15 He that justifieth the wicked,
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. 16 Wherefore
is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart
to it? 17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for
adversity. 18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh
surety in the presence of his friend. 19 He loveth transgression that
loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction. 20 He
that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue
falleth into mischief. 21 He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow:
and the father of a fool hath no joy. 22 A merry heart doeth good like a
medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. 23 A wicked man taketh a
gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment. 24 Wisdom is before
him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the
earth. 25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her
that bare him. 26 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike
princes for equity. 27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man
of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
28 Even a fool, when he
holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a
man of understanding. (Prov 17:15-28)
There is remarkable application to the decadence and decline in morality
current in the social order today revealed in this text from Proverbs 17. The
opening verse is closely related to the concluding verse of Romans 1:32
- Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such
things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them
that do them. In this verse from Romans, Paul makes reference to the
besetting sins typical of a decadent society but, especially to the sin of
homosexuality which is such a cherished and respectable sin of the reprobate
political world. The stark truth revealed in Romans 1:32 is that we must not
settle into an attitude of “live-and-let-live” where sin is concerned. We
cannot tolerate sin that demoralizes and devastates the Creation model of the
family that God set in motion in His first institution of marriage in the
Garden at Eden.
To condone and approve is the same as committing the sin itself. In other
words, you cannot condone homosexuality without becoming guilty of
homosexuality in the eyes of God. Please examine the opening verse of the text
above from Proverbs 17: 15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he
that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
I will add that all sins of the flesh are serious breaches of the Law of God,
but homosexuality is a particularly egregious sin. Another egregious sin is to
label that which is good, evil, and that which is evil, good. We are doing this
with accelerating frequency in our modern day. The atmosphere of “political
correctness” has closed too many mouths of righteousness and has led to the
modification of thought through the indoctrination of our youth to evil. We
must heed the counsel of the prophet Isaiah: Woe unto them that call evil
good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah
5:20)
16 Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get
wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? Wisdom cannot be purchased
with money. Of what profit is the expense paid for wisdom for which the heart
of a fool is not prepared to receive. Wisdom must be cherished to gain
admittance to the secret chambers of the heart. It will come by no other means.
Instead of expending money for wisdom, wisdom brings wealth. The crown of
the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly. (Prov
14:24) Solomon acquired great wealth – not because he began with a desire for
wealth but a desire for wisdom. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise
unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people
like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and
knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge
this thy people, that is so great?
And God said to Solomon, Because this was
in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life
of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and
knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made
thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give
thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that
have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
(2 Chron 1:9-12)
17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for
adversity. Here we see an advancing hierarchy of dependability and
loyalty. A friend will remain a loving friend even when we have made fools of
ourselves and deserve no love. But a brother is even closer than that amazing
measure of love – he is born to share your adversities. Who can have a better
friend than a true brother? Is it possible? By all means, it is! Quoted many
times in these devotions is the verse from Proverbs 18:24 - A man that
hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. (Prov 18:24) Jesus Christ is that Friend that
sticks closer than a brother. A little known and less preached principle of
love and friendship is that it MUST be reciprocated. We may not assume that God
simply loves all, willy-nilly, and will overlook unrepented sins. God loves
those who reciprocate His love.
18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh
surety in the presence of his friend. A man who lacks wisdom will
make decisions based on his own lack of knowledge and not based on the counsel
of a wise friend that is readily available for consultation. He is prideful
without cause. Pride and arrogance are a terrible shortcoming in any person
but, especially those for whom there is no evidence of sense to recommend their
pride.
19 He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that
exalteth his gate seeketh destruction. Strife is a means of getting
advantage over others without a just cause. Those in society who wish to press
their disadvantages of birth, race, or sex demonstrate and even riot based on
their often false claims of being disadvantaged. There are most generally
proper means of addressing real, or even imagined grievances, short of strife
and insurrection. The man who makes a fortress of his own home is often the one
whose gates are first to be fallen.
20 He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath
a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. It is clear that mischief
builds with increasing intensity. If the heart is continually prone to
opposition and disobedience, the tongue will reveal those putrid possessions of
the heart in the devil’s own language. If we run about speaking the devil’s
language, we will soon find ourselves surrounded by other devils who understand
that perversity.
21 He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the
father of a fool hath no joy. The children of a father reflect
either credibly our shamefully upon him. What joy can a man take in a son that
is an impious and blundering fool? Of course every coin has two sides: The
father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise
child shall have joy of him. (Prov 23:24)
22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit
drieth the bones. God is the Great Physician, and He knew well the
truth that medical science has only recently learned about how one’s outlook on
life influences health. If gloom and sorrow inhabit the heart the heart could
be compared to a beautiful home in which a wretched hermit has lived for twenty
years in his darkness and solitude. Instead of presenting a happy appearance,
the home will take on the gloom and isolation of the hermit. I hope none of our
friends have a ‘hermit heart’.
23 A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the
ways of judgment. In the time of this Proverb, men secreted their
valuables in a fold of their garments. A gift given from that secret stash as a
bribe perverts justice and judgment. Does it not happen daily in our once just
and lawful American politics?
24 Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of
a fool are in the ends of the earth. The wisdom of every action are
readily considered before the man of understanding. But the eyes of the fool
are so unstable that he cannot see for his distance from wisdom – as far as the
east is from the west is wisdom to his mind.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her
that bare him. This is simply a reinforcement of many previous
proverbs. God teaches through a repetitive statement of truth. When we find
meanings repeated often, we should take heed that God considers these points
very worthy of our remembering. Not only is a father grieved by a foolish son,
but the mother who bore him only receives an ungrateful bitterness from the
fool that she has suffered to bear. Fools are also known to be ingrates!
26 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for
equity. This refers not only to our personal governance, but to the
fealty we owe to those in authority over us. It is just as bad to punish the
righteous when we are in a position to do so as it is to fail in our
obligations to the constituted government.
27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of
understanding is of an excellent spirit. Very true it is that a man of
great knowledge does not feel the need to go about impressing others by
dropping long and sophisticated vocabulary. A man of knowledge realizes the
value of words that impart knowledge. He will not “cast his pearls before
swine.” Give not that which is holy
unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn again and rend you. (Matt 7:6) A
wealthy man is usually much more conscious of his spending than a poor man who
has just received a tax refund – he may go out and waste the whole on things
unnecessary. A man who understands wisdom also understands much about human
character. He looks for the best in others and often finds it. He is therefore
cheerful and presents an agreeable personality.
28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and
he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
Though never a member of any church, I believe Abe Lincoln must have understood
Scripture better than most clergymen, especially those of the modern cut. Even
a fool can have one acorn of wisdom if he is able to keep his mouth shut. Abe
Lincoln paraphrased this Proverb when he said; “It is better to remain
silent, and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Of
course, how much more rewarding to be a person of wisdom who, when he speaks,
is as coins of gold that can be used to purchase many valuable things in life.
