THE first three proverbs are intimately connected, and we therefore consider them together.
1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity,
Than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, is not good;
And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth [or, maketh false steps].
3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way:
And his heart fretteth against Jehovah.
It is the contrast between the path of truth and the way of self-will and ignorance. Far better is it to be poor and unknown, and yet walk before God in uprightness and integrity of heart, than to be loud in speech but given to folly and perverseness.
Ignorance is not to be admired. The worldly axiom, “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise,” is false and foolish. To be bereft of knowledge is undesirable. Mere zeal will not suffice to keep one right. One may be in earnest, but earnestly wrong, as was Saul of Tarsus before his conversion (Acts 26:9). He who runs on without learning the will of God, adds sin to sin. His foolishness leads him astray, and his deceitful heart is irritated against the Lord. He is bent on his own way, and can brook no correction. Compare Jonah when acting in self-will (Jonah 1:3; 4:8, 9).
4 Wealth maketh many friends;
But the poor is separated from his neighbor.
The well-to-do will always have many to claim friendship with him; while the indigent will often find his poverty a means of separating his neighbors from him; for, though a glamor may be thrown about it by the easily-satisfied optimist, this is a cold, feeling-less world after all.
But there is a legitimate sense in which friends may be made by means of wealth. Our Lord has bidden His disciples “make to yourselves friends by the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” Riches, if used for the alleviation of misery and in reference to the coming age, may be the means of much blessing. When at last the one who has so used them passes away, he will find a host of friends, who have been the objects of his Christlike benefactions on earth, waiting to welcome him into the everlasting home of the redeemed. Notice verses 6, 7, and 17. The just man will not regard the rich more than the poor. See Job 34:19, and James 2:1-9.
5 A false witness shall not be acquitted;
And he that breatheth out lies shall not escape.
The judgment of God is according to truth. He will see that every transgression and disobedience shall receive a just recompence of reward. A lie may seem to triumph for the time being, but the truth shall be eventually supreme. See the witnesses against Naboth (1 Kings 21:8-13). Note verse 9.
6 Many will entreat the favor of a prince:
And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him:
How much more do his friends go far from him?
He pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
See note on verse 4, above. There are always multitudes to wait upon a noble, and to play the part of friends to one who can be their benefactor. How different the spirit of Him who was charged with receiving sinners, and eating with them; who sought not the smiles of the great, nor feared their frowns! By His Spirit He has bidden those who would follow in His steps to be characterized by “minding not high things, but going along with the lowly” (Rom. 12:16).
It is like the world to prefer the rich and great to the destitute and outwardly ignoble; but let the Christian remember that his Lord appeared on earth as one of the poor whom His brethren despised, and whose friends went far from Him, though He pursued them with tender entreaties. Surely those who are now, by grace, linked up with Him in blessing must ever cherish a loving concern for the needy.
8 He that getteth heart loveth his own soul:
He that keepeth understanding shall find good.
The A. V. reads “wisdom” where we have used the literal rendering, “heart.” The word so used is a Hebraism, standing for sound judgment, or common sense. See Proverbs 15:21.
To follow after moral probity, and to cleave to understanding, bring true peace and lasting happiness. See Timotheus (2 Tim. 3:14, 15).
9 A false witness shall not be acquitted;
And he that breatheth out lies shall perish.
The passage is not exactly a repetition of verse 5. There, we are reminded that the liar shall not escape. Here, we are told what his doom shall be. He shall perish. He shall be destroyed. That is, his hopes shall he cut off, and he shall go out into the darkness; broken beneath the judgment of God, to endure the unspeakable woes of the liar’s eternity (Rev. 21:8).
10 Luxury is not seemly for a fool;
Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
Both are out of place. The servant ruling over princes, and the fool nursed in the lap of luxury, bespeak conditions that are opposed to what is right and orderly. Circumstances may arise in which a prince is helpless, and obliged to rely upon the judgment of one of lesser place; but the wise servant will use his powers with discretion, and keep the subject-place, though all be under his hand, See Joseph (Gen. 47:14-20).
11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger;
And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
See note on Proverbs 14:29. An uncontrolled temper, manifested in hasty anger unjudged, bespeaks a man who has never learned, in the school of God, the great lesson of self-government. It is the pompous, conceited pedant who cannot overlook an injury done to him, but must vent his wrath upon the offender whenever an occasion presents itself. A man of sound judgment and discretion has learned to pass lightly over offenses and seeming insults which would goad the one who is bereft of wisdom to intense indignation. In this, whatever his failings otherwise, even Esau approves himself when he greets his brother Jacob (concerning whose transgression there could be no question) with such grace and magnanimity (Gen. 33:4-9).
12 The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion;
But his favor is as dew upon the grass.
Because “in the word of a king there is power,” his wrath is to be dreaded, and his gracious favor eagerly sought. How much more fully may the words be applied to the coming King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah! When the great day of His wrath has come, how wretched will be the estate of all who know not His grace, which to the repentant soul is indeed like dew upon the grass! Both aspects are illustrated in Pharaoh’s dealing with his chief butler and his chief baker (Gen. 40).
13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father:
And the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
The first line connects with Proverbs 17:25. How unhappy the home where both a foolish son and a contentious wife are found! They are very likely to be together; for where the wife disputes her husband’s authority, and takes sides with the children, in opposition to his proper discipline, the effect upon them will be anything but good.
It is a very common thing to see parents disputing and wrangling before their household, with the baneful result that the sons and daughters learn to despise the father’s authority and to defy the mother’s correction, when she does attempt it; thus growing up in a lawless, insubject spirit, bent upon having their own way and persisting in their refusal to submit to proper discipline. Christian parents may well ponder the instructions given to each in Ephesians 5, Colossians 3, and 1 Peter 3. The contentious wife has her unhappy illustration in Michal, the daughter of Saul (2 Sam. 6:16-23, and 1 Chron. 15:29).
14 House and riches are an inheritance from fathers:
But a prudent wife is from Jehovah.
See Proverbs 18:22. One may inherit house and wealth, but none can give a prudent wife but the Lord. It is God who joins together, and therefore forbids man to put asunder. He who said at the beginning, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a help meet for him,” is still concerned about His people’s happiness. Therefore the man of faith can safely trust Him to give a suited life-partner. It is when, unwilling to wait on God, one chooses for himself; relying alone on his poor human judgment, that bitter mistakes are made, which are often irremediable. To marry in Christ is not necessarily to marry in the Lord. Any marriage between Christians would be in Christ. Only when the will is subject, and the mind of God has been learned, will marriage be in the Lord. See Rebekah’s case, and note how markedly Jehovah ordered all (Gen. 24).
15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep;
And an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
See notes on Proverbs 12:24, and 13:4. Many of us fail to realize that idleness is sin. Time wasted is time to be accounted for at the judgment-seat of Christ. Needed rest is, of course, very right and proper. Jesus Himself had to say to His disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart, and rest awhile.” But idleness is quite different. Slothfulness is trifling away opportunities that will never return. It is failing to appreciate the value of time. In a natural sense, the sluggard is made to feel the pinch of want; and spiritually, the same is also true. He who, for lack of godly energy, does not bestir himself to procure suited sustenance for his soul, will come to want, and know the pangs of famine. See Paul’s words to both the Ephesian and Colossian saints (Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5).
16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul;
But he that despiseth His ways shall die.
This is a truth frequently presented in Scripture. It is, so to speak, a kindness to oneself to obey the commandment of the Lord. The word is a word of life. To forsake it is to die. Therefore he is short-sighted indeed who despises the ways of God and chooses for himself. He is but sealing his own destruction, and bringing down well-merited wrath upon his own head. See Shimei (1 Kings 2:36-46).
17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to Jehovah;
And that which he hath given will He pay him again.
It is truly precious to contemplate Jehovah as the patron of the poor. He has left such in the world to test the hearts of those who are better provided for, and He accepts what is done with compassion, to relieve the needy, as so much done for Himself. Money and goods bestowed with loving pity on those in distress are not gone forever. He takes note of every mite, and makes Himself responsible to see that all shall be repaid; and we may be sure the interest will be greater far than could be realized in any other way. Genuine philanthropy is the result of true love to God. When His love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, there will be a corresponding concern for all men. To do good and to communicate is well-pleasing to the Lord, and shall in no wise lose its reward, even though it be the giving of but a cup of cold water in His name. The widow of Zarephath was none the poorer for ministering to Elijah in his distress, but found instead an unfailing cruse of oil and an unending supply of meal (1 Kings 17:10-16).
18 Chasten thy son while there is hope,
But set not thy soul upon slaying him.
Discipline, firm but gracious, should characterize the home. Brutal punishments, even to endangering the life of the one chastised, are very wrong, and opposed to the Spirit of God. Conduct such as this can only harden, in place of recovering, a wayward son. “Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath,” is a needed admonition in many families. Unreasonable demands, and punishments all out of proportion to the offense committed, should be sedulously avoided. Many a child who might have been saved by careful, godly training in his earliest years, has been left to grow up in untrammeled freedom until the father, at last, thought he was old enough for chastisement, when he has become the subject of severe treatment that has filled his heart with anger and alienated him for life from his well-meaning but exceedingly unwise parent. “The iron hand in the velvet glove” has long been the symbol of strict discipline administered in grace. To leave a child to himself is to manifest a cruel indifference to the fate of one committed to our care. To be heartless and unnecessarily severe in correcting him is to err on the other side. The happy medium is what the word of God teaches, and brings the desired results. It is well if the child is made to realize that it is his good which is sought, not the venting of an irate father’s spleen, which has caused many a one to lose the respect of an observing youth. See Saul’s unwise treatment of Jonathan, thereby alienating his heart, in place of winning his confidence (1 Sam. 20:30).
19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment:
For if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
It is useless to shield a man given to uncontrolled anger; for though by the intercessions of his friends he may be again and again delivered from the unhappy consequences which would naturally have followed his ebullitions of temper, he is likely at any time to be as bad as ever, and to draw down righteous retribution on his own head, and involve those who undertake to defend him in common trouble and perhaps ruin. See Proverbs 22:24. Such a man is manifestly unbroken, and lacking in the grace of self-judgment. He should be left to himself till he learns by punishment what he would not receive otherwise. Samuel found it hard to bow to this lesson, and only gave Saul up at last when the Lord distinctly called upon him to separate himself from him (1 Sam. 16:1).
20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction,
That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
21 There are many devices in a man’s heart;
Nevertheless the counsel of Jehovah, that shall stand.
To despise counsel is to play the part of the fool. He who is wise values instruction, especially when it is of an authoritative character. He knows that whatever man may plan, and however wisely he may scheme, the counsel of the Lord is certain, and shall be duly carried out. God has said, “My counsel shall stand; I will do all My pleasure.” How vain the man who would dare to set himself in opposition to it! Happy is he who, waiting on God for instruction, obeys implicitly His counsel, and therefore works for and with Him. See Joshua’s commission (Josh. 1:5-9).
22 The charm of a man is his kindness:
And a poor man is better than a liar.
A kindly, benevolent spirit appeals to all men, and charms by its unselfishness and thoughtfulness for others. But to promise large things while unable to perform them is reprehensible. It is far better to be poor and frankly admit one’s inability to do what the heart might desire than to promise largely and be at last proven untrustworthy. To be what you are, and not to pretend to be what you are not, is a sound principle, the carrying out of which gains the esteem of any whose good opinion is worth seeking. See Peter and the lame man (Acts 3:6).
23 The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life:
And he that hath it shall rest satisfied;
He shall not be visited with evil.
It is a synoptic statement of the precious truth unfolded in the 91st psalm—the portion of the man who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. Resting in the enjoyment of His omnipotent power and unchanging love, he who fears the Lord has no anxious concern as to his affairs. He can rest satisfied, knowing that he cannot be visited with evil, for all things must work together for the good of one in such a case. What seems to be evil will become but a means of blessing, by causing the heart to cleave more truly to the God of all grace. See Paul’s song of triumph in Romans 8:28-39.
24 A slothful man burieth his hand in the dish,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
Having the very means of sustenance before him, the sluggard is too lethargic to avail himself thereof. The figure used may seem almost absurdly hyperbolic, but it is meant to picture a most extreme case; where, though seated at the table with nourishing food in his hand, the eater is overcome by drowsiness, and prefers to abandon himself to ease and sleep rather than bestir himself to take his meal. The word of God is such a dish; but, alas, many are the sluggards who, with abundant opportunity to feed upon its precious things, are too indifferent to search and find its treasures for themselves. Eglon, king of Moab, appears to have been largely a man of the stamp described (Judges 3:17-25).
25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware:
And reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.
To allow the scorner to go unrebuked would often be to put a snare before the feet of the simple, who might conclude that the gainsaying was irresistible because unanswered. It is therefore right and proper to punish him who opposes the truth by exposing before all the fallacies of his position. If a wise man, it will be no hardship to be reproved; for the truth itself is of greater value in the eyes of him who has understanding than his own dignity. See Paul’s word to Timothy regarding those who are perverted (1 Tim. 5:20).
26 He that ruineth his father, and chaseth away his mother,
Is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach.
See verse 13 above. Bitter indeed are the sorrows brought upon his parents by a rebellious son. Such a one is a very incarnation of selfishness. He will ruin his father, spending all his substance for self-gratification; and will in his stubbornness even drive his mother from him, refusing all correction. Ignominy and obloquy are thereby brought upon their name; but to all this he is supremely indifferent. Determined to be free from all restraint, he recklessly plunges on to his doom. It is a sad, sad picture, often duplicated in this unhappy scene, and is especially characteristic of the last days, in which we now live (2 Tim. 3:2).
27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction
That causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
This is a far-reaching command, of vast importance. It is an evidence of youthful pride for one to suppose he can listen to all kinds of theories, good and evil, but be defiled by none. Spiritual eclecticism may seem to savor of breadth of mind and liberality; but it generally ends in making shipwreck of the faith. You can only recognize and avoid error when the truth of God is known and delighted in. Therefore the need of earnest, diligent study of the Scriptures. When another gives out what is contrary to God’s revealed word, it is time to refuse him and his teaching. You cannot afford to trifle with unholy doctrine.
Remember that what is opposed to the teaching of the unerring word of the Lord is directly from Satan. To dabble with it is to expose yourself to its powerful influence. Therefore refuse to hear it.
One simple question is all that needs to be propounded to any one taking the place of an instructor in divine things, in order to detect the bias of his doctrine. It is this: “What think ye of Christ?” He who is unsound here is wrong throughout. If the true deity, or divinity, of the Lord Jesus be denied; if the atoning efficacy of His blood be explained away; if the sinlessness of His spotless humanity be in any way clouded, the system is wrong at the foundation, and it will prove to be unsound in all else.
“‘What think ye of Christ?’ is the test
To try both your state and your scheme.
You cannot be right in the rest,
Unless you think rightly of Him.”- (J. NEWTON.)
For a Christian to continue to hear, or to support, a man who blasphemes his Lord, is treason of the darkest hue. If any bring not the doctrine of Christ, he is to De refused, and no fellowship shown him, because he abides in the darkness; and “what fellowship hath light with darkness?” See the Spiritualists of Isaiah’s day (Isa. 8:19, 20), and the Judaizers and Gnostics of the apostolic period (Titus 1:10, 11; Col. 2:8; 2 John 9, 10). All these classes are to be found in our times, multiplied a thousandfold. “From such turn away.”
28 A witness of Belial scometh judgment:
And the mouth of the lawless devoureth iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for scorners,
And stripes for the back of fools.
Belial seems in a veiled way to stand for Satan. It really means that which is worthless, but is generally used as that which is opposed to God. So that a witness of Belial would be one who is ungodly, and who therefore scorns judgment and correction. His mouth devours iniquity. It is his food; he lives upon it.
But a solemn accounting is before him. Independent though he may be now, he will at last have to learn that judgments have been by God prepared for such as he, and stripes for his back. Deceit and transgression may seem to go unchecked for a time, but the blow will soon fall that shall give the worthless witness to realize that God cannot be trifled with forever. See Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).