RIGHTEOUSNESS and lawlessness in contrast is the subject of this chapter, as of the major part of the last. It is as though God would, in the wonders of His grace, use every opportunity to warn the young and inexperienced of the dangers and sorrows to be encountered when the heart rebels against His Word; and to put before them the blessings and delights, both temporal and spiritual, to be found in subjection to wisdom and truth.
1 A false balance is abomination to Jehovah:
But a perfect weight is His delight.
The balances of earth our God would have regulated by the balances of the sanctuary. Absolute integrity is His delight. A deceitful balance indicates lack of uprightness in heart. Man may never be cognizant of the error; but where the fear of God is before the eyes, He will be considered, and every transaction will be conducted in His presence. It is a solemn thing when Christians follow the world in the slipshod business methods of the day. How the name of Christ is dishonored when shams and false weights are discovered in the case of such! It is well to often call to mind what is written in the law, “Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small: thou shalt not have in thy house divers measures, a great and a small: but thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Deut. 25:13-15). Such was God’s standard for an earthly people. How shameful when a heavenly people fall below it! It may seem a trifling thing that a yardstick is slightly short, or a pound weight not up to the standard; and one may try to ease his conscience by saying that it is customary, and that people know what to expect; but these are the things that indicate character, and tell of a good conscience put away. A Zacchaeus may well cause such to blush (Luke 19:8).
2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame:
But with the lowly is wisdom.
Nothing is more detestable in God’s sight than pride on the part of creatures who have absolutely nothing to be proud of. This was the condemnation of the devil—self-exaltation. In another, how hateful we instinctively see it to be; but in ourselves, how readily and almost unconsciously is it tolerated! In any case, it indicates a lack of brokenness and self-judgment before God. Lowliness of mind is an indication of true wisdom. It bespeaks the man who has learned to judge himself aright in the presence of God. In Nebuchadnezzar we have a striking illustration of the two opposite states manifested at different times in the same person (Dan. 4).
3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them:
But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
When there is purpose of heart to walk in the truth, the Spirit of God can be counted upon for guidance and direction. When the heart is treacherous, destruction will assuredly follow. The principle here laid down is far-reaching and of vast importance. It enters into every detail and ramification of a believer’s path and service. It is not so much intelligence that is lacking among the mass of saints as real integrity of heart. There will often be found true devotedness to Christ coupled with very little knowledge of Scripture, and yet remarkable ability to try the things that differ, and to use what little one has for the glory of God. On the other hand, great intelligence has frequently been found coupled with gross carelessness and treachery of heart, leading to a moral and spiritual breakdown eventually. A tender conscience, subject to the guidance of the Word and Spirit of God, is the great desideratum. Contrast Obadiah and Ahab. (1 Kings 18:3, 4; 21:25).
4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath:
But righteousness delivereth from death.
How empty and vain the confidence of the wealthy who trust in uncertain riches, in the day of wrath; whether it be when God suffers such a day to overtake men on earth, or whether we think of the full outpouring of His wrath upon the wicked dead! See Rev. 6:12-17; and 20:12-15.
Righteousness alone delivereth from death: righteousness of which man in his natural state is bereft. Declared righteous by faith when God’s testimony is believed, practical righteousness flows from the impartation of the new nature when born again. Noah, found righteous when the rest of the world had lapsed into violence and corruption, is an apt illustration of the truth here stated (Gen. 6).
5 The righteousness of the perfect shall make straight his way:
But the lawless shall fall by his own lawlessness.
6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them:
But transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.
7 When a lawless man dieth, his expectation shall perish:
And the hope of unjust men perisheth.
8 The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
And the lawless cometh in his stead.
Retribution, a manifest law of God both for this world and the next, is the great lesson of these verses, which connect intimately with verses 27 to 30 of the preceding chapter. “God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”; whether of the flesh unto corruption, or of the Spirit unto life eternal. “The Lord is a God of judgment, and by Him actions are weighed.” Nothing escapes his notice. All shall receive a just recompense of reward. The path of righteousness leads to endless glory; that of lawlessness, to sorrow and woe. He who seeks to ensnare the upright will fall into the meshes of his own sin. No better example is to be found of the instruction of this section than the book of Esther in its entirety. Daniel’s experience with his accusers, as before noticed, emphasizes the same principle. God’s retributive justice is swift and sure. It is in vain to seek to turn aside His holy and righteous governmental dealing.
9 A hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor:
But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.
The hypocrite has but one thought before his mind—to cover his own baseness, whatever the consequences to others: hence a readiness to falsely accuse and destroy the peace of the innocent in order to maintain the mask of righteousness for one’s self. But the upright can afford to leave all in the hands of God, who in His own way and time will vindicate His servant. The case of Potiphar’s wife and Joseph might have been in Solomon’s mind as he penned the words (Gen. 39 et al.).
10 When it goeth well with the righteous, a city rejoiceth:
And when the lawless perish there is shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright, a city is exalted:
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the lawless.
Whatever may be the sins or evil propensities of men individually, collectively they realize, in some measure at least, the value of national and municipal righteousness. Therefore they hail with delight rulers who are wise and good; for through such, a city is lifted up; while evil rulers are detested because of the manifest unhappy results of their oppression. Thus men rejoiced over the downfall of Abimelech (Judges 9:53-57), and, in a later day, upon the exaltation of David (2 Sam. 19:14).
12 He that is void of heart, despiseth his neighbor;
But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
When another would stir up strife, it is well if he be met by one who has been instructed in the school of Him “who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” If railing and unkindness be met with contempt or anger, however well deserved, it is but adding fuel to the flame. To go quietly on, as David when cursed by Shimei, committing all to God, is the course of wisdom and blessing. See notes on chapter 20:22.
13 A talebearer goeth about revealing secrets:
But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.
Talebearing, even though the tales be true, is most mischievous. If there be a fault, to lovingly admonish in private, and then conceal from all others, is in accordance with the mind of God.
There is an instructive word in this connection in the 37th of Exodus. Verses 17 to 24, inclusive, relate to the making of the candlestick, or lampstand, for the tabernacle. Among the accessories to it, we read in ver. 23 that Moses “made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuff-dishes, of pure gold.” There is that here that is intensely interesting, and unspeakably precious.
No lamp will long burn well without occasional snuffing. Hence God has made provision even for so apparently insignificant a matter as this. To the mind of man it might seem of trifling importance as to how a light was snuffed, and what was done with the black snuff afterward. In God’s eye, nothing is trivial that concerns the glory of His Son, or the welfare of His people.
The snuffers were made “of pure gold”—that which symbolizes the divine glory, and speaks, too, of perfect righteousness. It may often happen that some saint of God is losing his brightness, and no longer shining for Him as he once did. It is the priest with the golden tongs to whom is entrusted the delicate task of “snuffing.” “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). Thus will the “snuffing” be accomplished according to God, and the restored brother’s light burn all the brighter for it.
But what then? Is the evil to be spread abroad, and made a matter of common knowledge? Ah, there were not only the snuffers, but the snuff-dishes; and they too were of pure gold! The priest was to put carefully away, in these golden receptacles, the black, dirty snuff which he had removed from the wick. To have gone about spreading the filth upon the spotless garments of other priests would have been to defile them all. It must be hidden away in the presence of God! Is not this where we often fail?
How much grief and sorrow might have been prevented in many an assembly if the golden snuff-dishes had been more often used! On every hand we hear of strife and discord brought about through evil speaking; and it is remarkable how ready we are to listen to that which we know can only defile. Oh that there might be more “angry countenances” among us when the backbiter is out seeking to spot and blacken the snowy garments of God’s holy priests! See chapter 25:23.
In the New Testament the divine way of dealing with a brother’s fault is clearly defined: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matt. 18:15). If brethren would sternly refuse to listen to complaints against others until this first condition has been complied with, it would go far to do away with evil speaking. Many a brother would be won if approached in priestly nearness to God by one who carried with him the golden snuffers and the snuff-dish.
But if he refuse to hear? Then “take with thee one or two more;” and if still willful, as a last resource, “tell it unto the church.” But this not till the other means have failed.
By thus acting in accordance with the word of God, much shame and misery might be spared innocent persons, and many wandering ones recovered who, through backsliding, are driven deeper into the mire. God, too, will be glorified, and the Lord Jesus honored; for He has said, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.... If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:14, 17).
14 Where no management is, the people fall:
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
To depend entirely upon one’s own judgment is the height of folly. Even the wisest and godliest are often given to blunders and errors of discernment; for infallibility is a dream indulged in concerning one man alone. To weigh a matter in the presence of God; to invite the counsel of those whose experience and spirituality evidence ability to try the things that differ, is the course of wisdom. Rehoboam lost the major part of his kingdom by neglect of this important truth; and many a one has suffered grievous loss for the same disdain of counsel and help.
15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it:
And he that hateth suretyship is sure.
These words were written centuries before the Cross to warn men of what is still a very common ground for failure and ruin in business life. To go surety for a stranger is a most dangerous thing, as thousands have learned to their sorrow.
But there was One who knew to the full what all the consequences of His act would be, and yet, in grace, deigned to become “Surety for a stranger.” “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). He was the stranger’s Surety.
A surety is one who goes good for another. Many a man will do this for a friend long known and trusted; but no wise man will so act for a stranger. But it was when we were “strangers and foreigners,” “enemies and alienated in our minds by wicked works,” that Jesus in grace became our Surety. He “died, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”
All we owed was exacted from Him when He suffered upon the tree for sins not His own. He could then say, “I restored that which I took not away” (Psa. 69:4). Bishop Lowth’s beautiful rendering of Isa. 53:7 reads, “It was exacted, and He became answerable.” This is the very pith and marrow of the gospel.
How fully He proved the truth of the words we are considering when He suffered on that cross of shame! How He had to “smart for it,” when God’s awful judgment against sin fell upon Him! But He wavered not. In love to God and to the strangers whose Surety He had become, “He endured the cross, despising the shame.”
His sorrows are now forever past. He has paid the debt, met every claim in perfect righteousness. The believing sinner is cleared of every charge, and God is fully glorified.
“He bore on the tree the sentence for me;
And now both the Surety and sinner are free.”
None other could have met the claims of God’s holiness against. the sinner and have come out triumphant at last. He alone could atone for sin. Because He has settled every claim God has raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in highest glory.
There He sits—the glorified. One, administering grace and blessing to all who see in Him the stranger’s Surety, and trust Him for themselves.
16 A gracious woman retaineth honor:
And strong men retain riches.
As strength of body enables a man to retain his wealth against those who would assail it, so strength of character is evidenced even in the weaker vessel by the ability to yield, in grace, rather than to stand for what might be thought her rights; and thus she retains honor. Many are fearful of forfeiting the admiration of others by kindliness and humility, and so wrap themselves in a haughty, chilling dignity which after all makes them but the objects of scorn, if not of disgust. Nothing is so truly lovely and admirable as a gracious, conciliatory spirit, whether in the home, the assembly, or in our dealings with the world. How brightly does this shine out in Abigail (1 Sam. 25)!
17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul:
But the cruel troubleth his own flesh.
It is the same kindly, forgiving spirit that is here lauded. Not only others, but one’s own self, will be blessed and helped thereby; while hardness and cruelty will inevitably come back on the one who so acts. He cannot but be unhappy in his own soul; and then, with what measure he metes, it shall be measured to him again. Joab was a man of this stamp (1 Kings 2:5, 6); in Isaac we see the opposite (Gen. 26).
18 The lawless worketh a deceitful work:
But to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tendeth to life:
So he that pursueth evil [tendeth] to his own death.
20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to Jehovah:
But such as are upright in their way are His delight.
21 Though hand join in hand, the evil-doer shall not be unpunished:
But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
Sin and righteousness are set in sharp contrast again. Deceit and lawlessness go together. They shall be to the eternal undoing of those who practice them, because all such are an abomination to the Lord.
In the upright He delights, therefore their reward is sure. It is in vain for men to attempt to ward off the certain judgment coming by confederating together to defeat the justice of the Almighty. Vengeance will inevitably follow their iniquitous course; but deliverance shall come in due time to the righteous. Sennacherib and Hezekiah are the central figures in a solemn scene that sets forth the great and important principle of these verses (2 Chron. 32).
22 As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout,
So is a fair woman that is without discretion.
Utter incongruity! Beauty allied to virtue is incomparably lovely. Bereft of discretion, it is sad indeed. See Jezebel’s melancholy history.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good:
But the expectation of the lawless is wrath.
“Thoughts of peace and not of evil” fill the heart of the righteous. His desire shall be more than met; for “all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose.” The expectation of the wicked is only judgment. He heaps up wrath for himself against the day of wrath. Note chapter 10:28, and see Jeremiah and Zedekiah (Jer. 17:16; 34:1-3).
24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth:
And there is that witholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
25 The liberal soul shall be made fat:
And he that watereth, shall be watered also himself.
Bunyan’s quaint rhyme, propounded as a riddle by Old Honest, and explained by Gains, is in itself a suited commentary on these verses:
βA man there was, though some did count him mad,
The more he cast away, the more he had.β
βHe that bestows his goods upon the poor
Shall have as much again, and ten times more.β
It is the divine plan for increase and enlargement. Like the Egyptian farmer who scatters his seed upon the retreating waters of the Nile, to reap a rich harvest “after many days,” so the one who is in touch with the philanthropy of the heart of God will find true increase later by scattering now; while he who greedily seeks to keep all for himself will find his course has led to utter ruin. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 the Holy Spirit takes this up as a divine principle, and applies it to the grand subject of Christian benevolence. Paul there quotes the latter part of ver. 24 and the beginning of ver. 25. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” And he goes on to assure them that He who notes all done for His glory will minister in abundance to them who thus freely use the substance committed to them for the blessing of others. The Philippian assembly had tasted of the joy of thus ministering to the Lord (Phil. 4:10-19). In Nabal of old we learn the folly of greed and self-occupation (1 Sam. 25:10, 11, 38).
26 He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him
But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
To hold in store that which would feed the multitude while people are dying for need of it, with a view to extortionate charges later, is conduct that deserves the curses it draws forth. The story of the medieval bishop of Rouen who so acted has made his name for centuries to be execrated and detested. We have just seen such a case in Nabal, who, living in prosperity himself, refused to share with David and his followers when persecuted by Saul. In Joseph, the husbander of Egypt’s resources for the good of the famine-stricken world, we see behavior such as is commended in the last clause.
If in this world the curses of the dying shall fall upon the withholder of corn, what shall be said of him, who, being in possession of the bread of life, having the knowledge of the precious grace of God, is yet quite unconcerned as to the need of the vast multitudes on every hand who are going on to the second death, the lake of fire? It is in vain to plead that they know, and do not heed. The Christian is responsible to warn, to preach, to entreat the lost to be reconciled to God. We are debtors to all men because of the treasure committed to us. Sad indeed will be the accounting for such as live to themselves, withholding the corn which alone can meet the dire need of the spiritually famine-stricken. Blessings shall be on the head of those who are as earnest in offering to men the free grace of God, as are the men of business in seeking sales for their wares.
27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor
But he that seeketh mischief, it shall come upon him.
It is again the retributive justice of God that is brought to our notice. The seeker after good shall be rewarded according to his faithfulness in endeavoring to bring joy and cheer to his fellows. But the mischief-maker, who rejoices in iniquity and desires the undoing of his neighbor, shall be undone himself. The confession of Adoni-bezek is a striking case in point (Judges 1:5-7). Caleb well illustrates the first clause (Josh. 14:6-13).
28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall:
But the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Those who prosper in the world are very apt to “trust in uncertain riches;” hence the need of being continually reminded of the evanescent character of all that this scene affords. See the rich fool of Luke 12:16-21.
The genuine riches are moral—not material. It is the righteous—not the moneyed man—who is truly wealthy. See the blessed man of Psalm 1.
29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind:
And the fool shall be servant to the wise in heart.
To trouble one’s own house is, I take it, to so walk as to leave an evil example for those coming after to follow. Jehovah visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation. It is not merely physical ills handed down in judgment, as in the case of the drunkard’s child being born with an inherent tendency to disease; but the father’s ways are copied by the children. This is what is so prominent in the case of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, “which made Israel to sin.”
The fool, though superior in station, will be the servant to the wise in heart. It is not the outward trappings and insignia of office that make a man to be truly great. When Daniel and Belshazzar met face to face, or when Paul and Festus confronted each other, who were the superior persons?
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
And he that is wise winneth souls.
A tree of life to those who perish—such is the fruit of the righteous. Refreshment and gladness are shed forth, that those who languish may enter into blessing. Thus, “he that is wise winneth souls.” It is not merely, as in the A. V., that “he that winneth souls is wise”; but all who are truly wise according to God will be channels of blessing to others—winners of souls. Searching is the truth here stated.
Wisdom consists not in the knowledge of Scripture, or divine principles, precious as such are and must be; but in the ability to walk in the power of these things, and to so minister to men and women, yea, and children too (preeminently, one might say), that they shall be won for Christ and His truth. Tested by this, how few are the wise! It is evident that soul-winning is not the slipshod business many would make it out to be—the mere hit-or-miss ministry that is so common today. On the contrary, it is a divine science, requiring much earnest preparation of heart in the presence of God; careful study of the need of the souls of men and of the truth of the Scriptures as given to meet that need. Paul is again, of all merely human soul-winners, the great example here, “made all things to all men, if by any means he might save some.” This is the wisdom so much needed in turning men from the power of Satan unto God (1 Cor. 9:19-23).
31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:
Much more the lawless and the sinner,
This is the passage quoted by the apostle Peter (though from the Septuagint version) in the 4th chapter of his first epistle, where he says, “The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (verses 17, 18). By comparing this 18th verse, in its transposed form, with the proverb itself, much light is shed on the quotation as used by Peter. The righteous being scarcely, or with difficulty, saved, refers to their salvation on earth, not their entrance into heaven. Here, in this scene, righteous and wicked are subjects of God’s government. If, then, the godly shall be visited and recompensed here for the evil they may do when the heart turns away from the Lord, what of the wicked and the openly profane? Dire indeed will be their judgment. In a national way, we see this in the case of Israel, the righteous nation, punished in measure for their sins; so was Edom, the proud, defiant persecutor, who had cast off all fear of God. See the prophecy of Obadiah.
God never spares His children when they willfully follow their own ways. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” How impious the thought that the wicked can defy Him as they please, and yet go unpunished at last! Judgment may linger, but it is certain to be executed eventually. “They shall not escape.”