Those Practical Proverbs: A Pastoral Exposition of the Book of Proverbs Volume 2

By David A. Balsley

Those Practical Proverbs is a verse-by-verse commentary on the book of Proverbs from a pastor’s perspective. It begins with an exploration of the authorship of Proverbs—most of which was written by King Solomon, with brief sections by Agur, the son of Jakeh, and the words of King Lemuel (from an oracle, which his mother taught him). It proceeds to an explanation of the structure of Hebrew poetry, a list of some of the topics addressed in the book, and an outline of the book. The opening chapters of Proverbs (1–9) consist of longer “wisdom poems” on a variety of significant subjects. Most chapters of Proverbs consist of single-verse observations concerning many of life’s practical concerns (with occasional multiverse entries). The book concludes with the entries of Agur and King Lemuel and, finally, the classic alphabetic acrostic poem regarding the “excellent wife.” Because the book focuses largely on the wisdom and understanding, which find their origin in the fear of the Lord, it is among the most life-enriching books ever written. It is extremely important for anyone who longs for practical guidance in the many issues of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973646457

David A. Balsley

David Balsley followed his studies at Biola University and Western Conservative Baptist Seminary with more than forty years of pastoral ministry in Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona and California. He was already fascinated with the writings of Solomon as a college student, and he has spent years sharing his studies of the writings of Solomon in Bible studies and pulpit ministry, as well as the publication of The Puzzled Preacher - A Pastoral Exposition of Ecclesiastes and the Passionate Prince - A Pastoral Exposition of the Song of Solomon. He and his wife, Janice, live in Brea, California. They are active members of Green Hills Baptist Church (The Church at Green Hills) in La Habra, California.

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 David Balsley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-4646-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-4647-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-4645-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018913648

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/24/2020

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." www.Lockman.org

All Scripture quotes taken from the New American Standard Bible (1995) unless otherwise noted.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dedicated to

my dear wife,

Janice, and to our

children and their children

who will need the wisdom

found in the book of Proverbs

in order to make the most they

can make of their lives for

both time and eternity!

And to

Sheila Diddams,

who suggested I put

my thoughts regarding

Proverbs in print.

CONTENTS

G Proverbs 16

H Proverbs 17

I Proverbs 18

J Proverbs 19

K Proverbs 20

L Proverbs 21

M Proverbs 22:1-16

IV PROVERBIAL SAYINGS OF SOLOMON 22:17-24:22

A Proverbs 22:17-29

B Proverbs 23

C Proverbs 24:1-22

V OTHER WORDS OF THE WISE 24:23-34

VI PROVERBS OF SOLOMON ADDED BY THE MEN OF HEZEKIAH 25:1-29:27

A Proverbs 25

B Proverbs 26

C Proverbs 27

D Proverbs 28

E Proverbs 29

VII THE WORDS OF AGUR THE SON OF JAKEH 30:1-33

VIII THE WORDS OF KING LEMUEL 31:1-9

IX DESCRIPTION OF AN EXCELLENT WIFE 31:10-31

ENDNOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PROVERBS 16

16:1 "The plans of the heart belong to man,

But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD."

In this verse, as often in Hebrew poetry, the heart of man is identified as the center of thought (equal to the mind in western thought), working out plans for the future.

Every man is capable of deciding for himself what he wants to accomplish as he looks toward the future. He doesn't need to consult God or man. He is capable of dreaming his dreams, large or small, in his own heart. It doesn't cost anything to consider the future; it usually takes little effort; and the man who tries to anticipate and plan for the future is more likely to accomplish his dreams than the man who doesn't. As the familiar saying has it, If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time.

I attended an Olan Hendrix Management Skills Seminar some years ago. Page six of the study guide for the seminar (which I no longer possess) quoted Basil S. Walsh:

An intelligent plan is the first step to success. The man who knows where he is going, knows what progress he is making and has a pretty good idea when he will arrive. Planning is the open road to your destination. If you don't know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?

God has given us the ability to assess the past and anticipate the future, and He intends for us to use that ability as best we can. However, the reality is summed up in another familiar saying: The best made plans of mice and men are often going awry. So Solomon takes us from human dreaming to divine sovereignty after the familiar but which introduces his antithetical thought.

In contrast to the plans of the heart which are only intangible thoughts in the mind of a man, the answer of the tongue is more concrete. It is close to the finished product, and no matter how carefully a man makes his plans, the finished product may turn out differently than he had anticipated! The gospel of Matthew records a classic example of the challenge in its comparison of the plans of Peter's heart (Matthew 26:35 - Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You) with the answer of his tongue (Matthew 26:72,74 - I do not know the man).

Solomon's observation that the answer of the tongue is from the Lord is not intended to make the Lord responsible for everything any man says. It is simply his acknowledgment of the fact that man is not ultimately in control of the circumstances of his life - God is. When man makes his plans for the future he bases them on what he thinks the circumstances will be like, and on what he thinks other people will do or say in response to what he does or says. But, since man doesn't know for sure what is ahead, his plans frequently fail to materialize the way he thought they would.

In contrast to man's uncertainty, however, is the Lord's certainty about all things, and His ability to control the future - including the innumerable big and little circumstances which crowd in around a man to influence what he says and does. As the Lord observed in Isaiah 46:10, He is the One Declaring the end from the beginning, who concludes the verse with the observation I will accomplish all My good pleasure. The Lord is sovereign over the affairs of His universe, including all the details in the lives of its inhabitants.

The point isn't that man shouldn't make plans. Rather, the point is that man should always take the will of God into consideration in all of his plans - as James argues in James 4:13-17. His realistic assessment in verse 15 is this: you ought to say, >If the Lord wills we will live and also do this or that.' So we can, and we should, make plans concerning our future as we envision it, but we must remember that God ultimately controls the outcome. As a result, we always need to make plenty of room in our plans for the will of the sovereign Lord.

16:2 "All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,

But the Lord weighs the motives."

All the ways of a man includes everything which is involved in a man's way of life - his thoughts, his words, and every action which he takes in the process of living out his life each day. Every day a man lives his ways increase by the hundreds and thousands - some good and some not so good. But man has a very difficult time impartially judging his ways. They seem to him to be clean (zak - transparent, clear, pure, innocent), though they may be far from it.

Very seldom, if ever, do men engage in thoughts, words, or actions which they consider, at the time they think, say or do them, to be wrong. It isn't that men don't do wrong - it is just that they don't think themselves to be wrong. A very visible public figure in American politics whose career has clearly been littered with lies was asked by a reporter about the lies which seem evident to the public. The reply was I don't think I have ever told a lie. What seems evident to the watching public apparently wasn't evident in his own sight.

Anytime someone does what, in his right mind, he knows to be wrong, he immediately puts his mind to work at rationalizing his action - explaining, to his own satisfaction, why it is that the thing which he has done was the proper thing to do under the circumstances. It started in the garden of Eden when, asked why he had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which the Lord clearly instructed him not to eat from, Adam offered the rationalization The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate (Genesis 3:12). Eve too, of course, had a rationalization for her sinful action.

Not all things are, in reality, as they may appear to be in the eyes of a man. As the Prophet Jeremiah so clearly stated it (Jeremiah 17:9), The heart is more deceitful than all else, And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? So, Solomon turns the proverbial corner in the second line of the verse.

We can only see the outward actions of those around us in our evaluation of their behavior. And though we know our own thoughts, we may even be deceived about ourselves, attempting to rationalize our faults and failures out of existence because of our desire to think the best of ourselves. But God is not limited by the inability to see, nor by the inability to see clearly, the real issues of life. As Solomon has put it in Proverbs 5:21, the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths (cf. Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 139:1-6). The Lord sees, and the Lord weighs by infallible measures (Proverbs 24:11-12).

Fortunately, the Lord has given us a set of standards by which He weighs our motives - His word. We are not at the mercy of our own deceptive hearts, or those of other people, if we will give proper attention to God's standards. The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12, cf. Psalm 119:9; Psalm 139:23-24).

Man thinks that he is good because he rationalizes away his sin, but God sees through man's rationalizations and evaluates man as he really is. We need to evaluate our thoughts, words and deeds by the standards the Lord uses rather than those which man creates. Are we keeping our way according to His word (Psalm 119:9)?

16:3 "Commit your works to the LORD,

And your plans will be established."

The Hebrew verb which is translated commit in this verse (galal) means to roll, roll away. The same verb occurs in the same imperative form in Psalm 37:5 where the parallelism is helpful in showing the meaning: "Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him and He will do it."

Every person's life will be full of works of one kind or another - including thoughts, words and deeds. Here the emphasis is on deeds, though thoughts and words are also a part of man's works. Each one of us may either assume full control and responsibility for our own actions, or we may choose to share the control and responsibility with another (or others) in the healthy acknowledgment that we are not fully competent to manage our lives with all of their complexities. Some people might consider this acknowledgment a sign of weakness, but it is actually only a realistic appraisal of the situation. The child, for example, who allows his father to teach him the right way to tie his shoes hasn't displayed weakness but wisdom. The corporation which calls in an efficiency expert to evaluate its operation hasn't displayed weakness but wisdom.

It isn't a sign of weakness but wisdom for each one of us to acknowledge our deficiencies and limitations by making room for the opinions of those who might know more than we do. And who knows more about life than the Lord? It is Solomon's challenge that we roll over our works onto Him. They remain our works, but His help in bearing them makes them less burdensome - as Jesus said they would be for those who take His yoke upon them (Matthew 11:28-30).

As our designer and Creator and sustainer, the Lord knows far more about what makes us tick than we do. As a result, it makes perfectly good sense to let Him share the loads in our lives - by (1) knowing and applying His word and (2) praying for direction and (3) waiting patiently for Him to provide it.

The second line of this synthetic/ascending parallelism is going to add to the thought of the first line - as the first word and suggests. When we commit our works to the Lord the result will be that our plans will be established.

When a person tries to plan his own walk without any help, he is matching his wits against the laws of nature and of nature's God and against circumstances which he is not capable of fully anticipating or understanding or controlling. But when he commits his works to the Lord he is enlisting the help of the one who knows all things and is capable of controlling all things. The Lord is able to provide stability in any and every area of life where He is allowed control - whether it is personal life or professional life or family life or spiritual life. And He wants to provide stability if we will only trust Him, rather than ourselves, by acknowledging Him in all of our ways (Proverbs 3:5,6).

God will give stability to the person who allows Him to direct his life. Are we committing our works to the Lord? If we are experiencing instability in some area of life we need to carefully evaluate that area in the light of His word and His will if we want Him to guide us to stability and success.

16:4 "The LORD has made everything for its own purpose,

Even the wicked for the day of evil."

Stopping short of the end of the first line of this verse we already have a heavy lesson in theology. The truth that the Lord has made everything reveals that (1) God is powerful as the Creator of all things; and (2) God is sovereign - everything has its own purpose because God has caused it to be so.

What does heavy theology have to do with the practical issues of our lives? (1) Because God is the Creator of everything, we are accountable to Him as His creatures - and His power calls for our respect; (2) Because God is sovereign we need to learn to go the way He is going, or be prepared to face up to the consequences which go with being on the wrong path. These truths can be comforting for those who are alert to their need for His presence and influence, but they can be threatening for those who are trying to avoid His presence and His influence.

The Lord is a God of order and design, as a careful study of the universe around us clearly reveals. Though the popular theory of evolution teaches us that everything in the universe is a result of chance happenings, Solomon tells us that it is all a result of God's purpose, and the universe itself is continually testifying that Solomon is right! The lengthy list of so-called vestigial organs in the human body, which scientists spoke about in years past, continues to shrink in number as more careful examination reveals that they each have a useful purpose. The appendix, for example, which was frequently cited as a vestigial organ, is now understood to serve a useful purpose as a part of the body's immune system. Though the body can function without it, the appendix has its own useful purpose, so the body is healthier when it is present and doing what it was designed to do.

All of the scientific advances and discoveries of recent centuries have been possible because we live in a world which is characterized by order and design - the order and design resulting from the purposeful work of our Creator.

Some, of course, would object that the presence of evil in our world appears to be an exception to the rule stated in the first line of this verse, but the second line assures us that the Lord has a place in His orderly universe for even the wicked and the day of evil.

The Bible doesn't blame God for the presence of evil in our world. In fact, it denies that He is responsible (cf. James 1:13-17). The rebellion of Satan against the Lord (see Isaiah 14:13-14) was his own choice, not God's. And the decision of Adam and Eve to reject God's clear instruction regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6) was their choice, not His. But the Lord has sovereignly turned their wicked choices toward the appropriate day of evil. Because wickedness is present in our world, God has chosen to include it in the accomplishment of His purposes.

When the wicked get what they have coming to them they have arrived at the day of evil. It includes any day of consequences during this earthly life (Romans 6:23) because, as someone has wisely observed, Sooner or later everyone sits down to a dish of consequences. And the day of evil will certainly include the day of judgment in the life to come. Even the day of evil serves God's purposes because it serves to emphasize the reality and the power and the sovereignty and the holiness of God and, thus, to bring glory to Him. God is always in control in the final sense (see Ecclesiastes 7:14).

God's sovereign control of His universe is so comprehensive, and His wisdom so great, that the actions of His creatures, on the basis of their own free will, never put Him in a situation which surprises Him or forces Him to do something which He didn't intend to do all along! The classic example of His sovereign control of wicked behavior came when He purposed even the death of His Son, by the hands of evil men, to carry out His plan for the salvation of those who place their trust in Him (see Acts 4:27-28).

In His wisdom God has ordered His universe so that everything, including evil, accomplishes a predetermined purpose. He can use even our failings to bring about His purposes - though the outcome is likely to be quite problematic when we choose the evil instead of the good. This verse should help us to begin, at least, to comprehend the awesome nature of the Lord as the infinite, sovereign God of the universe.

16:5 "Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;

Assuredly, he will not go unpunished."

It is very fitting that this proverb should follow the one which precedes it, where we received a glimpse of the greatness of God and were helped to see the proud heart in its true perspective. We have just been reminded of God's awareness of all things (cf. Psalm 139:1-12).

So, when someone is "proud (gaboah - high, exalted; haughty) in heart it doesn't escape the Lord's notice. When a man is seeing himself as he really is he realizes that he rises only around five or six or seven feet above the dirt of which he is made - a creature and a servant of the God who made him, walking shoulder to shoulder with other creatures and servants of God who are made of the same stuff," and of equal worth to themselves before their Creator God.

If he is good looking, it is a gift of God - and only skin deep (and fading) at that (Proverbs 31:30)!

If he is wealthy, the ability to obtain it is a gift of God - and it may take wings and fly away (Proverbs 23:5)!

If he is healthy, it is a gift of God - and it is very fragile. He is only a breath away from death, like everyone around him (I Peter 1:24)!

If he is talented, it is a gift of God - and every talent has its limits and probably its duplicates and even superiors, and it won't last very long, at best.

When a man is seeing himself as he really is, he realizes and acknowledges that all that he is and all that he has is a credit to his Creator - not himself. Unfortunately, though, man often fails to see himself as he really is. To be proud in heart is to be high-minded. Nothing has changed about the elevation of a man who is proud except the way he thinks about himself. He is still not better than anybody else; he just thinks he is better.

Such thinking is an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 6:17 has already informed us that haughty eyes top the list of the six (no, seven) things which the Lord hates as abominations. Why is pride so serious a sin and so disgusting to the Lord? (1) It opposes the first principle of wisdom - the fear of the Lord (9:10); and (2) it opposes the two great commandments - love for the Lord and love for one's neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40).

Because the proud of heart are so objectionable to the Lord they will be punished. Their punishment will come about assuredly (literally - hand to hand; you can shake hands on this deal because it is a certainty). The punishment of the proud man may be the humiliation of being brought back down to earth by some of the circumstances of this life (cf. Proverbs 16:18). I saw a classic example of the Lord's hand in such matters one day when some young people pulled to a stop at a stop sign behind an old man who was very cautious about rounding the corner, so the young driver honked his horn, and others in his car rolled down their windows and yelled obscenities. The old man rounded the corner - cautiously and safely - but the car full of young men proceeded hurriedly into the intersection - right into the path of an oncoming car. Their day of punishment had come immediately!

If the proud are not properly humbled in this life, they will certainly be humbled in the life to come. Even proud believers will come to a day of reckoning at the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10), forfeiting reward which could have been theirs if they had walked humbly before their God (I Corinthians 3:10-15, esp. v. 15). And unbelievers who are proud of heart will have their day in court at the great white throne judgment which is described in Revelation 20:11-15 - followed by eternal punishment in the lake of fire!

God hates pride and has committed Himself to opposing it by means of punishment. If our hearts are characterized by pride we are asking for trouble. Anything which is an abomination to the Lord should also be abominable to His people.

16:6 "By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for,

And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil."

The opening phrase of this verse raises some questions. Whose lovingkindness and truth is under consideration? Is it God's or man's? And if it is man's, is it the one sinning or the one sinned against whose lovingkindness and truth results in atonement?

If we evaluate the first line of this proverb in terms of New Testament revelation (excluding the very practical approach of James) we might insist that it is God's lovingkindness and truth which atones for iniquity. Romans 5:8 clearly tells us that Christ died for sinners as a demonstration of the love of God. If we evaluate the first line in terms of Old Testament revelation and in comparison with the clear statement of the second line (in the parallel structure of Hebrew poetry) we are more likely to conclude that it is the lovingkindness and truth of the man who has sinned which will atone for (kaphar - to cover over, pacify, make propitiation) his iniquity. The Old Testament setting requires us to consider Solomon's theological perspective and his practical approach to life's issues, and to consider the poetic structure of the verse - comparing line one with line two.

When a man who is in relationship to God sins, God is always ready to forgive - but He forgives on the basis of repentance, and true repentance requires a change of behavior. As Hosea 6:6 says, "For I delight in loyalty [chesed - lovingkindness, loyal love, mercy] rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. And Micah 6:8 says: He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness [chesed], And to walk humbly with your God. So what could be more convincing evidence of true repentance than lovingkindness" (chesed, comparable to agape in the New Testament) toward both God and man, and truth (emet - firmness, certainty, faithfulness) fleshed out by righteous behavior?

Sinful behavior, in Old Testament thought, was atoned for (caphar) when someone turned away from it to the Lord. Sacrifice was the ritual solution for sinful behavior, but a change of outlook was the practical solution to the problem. Daniel's advice to King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:27) was "Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity. Jesus said something similar of the sinful woman who anointed His feet as He dined in the house of Simon, a self-righteous Pharisee (Luke 7:47): For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

The second line of this verse continues the thought with its explanation of the way to avoid sin. The person who is characterized by the fear of the Lord is sensitive to the fact that he will answer to God for sinful behavior. God should be feared (in a healthy sense of the word) because He is the impartial judge before whom every man will one day stand to give an account of everything he has ever thought, said, or done. He knows all things, so nothing will escape His detection. And He has all power, so no one can escape justice. The man who sincerely believes this will change his behavior. He will keep away from evil. If there were no policemen on the road, speed limit signs would be useless highway decorations. But most people have sufficient respect for the power of the law enforcer that they remain reasonably near the posted speed limit. They turn away from evil because they fear the law and its enforcer.

The same principle which works in our respect for human authorities works in our relationship with the Lord. If a man intelligently fears the Lord, he will avoid anything which is likely to get him into trouble with the Lord. A man can demonstrate true repentance for his sin by turning from it to a life of love and truth, but (better yet) if a man fears the Lord, he will turn away from sin in the first place. Whether we fear the Lord or not will become evident each moment we live by the thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the deeds we do.

16:7 "When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."

A man's ways include all that he thinks and says and does. Because we are each different from the person next to us we each have our own unique ways, but (generally speaking) each person's way of life may be characterized as morally and spiritually good or bad (or perhaps, in some cases, neutral).

It is one of life's highest priorities that each person seek to make his ways pleasing to the Lord. He is aware of everything, and He is looking for a specific kind of lifestyle from every man - a manner of life which is characterized by righteousness or uprightness. Israel's King David acknowledged (I Chronicles 29:17) "I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight [ratsah - same verb as pleasing in our verse] in uprightness."

Uprightness and righteousness are paired as equivalents in numerous Old Testament passages. Psalm 15 (which refers to righteousness but not uprightness) provides a practical list of characteristics which bring a man into fellowship with the Lord because they are righteous acts: He walks with integrity; he speaks truth in his heart; he does not slander with his tongue; he does not do evil toward his neighbor; he does not take up a reproach against his friend; he despises a reprobate; he honors those who fear the Lord.

When such things characterize the life of a man, the Lord makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord they will also, generally speaking, be pleasing before men as well. The commandments which God has given to guide men's lives always lead a man to do what is best for those with whom he comes in contact, so the man who lives in obedience to God's commands (pleasing God by his obedience) will live in such a way that his life is most likely to be inoffensive to those around him - even his enemies. As Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, regarding the fruit of the spirit which the Lord wants to see in His people’s lives, against such things there is no law.

There are some exceptions to the general rule stated here - as with most generalities. Any time a man's enemies (or friends, for that matter) are opposed to the upright behavior which pleases the Lord they will take exception to Godly behavior, but such people will be relatively few. As Jesus observed (John 15:18), If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. When a man has to make a choice between pleasing the Lord or pleasing men who are opposed to the things which please the Lord he must risk the wrath of men rather than the wrath of God! As Solomon will observe in Proverbs 29:25, The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.

Even a man's enemies will almost always live peacefully with him when his ways please the Lord. If we have enemies in our lives we should be doing some self-examination to find out whether they are simply enemies of the way of the Lord, or they are opposed to our ways because our ways are not pleasing to the Lord.

16:8 "Better is a little with righteousness,

Than great income with injustice."

Though the book of Proverbs shows in many places that prosperity and propriety travel the same path much of the time, when their paths diverge Solomon leaves us in no doubt as to which path we must take. It is far better to be short of riches than short of righteousness!

Everyone enjoys the prospect of prosperity, but when it comes right down to it there are very few things in life that a man actually needs. The Apostle Paul listed only two things which are essential to human well-being in I Timothy 6:8: If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. And Jesus assured us that God will see that we have these necessities of life if we will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Advertisers try to convince us that we can't be happy in this life without their products or services, and they often succeed in creating in us a lust for material possessions. But, when it comes right down to the basic issues of life, there are spiritual realities which are far more important than the material things which receive so much attention in our world. Righteousness, Solomon assures us, is far more important than riches.

When our primary purpose in life is not that of pleasing the Lord, it might be easy to be sidetracked by the lure of materialism. But, if we understand the real issues of life to be the eternal issues of the spirit rather than the temporal issues of the flesh, we should be more concerned about making our lives conform to God's wishes than anything the advertiser has to offer instead.

The second line of this comparative parallelism (with its better . . . than format) contrasts great income with injustice with the first line's little with righteousness.

Very few people would turn down great income if it were reasonably within their grasp. Even though we realize that wealth is not what life is all about, we do enjoy the benefits it brings. A very practical test of our true allegiance in life is set down by the second line of the verse: what distance are we willing to go to in order to have wealth? Though wealth itself is not a problem for the person whose priorities in life are in balance (as men like Job and Abraham illustrate), it is never right to stoop to injustice in order to obtain income - even if it is great income.

The person who is willing to violate the laws of God and the interests of his fellow man in order to have wealth demonstrates very clearly, by his actions, that wealth has become his god. And, of course, his inferior position will eventually be seen in the fact that he will receive only the rewards which wealth can give - both temporally and eternally. Jesus related the account of the rich farmer who decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to accommodate a good harvest, saying to his soul Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. But He also warned of God's response: "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:13-21).

A man is much better off in this life, and in the life to come, if he emphasizes the importance of righteousness above that of wealth. What, then, is receiving the emphasis in our lives? In what practical ways is righteousness being honored above wealth in our priorities - both personally and as families?

16:9 "The mind of man plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps."

The mind (leb - heart in Hebrew thought) of man is one of the most amazing of all of God's creations. It is patterned after God's own image and according to His likeness in its ability to think about the past and the present and to anticipate the future. Even man's most sophisticated computers are merely a product and an extension of man's mind - unable to reason as the human mind can reason.

It is in his mind that a man plans his way. Almost everyone has some plans for his future - and it is natural and right that he should. Most human accomplishments come about as a result of a plan and, generally speaking, the most worthwhile and lasting accomplishments have come about because of careful and well-made plans. Conversely, most of life's failures can be attributed to poor planning, so a man should use his God-given mind to plan his way. It has often been said that to fail to plan is to plan to fail. If no one who is thinking clearly would try to build a house without plans, it certainly isn't a good idea to try to build a life without some plans!

But in all of his planning, a man needs to be alert to the fact that he is not the final decision maker when it comes to life’s plans - even if they are well-made plans. So, Solomon offers the antithesis to his first thought in the second line of the verse.

Man's plans are always held up against an uncertain future (from his perspective). Though we may try to anticipate the future, and though we may build options into our plans to allow for some of its uncertainties, man is never sure about the future until it becomes the present - so the man who is wise will always seek the will and the assistance of the Lord in thinking about the future, in honest recognition of human limitations. The Prophet Jeremiah clearly understood this truth, as Jeremiah 10:23 acknowledges: I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. And the Apostle James offered the sage advice of James 4:15: you ought to say >If the Lord wills we will live and also do this or that.'

While man is uncertain about the future, the Lord is not uncertain. While man plans, in hope and anticipation, the Lord directs (kun - to make firm; establish) with certainty and sovereignty. His ability to determine even the distant future (declaring the end from the beginning) is clearly described in Isaiah 46:9-11.

Man's plans tend to be general (his way - his way of life), but God's direction is specific (his steps) because the Lord is a God of details - and He ultimately causes every detail of life to fit into His master plan for the universe. The life of Joseph clearly illustrates the message of this verse (Genesis 45:4-8). Joseph’s brothers planned a life of slavery for him in Egypt, but the Lord directed him through the house of Potiphar and the Egyptian prison to share the throne of the nation - step by step. And Joseph eventually saw it very clearly, as he indicated to his brothers (Genesis 50:20): You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good . . .

While man uses his mind to attempt to plan out his way, it is ultimately the Lord who controls the outcome of his life. Because this is true, we need to make sufficient room for the Lord's will in the plans we make for our lives. As Solomon has assured us (3:5-6), He wants to make our paths straight as we fully trust Him to do it.

16:10 "A divine decision is in the lips of the king;

His mouth should not err in judgment."

The word translated divine decision (qesem - divination) comes from a Hebrew verb meaning to practice divination. Webster's dictionary defines divination as the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge, usually by means of augury or by the aid of supernatural powers.

Though this was not supposed to be the case in Israel, the Kings and leaders of many ancient kingdoms sought the will of God (or the gods) by means of sorcery, and their courts were full of specialists in the magic arts to help them arrive at the correct understanding of the will of God (or the gods) - as illustrated by the Pharaoh of Egypt in Genesis 41:8 and Exodus 7:10-13, and by the Babylonian King Belshazzar in Daniel 5:5-9. In many ancient nations the supposition that the king could do no wrong came from his supposed communication with the gods by means of sorcery.

Like other kings, the king of Israel was supposed to seek the will of God in his decisions, but he had an advantage over the kings of other nations - the written word of God. Long before Israel chose its first king God had anticipated, through Moses, that a king would be chosen, and He had given instruction as to how that king should come to know the will of God in Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - by daily reading and carefully observing all the words of the Mosaic law.

When the king of Israel spoke, he was supposed to speak with finality because, as God's anointed, he spoke for the Lord. He was supposed to have immersed his mind in the revelation of God's word. It was God's intention that his mouth should not err in judgment.

Whether the king spoke truth (as God intended) or untruth (as was often the case), his decision was the word of God for those who were under his authority, so the second line of this verse is a reminder to the king of what was required of him. The imperfect tense of the verb (should not err in judgment) has been translated as an obligative imperfect, suggesting the idea of ought because of the realities with which we live: i.e. sometimes a divine decision is not in the lips of the king!

What this verse required of the king, God expects of all who represent him in positions of authority: parents, teachers, public servants, politicians, pastors, etc. Because the king and all others who are in places of authority stand in the place of God Himself when they speak, they should be careful to say what God wants them to say. Do we accurately represent God in those situations where we are in authority?

16:11 "A just balance and scales belong to the LORD;

All the weights of the bag are His concern."

Goods were weighed in ancient times (as they still are in many instances today) by the use of some variety of a balance scale, where amounts of equal weight are placed on each end of an arm - suspended from above or supported from beneath at its center. Both of the words Solomon uses in this verse (peles and mozen) mean a balance or scales so the precise difference between the two words is not very clear. In English the balance is more likely to describe the pan or the arm which holds the pan in a balance scale, while scale is a more general term for the device (whatever its type) which measures weight.

A dishonest merchant using a balance scale can easily alter such a measuring device to make the result inaccurate by altering the size of the counter weight or altering the pivot point of the arm which suspends the pans (or other receptacles) on either side. So, Solomon informs us that the only kind of balance and scale which the Lord approves of is a just balance or scale (literally a balance and scales of justice - mishpat).

When the Lord measures anything, He measures with justice. He never alters the scales from one person or situation to another. His instruments of measurement are always accurate. And the ascending/synthetic structure of the parallelism in this verse reemphasizes this reality.

In the days before weights were made of metals and poured into a mold for uniformity, stones were used for weights - and Solomon's word for weights is the Hebrew word for a stone or weighing stone (eben). Just as a balance and scales could be altered by a dishonest merchant, so weighing stones could be altered or exchanged to cheat the unknowing customer. But this kind of cheating never went (and never goes) unnoticed by the one who cares about all the weights of the bag. They all are His concern!

II Samuel 14:26 speaks of the king's weight, informing us that King David attempted to set standards of weight in his kingdom (as other good kings undoubtedly did as well). But Solomon tells us that the ultimate authority on weights is beyond that of even the king. The Lord Himself makes it His business (maaseh - deed, work) to check all the weights of the bag. So His law for Israel stated that You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah and a just hin; I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. As Deuteronomy 25:13-16 states, anything other than just weights was an abomination to the Lord (cf. Proverbs 11:1; 20:10,23).

The frequent mention of the problem of false weights and measures and scales in the Old Testament seems to indicate that dishonest business practices were fairly common. But we should hardly be surprised, because the problem is still with us.

God approves of honest business practices, and He is aware of and has strong feelings against every violation. We can't be too careful to be honest in all of our dealings. What will His flawless appraisal of our business practices reveal?

16:12 "It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,

For a throne is established on righteousness."

An abomination, as we have seen many times before in Proverbs, is something which is detestable or abhorrent. It has been referenced many times in our study already (3:32; 6:16; 8:7; 11:1,20; 12:22; 13:19; 15:8,9,26; 16:5).

When a king commits wickedness it is an abomination (whether he recognizes it or not) to everyone who is touched by his reign. The king's wickedness is clearly an abomination to the Lord, because He objects to every wickedness. And the king's wickedness will become abominable to his family and to all of his subjects when it bears its rotten fruit because, as Proverbs 14:34 has assured us, sin is a disgrace to any people. Furthermore, the king himself will be disgraced and judged for wicked actions - if not by his people, or by peoples of other lands, certainly by the Lord! As verse 10 has pointed out, the king stands in the place of God to his people, because a divine decision is in the lips of the king, so his mouth should not err in judgment.

The spiritual issues of this proverb come clearly into focus with the word wickedness, because wickedness (resha) is godlessness - the failure to conform one's practices to the will of God. When a king (and, by application, anyone in authority) fails to do what God says to do he will inevitably face the consequences - and, in the process, so will everyone who is under his authority. Consider, for example, the far-reaching consequences of King David's sin with Bathsheba (a sin he thought was only a private and personal matter). As the Lord said through the Prophet Nathan (II Samuel 12:9-12), what David thought he had done secretly would result in evil from within David's own household before all Israel, and under the sun!

The explanatory for which begins the second line indicates a synthetic/ascending parallelism, where Solomon will give us more to consider on the subject he has introduced in the first line.

Wickedness is an abomination in the reign of any king (or the behavior of anyone in authority) because a throne is established on righteousness. The throne is a symbol of the king's authority. By application, it is the symbol of all authority, whether authority in the nation or the church or the home. The authority in question is either shaky or solid or somewhere in between, and it is Solomon's aim to show us the secret to a solid authority - authority which is established (kun - to stand firm, stand fast; be stable, secure).

By conforming to the will of God in every respect, the king's authority will be secure because God's way is the best way for everyone concerned - always! As the Old Testament frequently shows in the experience of the kings of Israel (both north and south), God will actively favor the king and the nation which obeys Him, and He will actively oppose those who disobey Him. But, in addition to God's active intervention in the lives of men and nations for good or evil, God's ways are self-vindicating. They will always promote stability if they are obeyed!

When kings violate God's will it is destabilizing and even disgusting to all concerned because obedience to God's will is the thing which promotes stability. We need to ponder the impact of the authoritative roles we play in life (in the home, the church and the larger community). Are we promoting stability because of our righteous exercise of authority, or is our impact as an authority abominable because of wickedness in our ways?

16:13 "Righteous lips are the delight of kings,

And he who speaks right is loved."

Solomon's mention of righteous lips refers to the man who speaks the truth because, without a doubt, it is God's will that His people should be honest. As in verse 10, so in this verse, Solomon is thinking specifically of the king who is committed to godliness, because righteous lips will not always say what is pleasant to hear (i.e. flattering words), but they will always tell it like it is. In the end, honesty is what is best for all concerned. If King Ahab, for example, had been committed to righteous lips he would have valued the words spoken by the Prophet Micaiah; he would have spoken truthful words himself, and he could have saved his own life and the lives of the many men who were lost in the battle at Ramoth-gilead because of his preference for the flattery and the deception of his false prophets (I Kings 22:13-40).

Righteous lips, of course, should characterize not only kings but all who desire to please the Lord. So Solomon goes on in the second line of this synthetic/ascending parallelism to add a thought which is applicable to all.

He who speaks right is the person who engages in straight talk (yashar - straight, right). The Prophet Daniel, for example, was a man who spoke the truth to the kings he served, whether it was flattering or not. So, in his interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the great tree, he gave the king (who had told him do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you) an accurate interpretation - saying to the king in the process: if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries (Daniel 4:19-27).

An unrighteous king will hate the man who speaks the truth if the truth is not in his favor - as Ahab did. But a righteous king (or, by application, any righteous person who is in authority) will be more concerned about doing what God wants done than about being buttered up - and running into trouble because he was lacking accurate information. A king who is righteous will love the one who speaks right, realizing that he has done him a favor.

William Kelley (in his commentary Proverbs) reminds us that:

Flattery is natural at court, but contemptible to him that rules in the fear of God. Righteous lips may not always speak agreeably; but righteous kings appreciate the man who cleaves to justice and sound principle.¹

Do we value the truth - even when it isn't flattering, and when it comes from someone who is under our authority? How, for example, do we handle accurate criticism from our children or grandchildren? And do we always speak the truth - even when it isn't flattering, and when we are speaking to someone who is above us in authority? Righteousness requires honesty.

16:14 "The wrath of a king is as messengers of death,

But a wise man will appease it."

Kings sometimes have difficulty controlling their emotions, just like the common people (their subjects) do - but wrath, no matter who displays it, is always problematic. Solomon has already warned us that a hot-tempered man stirs up strife (15:18), and he is going to warn us that a man of great anger will bear the penalty (19:19). And the Apostle James warns us that the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

The wrath of a king can be more serious than the wrath of a common man, though, because of the greater amount of authority he has to impose his will on anyone who might question it. So, for example, when the Prophet Micaiah refused to do as all the false prophets of Baal were doing by flattering King Ahab with the message he wanted to hear, Micaiah was sent back to prison on a meager diet of only bread and water (I Kings 22:27).

So the king's wrath is as messengers of death. If we make a common man angry he may create a scene and even do physical harm, but his actions will be restrained by his fear of the law. He is aware that he may have to suffer for going too far in his display of anger. But making a king angry is generally a far more serious matter. A king doesn't need to retaliate in person, because he has servants who are paid to do his bidding. And he may not need to worry about the restraints of the law, because kings often live above the law or have power to make the law (and this was especially true in ancient kingdoms). Many a man has gone to his death immediately because he made a king angry. When King David, for example, heard the man tell of killing King Saul when he found him lying injured on the battlefield, he ordered the messenger killed on the spot (II Samuel 1:11-16). And the same fate befell the men who killed Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son (II Samuel 4:9-12).

It is the path of wisdom to try to keep from angering the king - or anyone who is in a position of authority - because the consequences can be very problematic. But, happily, there is an alternative for the person who is wise.

A wise man is a man who has skill in handling the issues of life. There are right and wrong (skillful and unskillful) ways to handle wrath. The natural tendency of the sinful human heart is to respond to anger in kind but, in the case of an angry king, an angry response makes a death sentence more likely.

The wise response to anger (especially when the angry person has the authority to make life difficult) is to appease it. Solomon's word for appeasement is the word commonly used in the Old Testament of atonement - caphar, to cover over (figuratively), to pacify, to make propitiation. We have already been told how appeasement might work out in practical terms in Proverbs 15:1: A gentle answer turns away wrath. A classic illustration of the appeasing power of a gentle answer is seen in the life of Abigail, the wife of the foolish rancher Nabal (whose name means fool), in the account recorded in I Samuel 25:23ff.

Derek Kidner makes the application to those of us who are not kings:

This pair of sayings [vv. 14-15] may be applied, like 12,13, to other people than kings. Most of us possess power, as here, to bring misery or happiness to certain people, almost at will, and may play the appalling role of petty tyrant.²

Angry parents, for example, often allow their anger to be a messenger of death to their children as a result of the destructive things they say and do to them.

An angry king may take someone's life, so a wise man will try to cool down his anger. Does our response to the anger of people in places of authority over us demonstrate wisdom? And where we are in authority, do we allow our anger to get out of control and do damage to those who are under our care?

16:15 "In the light of a king's face is life,

And his favor is like a cloud with the spring rain."

The light of a king's face is his smile - reflecting the happy condition of his heart. Ancient kings had people in their courts who were professionals at reading and changing the king's mood, because everyone knew that things would go better if the king was smiling! David, as an example, was hired as a harpist in King Saul's court to soothe his fluctuating temper; and we have all heard of the court jester - a comedian hired to make kings laugh. A smile on the king's face generally means good news for all concerned.

The king's smile might be life in several senses. It might be physical life, because a king often has the power of life and death over his subjects, and kings don't generally condemn a man to death with a smile. But, as we have seen before in Proverbs, life often speaks of much more than only physical existence. A smiling king can provide for his subjects in such a way that they experience a fuller life in other senses as well. He can do much to sustain and improve physical life. And he can do much to contribute to a better quality of life in terms of material and social matters and - if his smile results from a heart at peace with God - he can even provide for an improved spiritual life for his subjects.

This synonymous/synthetic parallelism rises to additional revelation on the subject at hand with the introductory and of the second line. The mention of favor in parallel construction with the light of the king's face confirms us in our understanding of the meaning of the first line. The light of a king's face (i.e. his smile) results from his happiness with his circumstances, and it brings happiness to many others.

His favor is like a cloud with the spring rain. Clouds are often a symbol of darkness and gloom but, to an agricultural people (as the people of Israel were in Solomon's day), the right cloud at the right time could be pure blessing. Spring rain refers to one of Israel's two rainy seasons (early and latter rains) so essential to the growth and health of crops. The spring rain (the early rain) came at planting time and resulted in the germination of the planted seeds. Without it there could be stunted growth or even no growth at all.

When the king feels kindly disposed toward his subjects it is like the life-giving rains of Israel's agricultural cycle which, prior to the days of massive irrigation projects, was the only hope for a prosperous season of growth and the resulting sustenance of plant life. When the king is happy, everybody benefits from it.

Because we each stand as king in relation to someone (by virtue of the authority structure of society) we have the potential for bringing life or death (blessing or cursing) to those around us