1 Through
desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
This is a very interesting way to look at what happens when you
think too much within yourself of yourself.
You see, intermeddleth means to mingle and
intertwine your own wisdom. This is not
the true Wisdom of God for it is mingled with the man’s mind. The desire here is talking about being able
to justify the thoughts, which in turn become actions. The NIV says it like this: “An
unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.” Furthermore,
look at how the New King James says it; “A man who isolates himself seeks
his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.”
Being driven by desire after having become consumed with trying to
construct logic that might in some way justify the thoughts and actions is what
is meant here. Notice the trouble starts
with desire. Psa. 23:1 “The Lord is
my Shepard, I shall not want.” The word desire means desire or longing in
one’s heart. Not all desires are bad but
without Wisdom how can we expect to have “The Fear of The
LORD?”
There is a sense here too from the perspective of “isolates”
as the NKJV put it and in the KJV version it says, “separated himself”,
this can be looked at from figurative or literal standpoint. When we spend too much time mixing the logic
of the world with Wisdom we will end up alone. This is the formula for hypocrisy because the
world is always changing.
2 A fool
hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
Wisdom is guaranteed to perplex the fool. The fool is not capable of principled
thoughts unless they are willing to relinquish their entire mindset. There is a fallacy that reins among fools
where at some time there is the discovery of a clear understanding of the world
and all that is going on. The reason I
say fallacy is because there is only one person that knows
and it is God. No man will ever
understand all that is going on.
3 When
the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.
The NIV reads, “When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with
shame comes disgrace.” The picture I
have in my mind when I read this verse is sudden calamity because the wicked
have arrived. The word “contempt” in the
Hebrew means springing from evil. When
you realize the wicked are there in your presence the likelihood of there being
evil plots and destruction are there too.
Don’t be surprised. The word
“ignominy” is not a word we use these days but it
means shame and the word “reproach” is more in the connotation of
scorning. The ultimate humiliation and
helplessness when there is shame is to have that shame
become public. The wicked are
talebearers and they are going to let everyone know all the evil there is to
know about anyone in order to justify themselves.
4 The
words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a
flowing brook.
Have you ever had the pleasure of listening to someone that was
very well versed in something you had a great interest in? The time flies and it seems to end so
abruptly. When that which is said comes
from a deep wellspring, the waters are soothing and enriching and pure. You come away from that place a better
person.
5 It is
not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in
judgment.
Be careful not to be taken by the wicked. They come in all shapes and sizes. They have a sly tongue and can weave a tale
of logic that consumes all caught in its trap.
Another aspect is “accept the person of the wicked” which is
accepting or giving place to the spokesperson of the wicked. Singularly the wicked are cowards and only
find bravery in groups. The wicked only
come forth for the purpose of propagating their wickedness.
6 A
fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth
calleth for strokes.
Keep in mind the perspective of this teaching is from one having
or chasing Wisdom. The word “contention”
means controversy or quarrel. Thus when there is controversy the first to call for justice
is the fool especially if they themselves are not guilty. The desire of the fool is to bring the
spotlight to those that are more highly thought of in order to prove he himself
is not so bad. It’s in our flesh nature
to do this and we must always be on guard against this treachery of the
soul. If we find ourselves thinking more
highly of ourselves than we should get ready for some humbling lessons.
7 A
fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
One of the distinctive traits of the fool is his ability to say
things before thinking them through. The
things he or she convey will normally destroy them. The twine of their web is soaked in the tar
of deceit. Another problem is the fool
tries desperately to disprove truth by logic.
The problem is that truth will always be there in the end because it is
what it is, truth. We cannot change
truth. Truth is fixed and does not waver
it is not hiding from us. Sometimes its
harder to understand than others but it is there and will be there in the end
no matter how far we run from it. If you
are not a believer born again in Christ your struggle
with truth is a battle that never ends. Without help your deliverance can only
be from the calamity of earth to the torments of hell. There is no hope in that whatsoever but to
scratch and claw to hang on to this life.
John 14:16-18 “16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of
truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you
comfortless: I will come to you.”
Even as believers we sometimes let our guard down and the liberty
of truth can elude us. That which comes
from our mouths may be foolish at times. Wisdom’s desire is that we heed these
warnings and understand the devastation to our walk.
8 The
words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts
of the belly.
First understand a talebearer is one who is constantly trying to
unravel his lies and contention and make sense of them. He seeks to garner support for his or her
view. Understand also the talebearer is
a foolish person. The Hebrew word used
here for “talebearer” is to murmur or whisper, to distribute in secret with a
false sense of confidence. Look what it
says in Pr 26:20 “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no
talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” Today the talebearer lives and breathes in
the workplace, in our Churches, on the evening news and in our homes. Don’t be caught repeating things because they
seem sensational especially if you know they are not true. The danger and truth to the matter is this,
even though you might think it is harmless this verse tells us it is not.
The word “wounds” simply means that sensation when your belly is uncomfortable and you swallow or gulp in order to try to
comfort yourself. This verse likens the
words to that which makes us sick in our intestines, “the innermost parts of
the belly.” There are wounds inflicted
every time. Deep wounds. Recognition and repentance are the only cure.
9 He also
that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
What kind of effort do we give at work? Do we work hard to give our employer our
best? Ask yourself this; if you were an
employer and knew about all that you do, would you have anything to recommend
in your performance appraisal?
10 The
name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth
into it, and is safe.
In this verse there is a contrast with the next verse. Notice, the name of the LORD is a strong
tower. It does not say the LORD buildeth a strong tower and the righteous run into it but
rather His name alone is the strong tower.
11 The
rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high
wall in his own conceit.
The word “strong” used here means might or strength in a material,
physical, personal, social or political sense.
It is the same Hebrew word used in the previous verse. A “strong tower” was a place a person could
feel physically safe and confident in conducting his or her business. Better
still, when venturing out there was always a safe place to take refuge.
The “high wall” means a wall that is inaccessibly high, no one can
scale it nor can they get to the other side in any way. Conceit is likened to this insurmountable
wall in that the deception of comfort in a physical sense blinds the conceited. They have no notion in them that their
condition is a form of eternal peril.
This is a so-called, "self deceipt."
The things that make us feel secure may not be the things we need
to put our most diligent efforts toward.
In the end we will discover the strong city and the protection we need
is in the humbleness of Wisdom.
12 Before
destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour
is humility.
Why is it so hard to learn the lesson of humility? What is it about being humble that makes us
so uncomfortable? It is as though we
will be thought less a man or woman if we are of a humble nature. Yet we have heard and been told throughout
scripture that humbleness is a prized virtue.
Look at what Paul says in Galatians 6:1-3 "1Brethren,
if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest
thou also be tempted. 2Bear ye one another's burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ. 3For if a man think himself to be
something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." For some reason we have fashioned in our
minds when a guy pulls up in an expensive car wearing designer clothing this is
the epitome of success and deserves honor.
When in fact that person might be standing at the threshold of disaster.
Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Proverbs 16:19 "Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil
with the proud."
13 He that
answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly
and shame unto him.
Listen! We might find ourselves
thinking so highly of ourselves that we cannot “heareth” anything for the noise
of our own haughtiness. Sometimes I
catch myself and notice the noise in my head is so loud there is no way I could
ever hear anything anyone else says.
Listening just to hear where we might interject our own thoughts is not
actually listening at all. Hearing with
the ability to actually consider what is being said is
vital to our gaining understanding.
Wisdom warns us here to be quiet and actually consider
what is being said. The benefit is
avoiding “shame.” This verse could also
apply to actions taken before knowing what is going on or what others have done
up to the point of our intercession.
14 The
spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
No matter how bad the infirmity, the spirit of a man will sustain
him. Whenever a person has been near
death and come through it we always say they are a
fighter. What we really mean is that the
person has a strong will or spirit to live.
On the other hand, when you see someone who has a wounded spirit or is
stricken with a heavy heart, we tend to come along side to help. The wounded spirit is one with no hope. This verse is basically saying getting over
an illness or some other physical hardship is one thing but overcoming
hopelessness is extremely difficult. It
takes someone with Wisdom to have the right words and sensitivity to help in
matters of spirit.
15 The
heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear
of the wise seeketh knowledge.
The prudent always consider the best use of their resources. They seek to put their efforts and talents to
the best use. The fact that they have a
heart for being prudent means it comes from within them. It is a part of them and has become second
nature. An interesting thing to look at
here too is that the "heart" is the one "getting knowledge"
and it is not the head. Another quick
note; the Hebrew word here translated as "prudent" is used in
Proverbs more than any other book of the Bible.
16 A man's
gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before
great men.
In the days of this writing, in order to get a meeting with the
leaders you had to bring a gift as a token of honor and respect. It was a form of indicating the seriousness
of the matter you wanted to discuss. In
many cases if the matter was very important the gift would be grander. Today, it might be like going to lunch or
getting away from the noise in order to focus.
I have seen some pretty expensive efforts used
in order to simply get a meeting. The
principle is in fact that there is a benefit to the “great men” by meeting with
us and we have to demonstrate that somehow. Otherwise there is no reason for them to
waste their time with us. Keep in mind
too that the gift is a symbol and indicates the benefit of the meeting.
17 He that
is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth
him.
We know, just because we think we are right we might not be. Proverbs 21:2 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts." There are times when we get something fixed
in our hearts and minds and we loose sight of the facts. Being first in your own cause is the same as
saying, “I'm right and you're wrong.”
The neighbor comes along and starts asking questions. When that happens, listen to the questions
because there may be some insight in them.
Just because we think we're right, for me at least, is the first warning
sign to begin listening. As Wisdom
matures in us the keenness of what steps to take in matters becomes second
nature. Oh, by the way, sometimes that
neighbor could be your spouse.
18 The lot
causeth contentions to cease, and parteth
between the mighty.
The practice of casting lots was a method of determining God’s
will in matters. It was used and
corrupted by the Romans into a wagering game and may have been modified into
what we know as dice today. The Roman
soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ garments at the foot of the cross. Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." It appears that a person’s lot may have been
a unique colored or shaped stone as indicated in Proverbs 1:14 "Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:”
By casting in thy lot, all those involved would have a stake or share of the
purse and their lot distinguished their part.
Also notice that by casting in their lot they forsook their ability to
use their lot anywhere else.
19 A
brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions
are like the bars of a castle.
This might apply to any close family member in fact. The offense becomes more than just the simple
offense many times because of family.
There are many unspoken rules that apply to how the family unit
functions. This is true especially
outside the immediate family. Sometimes
things that happened decades ago can fester into a deadly silence or an all out war. This
verse is simply stating two things.
First, when a brother is offended it will be tough resolving the issues
surrounding the offense. Secondly, this
serves as a warning when it comes to family to be concerned about and nurture
the family so this sort of struggle does not occur.
It is not so much true today but in years past, family was
tremendously important. In the times of
the Bible, families worked hard together to live and feed themselves. Many of their business endeavors were done as
a family. My point is that the family
was close, very close. When there was an
offense it was serious and the type of offense here is one of separation.
20 A man's
belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of
his lips shall he be filled.
Look at this verse in reverse, the phrase, “increase of his lips”
will be the good or bad caused by the things we say. We have the ability with everything we say to
either increase good or increase bad. It
certainly makes sense then that the belly is subject to the fruit of the
mouth. If that which we speak is good then there will be a satisfaction felt in the
belly. The word “belly” means
within and in this case means peace from inner turmoil both mentally and
physically.
21 Death
and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the
fruit thereof.
Watch what you say! Here is
the verse that should tame the tongue.
This is a continuation of the previous verse. Never question the impact and power of words
as you speak them. Matthew 15:11 “Not that which goeth into the
mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of
the mouth, this defileth a man.” Mark 7:20 “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth
the man.” James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a
world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth
on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” It should rattle us a bit here to understand
the complete impact of what we say. It
might be a good idea to get some duct tape and tape our tongues to the roof of
our mouths if we cannot say anything good!
22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour
of the LORD.
23 The
poor useth intreaties; but
the rich answereth roughly.
“Intreaties” means supplication or
begging grace in a humble way. This is
contrasted with the rough answer from the rich.
There are more ways to be “poor” than you might think. You could be poor socially where you are not
esteemed the way you think you should be.
You could be poor in confidence where you find it difficult to make
decisions. You could be poor spiritually
where you lack the kind of insight and direction you desire. Any of these would be viewed as conditions
normally but in this context they are symptoms of
being poor. Any one of these symptoms
would cause us to act in a way where expectations are low and thus the
impending results are in line with those expectations. However, the contrast here is the rough
answer by the rich.
It is not bad or wrong to be rich unless our riches define our
behavior. There is a mentality that
naturally seeps into the veins of the rich that brings a haughty spirit if we
are not careful. If our view of those
around us becomes one of being better than them then we have fallen into the
trap. Look what Christ said in Luke
18:10-14, “10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week,
I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican,
standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner. 14 I tell you,
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one
that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
The main issue here is when we allow our things to define who we
are then when they are gone so is the person we
thought we were. To make matters worse,
while we are living in the lap of luxury those we may
need help from don’t want anything to do with us because we answered them
roughly. The paradox of the whole thing
too is that if we become poor those rich folks we used to have as friends will
not be there to help.
24 A man
that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
This is talking about reaping what you sow If you are friendly, you will have
friends. We cannot wait around with the
attitude of not being friendly until someone else is friendly first.