Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl—Wise & Foolish Behaviors Ic Proverbs 21:14-19

Tuesday, March 13, 2023

Proverbs 21:14–19

[14] A gift in secret averts anger,

and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.

[15] When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous

but terror to evildoers.

[16] One who wanders from the way of good sense

will rest in the assembly of the dead.

[17] Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;

he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

[18] The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,

and the traitor for the upright.

[19] It is better to live in a desert land

than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. (ESV)

Wise & Foolish Behaviors Ic

v.14 This is not an endorsement of bribes, but a caution that a gift and a bribe may not be easily distinguished. It is a caution that bribery works among sinful people, despite its sinfulness.

v.15 For those declared righteous by God’s grace—justified—by the forgiveness of sins, there is nothing to fear of God’s wrath. God’s justice is pure, and the Christian rejoices in the carrying out of God’s justice by those whom He has put in positions of authority to carry out secular justice. It is the evildoer that has much to fear of God’s justice. We do not delight in the suffering of the evildoer, but we do delight in justice being served.

v.16 Those who do not stay on the path of Divine Wisdom risk losing their faith and finding themselves on the path to eternal damnation (Matthew 7:13-14).

v.17 There are two kinds of poverty we risk falling into when we seek instant gratification and overindulgence. We may spend all our resources in this life seeking pleasures that can be bought to our detriment. We may also make such gratification our god and risk our faith and salvation.

v.18 This is a difficult proverb to interpret, with many scholars disagreeing about its meaning. Steinmann, author of the Concordia Commentary on Proverbs, says “The most that can be safely said about this proverb is that it offers an assurance that ultimately on Judgment Day, the righteous—who are not sinless, but are righteous by faith alone in Christ (Gen 15:6; Is 53:11)—will be delivered from all punishment for sin. However, the wicked will not be delivered from judgment.”

v.19 Compare with Proverbs 21:9. It is better to be without companionship than to maintain relationships that are toxic simply out of loneliness.