1 A good name is rather to
be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather
than silver and gold.
What
is in a name? There are times when we
hear a name of someone we know personally.
If someone is talking about them, and what they say is good, it is nice
to know others feel the same way. This
is not entirely what this verse is describing here. This is specifically dealing with the general
overall goodness in a much broader sense.
Their business dealings are sound and full of integrity, their personal
relationships are rewarding because of good character, they can be trusted,
they are wise.
Loving
favor is one of the most significant benefits of being a child of God. Wisdom yields her fruits in this form. In Pr
11:27 “He that diligently seeketh
good procureth favour: but
he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.” You see, without Wisdom it is impossible to
know good or how it is found. Look at
verse 28:26 “He that trusteth
in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
The
choice is yours. “…be chosen” is the action Wisdom is teaching us here
and it indicates choosing loving favor is the action we are to take. This tells us to stop waiting for favor to
arrive on its own. Instead, seek it and
find it through good character and integrity.
When we find it, dip both hands into the treasure of its ultimate bounty
and receive it like gold or silver.
2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
Well
the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
I have heard that for years. This
verse is trying to convey the thought that our opinion of either camp should be
left alone. The Lord makes them all and
makes us who we are. We will have
dealings with the rich and the poor alike. Our opinion of them should be the same. If we deal with them with integrity and
humility (vs 4) as well as similitude, the benefits are riches, honor, and
life.
3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth
himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
We may
have said to ourselves, “I am not getting involved with them.” Especially if it seems wrong or illegal. That is prudence in action. Using discretion and other tools will help us
to be prudent with confidence. The word
“prudent” means, subtle, shrewd, crafty, sly, sensible. Proverbs chapter fourteen deals with prudence
in detail as it contrast the bad for lacking prudence
and the good for having prudence.
4 By humility and the fear
of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Humility
makes a person reasonable. Pr 15:33
says, “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of
wisdom; and before honour is humility.”
And Pr 18:12 says, “Before destruction the heart of
man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” It seems interesting when honor is present,
humility is right there standing along side.
It is so hard to have humility.
We tend to take offense when someone looks down on us for any reason. Maybe that is the problem, the person or
persons looking down on us are not the ones we should concern ourselves with so
much. If you think about it this way, we
really should not have a priority when it comes to whom we please outside of
the LORD.
5 Thorns and snares are in
the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
The
word froward is interesting. The word literally means to pervert not in a
sexual way so much but in the sense to twist and distort the truth. "Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he
that is perverse in his lips,
and is a fool." - Pro 19:1 KJV
The "frowards" are consuming themselves because one with
Wisdom is not even around them. That is
why it can be said there are thorns and snares all around them. It is by their very nature to prey on
people. It just turns out that essentially
the only ones around to snare are themselves.
If you find yourself being consumed you had
better step back and assess whom you are rubbing shoulders with.
6 Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
If you
are fortunate enough to have youngsters, you have an excellent opportunity to
embark on training them in Wisdom. If
you do so, they will not depart from it.
Some
say that a child absorbs something like fifty percent of the knowledge they use
for decision making by the age of eight years old.
Now,
what exactly is in the training-up of a child?
Wisdom teaches numerous principles.
Another thing to remember as well, it is never too late to train even if
you have a teenager, whom many would say are un-trainable. Consider the benefits of teaching them these
principles, don’t worry about if they take on every single one. Simply teaching them where to find true
Wisdom would bestow on them the treasures of character potential.
7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the
lender.
We
could embark on a venture here about finances and the models in which work
versus the ones that do not. You need to
understand when you are the borrower you are the servant. You have few rights other than having a means
to earn enough to pay them back. All I
will say about finances is that if you do not have cash then ask yourself, “is
this necessary?” This does not include
the house, but it does include the car.
Use Wisdom when considering a vehicle for transportation. If your transportation needs consist of
making sure you have a vehicle that will do long trips, then your
considerations will be different than those of us only needing to hop over to
the store or back and forth to work.
Another point here, go back and read verse four, who are you trying to
impress? I have always found in my own
heart the desire for the fancy machine only because it would impress those who
saw me in it, not the effectiveness of my ride.
8 He that soweth iniquity
shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
No
matter how upset we get or how badly we want to get even we will suffer the
consequences of this type of behavior.
“Soweth iniquity” can be translated as follows: iniquity, perverseness,
unjust, unjustly, unrighteously, unrighteousness,
variant, wicked, wickedly, wickedness.
That is a list of bad things. But
remember the principle of sowing and reaping?
Sow it and it will return, bigger and more plenteous than before.
Vanity
means iniquity,
wicked(ness),
affliction, mischief, unrighteous, evil, mourning, nought, sorrow. In
case you didn’t notice, this is another list of bad stuff that comes from
sowing bad stuff. The principle is much
more prolific however, considering it returns thirty, sixty and a hundred fold (Matt 13:23).
We
have to realize, we are guilty of this. It is not practiced only by those outside the
Will of God. Those of us supposedly
inside the will of God tend to sow some too now and then. The phrase “the rod of his anger shall fail”
is referring to the correcting and chastening God takes us through. When that is gone, we are in big
trouble. Hebrews 12:5-7 “5And
ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto
you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor
faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for
what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”
9 He that hath a bountiful
eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
From
the eye springs the light of the body (Luke 11:34). It is not hard to tell if there is light
coming from a person or darkness. The
bountiful eye is light and because of the light they are blessed. They have loving favor and in that they have
loving favor they know the principle of sowing and reaping. In that they know the principle of sowing and
reaping they give or sow whenever they can.
10 Cast out the scorner, and
contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
If a
flea-ridden dog got into your house, you would grab the nearest tool to combat
the situation and free your home from potential infestation. Getting rid of those around you that cause
contention and strife is not quite as simple.
First, you have to be able to recognize
them. Personally, I think this should be
a required subject in our educational systems.
Learning how to recognize a scorner is not that tough using the tools
Wisdom has provided. For instance, a
scorner is one that is arrogant and mocks or acts in an irreverent and
disobedient way. We are being told here
to get rid of them. This can be done by
leaving or asking them to leave, but clearly we need
to not have them around. Later in this
chapter you will understand why this is so important and even where the words
will come from to make it happen according to the LORD.
11 He that loveth pureness of
heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
Making
a conscious decision to keep your heart pure is a huge commitment. The act of keeping it pure is no small
undertaking. The motivation for keeping
it pure are the overwhelming benefits.
Do you remember the verse talking about a bountiful eye? When people see you, they will know what is
in you. Oh, and understand this, having
a pure heart does not mean you are a wimp either. For some reason our society seems to think
having a pure heart means you lack inner strength when nothing could be farther
from the truth.
The
later part of this verse shows how the words of one having a pure heart not
only can be trusted but also is desired as a friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD
preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of
the transgressor.
How
would you like to have just the right words to say when you are being tormented
by someone? If your motives are right
and your heart is pure then God himself will give you just the right words to
say. One thing we have
to understand though is the words may seem unfitting because we in our
flesh want to use a more harsh and hurtful approach. We have to remember, the LORD knows their
heart and knows what will effect them or better yet,
what will perfect them.
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
This
is just saying a lazy person will find any excuse to avoid working. In our time
we could easily say, “if I get in my car today and get on the interstate to
drive to work, I could die!”
14 The mouth of strange women
is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.
Don’t
fall for the kind words that come from a strange woman. Hearing how handsome and special you are
should only come from your wife. Wives,
if you are not attentive to your husband in this area you should be. There is no one who can charm a man like a
wife.
If you
have fallen in this pit, there is hope.
Although you will find yourself in the mire and muck of fools and their
folly, scorners and their scorn and even whoremongers and their whores, this is
the place where even the simplest of jewels seem radiant and the tiniest
morsels of hope resonate the LORD’s desire for your life. Crawl out of the pit and dust yourself off
and listen.
15 Foolishness is bound in
the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Even
though this says “the heart of a child” we can all find some foolishness in our
hearts. Specifically though the child
will tend to play at every opportunity and when we get older and have more responsibilities,
our playfulness must turn into maturity.
Keep in mind the “rod of correction” as described in Proverbs leaves
bruises, Pr 20:30 “The blueness of a wound cleanseth
away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the
belly.” This is fair warning of the
importance of fleeing foolishness.
16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that
giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
Taking
advantage of the poor is dangerous.
Earlier in this very chapter (verse two) it describes where the poor
come from. The LORD will not bless those
endeavors and in fact according to this verse He will make sure those increases
sprout wings and leave.
Another
interesting fallacy of our natural instincts is to lay hold on the favor of the
rich. For some reason we feel there is
profit in making sure we show honor to them.
It may be through gifts or it may be by doing things which allow them to
take advantage of us. All
of this just to make sure they see us as someone they should show
benevolence. This verse is telling us to
give it up.
17 Bow down thine ear, and
hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
One of
the best ways to keep ourselves from experiencing the
difficulties of bad decisions is to listen to those who have either been
through difficulties or seen them first hand.
Listening and acting on Wisdom is key.
If you were a golfer and went to get a lesson and did not do what the
professional recommended you would be wasting your time and money not to
mention the hardship you might continue to find on the golf course.
Becoming
a good listener is paramount. It means
considering what is being said and it takes some humility to be a good listener
too. I find it tough sometimes to keep
my mouth shut when listening and when I do, I learn. Consider for a moment the five primary
senses; sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell.
These are all inputs to our ability to discern what is going on around
us. There are fewer methods of
output. The LORD made us this way. We are better equipped for input and it
fashions our output.
18 For it is a pleasant thing
if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
When
we listen and do as the previous verse, listen and apply our hearts, our
actions and speech becomes pleasant.
19 That thy trust may be in
the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
If you
take verses seventeen and eighteen, this is like the signature line on the
contract. It could read like this: “if thou bow down thine ear and hear the
words of the wise and apply thine heart unto my knowledge it is guaranteed to
be a pleasant thing in the long run as long as you keep them within thee
subsequently there shall be a result in those things found on your lips to be
fitted by Wisdom while your trust is in the LORD.
This
has been established and further more explained and demonstrated through
examples this ____day of ___________, _____ to you ___________________ and even
you _______________who don’t think it applies to you.”
I
don’t want to scare you with legal jargon but if you are reading this and
thinking seriously about what it says, you are obligated to abide. This is often referred to as “intellectual
property” in contract law. You have been
allowed to read the secret “input-process-output” recipe for becoming one of
Wisdom. You will be considered from this
point forward one having no excuse for lack of understanding, lack of promise,
lack of direction nor and above all lack of blessing.
20 Have not I written to thee
excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
As has
been stated above, we are not alone, nor will we ever be again, while we hear
and apply and begin telling others. Look
at the next verse.
21 That I might make thee
know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest
answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
I have
read where most commentators and they have stated the end of this verse (to
them that send unto thee) means, “to those that send thee.” Yet in a contextual sense my Spirit points me
in the direction of: “to them that are sent to thee.” Thusly the verse would read: That I might
make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that are sent
unto thee? It is my belief that the LORD
brings various people into our lives at various times and though we may be the
ones found moving from place to place, the LORD directs our path in such a way
that those we come upon are there by divine intervention. Having said that, based on the previous verses,
which bring us to this point, we are responsible and have been trained and
tooled to do that work. Our confidence
should be that in our walk along that path those placed have only need of what
we are equipped, nothing more and nothing less.
Simply put, the LORD will only expect from us that for which we are
prepared.
22 Rob not the poor, because
he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
Again we are reminded about the poor
and the treatment of them. Additionally we are cautioned about the afflicted as
well. It may take some time to uncover
the will to be a blessing to these mentioned but it is
in us as a part of Wisdom. Start with
what you are equipped with. It might
simply be a kind word or a seemingly trivial, “how are you doing today?” If you do that, it will seem strange to
them. Watch their eyes light up.
23 For the LORD will plead
their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled
them.
This
is a guarantee much like the one above but it is
guaranteeing spoil if we abuse or mistreat the poor or afflicted.
24 Make no friendship with an
angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
Remember
in Pr 14:17 “He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly:
and a man of wicked devices is hated.”
This is the reason to stay clear of the angry man, he is bent on being
angry and if he is angry, he will do something foolish. If he does something foolish you don’t want
to be anywhere close to his foolishness.
I have noticed too, a person who is easily angered snaps at the simplest
of things. It has left me wondering what
was so upsetting to demonstrate such rage.
25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
An
angry man has little that will keep him from his intentions. It is a man with Wisdom that will consider
the path of those intentions. One
without Wisdom will wreck all in his path, which is why it is important to stay
away from an angry man. You could become
some of the wreckage.
26 Be not thou one of them
that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
If you
can avoid being surety or co-signer of a note do so. To “strike hands” is the formal agreement
process that indicates a man’s agreement to pay on behalf of another.
27 If thou hast nothing to
pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
This
is a continuation of the previous verse.
If you are surety or the one with the collateral for the loan, how is it
then if the one you are loaning your name and good standing to cannot pay that
you would get repaid? Remember chapter
6:1-2? The repayment of this agreement
can sometimes result in a very tempestuous relationship.
28 Remove not the ancient
landmark, which thy fathers have set.
Landmarks
remove any doubt of where a person’s property begins and ends. In the day of this writing land was the
single most important resource for providing for your family and earning a
living. When the landmarks were removed
there would be disputes as to where a person’s property begins and ends. This verse is basically saying keep to that
which is yours and be honest. There is
also a sense of honor and respect for our ancestors.
29 Seest
thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not
stand before mean men.
If you
have a business or are responsible for a business, be diligent about it. A good thing to know here is that if you are
counted as diligent, you should find yourself among kings. If you find yourself among mere men, maybe
you need to be more diligent about your work.