Verses 1-6
v1 Do not be jealous of evil men.
Do not try to meet them.
v2 They make cruel plans in their minds.
And they discuss how to cause trouble.
v3 Wisdom is like someone who builds a house.
And intelligence is like the person who establishes the house.
v4 Knowledge is like the person who furnishes the house
with rare and beautiful objects.
v5 A wise man is powerful.
A man who has knowledge is strong.
v6 Before you fight a war, get advice!
To win the war, you need many advisers.
Commentary
You should not join a group of evil people. Their secret plans are cruel. And they plot trouble with their conversations. You should not be jealous of these people. You do not want to suffer their punishment.
The writer describes a fine house. Perhaps the house is really a palace because the house has rare and beautiful objects. This house can be like our lives.
A house is safe if its builder was skilled. And our lives are safe, if we are wise. And we should use our intelligence. And we should study to gain more intelligence. We need wisdom, intelligence and knowledge. Then, our lives will be good lives.
You can count the number of soldiers in an army. But the number of soldiers does not win the battle. Your soldiers may be strong and brave. But this does not win the battle. The army needs a wise commander. And the commander needs good advice. One adviser is not enough. The commander needs many advisers.
You need advisers whenever you have a difficult problem. You cannot solve these problems yourself. You need other people to help you. Choose your advisers carefully! You need wise advisers.
Verses 7-16
v7 A fool does not understand wisdom.
When men gather at the court, a fool can say nothing.
v8 When a man makes evil plans,
people call him a ‘plotter’.
v9 Foolish plots are evil.
People hate the person who insults them.
v10 If troubles make you weak, you are never strong.
v11 If someone is going to die, then rescue him!
Save him from death!
v12 You cannot say, ‘I did not know about this.’
God knows your thoughts.
And you need God’s help, because God guards your life.
God is a judge, and he knows your actions.
v13 My son, eat honey!
Honey is good, and it is sweet.
v14 Wisdom is like honey.
Wisdom will make your spirit strong.
If you find wisdom, you will receive your reward.
Your hope will not be in vain.
v15 Do not wait as a thief outside a good man’s house.
Do not attack his home.
v16 Even if a good man falls 7 times, he will rise again.
But trouble destroys a wicked man.
Commentary
In ancient Israel, the men from a city would meet at the city gate. They would discuss the city’s problems together. Sometimes they would act like judges in a court. Sometimes they would decide whether to fight a war.
All the men would gather. But the oldest men would speak first. The people thought that the oldest men would be the wisest men. Then the younger men would speak.
But a ‘fool’ is someone who hates wisdom. He does not even know the meaning of ‘wisdom’. So the fool would not speak at the court. He has no wisdom, so he cannot advise. Nobody wants to hear his foolish words.
This man makes evil plots. And the people hate him. They hate him because all his ideas are evil. Perhaps he wants to cause trouble. Or perhaps he wants to benefit himself unfairly.
We must learn to be strong, even when we have troubles. We must learn to advise well, even when people oppose us. We must teach God’s message, even if people hate us.
You should not pretend that you do not see someone else’s troubles. Help that person! Perhaps you can save him. God knows your actions. God will be your judge.
See Ezekiel 33:1-9. God told Ezekiel to warn the people about their evil actions. If Ezekiel warned the people, then Ezekiel would save his own life. But God would still punish the people if they continued their evil behavior. But if Ezekiel did not warn the people, God would punish Ezekiel.
God has given a message to us (John 3:16). We must take this message to all the people in the world (Matthew 28:19-20). And God will help us to teach this message because God is always with us.
Honey was a valuable food. Other foods do not taste like honey. And honey is useful as a food and as a medicine.
Wisdom is also special. Wisdom is precious. Sometimes we must study hard to become wise. But wisdom is good. We all need wisdom.
In verse 15, the writer uses humor. He writes a lesson for thieves. Of course, the writer really thinks that thieves are evil. But he pretends that he is teaching thieves. He advises the thieves not to steal from good men. If they try to steal from a good man, they will fail.
But even if the thieves succeed, the good man will not suffer. If a good man falls, he will rise again. If he falls again, then he will rise again. This will happen many times because God protects a good man. When the thief attacks, this is like a fall. So God will protect the good man. The thief will be fighting against God. So the thief cannot succeed.
But the thief himself is a wicked man. In the end, the thief will suffer for his evil actions.
Verses 17-25
v17 Do not be glad when your enemy falls.
Do not be happy when you see his troubles.
v18 God will be angry with you, instead of your enemy.
v19 Do not worry about evil people.
Do not be jealous of wicked people.
v20 An evil man has no hope for the future.
A wicked person will die.
v21 Respect God, and respect the king, my son.
Do not oppose them.
v22 Both God and the king will suddenly destroy those that oppose them.
Both can cause great troubles.
v23 Here are some more Wise Lessons:
A judge must be fair.
v24 A judge might say to a guilty man, ‘You are innocent.’
But the people will curse that judge. The nations will hate him.
v25 However, the judge who punishes the guilty man does well.
God will be very kind to that judge.
Commentary
When your enemy suffers, perhaps you are glad. But you should not be glad. Instead, you should be cautious. Perhaps your enemy is suffering because God has punished your enemy for his evil actions. But if your own actions are evil, then God will punish you, too. We all must ask God to forgive our evil actions. Remember that God is the judge of everyone.
Perhaps you are afraid of evil people. Or perhaps you are jealous of their money or importance. Then, remember what will happen to them. In the end they will die. God is a fair judge. And he will punish them for their evil behavior. So serve God! And learn to avoid evil actions!
God is like a king. God will punish his enemies. You might escape from an angry king. But you cannot escape from God’s anger. So do not be an enemy of God. God wants you to confess your evil actions. He sent Jesus to die for you. Jesus is God’s son; and Jesus suffered the punishment for your evil behavior. If you accept Jesus into your life, God will forgive you. And you will become a friend of God.
Because we respect God, we also respect our rulers (1 Peter 2:17). We pray for kings and other rulers (1 Timothy 2:2). And we should try to be good citizens.
The 30 Wise Lessons are complete. They are important lessons. But there is more wisdom that the writer wants to teach us.
An unfair judge is terrible. God will punish that judge. But a fair judge makes the right decision. He deserves honor.
Verses 26-34
v26 An honest reply is like a kiss on the lips.
v27 First, work outside in the fields.
Afterwards, build your house.
v28 Do not oppose your neighbor in a court without a proper reason.
Do not lie about him.
v29 Do not say, ‘I will punish that man for his behavior.
I will make him suffer because he was wrong.’
v30 I passed the lazy man’s field.
I passed the garden that belongs to that unwise man.
v31 Weeds were everywhere. The plants were wild.
Even the garden wall had fallen down.
v32 I thought about the things that I saw.
I learned a lesson from that place.
v33 If you are lazy, you may say, ‘Relax and sleep!
Fold your arms and rest!’
v34 But such attitudes will make you poor, as quickly as a thief attacks.
Your losses will overcome you.
Commentary
If someone loves you, then that person will be honest. You might not like your friend’s honest words. Those honest words might be bad news. You might even prefer someone who lies. But honest words are better than a kiss. Your enemy could kiss you. But honest words prove that your friend really loves you.
This is good, practical advice. You need to work in the fields to grow your crops. Without food, you will die. If you still have energy, afterwards you can build your house. But the person that builds his house first will have no food.
We should carry out our most important work first.
If you speak false evidence against your neighbor, your attitudes are wrong. You should not be opposing your neighbor without a proper reason. If your neighbor is guilty, then God will punish your neighbor. God is the judge.
So you should not punish your neighbor if he has upset you. Instead, you should forgive your neighbor. See Matthew 18:21-22 and Mark 11:25.
There ought to be crops in this field. But the lazy man did not sow any seed.
There ought to be food in this garden. But the lazy man did not look after the food plants.
Now the garden is wild. Now there are only weeds. The writer does not tell us whether the lazy man died. But we know that the lazy man had no food. So perhaps the lazy man starved.
So the writer learned a lesson. He learned that he must work hard. Rest is good. And sleep is good. But if we are lazy, then we shall suffer.
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