regulate our conduct according to his tastes. If an idea enters our minds, we consider what his word says about it. His eyes reach everywhere and all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. The believer is conscious of his gaze and welcomes it, but the unbeliever hides from it and takes refuge in the darkness.