Proverbs 14:13- 35

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Proverbs 14 13-25

v.13 This verse is similar to verse 10. A person can laugh on the outside but sorrowful on the inside. False happiness will always lead to greater sorrow (grief).

Sorrow can only be masked for a certain amount of time. Eventually it will show itself.

v.14 Both the backslider and the good man will be rewarded. The backslider will be filled (repaid) for his lack of faithfulness. The term “backslider” literally means “to flinch or turn back”. These were the people of Israelwho had been raised under the teachings of Moses. Instead of following the Law they chose to go another path. Thus, they were backsliders. In the New Testament we generally call these types of people apostates. Notice that the backsliding was done in their hearts. One may not even know that such a person has turned away from the teachings of God for some time (14:10). In the end it will come out however (14:13) and they will be judged by God.

The good man is the faithful man. He is both morally and spiritually good. His reward will be a positive one. His faithfulness will not go unnoticed.

v.15 The simple are unlearned. They do not know God’s word. They believe everything everyone says. We may call them gullible today. The prudent man is not so easily convinced. He watches where he is going. He does not simply take someone’s word for it. He thinks about his decisions.

It is not that the wise are paranoid or overly critical. It is just that they are aware of the tactics of the enemy. He is a liar and will seek to get them to follow a path that hurts them. We live in an age where people will believe almost anything. Internet lies are tossed around constantly. False religions are followed. Science is almost worshipped. The wise person should be sure and test everything with the truth of God’s word.

v.16-17 The wise man fears the Lord. His fear leads him to depart from evil. The fool is completely different. These verses focus on the fool and his anger. The fool is reckless and careless”. The language means “to cross over”. It describes anger that has crossed the line. It is anger that controls a person.

Everyone gets angry. The fool is easily angered. As a result, he stays angry often. His anger controls him and will get him into trouble constantly.

The man of evil devices may be another type of man that is easily angered. He simply does not show it as easily. The “evil devices” are ungodly plans he hatches in his mind due to his anger. He is the man always bent on revenge. Such a man will be hated by others. They often end up hurting someone severely or even taking a life.

v.18 The simple are the foolish. Folly (trouble) is their inheritance. The Prudent (wise, careful) will be crowned with the knowledge of God. This verse gives us an incentive to be wise rather than foolish.

v.19-20 Verse 20 teaches us that the rich are loved and the poor are hated. Wealth often brings popularity. We seldom see the spotlight placed on the poor. But God does not look at humanity and judge them on their social standing. He recognizes the evil and the good. No matter how rich the evil may be, in the end they will bow before the good. The bowing represents their acknowledgement of their actions being wrong and the exaltation of the righteous. This verse illustrates the great reversal that will occur when Christ returns.

v.21 The “neighbor” in this verse is probably the same as the poor neighbor in verse 20. It is morally wrong to despise someone because of their economic situation. If we look down on the poor we will probably not lend a hand to help them. Our response to the poor should not be to belittle them or lecture them. It should be to do what we can to help them. This brings happiness to the believer’s life and joy to the heart of God.

v.22 The plans of the fool are evil. It is an error to live apart from God’s plan. His plan involves submission to Himself and godly actions. The plans of the wise are good. They are morally pure. As a result they will benefit by receiving love & faithfulness.

v.23 If we want to profit we must work. Simply talking about work will lead us to poverty. Our ideas are often big while our actions are too often small. This is even true in our spiritual life. We talk about what we would love to do for God. Sadly our laziness gets in the way and we soon find that we have not profited.

v.24 We have to interpret this verse with the previous one to understand it. The riches are a result of the hard work of the righteous. God rewards (crowns) the righteous with riches because of their labor. This is not to say that all poor people are lazy. It is simply a general truth. If we work hard, we will be rewarded for it.

The foolish do not labor. As a result, they receive nothing but folly. Their actions (or inaction) lead them into troubled times.

v.25 In this verse the true and false witnesses are contrasted. The context is a legal setting. Israel practiced capital punishment. As a result, people’s lives were dependent upon the testimony of witnesses. The true witness saves the lives of the innocent. The deceitful witness speaks lies and could put an innocent man to death. Their lies could be the result of a bribe, desire for revenge, or simple apathy. Nevertheless, their evil hearts allow them to count life as of little value.

Thoughts To Consider

1. Check out the facts before you believe and repeat what you hear.

2. The cure for anger is love.

3. God will always keep the poor with us to test our hearts.

4. Do our hands match the production of our lips?

Proverbs 14 26-35

v.26 This verse describes God as a fortress to those who fear Him. He protects us against temptation and trials. Believers find a refuge in God. During a time of war people would run to the stone fortress as a place of refuge. Inside they felt confident and secure. It is the same with God. We recognize the constant conflict around us and head to the refuge of our God. Inside we feel confident and secure. We enter the fortress through faith.

v.27 This verse describes God as a fountain to those who fear Him. There are many snares the enemy has set that can lead to an early death. The fear of the Lord brings wisdom which enables us to recognize and resist those snares. In doing so we are lengthening our life. Thus, He is a fountain of life.

God both protects and warns us. He is a Fortress and a Fountain.

v.28 The king and the prince represent political leaders. The purpose of this proverb is to show that political rulers are dependent upon the people for success. They only lead people because there are people to lead. Without people to lead the leaders are ordinary citizens.

v.29 Those who do not get angry easily reveal their wisdom. Those who get angry quickly show their foolishness. “Exalts folly” means that the angry person lifts up his anger high. Everyone can see it. He makes a spectacle of himself.

Patience with people is a necessary virtue for the Christian (1 Cor. 13:4). If we lack patience with people, we will easily get angry with them. We should pray for patience and self control when we feel anger stirring within us.

v.30 A tranquil heart is a healthy heart. It means that our emotions and attitudes are godly. It will affect us physically. It gives life to the flesh! We are healthier people when our heart is right with God and others. We feel, look, and act better!

On the other hand, envy hurts us physically. It eats away at us on the inside. Envy and anger are related. We are almost always angry when we are envious. Envy is when we are discontented with what we have and desire what another has. It could be something physical or something intangible. It could be something as big as a car or something as small as the last word. If we allow envy to continue in our life, we find it affects the way we feel, look and act.

v.31 How we treat the poor reveals our relationship with God. God is the Maker of all humanity. Every human is created in the image of God regardless of their economic standing. To oppress that which bears God’s image is to insult the Maker Himself. Oppression is when a person or group takes advantage of people because their position allows them to. Such people will not go unpunished.

Those who honor God will have mercy on the poor. If the love of God is in a person, they will treat the needy with honor and respect (James 2:15-16, 1 John 3:17-18).

v.32 The unrepentant wicked man has no hope. In his wickedness he will be driven away from hope. That is he will experience eternal judgment away from the grace of God. The righteous has hope in his death. He will be brought near to God. He will rest in heaven for eternity. Death will come to both the wicked and the righteous. Only the righteous have hope in their death.

v.33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the wise. These are people who fear the Lord. She can be found resting in the hearts of the godly. She is kind enough even to make herself known among the foolish. The godly share her with the foolish. Their hope is that the foolish will turn from their folly and embrace Lady Wisdom as they have (Proverbs 1:22-22).

v.34 Nations are not exalted because of their geographical location, the pedigree of the people, or their strength. Nations are exalted because of their righteousness. It is God who exalts nations. Sin is what brings shame on nations. A nation that delights in sin is not a nation that is exalted in the eyes of God. Morality should be the concern of our people. It does us no good to be wealthy and strong militarily if we are spiritually bankrupt and morally weak. Nations that delight in and encourage sin should be ashamed and pitied.

v.35 The key to pleasing the king is using God’s wisdom. A foolish servant will bring shame to the king through his foolish actions. The same is true in our occupation. If we want to have the favor of our boss, we should live in God’s wisdom. When we do our job correctly, we keep heat off of our boss. When we fail to do our jobs, we make our boss look bad to his supervisor. Therefore, we invite his shame upon us.

Thoughts To Consider

1. God offers us both protection and the wisdom that brings prevention.

2. Anger starts in our spirit. It’s still anger, even if we don’t blow our top.

3. Anger affects you and those around you.

4. Do not measure God’s favor by His blessings. He blesses the unjust as well.

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