What does Proverbs 11:23 teach about the consequences of "wicked" expectations?

Verse Text

“The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.” — Proverbs 11:23

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Key Words in Focus

• Desire / expectation: inner longing that drives action

• Righteous / wicked: those aligned with God vs. those opposed to Him

• Wrath: just, divine anger expressed in judgment

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Contrast Painted

• Righteous: hope tethered to God’s ways → inevitable good

• Wicked: confidence rooted in self and sin → inevitable wrath

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Consequences of Wicked Expectations

• Invites God’s judgment, not His favor (Romans 2:8–9)

• Produces turmoil even before judgment falls—restlessness, fear, and hard hearts (Isaiah 57:20–21)

• Leads to deeds that multiply guilt, hastening consequences (Galatians 6:7–8)

• Ends in eternal separation if unrepented (Matthew 25:46)

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How Scripture Echoes the Pattern

• Job 4:8 — “Those who plow iniquity… reap the same.”

• Psalm 7:15–16 — Evil plans boomerang on their authors.

• Jeremiah 17:13 — “Those who turn away… will be written in the earth.”

• Hosea 8:7 — “Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.”

• Romans 6:23 — “The wages of sin is death.”

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Implications for Today

• Expectations reveal allegiance: hoping in sin is hoping for wrath.

• Unchecked sinful ambitions store up judgment now and later.

• God’s warnings are acts of mercy, urging a shift from wicked expectation to righteous desire.

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Practical Takeaways

• Examine hopes: are they anchored in God’s will or self-centered schemes?

• Replace sinful ambitions with desires shaped by Scripture (Psalm 37:4).

• Trust Christ, whose atoning work removes wrath for those who believe (1 Thessalonians 1:10).