Proverbs 13, 9 says, The light of the righteous rejoiceth, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. The light of the righteous comes from our knowledge of our wonderful God. 1 John 1, 5 says, This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The righteous is simply a reflection of the light of God. Our righteousness is His righteousness imputed to us by His grace. At the time the Proverbs were written, this light was no less bright and lasting, even though it was certainly much different than our day. Today, the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit provides a relationship with God that was not possible before. We have the gospel of the grace of God to share and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that has driven Christians to preach the gospel around the world. When Jesus came, he said in Matthew 5.14, ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. And Paul reminds believers in Ephesians 5.8, for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. And as we walk in his light, our light shines forth with thanksgiving and rejoicing, described in Colossians 1.12, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. As our proverb says, the light of the righteous rejoiceth. In other words, when you are in the right frame of mind and when your spirit is in tune, so to speak, with the spirit of God, you will rejoice. You ought to rejoice. Sometimes that might mean that you can't help but openly and verbally express your joy, and there's nothing wrong with that. Ephesians 5, 19 and 20 says the righteous should be speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. but our proverb doesn't say anything about speaking or singing necessarily. It's referring to the condition of the righteous when it says, the light of the righteous rejoiceth. It means that the mind and the heart of the righteous rejoiceth. Your mind should have the joy that comes with the knowledge and peace of God, knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you will live eternally with our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Your heart should be filled with joy simply due to the fact that you have been saved from eternal hell, let alone all the many other incredible benefits you receive as a child of God. Now, some may think what I'm about to say is terrible for some reason. I've actually had somebody tell me that. But I'm telling you that I believe it's a worthwhile exercise to imagine what hell is like. Think about it for a few minutes. Read the descriptions given scripture of it being a furnace of fire where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and so forth. Then imagine the reality that once a person goes there, there are no second chances. The lake of fire is everlasting, and the smoke of their torment ascends forever. And once you feel like you've gotten a real sense of that place and its eternal conditions, remember that as a saved man or woman, You are not going there. And the only reason is because of Jesus. Jesus has saved you. He came willingly to die for your sins. He conquered sin and death with His resurrection. We did not deserve it. And yet, He came to do that for us. If we ever truly grasp the terribleness of our sins in comparison to the holiness of God and the terribleness of the hell we deserve, the light of Jesus and His gospel will make us rejoice and we will rejoice forever and ever.