Proverbs Chapter 14
Proverbs
Chapter 14
1. The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. We have seen that the wife can be a blessing or a curse to her husband (12:4). Such is she to his house as well. Through her wisdom she may supply many of his defects, while all his care and prudence may be nullified by her folly. The godly woman is the very soul of the house. She instructs her children by her example no less than by her teaching. She educates them for God and for eternity—not to shine in the vain show of the world, but in the church of God. Her household order combines economy with generosity (31:13-27).
But note the foolish woman—her idleness, waste, love of pleasure, lack of all forethought and care. She allows her children to do just as they please; their souls are neglected, and their happiness is ruined. We see her house torn down in confusion. It would have been a sad result if this had been done by an enemy. But it is the doing, or rather undoing, of her own hands. Such was Jezebel, the destroyer of her house.
How important it is, then, to make the right choice when you marry. It is linked to the highest interests of unborn generations. If ever there was a matter for special prayer and consideration, this is it. To err in this matter may result in the ruin of ourselves and our future families. Of how little account are birth, fortune, and external accomplishments compared with godly wisdom.
2. He whose walk is upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despises him. Grace in the heart is the spring of those who walk in an upright way. The proof that we believe the reality of religion is that we walk in its power. The proof of the influence of the fear of the Lord is that we are in it all day long. Man may boast about his moral uprightness and that he would scorn to act in a mean way. But the Savior searches the heart, exposes the root of all worldly selfishness, and reveals that a man's ways are devious if he despises God.
3. A fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them. How many illustrations does the wise man use to show the destructive evils of the tongue! Here it is a rod of pride. Sometimes it strikes against God and sometimes against men. It is always the rod for the fool himself. Yet when the heart is humbled and filled with wisdom, the lips . . . protect from imminent dangers, even from the threatened scourge of the rod of pride (Job 5:21; Psalm 31:20).
Were this iron rod to rule the earth, who could tolerate it? But adored be the grace that transforms the tongue, this unruly boasting member of unrighteousness, into an instrument of righteousness to God (Romans 6:13).
4. Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. We know oxen are used in husbandry (Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Kings 19:19). Where, therefore, there are no oxen to till the ground, the manger is empty (Amos 4:6). Where there is no work, there can be no food that can be given to the oxen. God generally works by means, not by miracles. There must be good husbandry so there can be an abundant harvest. Let the ox be put to work, and his strength will achieve a great deal (Psalm 144:14). In spiritual husbandry where there are no laborers, all is barren and desolate. In all labor, both natural and supernatural, there will be a profit (Proverbs 14:23). But God will never acknowledge a lazy servant.
5. A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies. This might seem to be obvious. But a closer look brings out a valuable maxim of practical wisdom. A truthful witness is moved neither by entreaties nor bribes, neither by promises nor threats to swerve from truth. He is a man to trust. He will not lie. But a false witness has lost all principles about truth. He will tell lies without any provocation, so long as they are to his advantage. You should run away from such people.
A truthful witness answers God's requirements (Psalm 51:6). He is therefore his delight (John 1:47). He is the citizen of the heavenly Zion.
The good and the corrupt tree each bring forth their own fruit. Let us remember that our principles, good and evil, are exemplified in the most trivial actions and gather strength from the slightest as well as from the most important deeds (Luke 16:10).
6. The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. Where does the promise that the seeker will find fit into this proverb? The failure lies at the mocker's own door. He seeks but without seriousness, without honesty, without delight, and solely for his own interest. He "finds therefore matter enough for his humor, but none for his instruction" (Lord Bacon). He accuses the Scripture of being dark, rather than admitting that the darkness is in his own heart. He feels that he understands the subject and so feels free to reject what he cannot understand or what he does not like. He scorns the humbling submission of faith, so that the glory even of the wisdom of God is foolishness with him. No wonder that while he makes an effort to seek, he does not find. He seeks his object but neglects the means and so perishes in the scornful-ness of his own belief (1 Corinthians 3:19).
To another group of seekers, knowledge comes easily. The Ethiopian eunuch gathered his knowledge from simplicity. God gave him a ready will and a right taste. Obedience is the path of knowledge.
7. Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips. Fellowship with the ungodly is absolutely forbidden, and it is never safe to contradict a plain command. Let us labor to win their souls to Christ. But the rule of providence directs us not to cast our pearls before swine. "Avoid," says the holy Leighton, "the mixture of an irreverent commonness and speaking of holy things indifferently in all companies." Therefore, when you perceive not in a foolish man the lips of knowledge, leave his presence. Some may be called to dispute with him. But take care that the call is clear. It is at least the safest path to dispatch your business with him as in a shower of rain, and not to loiter in his company.
Sweet indeed is the glow of the Savior's name upon the young Christian's lips. Its warmth may put older Christians to shame. But we must warn that young believer that harm can come from an imprudent endeavor to do good. Confess your Master wherever he may open your door and your mouth. But remember, there is a perpetual warfare with the old principles of corruption. No reliance can be placed on any habits that do not produce right behavior. The path of sin is much more easily avoided than relinquished. We can far more readily keep out of the course of the stream than stem the torrent. Walk closely with God. Under his cover and shield, make your protest against the ungodly. Commune much with his people. The very sight of a man of God is refreshing.
8. The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. This is not the wisdom of the learned, but of the prudent. This is not abstract speculation, but sound and practical learning. It is self-knowledge and self-control. It is looking upwards for divine guidance. How much this wisdom is needed so we can understand our way.
But while the attention of a truly wise man is occupied in understanding his way, "the arts of deceit engross the polluted minds of the wicked" (French and Skinner). Their wisdom of deceit is really folly. Gehazi's overreaching wisdom proved to be folly in the end. Ananias and Sapphira vainly endeavored to hide their covetousness under the cover of generosity. Who can deceive a heart-searching God? The attempt to do so is a fearful provocation and certain confusion.
9. Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. Do people exist who make fun of sin? Yes. They have never seen sin in its full horror or ever felt its weight. Look into eternity. Sin is thought to be a grave matter in heaven. It is felt so in hell. Why would fools mock it on earth? "It brought death into the world, and all our woe" (Milton). Is this a worthy matter to joke about? How does God feel about this? Go to Gethsemane. Go to Calvary. Learn from those places what sin is. Shall we mock what was a crushing burden to the Son of God? Ask converted souls, awakened consciences, dying sinners. Do they make light of sin? What will a wretched mocker call himself in eternity as God calls him a fool? This mockery cannot extend beyond the grave.
The upright cannot mock as the hardened fool does. While the latter "makes himself merry with his sin and scoffs at the reproof and judgment that pertains thereunto" (Bishop Hall), the upright have "the mark of those that sigh and cry for the abominations of the land." This is the sure seal of the Lord's favor. The mocking of the fool will soon come to an end. But in the upright is abundant goodwill that is unchangeable. Our God looks over us with compassion and love and saves us eternally. What crowns and kingdoms compared with such an earthly portion!
10. Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. This is a graphic illustration of the individuality of each person (see 1 Corinthians 2:11). The history of the soul is only fully known and felt by the conscious subject. Each heart knows its own bitterness, which is deep and interior. "Everyone is inwardly and the only true and faithful judge of his own joys and sorrows, and none else can truly perceive them" (Diodati). The most poignant sufferings often arise from reasons that cannot be told to our dearest friend. So each person must tread a solitary path, and in that path he must often be prepared to be misunderstood.
But think of Christ who made himself a man of sorrows, that he might be touched by weaknesses (Isaiah 53:3; Hebrews 4:15). None of us are too insignificant for his most endearing thoughts. Into his heart we may pour our distresses that no other ear listens to. We may not be able to understand this. But he will make us feel that his sympathy with our sorrow is not pretense but a precious reality. My Savior, has my heart any bitterness that you do not know, that you do not feel with me, and for which you do not provide a support?
No less personal is the heart's joy. It lies deep within. Michal could understand David's bravery, but not his joy. She knew him as a man of war, not as a man of God. This joy is the indwelling of the Comforter, which the world cannot receive (John 14:16-17 [kjv]). This is the highest joy. These are deep waters from the divine spring. Christ takes the believer to one side, feeds him hidden manna (Revelation 2:17), and makes him take part in his own joy.
11. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. The feeblest state of the upright is more stable than the prosperity of the wicked. The latter build a house; the earth is their home, where they settle down and take their rest. But the upright, knowing the uncertainty of this world and seeking a better home, only set up a tent or tabernacle (Hebrews 11:9), which is weak and feeble. But the house is overthrown, while the tent flourishes. The strongest support of man totters. But God, who is omnipotent, gives his strength to the weakest. So we must walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The great day will set everything in order before us and show that the Judge of the whole world acts in a right way (Psalm 58:11). Meanwhile, let us leave him to do his own work and to fulfill his own word in his own time.
12. There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. No one can doubt the end of open ungodliness. But other paths in the broad road seem right but will also end in death. Vice passes under the cover of virtue. Covetousness is disguised under the name of prudence. Indeed, it is a dreadful characteristic of sin to hide its own nature. Our blindness to it increases in proportion with our familiarity with it. The self-deceiver has often been a backslider in heart. He lost his humility, relaxed his watchfulness, and neglected to diligently watch over his own heart. So sin soon found its way into his heart. When sin could not be completely covered, excuses were made for it. Appearances were kept up. Misgivings gradually vanished, and the fool took death for life by mistake.
"Take care then," as the godly Leighton warns us, "of sleeping unto death in carnal ease." Look to the foundation and soundness of your faith. Search carefully both the Bible and your heart. Go to the Lord in prayer and to his ministers to show you his way. May the Lord keep your eye steadily on the end and make sure that heaven is secure.
13. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief. Many a sigh is heaved in the middle of loud laughter and folly. True joy is as unlikely to be found in hell as it is in the worldly heart. Just as it is impossible to gather grapes from thornbushes, so it is impossible to produce the fruit of the Spirit from nature's barren soil. It is far easier to drown conviction than to escape damnation. But to be merry for a day but to be in torment for eternity—who would not flee from such a situation?
14. The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his. Every spot does not mean that you have leprosy. Every sin does not indicate that you are a backslider. A person may be overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1) or may sin in ignorance. Faithless implies a deliberate step. This may not always be obvious, but it is the more dangerous because it lies hidden. A man may be thought of as an eminent saint but may be a backslider in his heart. A secret cancer of unwatchfulness, conformity to the world, neglect, or indulgence has imperceptibly sapped his strength. He was once pressing forward. Now his prayers are formal and hurried. He is lukewarm about the means of grace. He reads his Bible to soothe his conscience rather than to feed his soul. His faithlessness was known to God long before it was known to the church. The foolishness of the faithless person is a merciful warning to the church.
God feeds the good man from a stream that flows from a higher spring, a living spring within himself (John 4:14). This is the witness of the Spirit, and the life and joy of the heavenly Comforter. This is not independence from God, but God living in the heart and filling it with his fullness. Let the sinner compare the satisfaction of sin and godliness, the curse and the blessing, and lift up his heart to make the right choice. Let the faithless person return to the Gospel and so reanimate his faith. Let the good man invigorate his soul daily from his well of consolation.
15. A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. To believe every word of God is faith. To believe every word of man is credulity. Faith is a principle of infinite importance. Eternal life and eternal death hang on it. But it must be grounded on evidence, and it can only be exercised according to the character and measure of the evidence. An indiscriminate faith is, therefore, fraught with mischief. The world was ruined by this weakness (Genesis 3:1-6).
Look at the fruit of this folly in the church when our faith rests on man's wisdom instead of God's power. Men become loose in fundamental principles. So men are ready to drink from any cup that is offered to them, like children who think everything good that is sweet. Errors are built on partial, perverted truth.
But a prudent man gives thought to his steps. Cautious consideration should mark our general conduct. We should try everything before we trust it. In the church we should especially think about whom we should follow. Sift the most plausible pretensions. Never set a great name against the divine testimony. Ask for wisdom from God. Put feeling on the side, and under the direction of sound judgment.
16. A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless. Fear is sometimes thought to be an unmanly principle. But look at the dreadful extent of the evil that should be shunned. On the outside it is vanity and disappointment. On the inside it is the sting of guilt. So, to shun this evil—yes, to fear it—is true wisdom.
The fool, however, stout and stubborn in his mind, never fears until he falls. The voice of God is unheard in the middle of passion. He is "carried by his rash will and blind passion without understanding the end of things" (Diodati). He is hotheaded and reckless. Such a fool was Rehoboam when his self-willed confidence rejected the counsel of wisdom and experience (1 Kings 12:13-15).
17. A quicktempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated. Different types of sin are contrasted here. The sudden passion and the deliberate calculation; the gust and the long-lasting storm. A quick temper is foolishness, even in the eyes of men. What terrible damage can flow from an angry word! Who then, in light of the example, will relax the watch on his lips? Are we sorrowful and made humble by these sins of temper? As we remember what they cost our crucified Friend, do they make us more watchful and prayerful? Is not our loving Father's rod sometimes necessary to bring conviction about the foolish things we do? "Let us give our hearts no rest until we have purged their gall and tempered them with the sweetness and gentleness of our Lord and Savior" (Diodati).
But sin grows from weakness to willfulness. "The first makes a man contemptible; the second, abominable" (Daille). Our dignity is our likeness to God. What shame and degradation there is when we do not bear his image.
18. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. Here the simple and the prudent are again contrasted. The child of Adam is born to folly. That is his inheritance. So long as he remains simple, he confirms this. Unlike an earthly inheritance, he cannot relinquish it. He holds in it life, he holds it in death, and he reaps its bitter fruits throughout eternity. There is no injustice here. There are no grounds for complaints. Sinner, is not wisdom offered to you freely? So, do you not continue to be simple by deliberate choice? "I confess," says Dr. South, "God has no need for any man's learning, but certainly then he has much less need of his ignorance."
The prudent, instructed in heavenly knowledge, are enabled to see divine objects in divine light. Is not this knowledge therefore their crown? It is not a laurel or gold crown, which perish, but the crown that adorns people with light, holiness, joy, and the glory of life eternal. Their glory in eternity will be sitting on God's throne, crowned with the hand of God himself.
19. Evil men will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. This is not the general rule of the present dispensation. Righteous Lazarus bowed at the wicked man's gate (Luke 16:20). Thus faith is tested, and the foundations of our heavenly hopes are more deeply grounded. And yet the letter of the proverb has often proved to be true. The Egyptians and Joseph's brothers bowed before Joseph. The proud Pharaoh and his people bowed before Moses. The saints will judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2). Oh, let the sunshine of this glory irradiate every cloudy morning. If this is not enough to counterbalance the scorn of the ungodly, where is our faith? If we had a clear sight of this glory, would we have an eye for anything else? Would not everything else be an utter irrelevance?
20. The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. This is a humbling but common illustration of natural selfishness. Sometimes, however, we hear of cheering exceptions.
Ruth clung to Naomi in her poverty. Jonathan and David remained firm friends, even when this meant being stripped of royal favor. But all too often the poor, instead of being pitied and comforted, are shunned even by their neighbors. However, the rich could not be in a more enviable position. They have many friends because of their money and status. But Jesus was deliberately the poor man's friend. How endearing is Jesus' love!
21. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. The previous proverb reflects the general standard of selfishness. This proverb reveals how sinful that is. Some men are so high that they cannot see their lower brothers. Yet the despised one is infinitely precious in the Savior's eyes. He was bought by Christ's blood.
We are clearly commanded to honor all people (1 Peter 2:17). We do not give exactly the same honor to different people, but as they deserve. We remember that everyone bears the image of God, no matter how much it may be defaced. Therefore, to look on the lowest as if he were to be despised reveals a lack of wisdom and a lack of heart. "Because we think we are superior to someone, we feel that we can overlook him" (Bishop Sanderson). So we do not have mercy on him.
But how happy is the man who is kind to the needy. "He shall be happy beyond expression" (Scott). Does not every act of love enlarge our own happiness? Do we not ourselves richly feed on the bread with which we feed the hungry? And will not the great day declare and honor every act of love that we have done for our divine Master?
22. Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Scripture traces actions to principles. Wicked as it is to do evil, it is far more wicked to plot evil. Children of God, do you show the same diligence and determination in planning to do good? Love and faithfulness are often seen as the reward of grace, the cheering encouragement of practical godliness. What can be more joyful than the glorious perfections of Jehovah pouring into the soul the quickening energy of divine blessing? Love is the fountainhead, faithfulness the pledge and fulfillment of unchangeable mercy. "Note," says an old expositor, "that Solomon here is no lawgiver, but an evangelist, leading us to Jesus Christ. For we can obtain no mercy but in him alone" (Cope).
23. All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. This is not universally true. How does the work of sin benefit anyone? Also the words of the lips can be fruitful (10:21; 15:7). But the contrast in this proverb is intended between what is solid on the one hand and what is shadowy on the other, between well-directed work and empty talk.
Enlarging the mind is also a benefit of mental work. But the chattering fool (10:8) "cut[s] himself off from all advantage, except that of being entertained by his own talk; his business in coming into company was not at all wanting to be informed, to hear, to listen, but to display himself, and to talk without any purpose whatsoever" (Bishop Butler).
Take care that religious conversation deserves the name. Let the burning theme of the Savior's love flow from the heart.
24. The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly. The godly are made wise by being crowned with knowledge (verse 18). Then the wealth of the wise is their crown. For although no wise man desires wealth, yet as a gift from God it becomes his crown. It enhances his reputation and increases his usefulness as a consecrated talent for God. What a crown riches were to David and his wise son, to obtain the materials for building the temple, and for Job, who used them for the benefit of his fellow creatures. "It is necessary to distinguish between the thing itself and the abuse of it. Wealth is in fact a blessing when honestly acquired and conscientiously used. And when it is used in any other way, the man is to be blamed, and not his treasure" (Cowper).
Wealth is the crown ... of the wise, but it cannot hide fools. It only makes their folly more apparent. Since it is wasted on their selfish gratification, it is not their crown but their folly. So whatever our talents are, let us use them for eternity; then they will be our everlasting crown.
25. A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful. How weighty is the responsibility of testimony. Every Christian has in him a principle of conscientious faithfulness. As a truthful witness he would deliver the innocent from oppression or ruin. But an ungodly man proves to be a deceitful___witness, an agent of Satan. He tells lies in order to destroy his neighbor. How much we need to walk before God in our words, being prepared to risk everything in the interests of truth as we consider our obligations to one another. "We must be mindful of that true and faithful witness that every man carries in his heart, whom no gift can blind, no power can silence" (Bishop Home). We must remember that we will appear before the God of truth, and by our words we will be justified or condemned (Matthew 12:37). If the responsibility is so great for a witness in a court, how much more is the responsibility for the witness in a pulpit. "As they are the most profitable witnesses who preach to us Jesus Christ, even so, the most exquisite deceivers are those who under the shadow of religion set forth men's traditions" (Cope).
26. He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The true fear of God is a holy, happy, reverential principle. It is not the fear that throws out love, but that which brings love in. It is reverence tempered with love. We fear because we love. We fear, yet are not afraid. The holiest and the humblest is the most steady and trusting heart. The fear of man saps our strength; but the fear of God, such is the Christian paradox, makes us bold. Its childlike spirit shuts out all terrors of conscience, all forebodings of eternity.
27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. How bright is this divine principle. It is full of life— temporal life, spiritual life, and eternal life. It is the effect of the heavenly Comforter who produces water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14). It is not only a refuge from the snares of death, but a fountain of life. Among the countless redeemed, no one finds cover from condemnation who has not been made alive with spiritual life. This invaluable grace flows with the full streams of gospel blessing.
28. A large population is a king's glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined. The Bible is a book for all. Even the king of Israel was commanded to treasure it (Deuteronomy 17:18). It describes him as a curse or a blessing to his people, as he is led by his own caprice or directed by divine wisdom. "He is not appointed for luxury or for pleasure, but that as a head he may preside over his members, as a shepherd he may care for his flock, as a tree he may nourish those under his shadow" (Geier).
Without subjects a prince is ruined. Here subjects are seen as the strength and stay of a ruler's kingdom. If his income fails, he is made feeble, and his enemies will take advantage of his weakness. His interests and his people's are one. In promoting their happiness, the prince secures his own honor. How great, then, is the honor of our heavenly King among the countless multitudes of his people.
29. A patient man has great understanding, but a quicktempered man displays folly. The world does not care about someone being quicktempered, except when it affects them directly. "It is a fit of passion, soon over and best forgotten," they conclude. But does God judge a quicktempered man in this way? Note what God's Word says about this. Having a quick temper is giving way to the devil and grieving the Holy Spirit. It is contrary to the mind and example of Christ. It is degrading to human nature. It is a work of evil human nature, shutting us out from heaven and condemning us to hell. So to be patient shows that we have great understanding.
Let the children of God remember that a quick temper was condemned in the meekest of men (Psalm 106:32-33). Never was folly more clearly displayed than by the fretful selfishness of a prophet of the Lord (Jonah 4). The gentlest spirit needs to be in deep humility and love in order to have fellowship with God (Isaiah 57:15; 1 John 4:16). Has not God given us understanding to govern our tempers, and his Word and Spirit to crucify them?
30. A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Many agree that faith in God is good for the soul. But they do not think this can affect the body in any way. The wise man, however, teaches that a heart at peace gives life to the body (see 3:7-8). And surely a heart at peace, free from corroding passions and imbued with Christian habits, although this will not bring immortality, must be conducive to good health. Such a heart is free from selfishness and rejoices in the happiness of other people.
Envy, on the other hand, is wounded by our neighbor's prosperity. His ruin, or at least his injury, would give us pleasure. This evil is indeed the deadliest fruit of selfishness. Nothing flourishes under its shade. It rots the bones. "Truly," as Bishop Hall observes, "this vice is executioner enough to itself." This is the hell that such a man carries in his own heart.
31. He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Are not the poor, no less than the rich, created in God's image? Both meet before their Maker. Both have the same nature in their hearts. Both sink to the same humiliating level in death. Both rise to the same eminence of immortality. Besides, do not the poor have a special interest in the Gospel? Was not the Gospel first spread by the poor? Has not the voluntary poverty of the Son of God for us elevated such a lowly condition to the highest level? So what grounds are left that we should oppress the poor as if they were inferior to us? If we do this, we are guilty of showing contempt for their Maker (see 17:5). We must not only refrain from oppressing the poor—we must have mercy on them.
32. When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. We cannot judge men by their outward condition. Such judgments would most often be wrong. The standard of the world is most often erroneous. Most people think they are good enough for heaven. This hope is even entertained by criminals who believe they will receive mercy in the end. They think that little separates the wicked and the righteous.
But now let us turn to the striking picture before us, which sweeps away all human standards. Eternity is here set before us: The wicked and the righteous each go to their respective places (compare Acts 1:25). Let us ponder this with deep solemnity. Oh, my soul, make your calling sure.
The wicked include a wide range of people. Many are amiable, useful, and in many ways exemplary. Others are absorbed in vanity, or they wear themselves out in study or are given over to indulging themselves. But whatever their external state, they forget God and are traveling to hell.
But even in death the righteous have a refuge. Their death is full of hope. Job pierced his dark cloud of sorrow with this joyful hope. David rested his worn-out spirit on the Rock of salvation. And do we not daily hear the voice from heaven assuring us about the blessedness of those who die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13)? Praise to our Immanuel! "When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers" (Te Deum). Through Jesus Christ, as the way to the kingdom, we go freely, gladly out of life. We go to our natural home, to our Savior's heart, to our rest, to our crown, to our everlasting joy.
Does this text not clearly prove that while life and immortality were brought to light by the Gospel, the dawn of day beamed on the Old Testament saints? What could this hope of the righteous be but the consummating prospect of the Gospel? Solomon's sagacious mind could never have confounded two things so essentially distinct as hope in death and hope of escape from death. Satisfactory and beautiful is the comment of a learned German critic who notes "a splendid testimony of the knowledge of the Old Testament believer in a future life. The wicked in this calamity is agitated with the greatest terror. He knows not where to turn. But the godly in this last evil has no fear. He knows to whom to flee, and where he is going" (Dathe). Again, "The righteous dies in God's grace, and in an assured confidence of the salvation of his soul, and of the glorious resurrection of his body" (Diodati).
33. Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known. The wise man often speaks of the blessing of wisdom on the lips (10:11, 20-21; 15:2, 7). Here we trace it to its home. It flows from the head and reposes in the heart. Thus it did rest without measure in the humanity of Jesus (John 3:34). When it rests in our hearts, it is of incalculable value, as a fixed principle. It stops us from being tossed about by strange teachings. We see the vital difference between speculation and experience.
It is very different from worldly disputation. The latter, as Bishop Taylor observes, "covers no vices but ignites a great many. Though men esteem it learning, it is the most useless learning in the world." True wisdom sets its throne in the heart.
34. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. If it is not beneath the dignity of statesmen to learn from the Bible, let them deeply ponder this sound political maxim, which commends itself to every instinct of the unsophisticated mind. Indeed, it would be a strange anomaly in God's order of the world if the link between godliness and prosperity, ungodliness and misery, established in individual cases, should not hold true in nations as well. Scripture clearly proves that this is as much a rule for nations as it is for individuals. The annals of the chosen people, depending on whether they were a righteous or a sinful nation, are marked by corresponding exaltation or reproach.
But sin is a disgrace to any people. No nation is so low as not to sink even lower under sin. The strongest nations are given an indelible blot if they are overcome by sin. What an enemy an ungodly man is to his country. He may talk eloquently about his patriotism, but even if God should elevate him in his work, he will only bring disgrace on his people. We need to pray and plead for our country's true prosperity with humility, faith, and constancy. Let us work for our country's exaltation with a completely united heart.
35. A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath. The work of a wise servant is often the reason for a nation being exalted. No wonder a king delights in such a person. In the same way it is hardly surprising that a king is so angry with a shameful servant.
It was like this with the great King. All of us are his servants, bound to him by the highest obligations. All of us have our responsibilities, our talents, and our work. Regarding the wise and faithful servant who has traded with his talents and who has been diligent in his work, the Lord will bless him with his favor. But the Lord's wrath rests on the servant who neglects his work and who is not prepared to give a good account of his talents. What will the solemn day of reckoning bring to me? May I, may we all be found to be wise servants to the best of Kings. We should be able to look with confidence to him for his wonderful welcome and for his "well done, good and faithful servant."