Posted by Jeff Short on January 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
– Proverbs 20:17
The
bread of deceit is any acquired by fraudulent means. It is akin to the “bread of wickedness” and “wine of violence” (Proverbs 4:17). Initially, the taste is
sweet but there is no lasting satisfaction with it. Stolen bread fills the mouth with
gravel rather than the stomach with nourishment. It is both unprofitable and damaging in the long run (Proverbs 10:2). Feasting on stolen bread brings us nearer death than we realize (Proverbs 9:17-18).
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
– Proverbs 20:16
Pledges and sureties have to do with lending. The word for
surety means to braid, or intermix. It connotes being mixed in a transaction. We can think of it as cosigning a loan, where one person contractually obligates himself to pay the loan of another if he defaults on it. The law did not forbid suretyship, but wisdom warned against it, particularly in the case of becoming surety for a stranger (Proverbs 6:1; 11:15). The word for
pledge means to wind tightly, or to bind. The word refers to collateral that is given to secure a loan. Pledges were not required, but were permissible by the law and heavily regulated when it concerned lending to the poor (Exodus 22:25-27; Deuteronomy 24:6-17). The point of the proverb is that a man who would become surety for a stranger or mingle with strange women is not to be trusted, or considered reliable. If you lend to such, take a security from him, or otherwise you expose yourself to great risk.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 31, 2017 · Leave a Comment
There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
– Proverbs 20:15
The word for
multitude means abundance and makes the supply of rubies sound more like that of sedimentary rocks. Both
gold and
rubies are relatively rare and highly valued. However,
lips of knowledge, one who speaks wisdom, is rarer and more valuable. The word for
knowledge means skill and discernment. It is one of the words used to describe wisdom in Proverbs. One who has wisdom speaks and spreads knowledge (Proverbs 15:7). Such wisdom is rarer and more valuable than adornments of gold and rubies (Proverbs 3:15; 8:11; 16:16).
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 30, 2017 · Leave a Comment
It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
– Proverbs 20:14
The general tenor of Proverbs teaches to weigh speech carefully and look beyond the face value of what is said. The line may seem fine between shrewdness in dealings and deception, but the line certainly exists. This proverb presents a sample transaction where the buyer talks down the value of what he wants to purchase. The word for
naught means bad, or of little worth, in this context. The buyer appraises the object at little worth in order to drive down the price. The contrast is after the purchase when he
boasteth, or makes a show of what he has. The object has suddenly become much more valuable, and he clever because he got it, “for a song.” While many traders love the thrill of negotiation and getting a good deal, we must remember there is a line between shrewd and deceptive. The line crossed is the same as a diverse weight and false balance (Proverbs 11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23).
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 29, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
– Proverbs 20:13
Loving sleep is a feature of the sluggard, who is hinged to his bed (Proverbs 26:14). Oversleeping is an image of laziness and of missed opportunity. It brings shame and results in poverty (Proverbs 10:5; 19:15). The imperative,
open thine eyes, performs double duty in this proverb. It is contrasted with loving sleep and so images alert action (Proverbs 6:9-11). Open eyes, or seeing eyes, also speaks of discernment and understanding. The second duty is telling the sluggard to wise up. The warnings are an opportunity for the sluggard to hear and receive wisdom and forsake the folly of laziness for the wisdom of diligence and hard work (Proverbs 24:30-34).
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 28, 2017 · Leave a Comment
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.
– Proverbs 20:12
The
hearing ear and
seeing eye are expressions of understanding and obedience (Isaiah 6:9-10; Mark 4:9-12). The second phrase shows these faculties to be gifts of God’s grace and therefore accountable to him. So not only does wisdom come from God, but the understanding of wisdom as well. This proverb also reveals the sovereign attribute of omniscience, since the
hearing ear and
seeing eye come from God, he possesses these in greater degree (Psalm 94:9).
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 27, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
– Proverbs 20:11
The word for
child covers from an infant to an adolescent, and is translated
young man in the fatherly addresses that begin the book (Proverb 1:4; 7:7). Here the context is supportive for understanding a young child is meant, and this fits with the later use of this word as well (Proverbs 22:6, 15; 23:13; 29:15). If we place this proverb with these other parenting proverbs, then the proverb instructs parents in discernment. Parents must interpret the actions of their child and either reinforce it if good, or correct it if bad. Motives and character are revealed in the actions of a child, just as with adults. Foolish parents turn a blind eye to what is behind the action and deal only with the action.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 25, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.
– Proverbs 20:10
The law requires equity and justice in business (Leviticus 19:35-26; Deuteronomy 25:13-16). Unequal
weights and
measures here refers to cheating the transaction by a false weight. This could be a way of oppressing the poor and inviting Divine retribution (Proverbs 17:5). The word for
abomination means loathsome, or detestable. God hates all such cheating. The standard of measure belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 16:11) and proverbs such as this one show God’s sovereign omniscience. He ponders the hearts and judges by his standard.
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Posted by Jeff Short on December 23, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
– Proverbs 20:9
This proverb is a rhetorical question that anticipates a negative answer. Though “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness” (Proverbs 20:6) and “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes” (Proverbs 16:2), wisdom teaches us God weighs the spirits and ponders the hearts of all. Wisdom concludes, “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness” (Proverbs 30:12).
The word for heart means the inner being, including the mind, will, emotions, etc. The first phrase asks whose inner intentions and motivations are clean, or innocent. Being pure from my sin points to the outward acts being morally good, or upright. This proverb speaks of rich theological truth we refer to as the depravity of man. Man is a fallen and corrupt creature who cannot keep from sin, nor purify himself from its defilement (1 Kings 8:46; Proverbs 21:4; Job 9:30-31).
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Proverbs 20:17
Posted by Jeff Short on January 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
The bread of deceit is any acquired by fraudulent means. It is akin to the “bread of wickedness” and “wine of violence” (Proverbs 4:17). Initially, the taste is sweet but there is no lasting satisfaction with it. Stolen bread fills the mouth with gravel rather than the stomach with nourishment. It is both unprofitable and damaging in the long run (Proverbs 10:2). Feasting on stolen bread brings us nearer death than we realize (Proverbs 9:17-18).– Proverbs 20:17
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