Verses 1-3
v1 A king is like a canal that God controls.
God leads the king in the way that God decides.
v2 A man supposes that all his actions are right.
But God knows the man’s secret thoughts.
v3 Do the things that are right and fair!
This matters more to God than any gift.
Commentary
God directs both good and evil kings.
God directed King Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem. This was a punishment because the people in Jerusalem were very evil (2 Chronicles 36:15-17; Daniel 1:2).
Later, God gave a dream to Nebuchadnezzar. This dream was about the future (Daniel 2:28). Later, when Nebuchadnezzar became proud, God made him humble (Daniel 4:28-34). Afterwards, Nebuchadnezzar wrote, ‘God is always king. He always rules in heaven.’ (Daniel 4:34).
Nebuchadnezzar was an evil king who had served false gods (Daniel 3:5-6). But in the end, he praised the real God (Daniel 4:37).
We might think that we are always right. But God knows our real intentions.
Two men, called Cain and Abel, gave gifts to God. God did not accept Cain’s gift, so Cain was angry. God warned Cain, ‘Do the things that are right! Then I (God) will accept you. But if you do wrong things, then your evil attitudes will control you.’
Cain did not obey God’s advice. Instead, Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4:3-8).
Verses 4-12
v4 Evil men are proud.
They are proud when they think about themselves.
And they are proud when they think about other people.
The actions of evil men are always wicked.
v5 When a person plans carefully, he will make a profit.
When a person acts too quickly, he will become poor.
v6 A person who lies might make money.
However, his wealth will disappear, like steam. His lies will cause his death.
v7 The cruelty of wicked men will destroy them.
They refuse to do the right things.
v8 A guilty man is like a traveler who chooses the wrong way.
An innocent man is like a traveler who chooses the right way.
v9 One man lives in a corner of the roof.
But this home is better than a big house, if his wife always argues.
v10 A wicked man wants to do evil things.
He is never kind to his neighbor.
v11 Someone who insults other people should receive punishment. Then, simple people will learn to be wise.
When you teach a wise man, he will gain knowledge.
v12 God, who is good, notices the actions of a wicked man.
God, who is good, will ruin the wicked man.
Commentary
Evil people are proud. They think that they are more important than other people. And evil people think that they do not need God.
Evil people are proud when they look at other people. When they see other people, they hate those people.
The desires and actions of evil people are all wicked.
A businessman must think hard when he makes his plans. Then his business will succeed. He must think carefully before he makes each decision.
This is true about all our plans. We should not make plans in a hurry. We must use intelligence, and make our plans carefully. If we follow our emotions, then our plans will fail.
This person cheats and steals to get money. He refuses to work to earn his money. God will punish him, even if judges do not punish him. Suddenly he will lose all his money. See Luke 12:20-21.
Many evil people love to be cruel. They use cruelty to get money. They use cruelty to control other people.
But evil people will also suffer in the end. Evil people will receive a severe punishment.
Life is like a journey. A guilty person is like a traveler who chooses the wrong path. A guilty person’s actions may cause his death. His actions may take him to hell. So he needs to confess his evil deeds to God.
But an innocent person is like a traveler who chooses the right path. This innocent person has chosen to live his life in God’s way. And God will guide him. See Psalm 1.
The corner of a roof is not a comfortable place to live. But it is better than a big house if the man’s wife argues. This man escapes to his roof.
We should not argue. We should aim to be content. See Philippians 4:11.
This man is wicked. He does not want to do the right things. He wants to do evil things. This is why he is unfriendly. He hates his neighbor. A wicked person does not want to help his neighbor or anyone else.
The man who insults might not learn from his punishment. But other people can learn. Simple people have not learned to be wise. So simple people do evil things. But the simple people will see the punishment of the man who insults. So the simple people will be able to learn from that man’s error.
A wise man does not need a punishment. He will learn his lessons. Teach him, and he will become even wiser.
God sees evil people. He watches their evil actions. He knows their evil thoughts. God will punish them.
Verses 14-18
v13 Perhaps a man does not listen to the cries of poor people.
Then nobody will listen to him, when he too cries for help.
v14 A secret gift takes away a man’s anger.
A bribe (secret gift) in the pocket causes an angry man to be calm.
v15 When a judge is fair, good men are happy.
But evil men are afraid.
v16 Sometimes a person decides not to be wise.
He is like a traveler who wanders to his death.
v17 The person who loves luxury will become poor.
The person who loves wine and oil will never be rich.
v18 Wicked people must pay, instead of good people.
People who do evil things must pay, instead of honest people.
Commentary
God cares about poor people. We also should care about them, and try to help them. If we do this, then God will help us. When we have problems, we can cry out to God. God will hear our prayers. See Psalm 40:1.
Solomon does not want us to give bribes (secret gifts). He teaches that bribes are evil. See Proverbs 15:27.
A man might seem to be very angry. Perhaps the man really is angry. Or perhaps he just wants money. Perhaps he is like the buyer in Proverbs 20:14. So this angry man is bargaining for more money.
If someone goes to court, then he might be very angry. Or he might pretend to be angry so that he can win more money.
We want judges to be fair. We want them to make the right decisions. We want them to refuse bribes (secret gifts).
An evil person does not think this. A fair judge will punish evil people as they deserve. A good judge will send evil people to prison. A good judge will not allow them to cheat other people. He will refuse bribes (secret gifts). He will oppose the plans of evil people.
Life is like a journey. If we follow God, then he will guide us. We shall not be like travelers who wander on the wrong path. If we do not obey God, then we are in danger. This is like a man who wanders on to a dangerous road.
This person wastes his money. He buys expensive wine and oil. He does not save his money. He spends it on every luxury.
This person will drink the wine. He will use the oil. Soon nothing remains. He has spent all his money, so he is poor.
We should be careful with our money. Then we shall not waste our money but we shall spend it wisely. Our money can provide for us, and for our families. It can help poor people. It can even help with God’s work.
This is God’s principle. It is not a human principle. On this earth, good people sometimes suffer, even when wicked people do not suffer (Psalm 22:7-8). Sometimes innocent people suffer (Luke 13:1-5).
However, in the end, God will punish evil people. Sometimes evil people suffer instead of good people, even on this earth. In Esther chapters 5-7, an evil man (Haman) suffered the punishment that Haman plotted against a good man (Mordecai). Another example is Exodus 12:35-36.
But in the end, God will punish all evil people (Luke 13:5). So we must refuse to do evil deeds. And we must trust in God. If we do this, God will forgive us.
Verses 19-23
v19 A man might live in the desert.
However, life is better there than with an angry wife who always argues.
v20 Good food and oil are in the wise man’s house.
A foolish man wastes whatever he has.
v21 If you try to get love and goodness, you will receive a good life.
And you will receive goodness and honour.
v22 A wise man attacks the city of the strong men.
They trust in their castle, but the wise man destroys it.
v23 Be careful what you say!
Protect yourself from danger!
Commentary
This is similar to verse 9. However, this man lives in the desert. The desert is a terrible place to live. But it is better to live there than to listen to constant arguments.
This reminds us of verse 17. The foolish man wastes everything. The wise man stores the best things.
The wise man works hard so that, in winter, he will have plenty of food. This shows to us the wise man’s character. A wise man does not only store food. A wise man also stores wisdom and knowledge in his mind.
We should not desire money, or fame, or foolish things. Instead, we should desire love and goodness. Love and goodness come from God. ‘God is love.’ (1 John 4:16)
God gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). God wants to give love and goodness to us. And he will also give other gifts to us, for example, long life and honor.
A wise man is not afraid of strong men. He is wise, so he serves God. Through his wisdom, he can even destroy a strong castle. Wisdom is better than strength.
Solomon tells a similar story in Ecclesiastes 9:13-16. In that passage, the wise man defends his city, when a strong man attacks.
Both passages remind us about Jesus. He is like the wise man. The devil is like the strong man. Jesus describes the devil as a ‘strong man’ in Mark 3:26-27. When Jesus died for us, he defeated the devil (Hebrews 2:14). God’s wisdom defeated the power of the devil (Ephesians 2:1-5).
Our words can be dangerous. We might gossip or tell lies. We might insult other people. We might even make evil plans.
We do not want to suffer a punishment for our evil words. We should ask God to forgive us. And we should be careful with our words. See James 3:1-12.
Verses 24-29
v24 A man may be proud and insult everyone.
He thinks that he is greater than anyone else.
v25 The lazy man’s desires will cause his death.
This is because he refuses to work.
v26 He is always greedy.
A good man will give generously. He keeps nothing just for himself.
v27 God hates a gift from a wicked man.
It is even worse when the wicked man has an evil reason for the gift.
v28 A witness who lies in court will bring about his own punishment.
A good listener will have something helpful to say.
v29 A wicked man displays a bold face.
But an honest man thinks first about his actions.
Commentary
Solomon explains how to identify a proud person. A proud man does not respect anyone else. He only thinks about himself. God wants us to be humble. See James 4:10.
Verses 25 and 26 belong together. They compare a lazy man with a good man.
This lazy man is greedy. He wants food. He needs money. But he refuses to work. So he tries to persuade other people to give these things to him. He will fail. He will die because he cannot earn anything.
This good man is generous. He is not greedy. He helps other people. He might even help the lazy man, although the lazy man does not deserve any help.
The good man works, so he earns wages. He is glad to receive his wages so that he can give more money. He has desires, but his desires are not like the lazy man’s desires. The good man does not want luxuries. He desires to help other people. He wants to give.
If a wicked man gives a gift to God, that man is still wicked. He does not change his behavior. He does not confess his evil deeds. He does not ask God to forgive him. This is more important than any gift. See Psalm 40:6-8 and Psalm 51:16-17.
This man is wicked and his reasons are wicked. Perhaps he wants other people to respect him. (Compare Matthew 6:2). Perhaps he thinks that he can deceive (lie to) God. Perhaps he thinks that God is like a man. A man might accept the wicked man’s gift (Proverbs 21:14). God will not accept it. God knows the wicked man’s heart. God knows the true reasons for his gift.
God punishes people who lie. Lies are evil (Deuteronomy 5:20, Mark 10:19). But a good listener will say helpful things. Such a person learns from what he hears. So his words will not suggest a wicked scheme.
The second line might mean, ‘The words of a man who does not lie will always be true.’ Or, ‘The man who listens to lies will also die.’ Or, ‘The man who hears a lie will tell everyone.’ Or, ‘People do not forget an honest man.’
Perhaps the second line means many different things. Perhaps Solomon intended this. Each of these possible meanings teaches a true lesson.
When people see this wicked man, he seems bold. Really, he is not bold, but he is stupid. An honest man would think about his actions. An honest man would be much more careful.
Verses 30 and 31
v30 There is no wisdom that can defeat God.
There is no knowledge that can defeat God.
There is no plan that can defeat God.
v31 You can prepare a horse for the battle.
However, only God can bring victory (success).
Commentary
Some people think that selfish ambitions are wise (James 3:14-15). This is not really wisdom, and it cannot defeat God.
Some people think that they are clever. They think that there is no God. The Bible calls them ‘fools’ (Psalm 14:1). Their intelligence cannot defeat God. Their knowledge cannot defeat God.
The devil plots against us. He wants to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). But his plans cannot defeat God. In the end, God will destroy the devil (Revelation 20:10).
Evil people might think that they are strong. They might insult God. They might even think that they are stronger than God. But God is in heaven. When he hears this, he laughs at them. Their insults cannot bother God. (Psalm 2:1-4)
For Solomon, his horses were like today’s tanks. (Tanks are strong, powerful, army vehicles.) A horse was strong and fast in a battle. It could pull a chariot (vehicle) or carry a soldier. The enemy was afraid of the horses.
Horses need food, water and exercise. Soldiers trained the horses for the battle. But the strength of the horses could not win the battle. A large, powerful army does not always win the war, even today. God decides who wins. See 1 Samuel 14:6-15, Joshua 5:13-6:25 and 1 Samuel 17.
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