Introduction
Before getting into the meaning of Proverbs 10:28, here’s different Bible translations:
King James Version
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
American Standard Version
The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
World English Bible version
The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish.
Proverbs 10:28 Meaning & Commentary
Let’s start by looking at the first part of this verse, which states that the hope of the righteous brings joy. When you hope for something, you anticipate that it will happen. For example, you may hope to be a millionaire one day. This is something that you anticipate and look forward to happening. You carry the “hope” in you that this thing you perceive or see happening in your future will manifest and come to pass. When it comes to pass and happens, then it brings great joy.
Now, as we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, The Bible tells us that as believers, hope does not disappoint us: Romans 5:4-5 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. So, the hope that we carry in our hearts when we are in Jesus Christ should never put us to shame but should be fulfilled, and what we hope for should come to pass and become a tree of life to us and in our lives: Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. So, a fulfilled desire (or hope) becomes a tree of life to us and brings great joy into our lives when that hope comes to pass.
The expectation of the wicked perishes or comes to nothing because their hope is amiss; they are not walking In Christ and are filled with their selfish desires. The wicked are caught up in their pursuits, with their expectations and desires will eventually fade away, and they will bear no lasting fruit: James 1:11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away amid his pursuits.
Application
How then can we practically apply Proverbs 10:28 to our lives?
The fundamental ideas of this verse are not so much about hope and expectation but more about being rooted and grounded in Christ and our walk with him. As we are rooted and grounded in him, we will find his desires become our desires, and hope will grow in our hearts as we put our trust and hope in Him. Then, as we see our desires and hopes being fulfilled, this becomes a tree of life that we can “eat” from and remember what God has done in our lives, as Proverbs 13:12 says.
We must then draw on these experiences as we go throughout life and actively call to mind what The Lord has done for us in the past and the hopes and desires we have seen fulfilled. As we do this, we grow in our confidence, hope, and trust in God himself and his ability to take us into his desire for our lives and see every hope and dream fulfilled in our lives. Look at Paul the Apostle’s view of God: 1 Timothy 1:12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
His view of God was shaped by the road that he had walked with God, what God has brought him through, and where he has brought him. He was convinced that God could fulfill what was entrusted to him. He had hope in his heart and full assurance and confidence that his hope and desire would be realized and brought to pass in his life because of God’s ability! As we put our hope and trust in God, we can be sure that he will cause His will to come to pass and have no fear that our expectations will perish and fall by the wayside!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you for those things I have hoped for and which you have already brought to pass. I pray and ask that your desires would become my desires. Thank you for the joy that I experience when my desires are fulfilled. I thank you that I can have full assurance that you will bring what you promised to pass in my life. Please help me always to keep my eyes focused on you. I ask this all in Jesus’ name. Amen!
