Solomon starts chapter 14 reminding us that a home is built and it is no accident. You are either building a home or you are consuming it tearing it down. To build something takes effort, it is intentional. This verse highlights the important contribution that a good woman makes to the home and family unit. A good woman is not just present, she is there with a cause and there with a purpose. It matters how others around her are doing. She is focused on her home and those in it. It is her main priority. A foolish woman sees outside interests as more important and the house or family suffers for it. Just as it is for a man to be consumed with outside interests such as work and neglecting his home and family, so it is when the woman who does not make her home her priority. When home is not a priority for the husband or the wife, home life suffers. The house is divided. Everyone is in it for themselves. It is full of stress and pain. Most of us would really like our home life to be better. What this verse is saying is that it can be better, but you have to build it. It takes heart, soul, focus, and sacrifice. This verse relates back to chapter 12 verse 4 of Proverbs.
V. 2 A God fearing person has a reverence and respect for the Almighty. He believes that there really is a God and it matters what they do in life. There is a sense and belief that ultimately we are accountable. Accountable to God. One who does not believe in God is ultimately accountable to no one but themselves and their standard changes from day to day. There is a sense that it really does not matter what one may do, therefore actions tend to be measured as good or bad depending on how they benefit the individual. The last part of v. 2 gives a sense that a person that lives a perverse life down inside knows that there really is a God and lives in defiance and rebellion of Him.
V. 3 says that a foolish person is beat up by their own prideful words. A foolish person hasn’t figured out yet that a prideful spirit only makes them feel good, but is despised by all around them. Pride is not worth it. It has a backlash like a rod on the back. It beats us up. The lips of the wise however are sweet. All those around the wise are waiting their edifying and life giving words. The words of the wise also come back upon them, but with a different outcome. Wise words pay the dividend of benefit to those that speak them.
There are certain things that you cannot do without in life, but they always come with a cost. V. 4 says that getting ahead creates a mess, but the price you pay is worth it. If no ox is in the barn the barn stays clean, but look what you lose. If you have an ox, then you do have to clean up a mess, but look at what you get for your effort. Managing life for improvement and betterment takes more,...more time, more effort, more responsibility. In life it always takes a little bit more to get the increase. But, if done right, the payoff is worth the extra effort. The investment can pay off big, but you have to tend to the details to get that good return. This verse can be applied to many areas of life, from business to gardening to kids and to raising a family. A house with no children is clean, but it is often to quiet. There is extra work in raising a family… or in owning an ox for that matter. This verse reminds us to make the sacrifice. Do the little bit extra. It will be worth it in the end. God’s blessing is in the doing the little bit extra. You always get more back than you put in if you make the sacrifice and precede exercising faith and prudence. Solomon says sometimes your return is a lot more for the little bit extra you invest!
V. 5 Having an honest reputation is a valuable commodity. If you are known for telling the truth you are a valuable resource to others. They can depend on you. This verse is also a warning to us about the nature of people. It simply says that honest people are honest and can be trusted. Those who lie typically will tell another one, and watch out, you may be the victim. Be wise.
The Good News Translation translates v. 6 this way ‘conceited people never become wise, but intelligent people learn easy’. A scoffer looks for wisdom, but because of their attitude their search goes down the wrong road ending down a dead end ally. However, someone of understanding has been there before. They know where to look. Their search is fruitful. V. 7 continues by telling us to pass by foolish advice and those offering it when we begin to receive foolish instruction. This verse indicates and assumes that we ourselves have learned what knowledge is or at least what knowledge looks like and can recognize what Solomon refers to as a fool. Solomon has in prior verses shared with us that a fool and their lifestyle, including their offered advice, leaves nothing but a trail of pain, destruction and misery and here in verse 7 advises us to go from them so that we do not become part of the collateral damage.
He continues in verse 8 giving us more insight into character differences between the prudent and the foolish saying that someone that is prudent wants to know when he is going down the wrong road or they have used bad logic in their decision making process. The fool uses any method of logic he can come up with to deceive himself into believing that he is right. Right or wrong makes no difference to a foolish person, only that he can come up with some reason to say to himself that he was right. The problem with these past few verses is that I myself see that I could fall into the category of the foolish using these standards as a measure from time to time. Solomon had a way of not only warning us of the danger of the influence and effect of others around us, but also was good at helping us to see and realize these bad traits in ourselves. He says in v. 8 that a prudent person will want to know if they are making foolish decisions so that they can make changes.
In v. 9 he goes on to say that foolish people make fun of sin and its consequences making it seem that the end pain of these acts are worth the temporary fun and pleasure. They explain away and jest about the morning after and the guilt and shame that comes as just a necessary part of the process or make fun of the night before when they remember nothing of what they did or said due to being too inebriated. Someone who is thinking clearly would say that doing these things are wrong and is not the way to live making changes not to make that mistake again. A foolish person will make a jest or joke about of the morning after or a particular situation, making it ok in their mind to do it again knowing the pain and consequences that will follow.
Solomon was such a wise person. In v. 10 he shares more insight into the true realities of life. Even though we can and do share life together, we also bear our own cross so to speak. Only we share or experience the height of our joy and the depth of our sorrow. No one really knows these things in totality except us and… our heart. However, there is One who can share life with us on this level if we let Him. As much help as we receive from others during difficult times in the end we still are isolated somewhat down deep in our heart. When we are there we have a desire to share this joy or pain with someone. Only God can go here. Only He can come to where we are and fully understand. When we are isolated in our heart, at these times, we need not be alone. He can meet us there.
In verse 11 he again reminds us the right living pays off. Those doing right will make good decisions and will get the benefit from their actions.
What a true and great verse verse 12 is. Have you ever been here? Solomon said that he could identify with this verse. He says that our heart is easily deceived. We can be wrong even if we are fully and confidently convinced that we are right. This verse relates back to v. 8 of this chapter. This verse is often used and quoted when sharing the Gospel with others. We often really believe that what we are doing or thinking is the right thing at the time only to find out later that it could not have been any further from the truth. It looked right. It felt right. We say ‘I was so sure’. But in the end we find out that we were wrong. It is unfortunate that many go to their death believing that they were right in their beliefs about God and life only to find out too late that they were wrong when using the Bible as the authority on the subject. It is a wise person that realizes the truth of this verse. Feeling confident and/or convinced that a way is absolutely right can have negative far reaching effects. It is a wise person that realizes that the mirage that looks so real may in actually be an illusion and that they better take the time to investigate further to be sure that they are not wrong. One’s life and eternity may depend on it.
V. 13 Everyone who laughs is not as happy as they seem. We have heard of the tears of a clown. Solomon found out in life that not all who laugh are actually happy. To the contrary, many who laugh even during their laughter feel their pain. We all have put on appearances even though our heart was heavy with sorrow. It is true that laughter is good medicine, but it is good to be aware that others who look alright on the outside may be the most needy on the inside and could use our help and support more than it first appears.
V. 14 It is what’s down inside that counts. Jesus said it is the heart that dictates our actions and real attitudes. This verse says that a person who is living their own life will be full of him/herself, making decisions only from the perspective of how it benefits them. A good man/woman considers others making decisions that take into consideration others around them and in the process finds that it also benefits them. It seems that Solomon is saying that it will be all or nothing to one of these two perspectives.
V. 15 It is an easy way at first to believe everything at face value believing everything you hear. However, that is unfortunately not a practical way to live in this life. Marketing, strangers and even friends and acquaintances will more than likely put their spin on what they want you to believe and, this may be a surprise to you, but what they say may not be entirely accurate. The Message puts this verse this way ‘The gullible believe anything that they’re told, the prudent sift and weigh every word’. This is good advice for the prudent.
V. 16 A wise man will weigh the situation before proceeding. Healthy fear is part of his decision making process. A wise man will make a decision in advance as to whether what they are contemplating or where they are going is right or good or not. Being wise he/she avoids many potential snares and problems. A foolish person is reckless and proceeds with a false confidence often plunging headlong into destruction. Solomon reminds us that a wise person is proactive surveying the possibilities and outcomes before they get there.
V. 17 Like no other emotion those that are hot tempered frequently live to regret their actions. One that is easily angered runs the risk of losing control. Control and temperance are constant tempering mechanisms that guide and restrain our actions and conversations when we become irritated. They defer action in carrying out what we are thinking at the moment giving us time to think about our impulsive thoughts that would be inappropriate and wrong. Anger and the more serious form of anger, rage, frequently removes this built in tempering mechanism allowing action to take place that is not only inappropriate, but can be dangerous. A person that is angry and out of control can do impulsive things that can ruin lives. These emotions can easily escalate getting out of control and can be deadly. More than once a person has been shocked and dismayed by their actions during a fit of anger. An uncontrolled temper is unacceptable. In the second part of this verse Solomon says that people hate a cheat and a selfish man. A man that is known for doing whatever it takes to get what they want is not only disliked, but Solomon says they are actually hated.
V. 18 says that the simple receive an inheritance passed down to them. They come by it honestly. Their actions earn them this inheritance. Folly is passed to them like an inheritance with all its trappings including trouble and pain. The prudent also earn their inheritance through diligence and hard work. More knowledge is what they receive making them richer in their ability to make life work.
V. 19 Solomon seemed to think that good always wins in the end. He said that the evil bow before the good and the wicked are made to serve eventually at the gates of the righteous. The reign of the wicked is short lived and is eventually given to the good and diligent.
V. 20 Being poor is difficult. It so often clouds underlying greatness or ability. Solomon noticed that being poor was often a block to being accepted and acknowledged for greatness in ability and talent. A poor person who rises above this, sidestepping the obstacle of poverty, truly is great. It is not that a poor person is not already great in talent and ability or worthy of friendship, it is that all too often they are passed by and their ability does not meet opportunity because of being tagged as a common or poor person. The poor are not routinely sought out as friends. As a matter of fact Solomon noticed that they were actually shunned. The rich however receive opportunities that they may not even qualify for. They get the offer first, qualified or not. The rich are also befriended and sought out just because they are rich. Not all rich are unqualified or are bad friends to choose, but it is a good practice to choose our acquaintances and friends for the right reasons. The poor person next door to you may be some day recognized for their genius so it is good to befriend them now. V. 21 reminds us to treat those around us poor or rich with respect and dignity and reminds us to be kind especially to the poor nearby us.
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