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CHAPTER NINETEEN
1
This proverb does NOT say that it is better to be poor and wise, than rich
and foolish. The contrast is actually subtler. We are dealing with qualities of
personal character. A lifestyle based on integrity is contrasted with the
lifestyle of a perverse person. Perverseness is a fruit of foolishness, and
integrity is a fruit of wisdom. The wise "walks" and speaks wisely in
life but the fool "walks" and speaks foolishly. But why does God
include poverty in the wise man’s life? I believe it is to show that wisdom can
exalt a person, in GOD’S sight, n matter what his material state is, but fools
are fools whether they are rich or poor.
We have here a contrast between the poor but wise, and the foolish but
perverse. The word "better" glares at us in absolute terms, in a
world which hesitates to place any absolute values on anything. But God says
some things are better than others, and some lifestyles are better than others.
Better = heb.tob = by context this word means
‘of greater value’.
Poor = Heb.rush = impoverished. Bullinger says: a needy one.
By the figure Ellipsis we can apply the words "than he that is rich
who is . . ."
Integrity = Heb.‘tom’ = ‘perfection, or
simplicity. It is a lovely kind of innocence, like that of a child (mat.18:1-6,
19:14)
The fool’s walk and the wise man’s walk both result in different ends.
The fool has a short time of perverseness before the judgement,
and the wise have a short time of wisdom but in the end the wise man is far
better off.
I would rather be poor and wise, than anything else – and foolish.
2
Continuing with the theme of 1-9 is of personal humility, and a good
character, we are warned in verse 2 of two more things which are "not
good." The two things are presented as expressions which must be seen in
the light of other scriptures in order to undrstand
them correctly.
To say "without knowledge" opens up a wide range of
possibilities. Everyone, even idiots, have knowledge, so it must be a certain
KIND of knowledge which a soul needs. Put simply we would say the soul needs
Bible knowledge.
Not good. Could naything be clearer? It is
either good, or not good. Knowledge of God’s truth is good, sin is bad.
NIV: "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be
hasty and miss the way".
Sm. And Gdsp.:"To act without reflection
is not good, and to be over-hasty is to miss the mark." Desires must be
controlled by knowledge.
Examples: the Syrians – 1Kings 20:28, Isaiah –Is.5:11-13, Saul –
1Tim.1:13 and Acts 26:11, God’s people – Hosea 4:6, the Pharisees and co. –
Mat.12:7, Ephraim – Hos.6:6, Peter – Mat.16:22, rulers in general – Acts 13:27,
Job – Job 34:5,9,35, 35:16, 42:3,5,6. Job said many things out of a limited
knowledge. Also hezekiah – 2Kings20:12-19 and
2Chron.32:31. Peter – Luke 22:33,34, Joshua – Josh.9:3-15, Saul – 1Sam.13:9 and
1Sam.14:24. David – 2Sam.16:4, the disobedient prophet – 1Kings 13:18,19 and
Peter – John 18:10.
This proverb warns us about acting without thinking. We must not allow
our heart to rule our head.
3
From God’s point of view, Man is largely ignorant about everything.
Because Man is so ignorant, he also misunderstands and misrepresents God.
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child. Children and adults are
almost identical when it comes to misunderstanding God, so we are told
"man’s heart frets against the Lord", just as a child frets against
his parents, especially when he cannot get his own way.
Perverts = Heb.salaph = to overthrow. The Heb.conjuction means to actively, continually overthrow.
His way = his own way. People ruin their own lives. John 10:10. People
wreck themselves, and others. They choose to do this, in spite of the evidence
which shows them where their choices are taking them.
Man = Heb.adam = mankind.
His heart = what he is.
Frets = Heb.zaaph = to be wroth, sad, morose.
Used only once.
The Lord = Jehovah. This is the great name, given by God to signify
covenant relationship with israel. Mankind
unfortunately has misunderstood the true God, and instead of worshipping him,
Mankind in general is angry at Him, or gives Him many false labels.
Examples: Adam – Gen.3:12, Cain – Gen.4:13,14, Jehoram
– 2Kings 3:10,13, 6:33, Jonah – 4:1,4,9, israel –
Num.12:2,3, 20:2-5, 21:4-6, Deut.9:23,24.
It is a mark of fallen Mankind to be irrational.
4
Contrast between wealth and poverty. Behind this surface contrast is a deeper.
More complicated social meaning. Material standing can affect human
relationships.
Wealth = heb.hon = substance, sufficiency.
Used 5 times: here, Ps.112:3, Prov.10:15, 13:11 and 18:11. See contexts for
meaning.
A person with ‘hon’ has many advantages over
less fortunate people, i.e.e access to a higher level
of material and physical pleasures.
Poor = Heb.dal = lean, poor, weak. First used
in Gen.41:19 to describe the "ill-favoured and
lean-fleshed" animals. Second occurrence is in Ex.23:3. 3rd
acc. Ex.30:15.
Separated = Heb.parad = to be parted.
Neighbour = Heb.rea = friend, companion.
NIV: "Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts
him."
Sm. And Gdsp.: " . . . but the poor man
is estranged from his friend."
Why is the poor so ill-treated? Because attitudes change. People’s
motives are often hidden. While the money flows it is easy to be popular, but
when it stops, the VALUE people place on YOU is revealed. This proverb
challenges us to love people regardless of whether they are generous or not.
Another way to put this proverb: while wealth continues to make friends,
a poor person continues to be parted from people. This is a social reality, but
something we must always keep in mind is the fact that poverty is a curse, and
not something we should simply resign ourselves to.
5
False witness = lying, untrue, fabricated. Ex.20:6.
Ex.23:7 tells us that false matters are to be avoided. See also
Jer.14:14 and Zech.8:17.
Unpunished = Heb.neqah = to be, or become
innocent, or free. Newbury’s commentary says: "acquited".
Bullinger: "held innocent".
There is a very ominous note to this proverb. God judges all liars.
Nobody can escape. By the absolute standard of truth set by God – Rom.2:15,
Jer.31;33. People have in inherent, or innate understanding of what pleases
God.
Speaks = Heb.puach = to breath, to break out,
to break forth. It is an active Heb. Conjugation, meaning ‘to cause to speak’
i.e. as an urge to rebel against right. It is about a deliberate rebellious
action in which a person decides to tell lies.
Escape = Heb.malat = to escape, to slip away.
Passive conjunction = to be slipped away, to be esacaped.
Here we have the inevitability of judgement –
Heb.9:27, Rom.5:12, Ecc.12:13,14.
God "hates" the false witness – Prov.6:16-19. It was a false
witness that caused sin and death to enter into God’s beautiful world –
Gen.3:4,5. As David said: "The laid to my charge things that I knew
not." Like David, Jesus and God have had their name ‘blackened’ by
centuries of deliberat false witness. Jesus has been
called Beelzebub – Mat.10:25, blasphener –
Mat.26:63-65, deceiver – Mat.11:9, illegitimate – John 8:41, mad – John 10:20,
malefactor – John 8:30, possessed – Mark 3:30, sabbath
breaker – John 5:18, 9:16, Samaritan – John 8:48, sinner – John 9:24, thief –
at.26:55, transgressor – mark 15:28, winebibber – Mat.11:19 and other names.
To be a false witness means to show no love for another person.
What is a lie? It is an intentionally false statement. It can be more
than words – it can also be a pretense, an act, or a misleading bit of behaviour. Sometimes it can be simply telling only half the
truth.
God wants us to be honest – John 5:31-47.
6
Two kinds of popularity – that of a prince and that of a generous
person. Both attract people, both give things, both are able to meet certain
needs in others. A person with authority, and the means of giving, is sure to
be sought out by the needy. However, the ways these people are approached is
different. The prince is entreated with grteat
formality, but the friend is simply asked.
Favour = Heb.panim = face. Ps.119:58.
Prince = Heb.nadib = willing, noble. A person
who is elevated in rank and influence. It is common to here people say they
‘met’ so-and-so, or they ‘saw’ the queen, as if just seeing or meeting these
people is an outstanding experience for the one who did the meeting or seeing.
A friend = in Hebrew = the friend.
Him that gives gifts = Heb.ish mattan = a man of gifts. Ised
only here. It means a generous man.
NIV: "Many curry favour with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of
a man who gives gifts." Perhaps a modern variation could read: "It’s
not what you know, but who you know, and what you can squeeze out of
them."
This proverb is a warning to geberous people
and princes. Beware the self-seeking followers. By contrast, God wants us to
love Him not for what we might receive from His Hand, but simply for who He is.
See Ps.63.
7
See Prov.14:20 notes. Perhaps this proverb is a warning to us to not be
surprised if we suddenly become poor and deserted by friends and family.
NIV: "A poor man is shunned by all his relatives – how much more do
his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere
to be found."
Poor = Heb.rush = to be poor, or impoverished.
Proverbs has a lot to say about poverty and its effects. The poor are mocked –
17:5, they use entreaties - 18:23, they are hated – 14:20, they are ruled over
– 22:7, they become involved in crime – 29:13, they lack influence – 1Sam.18:23
and they can be abused and downtrodden – 2Sam.12:1-4.
Sept.: "Every one who hates his poor brother shall also be far from
friendship . . ."
All poverty-stricken people have is words.
The last point of this proverb is, literally: "He pursueth words wanting."
Words = Heb.emer = a saying or speech. In a
society where compassion is rare, the poor are often deserted, as for example
in Jesus’ day, the beggars had to wandr the streets
asking for food and money – Mat.9:27, 15:22, Mark 10:47. But God hears the poor
– Acts 3:1-9.
Another word for "poor" is ued in
Ps.34:6, and in many other places God hears the poor: Ex.22:25, Lev.19:10,
23:22, Deut.15:11, 24:12.14, Job 29:12, Ps.35:10, 72:2,4 etc.
8
Personal and also never-ending satisfaction. Both spring from the same
thing: the truth, received and understood.
Wisdom = Heb.leb = heart. Job 36:5,
Prov.10:21, 15:21, Ecc.10:3.
In Prov.19:8 the word ‘wisdom’ or ‘heart’ is used to convey what comes
from it, that is, from the heart comes either folly or wisdom. The translators
put the word "wisdom" instead of ‘heart’ because they saw the
association between the heart and the wisdom which came from it.
Soul = Heb.nephesh = the whole person. To get
wisdom shows that we love ourselves.
Shall find good = Heb. Shall go on finding good. The sense is
continuous.
Understanding = Heb.tebunah. Used of Solomon’s
God-given brilliance, and of God’s own ‘tebunah’ –
1Kings 4:29, 7:14, Job 12:13, Ps.147:5. No wonder it is a good thing to have it
– no wonder it shows love for one’s own soul, and is a good thing to find. Many
people pursue things that they think are worthwhile.
Getteth = Heb.qanah = to get, obtain.
Keeps = shamar = to keep, observe, take heed.
Gen.2:25, 3:24, Gen.17:9, Num.6:24, 2Sam.15:16.
9
This proverb is similar to 19:5, but this time the punishment is
defined. In 19:5 it was that the liar would "not escape", while here
it is that he "shall perish".
Perish = abad = to be lost. First used in
Lev.26:38, and then in Num.16:33, and then Num.17:12. The word
"perish" occurs 97 times and carries the thought of immediate or
ultimate death.
Why does God hate liars? Because they are the opposite to Him. Since God
is absolutely true "with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning" – James 1:17, ANY lie is an offense to Him.
10
Two things which, for the right sort of people are good, are also not
good for other sorts of people. Fools and servants are put side by side, not
because servants are fools, or because fools are servants. They are put side by
side because there is a weakness in their understanding, mentality, outlook on
life, habits, reations and character. For example, we
have met people who lived through the 1930’s Depression, and their attitudes to
life, money and so on are quite different to those young people today who have
never seen such had times. Post-depression behaviour
can include hoarding, living on minimal outlay and stingyness.
Delight = Heb.taanug = delicate, luxurious.
Used three times: here, Ecc.2:8 and Song of Sol.7:6.
Seemly = Heb.naveh = comely. Also found in
Prov.26:1.
The fool would not know how to cope with luxury because his attitudes
would put him at a disadvantage. He cannot appreciate refinement. For example,
the ‘country bumpkin’ who finds oil in his backyard and goes to live in a flash
house in the city – he is awkward and does not fit into city living. Fools do
not suit luxury.
The second reversal of social structure is to give a servant power over
his superiors without first preparing him for the responsibility. For example
Felix – Acts 23. Claudius made Felix Procurator of Judea in AD 52. He ruled
with cruelty and treachery. (Josephus – Ant.20:vii1, viii 5,6,7)
Servant = Heb.ebed = a servant or doer, tiller
or slave. When God says a ‘servant’ He means one with the mentality and
attitude of a servant. On the positive side, a person with a servant attitude wo loves the Lord can be p[romoted
to any position: Joseph – Gen.39-48, Paul – Phil.4:13, Heb.5:12, Eph.3:16,
1Pet.5:10.
Princes = Heb.sar = head, official, captain.
11
Does this mean transgression should be ignored? No, it means it is a
good thing to be tolerant, patient and forbearing. This is a reflection of God,
who is "merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and
truth" – Ex.34:6, Num.14:18, Ps.86:15, Rom.2:4.
Spirit-filled saints should be long-suffering – Gal.5:22, Eph.4:2,
Col.1:11 and 3:12. God endures sinners – Rom.9:22 and 2Pet.3:9.
NIV: "A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is his glory to
overlook an offense. The individual takes a focal point in this proverb. To personalise it: God lets ME decide how I will behave in respose to what people do to me.
Discretion = Heb.sekel = understanding,
wisdom, meaning. Used only once.
The discretion of a man (adam) defers = goes
on deferring – Heb.arak = to make long, or to
prolongs, his anger.
And it is his glory = Heb.tipharah = beauty,
to pass over a transgression = Heb.pesha = rebellion.
Mic.7:18-20.
God desires His children to have a quality of character which includes
beauty – a profound thought. Logically nothing is greater than its source, so
we know that the Lord of glory is of great beauty in every way.
12
Lions and dew, wrath and favour. This proverb opens up other scriptures
about ‘lions’ and ‘dew’ and what they symbolise. Note
the contrasts: sound and sight, animal and water, earth and plants. One strikes
fear into the heart, the other sparkles like a myriad diamonds.
God is both King and Saviour, a mighty judge
like a lion, who roars His commands, and also a Saviour
who is gentle and graceful, like small rain.
Wrath = anger, power, like the sword, fierce and furious.
Dew = rain = growth, green and productive, increase.
King = Heb.melek = king or counsellor.
The proverb presents two complimentary aspects of God. Mat.12:42, Luke
11:31, Heb.13:16, Col.1:10, 1John 3:22.
Lions in the Bible stand for judgement:
2Sam.1:23, Ps.7:2, 10:9, 17:12, 22:13, 22:21, Is.31:4, 38:13, Jer.5:6, 12:8,
Hos.11:10, 5:14, 13:7, Rev.5:5 – Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah, and,
as a lion, He hunted Job – Job 10:16 – or so Job felt.
Favour = Prov.14:85, Is.60:10.
13
Domestic problems – two obvious things: a foolish son and a contentious
wife. Arabic proverb: "Three things render a house uninhabitable – tak, nak and bak."
Tak is rain leaking through, nak
is a wife’s nagging and bak is bugs.
In general ‘son’ can mean ‘children’. Wise children can be a joy to
their parents. Wives can be wise too. But the sinful nature can spoil things,
and in both cases the problem can be remedied.
Foolish = Heb.kesit = fat, dense, stupid and
impious.
Calamity = Heb.havvah – accident, misfortune.
Job complained of his great ‘havvah’ – 6:2, 30:13,
and David suffered great ‘havvah’ – Ps.57:1.
A foolish son brings into his home many troubles.
This proverb seems to be aimed at a godly husband.
Contentions = Heb.midyanim = strifes. By context = arguments, disagreements.
Continual = Heb.tarad = to drive away, to
thrust on. Eastern roofs are subject to leaks because of their construction.
They are flat, having merely a covering of earth, rolled smooth and hard.
Ps.129:6. Bible Manners and Customs, page 240 says: "A heavy rain will
soon succeed in finding its way through . . . travellers
are frequently disturbed in this manner during violent storms, sometimes being
obliged to change rooms."
Imagine a home with a foolish son and an argumentative wife! To avoid
this a man must choose a wise wife, and raise his children wisely.
14
More domestic or family truth. Material things are contrasted with
quality of character.
NIV: "Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent
wife is from the Lord."
Sm. and Gdsp.: "a sensible wife . .
."
House = Heb.bayith = household. By context it
can mean the family, the building, the house and all that goes with it, or
combinations of all three.
Riches = Heb.hon = substance.
Prudent = Heb.sakal = to cause to act wisely,
to understand.
Wife = Heb.ishah = woman, a wife, a female. A
woman ought to become wise before she becomes a wife. God is the fountain of
wisdom from which all girls ought to drink, so they can become women worth
marrying. Ruth found Naomi so wonderful she pledged her life to her – Ruth
1:16-18, and see 2Sam.22:36 and Ps.18:35.
Prov.18:22 tells godly men what to look for in a wife. The Sept. says:
"Fathers divide house and substance to their children: but a wife is
suited to a man by the Lord."
This proverb teaches us to look at values. Put it another way: Material
goods are a blessing, but without God, a marriage is comparatively empty.
15
An urgent and terrible warning to us to keep busy, to work and to stay
active. The old nature likes to be lazy, but God is a Worker – He toils day and
night to do all His good pleasure. Creation was just the beginning of a huge labour, and in the end He will bring forth many sons –
Heb.2:10. Jesus worked all his life – Luke 2:49.
Slothfulness = Heb.atsah. Used also in
Ecc.10:18. Atsah is a lack of diligence, and a
failure to apply maintenance. T is neglect, and a slack attitude.
Casts = Heb.naphal = to cause to fall, i.e.
continuously. Sin drags us down into a deep sleep, just as gravity never ceases
to apply its force on us to pull us back into the ground.
Deep sleep = this is just one word in Heb.tardemah
= anaesthetic – see gen.2:21. It is a state of
unconsciousness and unawareness.
Idle = Heb.remiyyah = deceit, sloth.
Deceitfulness is to be persuaded that something false is actually true. For
example, a lazy person may think he is hard-working.
Soul = Heb.nephesh = the whole person. God
created living souls. We do not have souls – we are souls.
Hunger = Heb.raeb = to hunger, or to be
hungry.
Boredom is quiote often a hunger for work.
Give someone a job and their self-respect goes up. Ecc.6:18-20.
Jesus urges us to work, and the Greek word means ‘toil’, or ‘labour’ – john 9:4, Mat.21:28, Luke 13:14, John 5:17, 9:4.
Paul tells us to work – Rom.2;10, 1Cor.4:12, Eph.4:28.
A strong warning is given to LAZY Christians – 2Thess.3:10, 11,12.
The warning is clear, if we give up working and become lethargic, we
will eventually fall into a spiritual stupor. If Christians stop working, they
can lose their ‘heat’ and become lukewarm – Rev.3:15-19
16
Concern for self. We must keep to good ways, and be careful how we live.
God commands that we watch over ourselves – in all areas – work, food, sleep,
fun, exercise, relaxation, hobbies, contacts and so on. The Bible gives us
directions touching on all areas of life – to neglect this advice is the
equivalent of despising ourselves. The proverb ends with "shall die".
Keeps = Heb.shamar = to keep, to observe or
take heed. Bullinger says: "guards". It
seems logical that the word means t observe or take heed. Just guarding the
commandments would be of little use. They are not relics. They must be allowed
into our hearts – Mat.7:24-26.
Soul = Heb.nephesh = the whole person.
Despise = Heb.bazah = contemn. Dictionary: ‘to
feel contempt for, or scornfully disregard.’ The sense is about one who
continually turns away from God’s commands. It can become a habit, or a natural
reflex, which begins in childhood. In my opinion, old people find it hard tio chane because they are the
product of a lifetime of hardening, not because they are old. You see the old
in the young. As the young are, so are the old. A bitter old man, was probably
bitter when he was a young man. Likewise the happy, sweet old person.
Esau despised his birthright – Gen.25:34, see also presumptuous sins –
Num.15:31 – people who despised the Law. See also 1Sam.2:30, 1Sam.36:16. Other
examples of despising: 1Chron.15:29, 2Chron.36:16, Neh.2:19, Prov.14:2,
Ez.16,17, 22:8 and Mal.1:6.
17
What a promise! NIV: "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and He will reward him for what he has done."
Poor – no definite article = a poor. Any poor or needy person is our
opportunity to give something to God. 2Cor.9:7, Luke 6:38. God promises to
"give every man according as his work shall be". The irony is that
what we call ‘ours’ is really His anyway, so any giving we do is simply
returning to Him what was His.
Lends = eb.lavah = to cause to join. Used 6
times. Perhaps when we give to the poor we join with them by identifying with
them. Jesus is the best example of this -–2Cor.8:9.
Job 31:16-20 – he cared for the poor.
Will he pay him again. Here God gives us His will. This is an amazing
statement. See also Ps.37:21 where the wicked are shown to be people who do NOT
repay. Ps.22:25.
God is never our debtor. He always sees all we give and nothing is
missed. Luke 21:2 . . . and 2Sam.24:24, John 12:3, Luke 7:42. Our attitude is
extremely important. All the giving in the world cannot compensate for a wrong
attitude – we ought to enjoy giving.
18
This proverb does not mean that parents ought to keep making their
children cry, but rather, that parents must do everythig
they can to prevent their children perishing as fools. Withholding chastening
"while there is hope" would be irresponsible - a cruel kindness. By
withholding reasonable correction a parent does his or her children a terrible
disservice. Many parents don’t care about going to hell, so they don’t care
that their children are heading that way
This proverb also shows that young people should not be left to their
own devises. The command is to "chasten your son" not indulge.
Chasten = yasar = to instruct. Eut.8:5, 21:18,
Ps.6:1, 38:1, 94:12, 118:18.
Hope = Heb.tiqvah = expectation.
Let not your soul – this is addressed to the parents, or the authority
figure in the child’s life. The mature ought to chasten the immature –
1Thess.2:7, Heb.5:12,13, 1John 2;12,13,18, 3:7.
Soul = Heb.nephesh = the whole person. Animals
are also "living souls" and so are humans because "man became a
living soul"- Gen.2:7. Man and animal alike are souls – Ecc.4:18-22.
Spare = Heb.nasa = to lift up. Used 3 times –
here, and Gen.18:24, 26.
Crying = Heb.muth = to put to death.
Sm. and Gdsp.: "Set not your mind on
destroying him."
Dummelow: "And set not
your heart on his destruction." And he adds: "Not to discipline is to
destroy."
Arents must not be swayed
by all the clamour of unBiblical
advice which comes at them from the secular world. God’s mandate to parents is
to discipline, and not to ignore the young, because it is a matter of life and
death for those young.
19
Another way to read this proverb is: "A man of great wrath shall go
on suffering punishment, because he is frequently bad-tempered. He remains
habitually bad-tempered in spite of frequent attempts by peacemakers to calm
him down."
Wrath = Heb.chemah = heat or fury. There are
various kinds of wrath, and they have various effects. God has great ‘chemah’. His wrath is pure, and he directs it at sin –
Num.25:11, Deut.29:23-28, 2Kings 22::13,17, Psalm 59:13, Ez.13;15.
It is sinful to be continually full of wrath.. When we meet
someone who is always angry we need to have discernemnt
– will our help in appeasing his temper really help? Punishment will come,
eventually, so our help is only prolonging the inevitable. If we do deliver
him", yet "we must do it again", and again, and again. It never
ends. Some people are just so set in their bad habits the best thing to do is
leave them alone.
Punishment = Heb.onesh = fine.
Deliver = Heb.natsal = to snatch or take away.
Not only does it do little good to deliver a bad-tempered person, it can also
be expensive. We ought not waste our money on such people.
Deliver him = Heb. The tense means = going on delivering.
Great = Heb.gadol = of huge size. Other verses
with ‘great’ in them: Gen.1:16, 21, 10:12, 12:2, Ps.108:4, 135:5.
Men of bad temper: Saul – 1Sam.14:43, 18:8-11, 19:9-17, 20:30, and nabal – 1Sam.25:10, and Ahab – 1Kings 21:4.
Bullinger says: "Suffer
punishment = incurs a penalty. If you rescue him, by paying the penalty, you
must do it continually.
20
Go on accepting instruction because in the end it will make you a wise
person. This proverb is about habitual learning, a lifetime of hearing, and
seeking out wisdom. It is a broad general principle. Every branch of science
deals with truth, and can lead towards God. Creation manifests: beauty,
variety, exactness, accuracy, power, order and mystery.
Hear = Heb.shamea = to hear, to understand.
Jer.2:4.
Counsel = Heb.eta = advice.
Receive = Heb.qabal = to take.. Literally, to
take something handed to you – 1Chron.12:18, 2Chron.29:22, Est.4:4, and in
another sense in Job 2;10.
Instruction =Heb.musar = chastisement. God
teaches us with words and also cincumstances
21
Man’s devices. Bullinger says
"schemes". Youngs’ An. says
"thoughts". In contrast to Man’s devices are God’s counsel. When it
comes to prophecy we know that no individual or nation can change any "Thus
says the Lord" – Ps.33:10, Is.11:2, 46:10, Jer.32:19, Prov.21:30.
Note the ephatic: "THAT shall
stand." The Sept. says: "but the counsel of the Lord abides for
ever."
Illustrations: Joseph’s brethren – Gen.37:19 and see Gen.50:19-21, Pharoah - Ex.1:10 and 12, 15 and 17 and ch.15. The rulers –
Mat.27. Saul - Acts 9:1,2 and 3-9. The 40 Jews – Acts 23:12-24.
22
Sept. "Mercy is a fruit to man, and a poor man is better than a
rich liar."
Two kinds of men are compared in this rather obscure proverb. One is ‘adam’ and the other is ‘ish’.
Adam = a person who is made from the dust of the earth.
Ish = a person who is a
male, and an important man at that.
Of the two types of man a fundamental difference is the way they desire,
or their motivation. Perhaps another way of looking at this would be to say ‘adam’ represents the bulk of the human race, just one of
millions of people, whereas ‘ish’ represents the odd
very important human.
Desire = Heb.taavah = longing. Men are subject
to, at all times, inner desires. 1John 2:15-17 calls them the "desires of
the flesh, eyes and the pride of life." Rom.12:2 and 1Pet.1:14.
"The desire of of adam
(a human) is (measured by) his kindness = the actions of a human being reflect
the inner qualities of his heart. We can of course guage
what a person is like by looking at their behaviour.
As with all the proverbs, we are dealing here with generalisations,
and broad principles, but in this proverb we have a yardstick for measuring
people.
Having looked at ‘adam’, one of many millions,
we now turn to ‘ish’, an important man, or husband. Lieing is a cruel abuse of other people. There are
important people who lie, but God says it is far better to be important and
tell the truth, than to be important and tell lies. The meaning of the proverb
is subltle and not easy to draw a clear message from.
23
Fear, or reverence for God leads to life. The Hebrew word for
"life" means a continuing, eternal life.
Abide = Heb.iun = to lodge, or to pass the
night. Here the Hebrew word reveals a fascinating thing. "iun" is used of the eagle, who spends the night on a
rock – Job 39:27. In Job 49:12 the brevity of life is spken
f, also Ps.49:12. So here, this proverb connects the shortness of life with our
attitude towards God.
Visited = Heb.paqad = inspected, or missed.
Young’s An. presents two different meanings for the Heb. The Sept. adds:
"and he shall lodge without fear in places where knowledge is not
seen." This brings together the two ideas of being visited and als being passed over. "He shall not be visited with
evil" = he shall go through life satisfied, whether evil comes to him or
passes him by.
Evil = Heb.ra = bad. First used in Gen.2:9,
and then Gen.8:21.
Bullinger says "ra" = a wicked or injurious person, from its root,
which means breaking up all that is good or desirable. It is similar to moral
depravity.
But it may be said that the godly ARE visited by evil, and frequently –
but what the proverb is saying is that through all the trials of life, the
godly are on a new path. Wheras before the trials
were part of a destroying effect, now the same trials are strengthening them,
and making them into better people.
24
Too lazy to eat. Some people are so slothful they will nmot lift a finger to better themselves. The slothful
starve bcause they will not lift their food to their
mouth! (Humorous)
Slothful = Heb.atsel = used 8 times. In the
Bible the word means far more than lazy. Slothfulness is like a "hede of thorns" – Prov.15:19. See also Prov.21:25,
22:13, 24:30-34, 26:14 and 26:15.
Hides = Heb.taman = to secrete or hide.
Slothful people deliberately hide their hand, that is, they deliberately avoid
work, or anything which might get them into work. We once met a city counsel
truck driver who spent all day wrking hard on methods
of avoiding work! Another woman we met asked for money so I told her I would be
her advocate at the Unemployment office and set a time. She never showed up.
Another fellow we met made his choice of jobs so narrow and ridiculously
restrictive he made himself totally unemplyable.
Another fellow we met discussed work with me for a while but in the end
confessed that he preferred to slay home and watch TV.
But Christians are not to be slothful – they ought to be diligent -
2Pet.3:14, Col.3:17-24 and 1Cor.10:31.
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This proverb is about public example, responsible behaviour,
courageous speaking, standing up for what’s right and wisely counselling those who are receptive.
This proverb places the onus n all who would assume a place of active
responsibility and influence over others.
While our attention is drawn to the scorner, the simple, and the man
with understanding, we also see the smiter and the reprover. Who is this? Who takes it on themselves to
discipline others? It is ourselves, who read the proverb. This is a great
responsibility, to act on God’s behalf.
What does it mean to "smite a scorner"? The Sept. says:
"When a pestilent character is scourged . . ."
Bullinger says a ‘scorner’ is
a ‘scoffer’.
The Heb. Tense means "Go on smiting" and the word in Heb. Is ‘nakah’ which menas to ‘destroy
utterly" – Gen.8:21, Gen.14:5,7,15,19:11, Gen.32:8. Usually it means to
destroy or kill. Bearing in mind that this proverb is for a king’s son – 19:27,
23:15,19,26, 24:13 – it would be appropriate for such a rank to deal out the
death penalty when appropriate.
But taken as a principle, and not literally, we understand the rebuke to
mean a solid verbal one.beware = Heb.aram
= to become subtle, or to apply wisdom and think intelligently.
Reprove = Heb.yakach = to reason, reprove,
decide. The onus is on us to come alongside, to reason with, to help, to decide
a matter, with those who are receptive. God has given us the ability to do
these things.
Examples of people who learned from good reproof: Israel – Ex.14:31, the
stubborn – Deut.21:21, the Gibeonites – Josh.9:3 and Sergius Paulus – Acts 13:6-12.
For further understanding, see: 1Cor.10:11, Phil.3:17, 1Thess.1:7,
2Thess.3:9, 1Pet.5:3, 2Pet.2:6, Jude 7, 1Tim.4:12, Heb.4:11, James 5:10.
26
Wasting, chasing, shame, reproach. Rebellion is here described, and it
is against parents, and therefore it is against God- Rom.13:1-10, Col.3:20,
Ex.20:12, Lev.19:3. Disobedience of God’s Word is the root cause of most of
today’s troubles, with some help from the devil and fallen Creation.
Christian parents must try to keep their children obedient, but they
cannot FORCE their children to be godly.
Wastes = Heb.shadad = to destroy or spoil. Bullinger says: "prays upon" The Sept. says
"dishonours" The word evokes the idea of a
city with all its walls down, its people gone, its wealth taken and its
buildings burned – Is.15:1, 23:1, Joel 1:10 and Nahum 3:7.
The parents have been robbed. So true of many parents. They have
everything, but they are broken and ruined because their children have become
louts, druggies, vandals and criminals.
Chases = Heb.barach = to cause to flee. The
Hebrew tense means to go on chasing away. Here is the violence involved. The
mother, who is weaker than her husband, draws back lest physical blows ensue.
The mother is afraid to correct her son – he speaks and acts with such
hostility she is afraid of him.
Shame = bosh = to put to shame, or to make ashamed.
Shame is a fascinating thing – it involves the conscience, and it is
related to how we feel, and how we think other people observe us. Adam and Eve
felt shame after they sinned – Gen.3:7-10. The Spirit brings a sense of shame –
John 16:8-11.
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Hearing the instruction that causes error = paying respectful heed to
it.
"my son" – the presence of this word here, and in 23:15,19,26,
24:13,21, together with the second person, shows that these proverbs were FOR
Solomon. God gave some TO Solomon, and Solomon gave some TO any who would read
them. All the proverbs, of course, are good for all to read.
Cease = Heb.chadad = to leave off. The Heb.
Tense means ‘to promptly cease, to stop right now.’ We are to be alert to error
and it give it short shrift. It must not occupy our thoughts, or be
entertained, except for the benefit of being able to recognise
and refute it. Mat.5:27-44.
Instruction = Heb.musar = chastisement,
instruction.
"To err". If there is error, there is truth. "err"
means to ‘go astray’ It means to go against God. Our first recourse must be to
the truth, God’s Word, and from there we can move out and recognise
error when it comes along.
28
The Hebrew means "a worthless witness, or a witness of Belial"
This means a false witness.
There are 4 ‘beliyyaal’ listed in Young’s An.
– 2Sam.22:5, Ps.18:4, Prov.16:27.
The ungodly and the wicked relate differently to authority compared to
their counterpart, the godly. They scorn judgement,
and they enjoy sin.
Scorn = Heb tense means ‘will scorn’. This is a set attitude.
Devours – the Hebrew tense means ‘will devour’ It is a continuous tense.
Judgement – not just
punishment, but examples of God’s dealings in other walks of life. He Hebrew ‘mishpat’ is first used in Gen.18:19 (doing judgement), but the next time it means the Law – Ex.21:1.
The ungodly shall not stand in the judgement – Ps.1.
"The mouth of . . " The unrepentant person actually enjoys
gulping down sin – Luke 8:14, Titus 3:3, 2pet.2:13, Rom.1:32, Heb.11:25. The
natural appetite and the sinful heart of man can go unrestrained.
Iniquity = Heb.aven = vanity.
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Eventually a person’s attitudes which are reflected in their lifestyle,
will catch up with them. Many people seem to sail along with impunity, scorning
the things of God and living in an ungodly way, with seeming impunity, but soon
the problems begin, and they experience the consequences. Literally, the
proverb can read: "judgements have been prepared
for the scorner, and stripes for the back of fools."
Fools = Heb.kesil = fat, dense, stupid and
impious.
Judgements = Heb.shephatim = magisterial decisions, The word is specifically
to describe a person who sits in a legal seat, just as God the Supreme God
does. Other places where this word is used: Ex.6:6, Ex.7:4, Ex.12:12 and
Num.33:4. In a curious twist, God used a Syrian army to execute a magisterial
decision against the men under Joash – 2Chron.24:24.
(Similar examples: Ez.5:10,15,11:9, 14:21,16:41, 25:11, 28:22, 26, 30:14 and
30:19. The word is used 16 times.)
Stripes = Heb.mahalummoth = stripes or
beatings. Used only here.
Prepared = Heb.kun = to be prepared,
establish. God sets in place the exact judgements
according to the offense.
Examples: Pharoah – Ex.5:2 but God had already
set the punishment – Ex.3:20 with 8:20,21. Rabshakeh
– 2kings 18:27-19:7,8,9. All the godless scorn at times, because they are
ignorant of God, and self-centred, and ungrateful.