Proverbs Chapter 22
Proverbs
Chapter 22
1. A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. What is this good name that is here said to be more desirable than great riches ? It is not the name that the builders of the tower of Babel wanted to make for themselves. This good name is gained by godly consistency. Heathen understanding seemed to have some glimpses of this. Agesilaus, on being asked how a good name was to be obtained, replied, "By speaking the best, and doing the most upright things." To the same question Socrates answered, "By studying really to be what you wish to be accounted." The person who really does have this good name is either unconscious of the gift or is humbled by the conviction that it is wholly undeserved.
It is so valuable that it is better than silver or gold. Whereas great riches can fly away on eagles' wings (23:5), a good name will be remembered forever.
We must not overvalue man's estimation of our conduct. But, on the other hand, we must not indiscreetly underrate it. "I never thought," said the wise Sir M. Hale, "that reputation was the thing primarily to be looked after in the exercise of virtue (for that puts the substance for the shadow), but I looked at virtue and its worth as something to be desired, and reputation as a way to procure it."
Some, however, judge, "So long as my conscience is clear, I care not what the world thinks about me or says about me. Other people's consciences are not my judges." In resisting the efforts of the world to deflect us from our path of duty, "We may rightly comfort ourselves in our own innocency and flee for refuge from harmful words to our own consciences, as into a castle. There we can rest in safety, disregarding the reproaches of evil men" (Bishop Sanderson). But at the same time we should make great efforts to stop the mouths of those who make false accusations against us (1 Corinthians 4:3).
Yet as much as we want this, we must take care that it is not gained at the expense of conscience. It is far better that others should tarnish our name than that we should wound our consciences. "Two things there are," says St. Augustine, "about which everyone should be especially chary [vigilant] and tender: his conscience and his credit. But his conscience must be his first concern. His name and his credit must be content to come in the second place. Let him first be sure to guard his conscience well; then he may give attention to his name. Let his top priority be to secure everything inside him, by making peace with God and in his own heart. Once this is done, and not before this happens, he can look further afield if he wants to and strengthen his reputation with and before the world" (Bishop Sanderson).
While it is true that reputation and the affection of others are more desirable than great riches, we must not forget that they may be in themselves vanity and a snare. And since seeking them—or rather, when they are made into idols, the sin of a noble mind—is a weakness, more severe discipline is needed to preserve Christian simplicity and singleness. The only honor that is safe is that which comes from God.
2. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. There is great diversity in the circumstances of mankind. Yet the difference is mainly superficial, and the equality in all important matters is clear for all to see. The rich and the poor, apparently so remote from each other, have much in common. All are born into the world. All come into the world naked, helpless, unconscious beings. All stand before God. All are dependent on God for their birth. All are subject to the same sorrows, illnesses, and temptations. At the gate of the invisible world the distinction of riches and poverty is dropped.
We also all have this in common: We meet on the same level as sinners. All are tainted with the same original corruption. All are like sheep and have each gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). All need the same new birth to give them life. All need the same precious blood to cleanse them and the same robe of righteousness to cover them (Romans 3:21-22). In all these matters the rich and poor are as one.
3. A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. A great part of wisdom is to see what God is doing or is about to do. When evil arrives, most men can see it. But a prudent man sees danger coming. This does not mean that God has given us knowledge about the future. This would only encourage us to be presumptuous. But God has given us prudence, so that we can see danger. If we know about the danger, that is the most effective way to escape from it. Even our divine Master acted in a prudent way (Mark 3:6-7) until his hour came (Matthew 26:46)
We can apply this to seeing spiritual dangers. Noah built his ark in order "to save his family" (Hebrews 11:7).
It is not that the prudent man has the gift of supernatural knowledge about the future. He only uses the discernment that God has given him. He takes notice of the signs of the times. He studies the Word of God in reference to God's coming judgments and acts accordingly. To walk carelessly in the middle of evil is reckless folly. We stand not by faith only, but by faith balanced with fear (Romans 11:20). Yet this is not the fear of slavery, but of care, watchfulness, and diligence (Hebrews 4:1,11). Guilty, wandering, tempted, afflicted, dying as we are, prudence shows us our need of a refuge. Unless we seek one in time, we are lost in eternity. If we but realize the huge weight of guilt lying on us, can we rest in an unsheltered state? Would we not tread on everything that is in our way as we run to the shelter? There may be impending judgments. But let us set our face toward our hiding-place. God will look after us in danger. His own most loving voice points us to a shelter. "It is nature that teaches a wise man in fear to hide himself. But grace and faith teaches him where to hide. Where should the frightened child lay his head but in the arms of his heavenly Father? Where should a Christian lay himself but under the shadow of the wings of Christ his Savior?" (Hooker).
The simple act in a very different way. They are devoid of all prudence. They are unaware of any impending danger. So they fear nothing. They are absorbed in what they are doing and oblivious to the danger all around them. There are many who do not hear the distant thunder announcing the approaching storm. In their assumed security they laugh at those who are preparing for the evil day. Even when they are on the brink of destruction they continue to laugh, unless God sovereignly steps in.
4. Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Who will then say that we serve God in vain (Malachi 3:14)? The enjoyment of wealth and honor and life belongs to those who serve God. But note the two characteristics of such people: humility and the fear of the Lord.
Humility is not mere meekness or modesty. While the latter is a lovely quality, it is not specifically a Christian grace. Humility is also not the servility of the hypocrite who is secretly seeking his own ends. It is easy to see genuine humility, as it will always be accompanied by the fear of the Lord. This fear is the blessed, holy reverence that only God's children experience. It represses presumption and establishes humility. An accurate understanding of who God is will always lay us in the lowest dust before him. Then humility is our greatest glory. The most humble is the most triumphant Christian. He may be depressed, but he is highly exalted. He has the wealth of grace and of glory. Nobody can deprive him of these.
5. In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them. This proverb teaches us that nothing stands in a man's way as much as his indulging his own unbridled will.
The man who is most perversely bent on his own purposes is most likely to be thwarted in them. "He thinks to carry all before him, but this path is full of thorns and snares. His stubbornness causes him infinite perplexities, from which he can find no escape" (Bishop Hall).
Our happiness and safety lie in humble submission to the Lord. We should desire nothing but to do his will. We should fear nothing as much as being left to our own devices. This is how we are to guard our souls.
6. Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. The hopes of at least two generations hang on this most important rule. Everything hangs on a child's training. Two paths beckon him. One path leads to ruin, the other to heaven. All training that is not based on the principles of the Bible must be harmful. To expand the mind without at the same time enlightening it is but to increase its power for evil. It would be far better to consign it to total ignorance, in that an uninstructed savage is less dangerous than a well-informed infidel.
Yet the religious training of a child must not be the edge of a garment that can easily be trimmed off. It must be the pervading substance of his life. Pray for your child. Teach your child to pray. Instruct him from childhood in the holy Scriptures as the sole rule of faith and way to behave.
If you do not give a child these principles, you leave him utterly helpless. And yet, all too often parents themselves have no established principles about how to educate children. They have children, and something has to be done about educating them, but the parents are ignorant about their own moral state and besetting evils. They are totally unable to train any children in God's ways. The child, therefore, becomes the victim of his parents' ignorance. The child concludes that greed is the only guide in life.
It was never more important than it is today that children be brought up by parents who teach the principles of the Scriptures. Otherwise later on in a child's life, when an attempt is made to set them right, we find that we are "building where there is no foundation, or rather where there is not even any ground to build on" (South). The primary object of a child's upbringing must be the salvation of his soul. But most people in the world deal with their children as if they were born only for this world, with nothing to look for after death. They totally ignore such questions as: How will this or that matter affect their soul? Their only thought is: They must be like everyone else if they are to make their way in the world. And so in all important matters parents educate them for time and not for eternity. We hardly need to point out that this is an education without God, without his promise, and without rest. The parents of such children, and the children of such parents, are both in need of compassion.
7. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Too often the rich rule over the poor in a harsh way. Indeed, without submitting to God's rule over us, we can hardly be trusted with power over our fellowmen. Man becomes alienated from his brother. He becomes the victim of the other's gratification, not the object of his sympathy. "Sell not your liberty to gratify your luxury" (Henry). If it is possible, owe nobody anything except love (Romans 13:8). "Guard against that poverty which is the result of carelessness or extravagance. Pray earnestly; work diligently. If you should become poor, bear poverty with patience. Throw yourself in childlike dependence on your God" (Geier).
8. He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. Scripture often draws practical lessons from seedtime and harvest (Psalm 126:5-6; Hosea 10:12; Matthew 13:3, 24-30). They are linked together in the spiritual, as well as in the natural, world. The harvest is determined by the seed (Galatians 6:7-9). Every thought is a seed for eternity, resulting in a harvest of eternal joy or desperate sorrow. The wise man concentrates here on the latter. All experience and observation testify to the fact that the diligence of the ungodly sower can only end in trouble and in utter disappointment. But the harvest from God's seed is totally different. God's harvest brings an assured reward of everlasting joy. So we must sow generously (2 Corinthians 9:6, 9).
9. A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Nehemiah, instead of using his own considerable power for his own ends, spent his wealth on feeding people at his own table. He is a good example of someone sharing his food with the poor. Nehemiah's work required a large heart, and God had given him such a heart. Every Christian must remember that God's standard is sacrifice, not convenience. We are only stewards of God's bounty. "Beneficence is the most exquisite luxury; and the good man is the genuine epicure" (Bishop Home). As Luther put it, "One good work done for God will be seen to show more glory than the whole frame of heaven and earth." We must continue to be partners with God and reflect his image.
10. Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. Here is a word for rulers. The mocker stirs up strife in the church (3 John 10). He must be restrained. If restraint is to be effective, he must, if possible, be thrown out (Titus 3:10-11). He must not be argued with (Proverbs 26:4). We must have no dealings with him. We must openly rebuke him in case his influence upsets the faith of the simple. If God scorns the scorner, how can we but banish him from our fellowship? But if we do cast him out, we must not cast him off. Pray for him. Remember that you were once like him (1 Corinthians 6:11). While abhorring the sin, pity the sinner.
But what are we to do if we are unable to throw him out? He may be a husband or a child. We must at least object to what he is doing. Turn away from his mockery. This will mortify, if not silence, him. Turn from him to your God. This will bring peace. Honor your divine Master by enduring as he did, year after year, the opposition of sinful people (Hebrews 12:3). Perhaps this meek and silent endurance, with a loving, bleeding heart, might have the power to throw out the scorning and to humble the mocker so he sits at the foot of the cross.
11. He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. Here a pure heart does not describe the natural but the renewed person. It is no external varnish, no affectation of holiness. It is sincerity, humility, turning from sin, conforming to God's image. Anyone who has attained this purity is before God's throne. He who loves this is God's child on earth. Such a person is welcomed by the King into his heavenly kingdom. As our Lord said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8).
12. The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful. In Scripture the phrase the eyes of the Lord often describes his searching omniscience (see 5:21 [kjv]; 15:3). Here it describes his fatherly care.
This proverb illustrates God's faithful watch over truth in the world. Indeed, it may be thought of as a prophecy that will be fulfilled at the end of time. For how wonderfully has the knowledge of God been preserved from age to age. All the malignant schemes to blot it out have been frustrated by God. The Scriptures, as the words of knowledge, have been preserved in a far more accurate state than any other book of comparable age. When the church herself supported the Arian heresy, the same watchful eye raised up the champion Athanasius. All the words of the unfaithful have been overthrown.
13. The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" "This sentence belongs to those who flinch from the cross" (Melanchthon). Real difficulties in the way of heaven exercise faith. And these are far too great for those who have never counted the cost of following Christ. But indulging in sloth introduces imagined difficulties. The sluggard is a coward. He has no love for his work, and therefore he is always ready to invent some flimsy excuse that will prevent him from doing his duty. He shrinks back from any work that is likely to involve him in any trouble. Imagined dangers frighten him from real and present duties. "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" What absurd excuses! As if public streets, except in special cases, were the haunts of wild beasts. We need courage from God. We must stand equipped with all of God's armor (Ephesians 6:11,13). We all need this. Each day, each hour we need to seek this, whether we are in the front line of the battle or are the most ordinary soldier of the cross.
14. The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the Lord's wrath will fall into it. This dreadful temptation has often been touched on (2:16-19; 5:3; 6:24-29; 7:5; 9:16-18). But in a book that is intended especially for the young, who is to say that such a fresh warning is superfluous? Is it not the voice of mercy? For what but endless compassion could stand, as it were, on the edge of the deep pit and alert the unwary to the danger.
Adultery is indeed a deep pit. It is easy to fall into but hard, next to impossible, to get out of. For this sin overwhelms the body, the mind, and the conscience. There is no more humbling proof of the total depravity of human nature than the fact that those affections that were originally given for the purest enjoyments of life can become the corrupt spring of such a defilement. The sin and snare seem to be inflicted on those who willfully reject God. They have turned away from instruction; they have hated reproof; they have given themselves over to their wicked desires. They have clearly abandoned God. Must not God's holiness and justice be against those who deliberately choose evil and reject both God's warnings and love? They are under the Lord's wrath.
15. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. What parent, what teacher will not agree that folly is bound up in the heart of a child? Folly is the birthright of everyone. Children show their inclination to evil even before they can speak. Augustine mentions a good example of the Fall. He describes how a baby, before it could speak, revealed on its face envy and anger toward another infant who was about to share his food. Augustine adds, referring to himself, "When, I beseech thee, oh, my God, in what places, when or where, was I innocent?" So education should begin in the cradle.
Note that what is being spoken about is foolishness, not childishness. "A child is to be punished," as Mr. Scott wisely observed, "not for being a child, but for being a wicked child." Comparative ignorance, the imperfect and gradual opening of the faculties, constitute the nature, not the sinfulness, of the child. As a holy child, Jesus increased in wisdom (Luke 2:52). But folly is the strong propensity toward evil. It imbibes wrong principles, forms bad habits, and joins in with ungodly company. It is the root and essence of sin in a fallen nature. It is the folly of being in revolt against a God of love.
16. He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty. These two ideas seem to contradict each other. But both of the people described are devoid of God's love and love for their brother. Both seek to please themselves. The one who gives gifts to the rich hopes to receive something in return. Both actions, paradoxical as it may seem, lead to the road of poverty. "Sin pays its servants very bad wages; for it gives the very reverse of what is promised. While the sin of oppression promises mountains of gold, it brings them poverty and ruin (Jeremiah 12:13-15). Injuries done to the poor are sorely resented by the God of mercy, who is the poor man's friend and will break in pieces his oppressor" (Lawson).
But if oppression is the road to poverty, is not generosity the way to wealth? This is so, if our actions are engaged in on behalf of God. But here the man is pretending to be generous, hoping for a huge reward, while at the same time he grinds the poor into the dust with impunity. To give to the rich is bad stewardship and does not serve the poor well. Oh, let the Christian always hear his Father's voice: "Walk before me; be perfect."
17-21. Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you? Solomon changes his way of writing here. From chapter 10 he has mainly given aphorisms in an antithetical form, contrasting right and wrong principles with their respective results. Now his observations become more personal and are more closely linked to each other.
The wise man here shows the power and the use of the Word of God. He begins by telling his readers to pay attention to what he says. He was not talking about ordinary things but about the sayings of the wise.
Observe the attractiveness of wisdom. It is both pleasing and profitable. But worldly people do not understand how anything linked to religion can be pleasurable. For such people, religion spoils all their pleasure. But heart-religion always conveys vital happiness. The fruit comes from the tree of life and is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.
Note also the link between the religion of the heart and of the lips. Our words should be "like a string of rich and precious pearls" (Diodati). For the lips of the righteous feed many people (10:21). We must never allow our mouths to attempt to speak wisdom until our hearts have been given over to meditation and understanding (Psalm 49:3).
But even the words of wisdom are powerless unless they are applied to us personally. Each person should separate himself from other people and be alone with God, under the clear, searching light of his Word. Let us not forget that the great purpose of this revelation is that we may be sure about eternal things. The Gospels themselves were written for this reason (Luke 1:1-4). Our confidence in the sure foundations of the Christian faith should not be shaken. This does not mean that we still need to know more in order to have faith. For we should always be humble enough to depend on God about what we do not know. Paley has given us a golden maxim of Christian philosophy in which he defines true and firm understanding to consist "in not suffering what we do know to be disturbed and shaken by what we do not know." We should never delay to have faith just because we have not solved all the 10,000 objections of a proud unbeliever. We know whom we have believed (2 Timothy 1:12), and we should continually support our weaker brethren.
22-23. Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them. Perhaps after so solemn an exhortation we might have expected something more important. Yet what can be more important than the law of love, and to rebuke those who break that law? Robbery and oppression, under any circumstances, break God's commandment (Exodus 20:15). But to exploit the poor because he is poor and so has no means of protection is a cowardly aggravation of the sin. To crush the needy in court perverts God's sacred authority that was given to protect the needy. God is most resisted in wronging those who cannot resist and defend themselves. "The threatenings of God against the robbers of the poor are sometimes laughed at by the rich and great. But they will find them in due time to be awful realities" (Lawson). "Weak though they [the poor] are, they have a strong one to take their part" (Sanderson). God will plead their case. And woe to the man against whom he pleads. The accumulation of divine vengeance is heaped upon this sin.
24-25. Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared. Sin is contagious. Alas, our corrupt constitution predisposes us to receive it in any form in which it may be presented to us. The base passions of the hot-tempered man repel rather than attract. But sin never loses its infectious character.
Friendship blinds the eye. When there is no light in the mind, no true tenderness in the conscience, we see evil things done by those we love who have blunted sensibilities. Being friends of a hot-tempered man is like living in a house that is on fire. How quickly does a young person, living with a proud man, become like him and turn into an overbearing person. Evil ways, especially those that our temperaments incline toward, are more quickly learned than good ways. We learn to be angry more easily than to be meek. We pass on disease, not health. So it is a rule of self-preservation, no less than the rule of God, not to make friends with hot-tempered people.
26-27. Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. Avoid being involved with not only the hot-tempered, but also with the imprudent. Do not put up security for debts without forethought. Repeated warnings have been given about this danger (11:15; 17:18). If you accept a bill on behalf of somebody else, it may be almost like signing a warrant for your own execution. The creditor may justly act against not the debtor, whom he knows is worth nothing, but you, because you have put up security for the debtor's debts. The wise man points out how rash such behavior is and that it will end up with you having your bed taken away from you as you sleep.
There is, however, so much danger of being overcautious and of indulging in selfishness under the cover of prudence that these warnings must be heeded thoughtfully.
28. Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers. Everyone has a right to what is his own. He must, therefore, have a way of knowing and securing his right. The ancient boundary stone was protected by the wise laws of Israel. God himself set the bounds to the respective parts of his own world, restricting each part within its proper limits. The ancient boundary stone stood as the witness and memorial of each man's rights, which had been set up by their forefathers. It was forbidden to remove it. Such action was a selfish and unjust invasion of property. This proverb also teaches us to respect well-established principles.
29. Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. Here a man skilled in his work is one who is improving his talents all the time and is making the most of his opportunities. He is like Henry Martyn, who was known in his college "as the man who had not lost an hour." "Nobleness of condition is not essential . . . for nobleness of character. It is delightful to think that humble life may be just as rich in moral race and moral grandeur as the loftier places in society; that as true a dignity of principle may be earned by him who in homeliest drudgery plies his conscientious task as by him who stands entrusted with the fortunes of an empire" (Chalmers).
Diligence, even without godliness, is often the way to advance in the world. But when we serve the Lord, we will have the honor of standing before the King of kings. Our whole life should be spent so that we will hear his words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21-23).