Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Maxims of Kindness and Cruelty, Proverbs 11:12-21

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Proverbs 11:12-21

[12] Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but a man of understanding remains silent.

[13] Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,

but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

[14] Where there is no guidance, a people falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

[15] Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

[16] A gracious woman gets honor,

and violent men get riches.

[17] A man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

[18] The wicked earns deceptive wages,

but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

[19] Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,

but he who pursues evil will die.

[20] Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord,

but those of blameless ways are his delight.

[21] Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,

but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. (ESV)

Maxims of Kindness & Cruelty

v.12 Showing contempt for your neighbor is asking for trouble, but the wise man stays quiet, even if he does not find his neighbor to be a pleasant individual.

v.13 Continuing the theme of the last verse, this proverb promotes keeping your neighbor's privacy over spreading false witness. Keeping a neighbor’s secrets makes one trustworthy, whether you come by the information from him or another source.

v.14 Remember, Solomon is a wise king. This proverb deals with political leadership but applies to any leader, church or secular. A group cannot succeed without a leader to guide them. A wise leader surrounds himself with many counselors holding diverse advice. Most importantly, a wise leader knows everyone needs guidance from the Word of God.

v.15 This proverb deals with entering into risky or fraudulent get-rich-quick-type schemes. Solomon wisely counsels not to invest with such schemers or be the guarantor of a loan for such propositions.

v.16 Graciousness, the ability to be kind and forgiving, leads to true honor. As the Church, the bride of Christ, we do well then to imitate Him, leading to the treasure of eternal life. Mere earthly wealth can be acquired by any old means, but true honor is only through Christ.

v.17 Isn’t the point of being kind to be of benefit to our neighbor? And doesn’t a cruel person benefit himself through his cruelty? This is most certainly true, but the kind person receives benefit from God through his kindness to others. Indeed his kindness is possible only through God. The cruel will receive the true reward for their cruelty on judgment day.

v.18 As we have seen in other proverbs, this one illustrates how wordily wealth and prosperity are fleeting and temporary. The sinner sees his worldly gain as the point of living, while the one who believes and shares the good news of salvation in Christ knows a certain reward awaits on the last day. The sinner who placed his security in earthly wealth will see the error of his ways on the last day.

v.19 This proverb continues the thought of verse eighteen. Righteousness brings eternal life through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Those who sow evil will reap only death.

v.20 A crooked heart is one that rejects God's Word, ignoring His Law and disregarding His Gospel. Such a one is an abomination to God, and He will turn His back on them. However, God delights in one who is blameless. Only Christ was blameless, but His sinless life and unjust death are applied to the believer through faith.

v.21 This proverb reminds us that while things appear one way when judged by the eyes of the world, God's supreme judgment will be quite different. In the eyes of the world, nice guys finish last, and the unjust, crooked, and cruel succeed. However, God's righteous judgment will be meted out on unbelievers and believers alike. A believer's faith will prevail over the evil of the world on that day.