1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. 2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. 3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth. 4 The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it. 5 A man who flatters his neighbor Spreads a net for his feet. 6 By transgression an evil man is snared, But the righteous sings and rejoices. 7 The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge. 8 Scoffers set a city aflame, But wise men turn away wrath. 9 If a wise man contends with a foolish man, Whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace. 10 The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, But the upright seek his well-being. 11 A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back. 12 If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked. 13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both. 14 The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever. 15 The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall. 17 Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul. 18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. 19 A servant will not be corrected by mere words; For though he understands, he will not respond. 20 Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 21 He who pampers his servant from childhood Will have him as a son in the end. 22 An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression. 23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. 24 Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. 26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, But justice for man comes from the Lord. 27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
Commentary
Vs. 1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
The warning here at its peak is to not ignore God’s command to repent and believe in the Gospel! For when people harden their hearts towards Him, and continue on in their sins and transgressions, there is nothing but judgment looming over them, which will come without warning or reprieve. The pages of history, and especially in the Bible, are filled with the tragic stories of those people and nations who did heed His Word and were suddenly and without warning taken away (consider Daniel 5:1-30).
Vs. 2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
People rejoice when the righteous are in authority because there is now justice and equity in the land. And all manner of opportunities to live peaceably and prosper is now available to one and to all. However, when the wicked are in authority the people groan because guaranteed there will be corruption from top to bottom, from the highest office to the lowliest “civil servant”. And so, when the people are not being exploited and lied too, by their “leaders”, they will be dealing with all manner of oppressive and corrupt local authorities who will bear down on them with a heavy hand and an unjust rule over them.
Vs. 3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.
Once again it is the wise son who makes his father rejoice, while it is his reckless son who only squanders his father’s fortune, and his own life’s opportunities. That said there is hope and a new life for every prodigal son and daughter who repents and believes! (Luke 15:11-32)
Vs. 4 The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.
A nations ruler largely dictates his own nations fortunes, for by dealing justly he establishes the nation in righteousness and helps bring forth its prosperity. In contrast a corrupt ruler who receives bribes only overthrows it, because he sets the stage for all manner of corruption and injustice to take root and flourish in the land all which only undermines the nation and eventually him.
Vs. 5 A man who flatters his neighbor Spreads a net for his feet.
A flatter does no good to his neighbor in flattering him, for by encouraging his neighbor’s vanity and pride he is only setting him up for a fall. Better than to speak the truth then to flatter with the tongue.
Vs. 6 By transgression an evil man is snared, But the righteous sings and rejoices.
The evil man is caught and snared in the cords of his own sin, and he reaps his own misery, while the righteous person sings and rejoices because they belong to Christ and they are choosing to walk in the way of life, joy then is also a gift from God!
Vs. 7 The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge.
Righteous people are not indifferent people, especially when it comes to considering the plight of the poor. For the Lord Jesus Christ never looked past the poor in the spirit (Matt. 5:3; antithesis Luke 18:9-14), nor the poor in flesh (Luke 6:20-26; 14:12-14; 16:19-31), neither than should we. However, the wicked (who can often be seen as playing righteous, i.e., the religious zealot or Pharisee) simply do not understand the heart of the Lord, that He desires mercy not sacrifice (consider Matt. 9:10-13; 12:1-8; Romans 13:9; Gal. 6:2, 13-14; James 2:8-13 etc.). knowledge of God, more than burnt offerings (i.e., useless sacrifices of men that think they can appease God by doing so while not keeping His commandments, nor showing His kindness and mercy to others in need.
Vs. 8 Scoffers set a city aflame, But wise men turn away wrath.
Scoffers stir up the worst in people, all manner of contentions and strife, even riotous wrath and rage. However wise men seek to make peace and keep peace, for they have no joy in seeing people enraged or contending with each other.
Vs. 9 If a wise man contends with a foolish man, Whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace.
You cannot win an argument with a fool, nor can you persuade him, for all you will get out of him is either laughter (i.e., scoffing) or rage. There is then no peace with him.
Vs. 10 The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, But the upright seek his well-being.
Violent and vile people hate those who live blameless lives, inevitably they only want to harm them. In contrast those who are living uprightly will seek their well being.
Vs. 11 A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.
Nothing is off limits when it comes to the mouth of a fool. There is no tact with their tongue. If they think it, or feel it, they speak it! However, a wise man restrains himself and his mouth!
Vs. 12 If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
When a ruler listens to lies, (about himself or others) or about the affairs in his domain, his servants become wicked because they will only become evil and unjust liars who are only trying to appease Him, not advise him. For when a ruler doesn’t stand for truth and righteousness neither will his servants.
Vs. 13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
Though the poor man may be powerless before the oppressor, yet it is the Lord who gives light to eyes of both. That is, He gives them life and sustains their lives, He also gives them understanding and revelation of His Person and Will, and so both will stand before Him and give an account of their persons and lives at the Judgment.
Vs. 14 The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.
God in heaven who watches over everyone and everything has decreed that the King who judges the poor with truth, and not with partiality nor by injustice (Lev. 19:15; Job 34:19), will have His throne established forever (consider Psalm 72; Isaiah 11:1-5; 41:17).
Vs. 15 The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Discipling a child is foundational to their growth and wellbeing, and here we clearly see (as history has proven) that corporal punishment combined with corrective words gives a child the wisdom to want to do and choose what is right. In contrast the child left to rear itself, to go in and come out and basically do whatever they please will be a child that will only bring shame to its mother; if the mother is even capable of bearing any shame for her neglecting her child in such a way; for such a child, will more often than not, only be getting themselves into all kinds of mischief and evil. Children should never be left to self regulate themselves!
Vs. 16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; But the righteous will see their fall.
There is always a direct correlation between moral and ethical decay and societal upheaval. And so here we are warned once again that where the wicked are, there transgressions increase. That said, God’s Word promises that those who continue to live righteous lives, will see their fall.
Vs. 17 Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul.
Once again correction of one’s son (or child) will make not only for their peace, but also ones own. For a well-mannered son (not a pampered one) will always bring you much rest and delight! For you won’t have to worry about what they are doing, or whom they are going in and out with, or what kind of new trouble they maybe getting themselves into.
Vs. 18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
Without God’s Word as a compass for one’s person, life and soul, people quickly loose tract of true north and begin to follow all kinds of wayward paths that only lead to many personal miseries and sorrows. However, the person who keeps the law, that is they keep God’s Commandments given us through the Lord Jesus Christ will have joy.
Vs. 19 A servant will not be corrected by mere words; For though he understands, he will not respond.
This proverb is teaching us that there must be consequences for one’s willful obstinance or indifference. For people, especially when they are subservient to others, (as is life), are not always willfully obedient, nor diligent to do their masters/employers will. And so, when they willfully don’t do it, there needs to be consequences, and not just you retelling them what you want done time and again.
Vs. 20 Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
The person who habitually speaks before they think, is here said to have less hope for themselves than a fool.
Vs. 21 He who pampers his servant from childhood Will have him as a son in the end.
Spoiling one’s servant (or employee) from childhood (or from the beginning of their employment) will not make for a good employer, employee relationship. For if you do so you will have on your hands not a servant or an employee, but pampered son who thinks that they are entitled to all of privileges of sonship/ownership.
Vs. 22 An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression.
An angry man is always looking for a fight, he (or she) always stirs up strife and conflict amongst people. Same with the furious man and he too commits plenty of sins and transgressions. For having an angry demeanor is never self contained, it always manifests itself in many harmful and destructive ways.
Vs. 23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.
Pride is downfall of many, from the great and mighty, to the lowest of men, a man’s pride will bring him low. In contrast the humble in spirit will retain honor, they will not be brought down by their own pride driven bad choices.
Vs. 24 Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing.
Whoever is partner with a thief hates their own life because whom they have aligned themselves with can never be trusted. For thieves are liars will always turn on each other. As well in doing so they are only setting themselves up for Judgment, both here and now, and in eternity (Psalm 50:18-21; Zech. 5:3-4; John 5:24-30 etc.). Neither their words nor their actions are to be trusted because they have no integrity.
Vs. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
The fear of man is a snare because it keeps people from doing and saying what is right in the face of injustice and evil! For it takes courage not only to stand for the Gospel, but also to stand opposed to tidal wave of lying evil ways and moral decay that pervades today. Nonetheless though the storm may rage and surge yet the Lord promises that all of us who trust in Him shall be safe, not necessarily safe from them who oppose Him, but from His Judgment and His fierce wrath which is set against all those who do evil, and or have been complicit about it (consider Isaiah 2:11-12; 24:1-23; Amos 2:13-16; Matt. 10:24-42; Luke 6:22-23; 2 Thess. 1:3-10; 1 Peter 3:13-17 etc.).
Vs. 26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, But justice for man comes from the Lord.
Though one may seek justice for themselves through this world’s courts and or its governmental departments, agencies, and systems, justice is not guaranteed to be found there, as corruption and injustice will always invade and at times pervade there. Justice then is only found through the One who is Most Just, the Lord Jesus Christ who renders to each one according to their works and their ways.
Vs. 27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
There is no peace nor rapport between the righteous person and the unjust/wicked person, because the two are diametrically opposed to each other, just as God and His works are diametrically opposed to Satan and his. And so those who live righteous lives, who are doing justly as a course of their lives cannot stand the immoral and evil deeds and lies of the wicked/unjust person (consider 2 Peter 2:4-11). Similarly, then those who live wicked and unjust and evil lives; who will justify those doing the same, cannot but hold those who are living righteous and just lives in contempt, because we are to them all that God is, and all that they themselves have rejected and ruined! That said believing in and obeying the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the means to our reconciliation and peace.
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