V. 17 No one knows your troubles or your pain like family. Friends can sympathize. Good friends can be quite helpful. But, no one can be as understanding and supportive as family during times of adversity. . Family knows your pain. They more times than not are experiencing it too.
V. 18 It is a nice gesture to help someone out. Sometimes those we know truly do need our help. But, be careful not to go too far. There are those who would take anything we would be willing to give them with no ability or interest to give it back. Solomon says that your neighbor knows a good thing when they see it. He, Solomon, probably learned this one by experience. Agreeing to take care of someone else’s debt on a handshake is not a good idea. Even if it is someone close to you, like a neighbor. If you are going to help out someone you had probably better make it a gift. It will probably end up to be a gift in the end anyway.
V. 19 Strife can be a lifestyle for those who love to cause it and along with that lifestyle goes a lifestyle of sin. They go hand in hand. Solomon observed that one cannot really exist without the other. The Good News translation puts it this way, ‘To like sin is to like making trouble’. A life of sin does not create harmony, it creates strife. The second part of this verse reminds us that it is hard to live up to prideful boasts. Why do we put ourselves up on a pedestal only so others can take a shot at us? The higher we put ourselves the harder it is to measure up and eventually it all comes tumbling down.
V. 20 Someone that has a perverse heart sees the world just that way. The world is full of opportunity, but none of the options that they see is good. Everything that they get involved in ends up in some sort of trouble. It is the same with someone with a perverse tongue. It is only natural for someone who speaks contentious words to end up in a conflict. The KJV uses the word perverse for its description of these people. By definition the word perverse means:
· Showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences.
· Contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice
For someone that lives this way it is only natural for them to cause and find trouble. They come by it natural.
V. 21 Solomon observed parents that had foolish children and observed the utter frustration and pain that went with it. The message translates the first part of this verse saying that ‘Having a fool for a child is misery’. You never know what they will do next. The problem is that all of their foolish actions unfortunately either reflect on or involve you. And, they bear no shame, for foolishness is perfectly natural to them. Unfortunately, the parent(s) are the ones that bear the shame for their actions. The KJV translates the second part of this verse ‘the father of a fool has no joy’.
V. 22 Solomon also observed that the state of the heart had profound effects on the body. His observation of a merry heart affecting us like a medicine is true. We now know that hormones and enhancing body chemicals are dumped into the system during times of exhilaration and or pleasant experiences. Fun and excitement cannot only lift our spirit, but if found in the right balance can also promote health in our body. Solomon also observed that the opposite is also true. He says that a broken spirit seems to affect us right down to the core of our being…and, our body, down to the bones. Our skeleton gets rattled when we have a broken spirit affecting even the bones.
V. 23 We have already looked at a verse in this chapter dealing with bribes. V. 8 just made the observation of just how powerful a bribe or enticement can be to the one giving it. This verse deals directly with one type of bribe, the type that is given by a wicked person wanting to pervert justice. As discussed before, bribes are powerful tools in the hands of those who use them. Used with the wrong intent in mind much damage can be done. Many governments run and survive on this technique alone for a season. In reading this verse in the KJV you can literally see the man taking his hand out of his coat with the bribe in it ready to give it to the one being bribed.
V. 24 A person who has understanding has wisdom out in front of them to follow as long as they choose to, but a fool has no direction at all. A fool is at the mercy of the wind having not learned knowledge. They have no direction, having no compass to guide them. Someone having real understanding has the ability to stop and ponder what they know and make wise future decisions. A fool has nothing to go on so you never know where they will end up. The Good News translation puts it this way ‘An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions’.
V. 25 Again, Solomon makes the point of how painful it is for the parents to have a fool for a son.
V. 26 It is an injustice to punish good people. It is the criminal or the perpetrator of the wrong that deserves the punishment. However, in many countries including ours, it is just the opposite. The good get penalized and those who do wrong get all kinds of brakes and excuses for their behavior. Where would our nation be if justice was served on those who deserve it and the good rewarded and encouraged for their good works.
V. 27 We have seen this verse before. This kind of person has a quiet confidence and always seems to know just what the next step is in life. Solomon makes us aware of this person because they are often overlooked as a possible source when needing an answer to our problem. We are often drawn to the flash, the bright, the active or the one with a lot of words. But, in Prov. 10:19 Solomon reminded us that often those that are always talking may not be saying much and that the wisdom that we seek may be in the fewer words. This may be one of the reasons that many passed Jesus by. A person of understanding when asked their advice will usually give one or two suggestions, but they are usually all good options. He goes on to say that a person of understanding is even tempered and remains calm in difficult situations. During difficult situations they are reassuring and are good to have near.
V. 28 What a great verse! One of my favorite!! Again, this verse needs to be paired up with Prov. 10:19. This verse has reminded me what to do and how to act when I was unsure of the right answer and saying anything at the moment would not have been the right answer. At that moment I did not have the right answer. If I had a little time I would come up with something at least better than I had now. Any comment by me would reveal my lack of wisdom. Saying nothing at the moment was the best option. This verse and Prov. 10:19 are great verses to apply to buy time to get the right answer. Call it a bluff if you want to, but it is a valuable tool in keeping confidence in a relationship or during negotiations.
Chapter 18
V. 1 The Good News translation translated this verse this way, ‘People who do not get along with others are interested only in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right’. A person that knows that they are wrong but will not admit it holding onto a false conviction willingly separates himself from others. Admitting that they are wrong is just too painful, and yet because of their stubborn spirit they close off the rest of the world from them.
V. 2 A fool really has no interest at all in learning. They will put on a good show from time to time, but watch them for a while and you will see that they have no desire to learn. Solomon says that if they really understand something, they would expose their heart and see how foolish they really are. The truth sometimes is too painful, so they have no desire to understand.
V. 3 There are certain things that go hand in hand, one does not show up without the other. A smile usually begets a smile back. Kind words are most often met with a kind response back. Solomon reminds us of repercussions of certain actions and lifestyles. He says that wicked or evil actions are looked upon by others with contempt. It is strange, but even bad or evil people dislike those that do bad or evil deeds. Contempt by definition is an intense feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless—it is similar to scorn. Living this way in life is a lonely existence. He goes on to say that with public disgrace and humiliation comes scorn and ridicule from those who are near. Being caught in a scandal is bad enough, but there is more. The whole world turns against you on top of having to serve time.
V. 4 The Message puts v. 4 this way, ‘Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs’. All too often in a multitude of words there is very little wisdom. Surface talk is just that. It has a benefit of just being with someone in a nonthreatening way. But it is meant to be mindless chatter to communicate nothing of real value. For times of wisdom, however, when someone needs help, serious help, often we need to stop and reflect, and dig deep or ‘look in that from the deep’ within our heart to give something that satisfies or is helpful. Wisdom comes from the deep and in those times the surface talk will not be enough.
V. 5 Here we see the imbalance of justice again that Solomon mentioned in Prov. 17:15. The person of the wicked is usually shown some form of favoritism for some selfish reason often associated with a bribe or a promise of the same when they do wrong and need a favor. Doing favors for bad people are not always reciprocal. When it is your turn to get the favor those that received the favor do not always remember what you did for them. Also, this verse can reflect on judges with a twisted sense of justice, letting the bad guy go and pressing unusually hard on a good person. Why a judge acts this way is often hard to understand. In other countries it may be for bribes and payoffs, in our country at times it almost seems like the popular thing to do.
V. 6 and 7 It seems like a fool only brings it upon themselves. If they would only have enough wisdom to connect the stripes or the difficulties with their actions and their speech they could restrain themselves and avoid so much pain in life. But, they do not even have enough wisdom to realize the connection, so they just keep on talking, receiving blow after blow of reprisal.
V. 8 No one can inflict more damage and injury than a talebearer. No one! A talebearer’s way and intent is to get attention or revenge at any cost to their object of attention. They know how to tell the story, twisting the actual words and events, adding details that make for a better telling. The slice goes deep. The wound is often fatal, fatal in reputation, fatal in interpersonal relations, and fatal in self esteem. Sometimes gossip starts off innocent enough, but grows like a cancer uncontrollably getting out of control consuming its victim.
V. 9 There are two different people in this verse, but Solomon says that they in reality are essentially the same. He says that the person who is unorganized, lazy or a waster of time is the same as one who literally wastes goods and services, using many times more than what is needed to get the job done. The slothful wastes their time and talent being unproductive by choice when they really have both if they choose to use it. The waster used their ability, but because of mismanagement and lack of appreciation of limited resources runs out of the goods to complete their job or product. In reality the end of each of them is the same. They miss the mark or do not complete the task usually making excuses saying that they did not have enough to get the job done.
V. 10 Those who have walked with God know where to go and where to find Him in their hour of need. They have become strong and are able to stand tall and stand strong during difficult times in life. They depend on and realize that God is with them wherever they go. But, there are those times when even they need to run like a child into the fort and protective tower of God. David had no problem admitting his need for God and His protection when life was beyond his strength. It says that ‘the righteous run into it and are safe signifying that they are not proud to admit their need for the Master. It also, says that once there they are safe. The righteous know a good thing when they experience it.
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