Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Advice to a Wise Son 1b - Proverbs 15:25-29

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Proverbs 15:25-29

[25] The Lord tears down the house of the proud

but maintains the widow’s boundaries.

[26] The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,

but gracious words are pure.

[27] Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,

but he who hates bribes will live.

[28] The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,

but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

[29] The Lord is far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous. (ESV)

Advice to a Wise Son 1b

v.25 This verse is a repetition of the previous one stating God's disdain and opposition to arrogant people; here, He tears down that which gives them such pride. The widow represents the most vulnerable in society: recall that in Biblical times (and even today!), a widow was often the target of scammers and greedy people trying to swindle them out of what little they had. The established boundary is the perimeter of her lands, which the Lord preserves. Land boundaries in those times were easy to move, and therefore the land was easy to gain for the unscrupulous.

v.26 God alone knows all of an individual's impure thoughts and schemes. These things are an abomination to God, but only God can curb them. On our own, we find it difficult, at best, to keep them at bay. Turning to Him in repentance, we are gifted the strength to withstand such immoral thoughts and plans which originate from our own sinful flesh, as well as the devil and the world's influence. On the other hand, Gracious words are pure and loved by God. The words of believers are pure because they speak God's truth. We receive those words to speak through reading and hearing God's Word, which we then repeat.

v.27 Sinful behavior affects not only the sinner but those around him, especially those in his own household or workplace. The Christian, though a sinner, is inwardly disgusted by his sin—the action of the conscience to move us toward repentance. Sharing in God's hatred of sin, we hold to the promise of eternal life in Christ when we will, at last, be sinless. In the meantime, we live a constant cycle of sinning-repentance-forgiveness.

v.28 The righteous person, who heeds Divine Wisdom, gives careful thought before providing answers, as opposed to those who spout off the first thing that comes to mind without any real consideration for their words or their impact. The mouth of the wicked person gives not only ill-considered advice but things that are actually evil. This proverb can also be considered a proverb about faithful preachers and those who teach falsely for their own ends.

v.29 Many proverbs stress the nearness of God to the believer. This one compares the gap between God and the wicked to His nearness to righteous people, as in He is close enough to hear their prayers. The sin of the wicked is the cause of the distance between them and God. The righteous person, however, does not draw near to God because of their prayers but because of the righteousness of Christ, which is applied to them by faith.