Ecclesiastes 5
KingCommentsEcclesiastes 5:1
Speaking Happens From the Heart
When someone “speaks truth” (Proverbs 12:17), words come out of his mouth that belong to the Divine nature he possesses. He cannot but make known what is “right”. Truth leads to the making known what is right. Right can only be called right if it comes from truth. Given the contrast with the second line of verse, which speaks of “a false witness”, we can think of a trial. But it can also be applied more broadly.
The true or truthful witness is trustworthy because he tells the truth. He gives the right view. He who brings forth the truth will not bend right, but will make it known.
A false witness violates the truth. He commits “deceit” regarding the facts. He lies about it. We can all err at times in representing certain facts. But deceit is deliberately giving a different representation, and that as a witness, than corresponds to reality.
The Lord Jesus always spoke truth and thereby made known what is right. He also had to deal with false witnesses. The one evokes the other. Those who will not bow to the truth are going to lie to and about the truth.
In Proverbs 12:17 it is about a person’s character, what animates him and what he produces as a result. What we say makes it clear who we are. To speak truth means that it comes from within. John the baptist spoke the truth of God about marriage by making known to Herod God’s right about his illicit relationship with the wife of his brother (Mark 6:18).
Words can act “like the thrusts of a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). Words spoken hastily and thoughtlessly (Leviticus 5:4; Numbers 30:6) can damage the soul of a person. They are words that wound and hurt (cf. Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7; Psalms 64:3). The enemies of Jeremiah say they want to “strike at him with” their “tongue” (Jeremiah 18:18). The friends of Job spoke many true words to Job, but these were words like the thrusts of a sword.
And what of the terrible insinuation, uttered by the Jews against the Lord Jesus, that He would have been born of fornication (John 8:41). What a thrust of a sword! And what a calm, quiet and thoughtful response from the Lord. Their thrusts of the sword made it clear that they had the devil as their father, and the Lord tells them so (John 8:44).
A person can be so damaged by words that it makes it impossible for him to live. Many people know the stinging pain of false, unkind, thoughtless remarks about his person or about a loved one. We must also consider that we ourselves, possibly unconsciously, have done it at times.
Conversely, what the wise say brings healing. Of ourselves, we do not have a “tongue of the wise”. We can get one by learning from the Lord Jesus, because He had that tongue. He learned to speak as a wise man and is an example to us in this. From Him we can learn how to speak (Isaiah 50:4). Then our words will be healing, for then they will be trustworthy and true. We speak gently and kindly, uplifting and encouraging to those who are the targets of slander.
Barnabas had a tongue of the wise. He spoke reassuring words to the church at Jerusalem about Paul (Acts 9:27). The tongue should be a healing instrument both for damaged hearts of individuals and for critical situations in churches. That happens if a good word is spoken, a word that edifies and gives grace to those who hear it (Ephesians 4:29). Even an admonishing word can have that effect if it is said at the right time, to the right person and in the right mind.
“Truthful lips” truthfulness, outlasts all lies, always, and never dies (Proverbs 12:19). Truth is from God. God is the God of truth. Therefore, truth is connected to eternity. What is said in truth will never be undone. All attacks on truth, all opposition to truth, cannot undo truth in any way, ever.
It is different with “the lying tongue”, the lie. That one can be as old as the devil, he is and remains a temporary intruder. Lies can only exercise and maintain a certain power for a limited time. It is “only for a moment”. This expression indicates that it is for no longer than the duration of a blink of an eye. It is so short that the length of time cannot be calculated (cf. Job 20:5). The life of those who speak with a false tongue is of short duration compared to the eternity that awaits. All false teachers will experience this. Their lies disappear, while the truth remains.
Every believer must have a truthful lip. Then he speaks the truth and that will last forever. Lip here stands for the person who uses the lip.
The contrast in Proverbs 12:20 is between “devise evil” and “counselors peace” and in both cases with a view to the consequences. Because there is deceit “in the heart”, the heart is the forge of evil. Evil results from deceit. The consequence of devising evil is only sorrow and trouble. “Evil” here implies the idea of pain.
Opposite this are “counselors of peace”. Peace, shalom, does not cause pain, but works wholeness and well-being, both for an individual and for a community (Psalms 34:14; Psalms 37:37). Those who counsel peace will reap the inner satisfaction of doing what is right, as well as the pleasure of seeing positive results.
The difference between truth and lie is the difference between peace and war. All wars are born of a lie, except the wars of God. The lie was born when satan declared war on God.
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Speaking Happens From the Heart
When someone “speaks truth” (Proverbs 12:17), words come out of his mouth that belong to the Divine nature he possesses. He cannot but make known what is “right”. Truth leads to the making known what is right. Right can only be called right if it comes from truth. Given the contrast with the second line of verse, which speaks of “a false witness”, we can think of a trial. But it can also be applied more broadly.
The true or truthful witness is trustworthy because he tells the truth. He gives the right view. He who brings forth the truth will not bend right, but will make it known.
A false witness violates the truth. He commits “deceit” regarding the facts. He lies about it. We can all err at times in representing certain facts. But deceit is deliberately giving a different representation, and that as a witness, than corresponds to reality.
The Lord Jesus always spoke truth and thereby made known what is right. He also had to deal with false witnesses. The one evokes the other. Those who will not bow to the truth are going to lie to and about the truth.
In Proverbs 12:17 it is about a person’s character, what animates him and what he produces as a result. What we say makes it clear who we are. To speak truth means that it comes from within. John the baptist spoke the truth of God about marriage by making known to Herod God’s right about his illicit relationship with the wife of his brother (Mark 6:18).
Words can act “like the thrusts of a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). Words spoken hastily and thoughtlessly (Leviticus 5:4; Numbers 30:6) can damage the soul of a person. They are words that wound and hurt (cf. Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7; Psalms 64:3). The enemies of Jeremiah say they want to “strike at him with” their “tongue” (Jeremiah 18:18). The friends of Job spoke many true words to Job, but these were words like the thrusts of a sword.
And what of the terrible insinuation, uttered by the Jews against the Lord Jesus, that He would have been born of fornication (John 8:41). What a thrust of a sword! And what a calm, quiet and thoughtful response from the Lord. Their thrusts of the sword made it clear that they had the devil as their father, and the Lord tells them so (John 8:44).
A person can be so damaged by words that it makes it impossible for him to live. Many people know the stinging pain of false, unkind, thoughtless remarks about his person or about a loved one. We must also consider that we ourselves, possibly unconsciously, have done it at times.
Conversely, what the wise say brings healing. Of ourselves, we do not have a “tongue of the wise”. We can get one by learning from the Lord Jesus, because He had that tongue. He learned to speak as a wise man and is an example to us in this. From Him we can learn how to speak (Isaiah 50:4). Then our words will be healing, for then they will be trustworthy and true. We speak gently and kindly, uplifting and encouraging to those who are the targets of slander.
Barnabas had a tongue of the wise. He spoke reassuring words to the church at Jerusalem about Paul (Acts 9:27). The tongue should be a healing instrument both for damaged hearts of individuals and for critical situations in churches. That happens if a good word is spoken, a word that edifies and gives grace to those who hear it (Ephesians 4:29). Even an admonishing word can have that effect if it is said at the right time, to the right person and in the right mind.
“Truthful lips” truthfulness, outlasts all lies, always, and never dies (Proverbs 12:19). Truth is from God. God is the God of truth. Therefore, truth is connected to eternity. What is said in truth will never be undone. All attacks on truth, all opposition to truth, cannot undo truth in any way, ever.
It is different with “the lying tongue”, the lie. That one can be as old as the devil, he is and remains a temporary intruder. Lies can only exercise and maintain a certain power for a limited time. It is “only for a moment”. This expression indicates that it is for no longer than the duration of a blink of an eye. It is so short that the length of time cannot be calculated (cf. Job 20:5). The life of those who speak with a false tongue is of short duration compared to the eternity that awaits. All false teachers will experience this. Their lies disappear, while the truth remains.
Every believer must have a truthful lip. Then he speaks the truth and that will last forever. Lip here stands for the person who uses the lip.
The contrast in Proverbs 12:20 is between “devise evil” and “counselors peace” and in both cases with a view to the consequences. Because there is deceit “in the heart”, the heart is the forge of evil. Evil results from deceit. The consequence of devising evil is only sorrow and trouble. “Evil” here implies the idea of pain.
Opposite this are “counselors of peace”. Peace, shalom, does not cause pain, but works wholeness and well-being, both for an individual and for a community (Psalms 34:14; Psalms 37:37). Those who counsel peace will reap the inner satisfaction of doing what is right, as well as the pleasure of seeing positive results.
The difference between truth and lie is the difference between peace and war. All wars are born of a lie, except the wars of God. The lie was born when satan declared war on God.
Ecclesiastes 5:3
Speaking Happens From the Heart
When someone “speaks truth” (Proverbs 12:17), words come out of his mouth that belong to the Divine nature he possesses. He cannot but make known what is “right”. Truth leads to the making known what is right. Right can only be called right if it comes from truth. Given the contrast with the second line of verse, which speaks of “a false witness”, we can think of a trial. But it can also be applied more broadly.
The true or truthful witness is trustworthy because he tells the truth. He gives the right view. He who brings forth the truth will not bend right, but will make it known.
A false witness violates the truth. He commits “deceit” regarding the facts. He lies about it. We can all err at times in representing certain facts. But deceit is deliberately giving a different representation, and that as a witness, than corresponds to reality.
The Lord Jesus always spoke truth and thereby made known what is right. He also had to deal with false witnesses. The one evokes the other. Those who will not bow to the truth are going to lie to and about the truth.
In Proverbs 12:17 it is about a person’s character, what animates him and what he produces as a result. What we say makes it clear who we are. To speak truth means that it comes from within. John the baptist spoke the truth of God about marriage by making known to Herod God’s right about his illicit relationship with the wife of his brother (Mark 6:18).
Words can act “like the thrusts of a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). Words spoken hastily and thoughtlessly (Leviticus 5:4; Numbers 30:6) can damage the soul of a person. They are words that wound and hurt (cf. Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7; Psalms 64:3). The enemies of Jeremiah say they want to “strike at him with” their “tongue” (Jeremiah 18:18). The friends of Job spoke many true words to Job, but these were words like the thrusts of a sword.
And what of the terrible insinuation, uttered by the Jews against the Lord Jesus, that He would have been born of fornication (John 8:41). What a thrust of a sword! And what a calm, quiet and thoughtful response from the Lord. Their thrusts of the sword made it clear that they had the devil as their father, and the Lord tells them so (John 8:44).
A person can be so damaged by words that it makes it impossible for him to live. Many people know the stinging pain of false, unkind, thoughtless remarks about his person or about a loved one. We must also consider that we ourselves, possibly unconsciously, have done it at times.
Conversely, what the wise say brings healing. Of ourselves, we do not have a “tongue of the wise”. We can get one by learning from the Lord Jesus, because He had that tongue. He learned to speak as a wise man and is an example to us in this. From Him we can learn how to speak (Isaiah 50:4). Then our words will be healing, for then they will be trustworthy and true. We speak gently and kindly, uplifting and encouraging to those who are the targets of slander.
Barnabas had a tongue of the wise. He spoke reassuring words to the church at Jerusalem about Paul (Acts 9:27). The tongue should be a healing instrument both for damaged hearts of individuals and for critical situations in churches. That happens if a good word is spoken, a word that edifies and gives grace to those who hear it (Ephesians 4:29). Even an admonishing word can have that effect if it is said at the right time, to the right person and in the right mind.
“Truthful lips” truthfulness, outlasts all lies, always, and never dies (Proverbs 12:19). Truth is from God. God is the God of truth. Therefore, truth is connected to eternity. What is said in truth will never be undone. All attacks on truth, all opposition to truth, cannot undo truth in any way, ever.
It is different with “the lying tongue”, the lie. That one can be as old as the devil, he is and remains a temporary intruder. Lies can only exercise and maintain a certain power for a limited time. It is “only for a moment”. This expression indicates that it is for no longer than the duration of a blink of an eye. It is so short that the length of time cannot be calculated (cf. Job 20:5). The life of those who speak with a false tongue is of short duration compared to the eternity that awaits. All false teachers will experience this. Their lies disappear, while the truth remains.
Every believer must have a truthful lip. Then he speaks the truth and that will last forever. Lip here stands for the person who uses the lip.
The contrast in Proverbs 12:20 is between “devise evil” and “counselors peace” and in both cases with a view to the consequences. Because there is deceit “in the heart”, the heart is the forge of evil. Evil results from deceit. The consequence of devising evil is only sorrow and trouble. “Evil” here implies the idea of pain.
Opposite this are “counselors of peace”. Peace, shalom, does not cause pain, but works wholeness and well-being, both for an individual and for a community (Psalms 34:14; Psalms 37:37). Those who counsel peace will reap the inner satisfaction of doing what is right, as well as the pleasure of seeing positive results.
The difference between truth and lie is the difference between peace and war. All wars are born of a lie, except the wars of God. The lie was born when satan declared war on God.
Ecclesiastes 5:4
Speaking Happens From the Heart
When someone “speaks truth” (Proverbs 12:17), words come out of his mouth that belong to the Divine nature he possesses. He cannot but make known what is “right”. Truth leads to the making known what is right. Right can only be called right if it comes from truth. Given the contrast with the second line of verse, which speaks of “a false witness”, we can think of a trial. But it can also be applied more broadly.
The true or truthful witness is trustworthy because he tells the truth. He gives the right view. He who brings forth the truth will not bend right, but will make it known.
A false witness violates the truth. He commits “deceit” regarding the facts. He lies about it. We can all err at times in representing certain facts. But deceit is deliberately giving a different representation, and that as a witness, than corresponds to reality.
The Lord Jesus always spoke truth and thereby made known what is right. He also had to deal with false witnesses. The one evokes the other. Those who will not bow to the truth are going to lie to and about the truth.
In Proverbs 12:17 it is about a person’s character, what animates him and what he produces as a result. What we say makes it clear who we are. To speak truth means that it comes from within. John the baptist spoke the truth of God about marriage by making known to Herod God’s right about his illicit relationship with the wife of his brother (Mark 6:18).
Words can act “like the thrusts of a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). Words spoken hastily and thoughtlessly (Leviticus 5:4; Numbers 30:6) can damage the soul of a person. They are words that wound and hurt (cf. Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7; Psalms 64:3). The enemies of Jeremiah say they want to “strike at him with” their “tongue” (Jeremiah 18:18). The friends of Job spoke many true words to Job, but these were words like the thrusts of a sword.
And what of the terrible insinuation, uttered by the Jews against the Lord Jesus, that He would have been born of fornication (John 8:41). What a thrust of a sword! And what a calm, quiet and thoughtful response from the Lord. Their thrusts of the sword made it clear that they had the devil as their father, and the Lord tells them so (John 8:44).
A person can be so damaged by words that it makes it impossible for him to live. Many people know the stinging pain of false, unkind, thoughtless remarks about his person or about a loved one. We must also consider that we ourselves, possibly unconsciously, have done it at times.
Conversely, what the wise say brings healing. Of ourselves, we do not have a “tongue of the wise”. We can get one by learning from the Lord Jesus, because He had that tongue. He learned to speak as a wise man and is an example to us in this. From Him we can learn how to speak (Isaiah 50:4). Then our words will be healing, for then they will be trustworthy and true. We speak gently and kindly, uplifting and encouraging to those who are the targets of slander.
Barnabas had a tongue of the wise. He spoke reassuring words to the church at Jerusalem about Paul (Acts 9:27). The tongue should be a healing instrument both for damaged hearts of individuals and for critical situations in churches. That happens if a good word is spoken, a word that edifies and gives grace to those who hear it (Ephesians 4:29). Even an admonishing word can have that effect if it is said at the right time, to the right person and in the right mind.
“Truthful lips” truthfulness, outlasts all lies, always, and never dies (Proverbs 12:19). Truth is from God. God is the God of truth. Therefore, truth is connected to eternity. What is said in truth will never be undone. All attacks on truth, all opposition to truth, cannot undo truth in any way, ever.
It is different with “the lying tongue”, the lie. That one can be as old as the devil, he is and remains a temporary intruder. Lies can only exercise and maintain a certain power for a limited time. It is “only for a moment”. This expression indicates that it is for no longer than the duration of a blink of an eye. It is so short that the length of time cannot be calculated (cf. Job 20:5). The life of those who speak with a false tongue is of short duration compared to the eternity that awaits. All false teachers will experience this. Their lies disappear, while the truth remains.
Every believer must have a truthful lip. Then he speaks the truth and that will last forever. Lip here stands for the person who uses the lip.
The contrast in Proverbs 12:20 is between “devise evil” and “counselors peace” and in both cases with a view to the consequences. Because there is deceit “in the heart”, the heart is the forge of evil. Evil results from deceit. The consequence of devising evil is only sorrow and trouble. “Evil” here implies the idea of pain.
Opposite this are “counselors of peace”. Peace, shalom, does not cause pain, but works wholeness and well-being, both for an individual and for a community (Psalms 34:14; Psalms 37:37). Those who counsel peace will reap the inner satisfaction of doing what is right, as well as the pleasure of seeing positive results.
The difference between truth and lie is the difference between peace and war. All wars are born of a lie, except the wars of God. The lie was born when satan declared war on God.
Ecclesiastes 5:5
No Harm Befalls the Righteous
This verse deals with the contrast between “the righteous” and “the wicked” with regard to harm and trouble. That “no harm befalls the righteous” means that he will not definitively perish from harm. The harm of hell will not affect him in any way because Christ bore the punishment for his sins. He has become a righteous person and lives as a righteous person.
It does not mean that he will never get sick or experience anything bad. We see this in a man like Job who was a righteous one. His friends do explain the harm that befalls Job that way. Job, they judge, must be a wicked one given the harm that befalls him. The end of the book of Job shows that God justifies Job to his friends and compensates him doubly for all that has been taken from him. It is about the good that God has in mind for the righteous (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; 35-39). God has the last word, not harm.
With the wicked, it is the other way around. They may live a prosperous life, but there is no protection from trouble in their prosperity. Protection is found only in Christ, and Him they do not want. Therefore, they will end up “filled with trouble”, with no possibility of recovery, let alone receiving a double blessing. They will have to bear the full consequences of their sinful life forever.
Ecclesiastes 5:6
To Deal and Speak Faithfully
“Lying lips” continually speak lies (Proverbs 12:22). This can happen by speaking lies about everyday things. It can also happen by proclaiming false teachings, as, for example, the roman-catholic church does in its worship of Mary. Selling lies for truth is “an abomination to the LORD”. It is in direct contradiction to His nature as the God of truth. To speak lies is an abuse of the God-given ability to speak.
Opposed to lying lips are “those who deal faithfully”. They “are His delight”, which stands in opposition to what is an abomination to Him. With what is an abomination to Him, He has no fellowship. With those who deal faithfully He can associate Himself with joy. They not only speak the truth, but do the truth, they live it out. Words and deeds, doctrine and life, correspond to one another. Those who deal faithfully exhibit the characteristics of the Son of God in Whom all God’s delight is.
“A prudent man” refrains from exhibiting “knowledge” (Proverbs 12:23). The verb “conceal” does not mean that he never speaks, but that he is careful, thoughtful, with his words. He will not speak to display his knowledge or to avenge an injustice done to him. He possesses self-control to say the right word at the right time in the right situation (Ecclesiastes 3:7b). Elihu could wait his turn to speak (Job 32:4). Mary kept in her heart what the angel told her (Luke 2:19). Joseph waited for the right moment to make himself known to his brothers (Genesis 42:7).
Conversely, in “the heart of fools” there is foolishness that they cannot keep to themselves but proclaim it (Ecclesiastes 10:3). The fool rattles on at a stretch and babbles on numerous subjects, not hindered by any knowledge of the matter. It is impossible to have a good substantive conversation with him. He can’t listen, let alone wait his turn. Big talkers waste time and hurt others.
Ecclesiastes 5:7
To Deal and Speak Faithfully
“Lying lips” continually speak lies (Proverbs 12:22). This can happen by speaking lies about everyday things. It can also happen by proclaiming false teachings, as, for example, the roman-catholic church does in its worship of Mary. Selling lies for truth is “an abomination to the LORD”. It is in direct contradiction to His nature as the God of truth. To speak lies is an abuse of the God-given ability to speak.
Opposed to lying lips are “those who deal faithfully”. They “are His delight”, which stands in opposition to what is an abomination to Him. With what is an abomination to Him, He has no fellowship. With those who deal faithfully He can associate Himself with joy. They not only speak the truth, but do the truth, they live it out. Words and deeds, doctrine and life, correspond to one another. Those who deal faithfully exhibit the characteristics of the Son of God in Whom all God’s delight is.
“A prudent man” refrains from exhibiting “knowledge” (Proverbs 12:23). The verb “conceal” does not mean that he never speaks, but that he is careful, thoughtful, with his words. He will not speak to display his knowledge or to avenge an injustice done to him. He possesses self-control to say the right word at the right time in the right situation (Ecclesiastes 3:7b). Elihu could wait his turn to speak (Job 32:4). Mary kept in her heart what the angel told her (Luke 2:19). Joseph waited for the right moment to make himself known to his brothers (Genesis 42:7).
Conversely, in “the heart of fools” there is foolishness that they cannot keep to themselves but proclaim it (Ecclesiastes 10:3). The fool rattles on at a stretch and babbles on numerous subjects, not hindered by any knowledge of the matter. It is impossible to have a good substantive conversation with him. He can’t listen, let alone wait his turn. Big talkers waste time and hurt others.
Ecclesiastes 5:8
Diligence Opposite to the Slack Hand
He who works diligently will get ahead in society. He will climb up the social ladder and get an executive position. Diligence is the usual path that leads to prosperity. The diligent one is on his way to the top, but the lazy one sinks into a slave job. There is no top job for him. This is due to his laziness. He does nothing and has no desire for anything. In order to still earn something, he has to offer himself for the least of chores.
In the kingdom of God it goes the same way. If we are diligent in the Lord’s work and work with our talents, we will be given authority over cities in the future. If we are lazy, we will get nothing and even have what we had taken away from us (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27). We will reign with Christ if we serve Him now as subjects in His kingdom. Let us take to heart the exhortation to not be “lagging behind in diligence” (Romans 12:11).
Ecclesiastes 5:9
A Good Word and to Ask For Advice
“Anxiety” can so engross a person that his heart is weighed down and that he goes his way dejected (Proverbs 12:25). His mind can no longer occupy itself with anything but that particular worry or concern. He cannot get free of it. When it has taken possession of his heart, it affects all his pursuits and thinking. His joy is gone. The future is bleak.
How encouraging, even rejoicing, then is “a good word”. It is not about all kinds of well-meaning advice to see things differently, because such a person cannot. The problems, the worries, remain. A good word is a word that shows compassion. It is a kind and not an admonishing word. It is saying something that the person needs to regain proper perspective and renew hope and confidence.
Barnabas was a man of consolation who encouraged others (Acts 4:36). If we can get to look above the difficulties to the Lord Jesus, worries come into a different perspective. We can then become joyful right through the worries because we then see Him Who said: “Do not be worried” (Matthew 6:25-34). We may cast our worries and anxieties on Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 55:22).
The first line of Pro 12:26 can be translated in several ways. One translation that does justice to the contrast in the second line of verse is: “The righteous properly guides his neighbor”. The wicked do the opposite. They mislead themselves and others, leading them astray and down the wrong path. The general thrust is that the righteous give proper guidance, while the wicked bring trouble to themselves and others.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
A Good Word and to Ask For Advice
“Anxiety” can so engross a person that his heart is weighed down and that he goes his way dejected (Proverbs 12:25). His mind can no longer occupy itself with anything but that particular worry or concern. He cannot get free of it. When it has taken possession of his heart, it affects all his pursuits and thinking. His joy is gone. The future is bleak.
How encouraging, even rejoicing, then is “a good word”. It is not about all kinds of well-meaning advice to see things differently, because such a person cannot. The problems, the worries, remain. A good word is a word that shows compassion. It is a kind and not an admonishing word. It is saying something that the person needs to regain proper perspective and renew hope and confidence.
Barnabas was a man of consolation who encouraged others (Acts 4:36). If we can get to look above the difficulties to the Lord Jesus, worries come into a different perspective. We can then become joyful right through the worries because we then see Him Who said: “Do not be worried” (Matthew 6:25-34). We may cast our worries and anxieties on Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 55:22).
The first line of Pro 12:26 can be translated in several ways. One translation that does justice to the contrast in the second line of verse is: “The righteous properly guides his neighbor”. The wicked do the opposite. They mislead themselves and others, leading them astray and down the wrong path. The general thrust is that the righteous give proper guidance, while the wicked bring trouble to themselves and others.
Ecclesiastes 5:11
The Results of Laziness and Diligence
The first line of verse describes a person who starts something but does not finish it. The picture is that of a lazy man who has obtained a piece of game by deception but will not roast it, meaning he will not eat anything from it. Because of the contrast with the second line of verse, the lazy man seems to be someone who uses deception because he does not want be diligent. He is a sluggard. This prevents him from eating what he has obtained by deception.
Opposed to the lazy deceiver is the “man” of “diligence”. He is in possession of the most precious thing a man can have: his diligence. This is his most precious possession, for by it he can obtain everything he desires.
Ecclesiastes 5:12
What Leads to Life and Not to Death
Those who enter righteousness by faith and strive to live righteously are on the way to eternal life. That “in [its] pathway there is no death” underscores that it is about eternal life. Death is completely absent from eternal life. It is a state of ‘immortality’, to which permanence and stability are attached.
Those who walk in the way of righteousness already partake of it. By walking the way of keeping the Word of God and doing what is right, death is avoided in its fullness and with all its terrors. Death is not a killjoy, for the life enjoyed in the way of righteousness is immune to death. He Who is this life has conquered death (Revelation 1:17-18), so that “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
Ecclesiastes 5:14
A Wise Son or a Scoffer
The contrast in this verse, indicated by the word “but”, is that of “a wise son” and “a scoffer”, a scoffing son. It can be understood as an introductory verse. We see this contrast reflected and applied in numerous everyday situations in the following verses.
A wise son will accept or embrace “his father’s discipline”. He listens to fatherly discipline, he keeps and values it, he respects it and acts accordingly. “[Accept his]” is not in the text, which is indicated by the square brackets. It can be inferred from the second line of verse that listening is meant. But it could also mean embrace or accept or respect or some other positive valuation. The phrase can even be rendered this way: “A wise son [is the fruit of] his father’s instruction” (Darby Translation in a footnote). Seen this way, he owes his wisdom to his good upbringing. Because he is wise, he has listened, and because he has listened, he is now wise.
The scoffer laughs at his father when the latter rebukes him. “Rebuke” is a stronger word than discipline. No matter how forcefully the father addresses the son, if the son is a scoffer, he does not listen. He shuts himself off from it; he does not want to learn from it. In doing so, he moves outside the sphere of fatherly love that is necessary for his spiritual and emotional development. He who does not listen to parental rebuke does not listen to God’s rebuke either. Both are meant for the son to go the way of blessing and to be a blessing.
A scoffer is at the highest level of foolishness. He has no respect for authority, he blasphemes religion, and, thinking he knows what is best, he rejects any teaching. The change to the stronger word “rebuke” in the second line of verse shows that he does not respond to any discipline.
He who possesses true wisdom acknowledges that someone more experienced can keep him from stumbling along the way he is going. It is a new, unfamiliar way for him, but not for the experienced father. He who is not wise and does not listen, who is a scoffer and despises discipline from an “experiencer”, will learn by bitter experience what would have been spared him had he listened.
Ecclesiastes 5:15
The Fruit and Protection of the Mouth
By “the fruit of [his] mouth” (Proverbs 13:2) is meant the speaking of the righteous. Fruit here is the result of inner considerations, of deliberations in the heart. We can only have good fruit come from our mouth if there are good considerations in our heart (Luke 6:45). The desire that animates the heart of the treacherous is nothing but violence. There is a different source. “Good” and “violence” prove what is in the heart. The good is pleasant in taste and smell; violence is hurtful, harsh and hard.
The Christian who walks in fellowship with God will communicate God-fearing language with his mouth. However others may react to it, it will at least do his own soul good, invigorating and edifying it. For himself, the words he speaks are good food. The same is true for those to whom he speaks. They are refreshed by his words. The result in turn is that he receives blessing from those whom he has refreshed through his words.
The treacherous are the faithless, the untrustworthy. Their desire, their ‘appetite’, is not to give others something good to eat, but to commit violence. Their aim is not to help others, but to harm them through violence. This can be physical violence, but they can also use verbal violence and speak hurtful words. Hurtful chants at soccer games are an example of this.
Proverbs 13:3 connects to Proverbs 13:2. The lips are fed by what comes from the heart, says Proverbs 13:2. At the same time, the mouth must be guarded (Proverbs 13:3), for not everything that is good should always be said. It is also to be guarded against something bad coming out of the mouth after all. Even in the believer, sin still dwells. The mouth is represented here as a city or a house that must be guarded. We can also make the application to the use of ‘modern mouths’ like Facebook and twitter, which are quite often used to hurt. What misery this has already caused. Just think of the bullying via ‘social’ media among high school students.
To guard one’s mouth means to heed what comes out of one’s mouth, what one says, the words one speaks (cf. Psalms 141:3). It is safest to keep one’s mouth shut. The lesson is that tight control over what one says prevents problems. The advice to ‘sleep on’ something before responding is valuable.
An old Arabic proverb says: Be careful not to cut your throat with your tongue. That does apply to “one who opens wide his lips”, that is, always blurting out everything at once. It refers to someone who without any self-control and without any thought always thinks he has to have his say. The contrast in the previous verse is the fruitful tongue versus the false tongue. Here the “unrestrained tongue” is contrasted with the “bridled tongue”. He who is careful with his tongue takes a safe route to preserve his life. His life is often endangered by speaking much and rashly, by blurting everything out. He who cannot restrain his tongue faces his ruin.
Ecclesiastes 5:16
The Fruit and Protection of the Mouth
By “the fruit of [his] mouth” (Proverbs 13:2) is meant the speaking of the righteous. Fruit here is the result of inner considerations, of deliberations in the heart. We can only have good fruit come from our mouth if there are good considerations in our heart (Luke 6:45). The desire that animates the heart of the treacherous is nothing but violence. There is a different source. “Good” and “violence” prove what is in the heart. The good is pleasant in taste and smell; violence is hurtful, harsh and hard.
The Christian who walks in fellowship with God will communicate God-fearing language with his mouth. However others may react to it, it will at least do his own soul good, invigorating and edifying it. For himself, the words he speaks are good food. The same is true for those to whom he speaks. They are refreshed by his words. The result in turn is that he receives blessing from those whom he has refreshed through his words.
The treacherous are the faithless, the untrustworthy. Their desire, their ‘appetite’, is not to give others something good to eat, but to commit violence. Their aim is not to help others, but to harm them through violence. This can be physical violence, but they can also use verbal violence and speak hurtful words. Hurtful chants at soccer games are an example of this.
Proverbs 13:3 connects to Proverbs 13:2. The lips are fed by what comes from the heart, says Proverbs 13:2. At the same time, the mouth must be guarded (Proverbs 13:3), for not everything that is good should always be said. It is also to be guarded against something bad coming out of the mouth after all. Even in the believer, sin still dwells. The mouth is represented here as a city or a house that must be guarded. We can also make the application to the use of ‘modern mouths’ like Facebook and twitter, which are quite often used to hurt. What misery this has already caused. Just think of the bullying via ‘social’ media among high school students.
To guard one’s mouth means to heed what comes out of one’s mouth, what one says, the words one speaks (cf. Psalms 141:3). It is safest to keep one’s mouth shut. The lesson is that tight control over what one says prevents problems. The advice to ‘sleep on’ something before responding is valuable.
An old Arabic proverb says: Be careful not to cut your throat with your tongue. That does apply to “one who opens wide his lips”, that is, always blurting out everything at once. It refers to someone who without any self-control and without any thought always thinks he has to have his say. The contrast in the previous verse is the fruitful tongue versus the false tongue. Here the “unrestrained tongue” is contrasted with the “bridled tongue”. He who is careful with his tongue takes a safe route to preserve his life. His life is often endangered by speaking much and rashly, by blurting everything out. He who cannot restrain his tongue faces his ruin.
Ecclesiastes 5:17
The Desire of the Sluggard Against Diligence
The sluggard desires prosperity and abundance and dreams of it. But his craving remains unfulfilled, empty, vain, because its fulfillment requires effort, which he does not wish to make. Diligent people respond to God’s purpose for their life and will experience its fulfillment. They seek first the kingdom of God and receive the other with it (Matthew 6:33). The diligent do not lie around all day dreaming of all the things they would like to have, but work for the fulfillment of their dreams.
The diligent is made fat with what the sluggard desires in vain. The sluggard has the desire, but not the will. He desires the yield of diligence, without the diligence that yields something. He is envious of what others know and have, but he wants to be wise without (Bible) study and to be (spiritually) rich without making an effort. It is about craving without effort to get the coveted thing. He wants to be a Christian, but without the effort involved. The road to hell is paved with such desires.
Ecclesiastes 5:18
Righteous or Wicked
Proverbs 13:5 is about the mind and actions of the righteous and the wicked. Proverbs 13:6 is about the results, the guarding righteousness and the subverting wickedness.
It does not say in Proverbs 13:5 that the righteous never lies. Nor is it about avoiding falsehood. Avoiding falsehood can also be done out of selfish motives, without hating falsehood. It is about hating it, abhorring it (Romans 12:9). This hatred is present in the righteous because he possesses the Divine nature.
Falsehood is expressed in speaking a false word. Every word spoken in falsehood is hateful to God and to the righteous. We cannot love the truth without hating falsehood. This is perfectly true with the Lord Jesus and will be so with everyone who lives close to Him.
The wicked lives in falsehood and acts disgustingly and shamefully. What he says and does stinks and is shameful. Putting someone in a bad light is done by speaking lying words about him. But because of this, he who does this comes into an evil smell himself. It is an odor that hangs around him. He who uses falsehood acts shamefully. The wicked makes himself hated and behaves shamefully by his falsehood.
“Righteousness” and “wickedness” are personified in Proverbs 13:6. The righteous is characterized by righteousness. Such a person is “one whose way is blameless”, that is, pure motives determine his actions and walk. His righteousness protects him from evil attacks to make him sin. He is guarded by his righteousness from acting insincerely or deceitfully because he is clothed with “the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). Righteousness is like a breastplate of armor that protects the heart from which flow “the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Opposed to righteousness is wickedness. This is what characterizes the sinner. He is without any protection from sin and goes a way of sin. Wickedness lacks any thought of God. He who is wicked does nothing but sin. The sinner’s way inevitably ends in subversion or destruction. He is plunged into it without anything or anyone preventing it. It is presented here as something he himself works.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
Righteous or Wicked
Proverbs 13:5 is about the mind and actions of the righteous and the wicked. Proverbs 13:6 is about the results, the guarding righteousness and the subverting wickedness.
It does not say in Proverbs 13:5 that the righteous never lies. Nor is it about avoiding falsehood. Avoiding falsehood can also be done out of selfish motives, without hating falsehood. It is about hating it, abhorring it (Romans 12:9). This hatred is present in the righteous because he possesses the Divine nature.
Falsehood is expressed in speaking a false word. Every word spoken in falsehood is hateful to God and to the righteous. We cannot love the truth without hating falsehood. This is perfectly true with the Lord Jesus and will be so with everyone who lives close to Him.
The wicked lives in falsehood and acts disgustingly and shamefully. What he says and does stinks and is shameful. Putting someone in a bad light is done by speaking lying words about him. But because of this, he who does this comes into an evil smell himself. It is an odor that hangs around him. He who uses falsehood acts shamefully. The wicked makes himself hated and behaves shamefully by his falsehood.
“Righteousness” and “wickedness” are personified in Proverbs 13:6. The righteous is characterized by righteousness. Such a person is “one whose way is blameless”, that is, pure motives determine his actions and walk. His righteousness protects him from evil attacks to make him sin. He is guarded by his righteousness from acting insincerely or deceitfully because he is clothed with “the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). Righteousness is like a breastplate of armor that protects the heart from which flow “the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Opposed to righteousness is wickedness. This is what characterizes the sinner. He is without any protection from sin and goes a way of sin. Wickedness lacks any thought of God. He who is wicked does nothing but sin. The sinner’s way inevitably ends in subversion or destruction. He is plunged into it without anything or anyone preventing it. It is presented here as something he himself works.
Ecclesiastes 5:20
The Rich Poor Man and the Poor Rich Man
People can pretend to be different than they are (Proverbs 13:7). That is hypocrisy or stage acting, living behind a mask. It is being someone you are not in reality. The instruction in this is to be honest, without posturing. This is possible only if both the rich and the poor see themselves in God’s light. James points out to both the poor and the rich what attitude each should have before God (James 1:9-10). Paul did not want anyone to think more highly of him than what was seen or heard of him (2 Corinthians 12:6b).
Here it is about people pretending to be rich while they are poor and people pretending to be poor while they are rich. Pretending to be rich can be done to avoid losing face. For example, a person who has lost everything may want to hold up the status of wealth and, therefore, prestige among people, his neighbors or colleagues. He who pretends anything is living in falsehood.
He who “pretends to be poor, but has great wealth” may do so out of fear of being killed for stealing their wealth. It may also be out of fear of having to give something away, having to perform an act of mercy. He who pretends to be poor for this reason does so to evade his obligation to be good to the poor and open his hand wide to them (Deuteronomy 15:11). The motive then is avarice.
What applies to wealth can also be applied to power and prestige and also to spiritual gifts. The church at Laodicea pretended to be spiritually rich, but it possessed nothing (Revelation 3:17; cf. Hosea 12:9). Christ, Who stood outside, confronted them with this. You can also say that you are nothing and can do nothing, although you are rich in Christ, but have no desire to take responsibility. People who say something of themselves should not be believed without question. In phrases like ‘I am very good at this’, or ‘I really can’t do that’, it is about one’s own ‘self’. In both cases, the Lord as the Giver is denied.
Paul was poor but made many rich (2 Corinthians 6:10) both by preaching the gospel to unbelievers and by teaching the church (cf. Acts 3:6). Above all, the Lord Jesus, Who was rich and became poor for our sake, made us rich through His poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Proverbs 13:8 connects to Proverbs 13:7. There are disadvantages to having wealth. A person who is rich can become the prey of a kidnapper. Then he must give all his wealth as a ransom to stay alive. A poor person does not face such danger. He is not even threatened, because there is nothing to be taken from him. He cannot be blackmailed and in this respect he lives without worry.
We see here that wealth creates difficulties for the rich, while a poor person does not suffer from them. Poverty has this advantage over wealth. The poor person can go to sleep peacefully, so to speak, without locking the door, because he has nothing that a burglar could be after.