Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14:1

14:1 A sensible housewife attends to her house and her family. The foolish woman goes gallivanting off to card parties, bingo games, fashion shows, and other empty amusements. She neglects her husband and children, and wonders why her family goes to ruin. Is it possible for a woman to tear down her home by too much religious activity too? 14:2 A man’s conduct is a reflection of his attitude toward the LORD. The righteous man is guided by what he knows will please God. The perverse man doesn’t care what God thinks, and thus reveals his contempt of Him. Kidner writes: Every departure from God’s path is a pitting of one’s will, and a backing of one’s judgment, against His; but the contempt which it spells is too irrational to acknowledge. 14:3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride. He will have to take a beating for his arrogant talk. Wise people’s speech will preserve them from any such punishment. 14:4 A barn can be kept cleanly swept where there are no oxen, but isn’t it better to have some dust and dirt around, knowing that the labor of an ox will lead to a bountiful harvest? The rewards of toil more than compensate for its disagreeable aspects. This proverb is not intended to encourage homes or chapels that look like disaster areas. But it does discourage that passion for order and dustlessness that puts the brakes on progress and productiveness. 14:5 C. H. Mackintosh once said that it is better to go to heaven with a good conscience than stay on earth with a bad one. How careful we should be to be utterly truthful at all times! 14:6 By continued refusal to listen, a scoffer loses the capacity to hear. He can never find true wisdom as long as he rejects the Lord. The man of understanding perceives the right thing quickly. “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance . . .” (Mat_13:12). 14:7 Don’t cultivate the friendship of a foolish man, “for there you do not meet words of knowledge” (RSV), or “you will not find a word of sense in him” (Moffatt). 14:8 For a prudent man wisdom means knowing how to behave honestly, conscientiously, and obediently. What a fool considers to be wisdom is actually folly, and the essence of that folly is deceiving others, which eventually results in self-inflicted deceit. 14:9 Although the Hebrew here is obscure, the NKJV makes good sense. Fools make a mock of sin, will not believe; It has a fearful dagger up its sleeve; “How can it be,” they say, “that such a thing, So full of sweetness, e’er should wear a sting?” They know not that it is the very spell Of sin, to make them laugh themselves to hell. Look to thyself then, deal with sin no more. Lest He who saves, against thee shuts the door. John BunyanThe upright enjoy the Lord’s favor, free from the guilt and condemnation of sin. 14:10 There are sorrows in the human heart that no other human being can share (though the Lord can and does). There is also joy that can be enjoyed only by the person directly involved. 14:11 Notice the contrast between house and tent. We think of a house as permanent and a tent as temporary. But it is the tent of the upright pilgrim that survives, while the house of the wicked earth dweller tumbles. 14:12 The way which seems right to men is salvation by good works or good character. More people go down to hell laboring under that misconception than under any other. (See also Pro_16:25.) In a broader sense, the way which seems right to a man is his own way, the path of self-will that scorns divine guidance or human counsel. It can end only in disaster and spiritual death. 14:13 There is no such thing in life as pure, unadulterated joy. Sorrow is always mixed to some extent. Knox says, “Joy blends with grief, and laughter marches with tears.” 14:14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above. A person who wanders away from the Lord reaps the consequences of his waywardness. Thus Naomi said, “The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty” (Rth_1:20-21). And the prodigal son said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luk_15:17). The upright man is satisfied with his ways, because they are the Lord’s ways. He can say with David, “My cup runs over” (Psa_23:5 c). Or with Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Ti_4:7). 14:15 A naive, gullible person is susceptible to every new idea or fad. The prudent man takes a second look and thus preserves his steps from error. Faith demands the surest evidence, and finds it in the Word of God. Credulity believes what every passing scientist, philosopher, or psychologist has to say. 14:16 A wise man fears in the sense that he is careful and cautious. Of course, the verse may also mean that he fears the Lord. The fool is arrogant and careless, throws off restraint, and is obviously self-confident. 14:17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly. In anger, he does things without stopping to consider the consequences. He slams doors, throws whatever is handy, yells curses and insults, breaks furniture, and walks out in a rage. But if we had to choose, we could tolerate him more easily than the man of wicked intentions. Everyone hates this man for his cold-blooded treachery. 14:18 The simple inherit folly. If they refuse to listen to sound teaching, they thereby choose to become more stupid. The prudent are honored and rewarded by acquiring more and more knowledge. 14:19 This proverb points to the eventual triumph of good over evil. God will vindicate the cause of the righteous. The day came when Haman had to bow before Mordecai. And the day will come when every knee in the universe will bow before Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. 14:20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor. It shouldn’t be this way, but it often is. Many people form friendships on the basis of self-interest. They avoid the poor and cultivate the rich for selfish ends. We should be interested in people for what we can do for them, not what we can get from them. In one sense the rich man has many friends, but in another sense he never knows how many true friends he has, that is, friends who love him for who he is rather than for what he has. 14:21 This verse is obviously connected with the preceding one. It is sin to despise the poor because God has chosen them (Jam_2:5). The man who has mercy on the poor is blessed in the act. We should never forget that the Lord Jesus came into the world as a poor man. Someone referred to Him as “my penniless friend from Nazareth.” 14:22 Those who plot mischief and devise evil plans are destined to go astray. Those who devise the good of others are rewarded with mercy and truth. This means that God shows kindness to them and is true to His promises of protection and reward. It also means that people repay them with loyalty and faithfulness. 14:23 All honorable work is profitable. Nothing but talk leads only to poverty. We all know people who talk by the hour about their problems but never lift a little finger to solve them. They talk up a storm about world evangelism but never move from their Lazy-Boy reclining chair to witness to their neighbor. Without coming up for air, they tell you what they plan to do in the future, but they never do it. 14:24 The glory of the wise is their riches. They have something to show for their wisdom, whether we think of that wealth as spiritual or material. Fools have nothing but folly to show for their lives and labors. 14:25 A true witness in a court of law delivers innocent people from being “framed.” A deceitful witness misrepresents the facts, with all the ruinous results that flow from such deceit. The gospel preacher is a true witness who delivers souls from eternal death. The “liberals” and “cultists” are deceitful witnesses who speak lies and lead souls astray. 14:26 The man who fears the LORD has every reason to have strong confidence. If God is for him, no one can be successfully against him (Rom_8:31). That man’s children will have a place of refuge under God’s wings when evil attacks. 14:27 Trust in God is a source of spiritual strength and vitality, enabling one to avoid the snares of death. 14:28 The size, contentment, and loyalty of the populace determine a king’s honor. There is little prestige for a prince to hold the title if he has few or no people over whom to rule. 14:29 A man who is patient under provocation shows great insight. He who is impulsive promotes folly and holds it up to public view. 14:30 A sound heart here means a satisfied mind. Thus Knox translates, “Peace of mind is health of body.” Envy and passion are bad for a person’s health. Dr. Paul Adolph confirms this: Some of the most important causes of so-called nervous diseases which psychiatrists recognize are guilt, resentment (an unforgiving spirit), fear, anxiety, frustration, indecision, doubt, jealousy, selfishness, and boredom. Unfortunately, many psychiatrists, while definitely effective in tracing the causes of emotional disturbances which cause disease, have significantly failed in their methods of dealing with these disturbances because they omit faith in God as their approach. 14:31 Whoever takes advantage of the poor insults his Creator. George Herbert said that man is God’s image, but a poor man is Christ’s stamp as well. The second line means that those who have compassion on the needy honor God in the process. 14:32 “When the wicked is paid in his own coin, there is an end of him; at death’s door, the just still hope” (Knox). Judas is an illustration of the first line, and Paul, of the second. 14:33 The clause, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding” may mean (1) that wisdom is at home there, or (2) that the man doesn’t needlessly parade everything he knows. The second line is more difficult. It may mean (1) you will soon find out what is in the heart of fools; (2) wisdom is not known in the heart of fools (RSV); (3) “wisdom must clamor loudly before being recognized by fools” (Berkeley margin). 14:34 In order for a nation to be great, its leaders and people must have upright, moral characters known for their righteousness. Corruption, graft, bribery, “dirty tricks,” scandal, and all forms of civil unrighteousness bring disgrace to a country. 14:35 A ruler looks with favor on a servant who acts wisely (compare Joseph, Mordecai, Daniel). His wrath is directed against him who acts shamefully. “The king favors an able minister; his anger is for the incompetent” (Moffatt).