Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Advice to a Wise Son IIb, Proverbs 17:1-6

Friday, December 2, 2022

Proverbs 17:1–6

[1] Better is a dry morsel with quiet

than a house full of feasting with strife.

[2] A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully

and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

[3] The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and the Lord tests hearts.

[4] An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

[5] Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;

he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

[6] Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their fathers. (ESV)

Advice to a Wise Son IIb

v.1 Circumstances can change what should be a good thing into something miserable. This proverb counsels that humble circumstances offer peace and quiet while a great big ostentatious social production is apt to have conflicts somewhere among the guests.

v.2 A Wise servant is of greater benefit and value than a son who behaves sinfully and brings shame to himself and his family. This proverb warns that the servant will receive the son's share of the inheritance. One should not rely on the privilege and status of his position but on Divine Wisdom. Compare this proverb—another that may be hard for modern readers to understand—with these passages showing how we are adopted as sons and heirs of the promises of God contrasted with those who reject Christ and remain slaves of sin: Galatians 3:26-4-7; 4:21-31; Galatians 6:16; John 8:31-47.

v.3 God uses His examination of one's heart in order to "test" or "try" (never tempt!) a person's faith, like how gold and silver are tested or tried in a fire in order to purify it and make it stronger and purer. See Genesis 22, Exodus 16, and especially James 1.

v.4 The rejecter of Divine Wisdom finds breaking the eighth commandment appealing, spreading lies and gossip about their neighbors. These people are to be avoided. Even more so, if they spread false teaching about the Word of God, they are to be shunned if they do not recant their errors and repent (Romans 16:17-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-19; 3:1-5).

v.5 One should not delight in the misery of another nor mock them when they encounter tough situations. This is so prevalent in our society that the Germans have a word specifically for satisfaction in the misery of another person: Schadenfreude. A person that does this insults God, the creator of all things, and invites His punishment.

v.6 The family is a gift of God and a place where God's blessings are found. Compare this verse with Leviticus 19:32 and Psalm 128. This reverence for the blessing of family is to be especially evident and prized within the family of God, which is the body of Christ. Paul explains the Wisdom of this proverb to the young pastor Timothy when he instructs him about the importance of supportive relationships in the church (1 Timothy 5:1-7).