Introduction
Before getting into the meaning of Proverbs 11:23, here’s different Bible translations:
King James Version
The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
American Standard Version
The desire of the righteous is only good; [But] the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
World English Bible version
The desire of the righteous is only good. The expectation of the wicked is wrath.
Proverbs 11:23 Meaning & Commentary
The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath. – Proverbs 11:23 (ESV)
The Bible declares that we are made righteous through Christ Jesus and faith in Him: Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if we are in Christ and walk according to His plans and purposes, we can expect our desires to end in good, or in other words, to be fulfilled. A desire is something that we hope for – The desired outcome or an expected result.
The Bible says that God wants to give us the desires of our hearts: Psalm 37:4 – Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. This is a promise with a condition. Firstly, we need to delight ourselves in The Lord. As we do this, He will grant us the desires of our hearts.
We see a similar promise in the New Testament: Matthew 6:33 – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Again, this verse is a promise to us as believers; however, it comes with a condition. The Bible says that God will add all the things that unbelievers seek after if we do one thing: seek first the kingdom of God. Seeking the kingdom of God first and His righteousness and delighting ourselves in The Lord are very similar.
They both speak of elevating God to first place in all areas of our lives. Why does the expectation of the wicked end in wrath? It is because their expectation and desired outcome are selfish in nature – There is no life outside of Christ.
Any desire that they have or anything they crave after will ultimately end in vain; even if there is a certain level of “success” achieved on earth. A time will come when everything that is not eternal will fade away, and it will just be their soul before The Lord: Luke 12:20 – But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
Application
How can we practically apply Proverb 11:23 to our lives?
The verse is both an encouragement and a challenge at the same time. It is an encouragement because we can be assured that as the righteousness of God, our desires should be met, and we should take comfort in that. It is a challenge because, throughout The Bible, we see a particular priority and order we are challenged to follow. There is a saying that if you want to be blessed in a particular area of your life, you must put God first in that area.
If you want to be blessed in your finances, you need to put Him first in your finances and follow his principles and guidelines. Or, if you want to be blessed in your marriage, you need to put Him first and obey His Word, guidelines, and principles there. This principle applies to every area of our lives. This is practically how we seek The Kingdom of God first.
We can pray, read The Bible, or even fast, but if we do not do The Word of God, we are deceiving ourselves: James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. This is why the power is not in only learning more about God or what He desires from us, but the power is in doing what The Bible commands us to do and obeying His Word.
The Kingdom of God is either all-in or not-in at all. There is no in-between life: Luke 9:62 -Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” The good news is that we need not fear because as we give ourselves entirely to God, we can eagerly expect our desires to be met!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for this Word, which was both encouraging and challenging. I know that you desire to grant me the desires of my heart but also require me to be all-in with every aspect of my life. Please show me any areas of my life where I am not fully surrendered to You. Please help me lay down every obstacle or hindrance to walking in all that you have for my life. I pray and ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!
