The Heart of the Righteous Extends to All Things – (Proverbs 12:10)

Daily Bible Study
This verse is speaking of the heart of the righteous. Those who have been saved by grace, those whose hearts are now governed by the Holy Spirit. This verse illustrates that in the hierarchy of life, in the hierarchy of God, people are above animals and not the other way around. Only people have been created in the image of God. Animals are not equal to people and they are not placed before people in God's economy. However, the love and concern of the righteous is not only to extend to other people, but also to animals and nature, which are blessings from God. This passage is speaking about the heart of a person that has been made new by faith in Christ. Prior to salvation, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. But with our faith in Jesus, we received salvation and with that we were given a new spirit and our hearts were made alive to God. And with our new life comes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who changes us from the inside out.

And because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we now have a heart sensitive to those around is in need, sensitive to the things of nature, and most importantly sensitive to the will of God. We have to remember the Bible tells us that all of nature is passing away. However, because animals are part of God's creation, we have a responsibility to oversee and treat animals appropriately. We are in a sense God's guardians or custodians of nature. However, once again this passage is not about animals, rather it shows the comparison between the hearts of those in love with the Lord against those in love with the world. The heart of the wicked is evil, and because of their evil hearts, the wicked cannot even make the first step, which is to put others ahead of themselves. Therefore, the wicked have no ability to look past themselves to those around them, to God, nor toward the care of other living creatures in God's creation.