Meditations at the Mercy Seat Proverbs 25:25-27 Advice for Kings & Leaders Part 5

Friday, August 25, 2023

Proverbs 25:25–27

[25] Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

so is good news from a far country.

[26] Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

[27] It is not good to eat much honey,

nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. (ESV)

Advice for Kings and Leaders Part 5

v.25 Good news from a far-off land is often unexpected but no less welcome and exciting, especially pertaining to friends or family. Thirst for news from distant acquaintances is quenched by the cool water of unexpected information. How much more so is the good news first proclaimed on Pentecost in Jerusalem and from there to the ends of the earth? (Isaiah 52:7; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

v.26 A righteous person can, by the grace of God, be a fountain of Wisdom to his neighbor. Jesus is the living water who provides us the Holy Spirit (John 4:14; 7:34-38). But if the righteous person allows himself to be swayed from the path of Wisdom and corrupted by wicked men, he can offer only muddy, polluted water. A righteous person wisely knows that he must stand up for God's Law and cannot bend in the face of opposition. Not only is he then no longer a clear source of Wisdom, but his reputation is spoiled and polluted.

v.27 This proverb repeats the idea of Proverbs 25:15. Honey is good, but too much will make you sick. Wisdom is good, and one can never overindulge in seeking out more. A Wise leader can never learn too much about his people or his role. But it is never glorious to seek these things for our own glory, as our corrupt, sinful nature will try to make it all about us rather than our neighbor. The greatest Wisdom is to be found in discerning Law and Gospel in God's Word and rightly applying it to our lives as Christians. For more on this, see the Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article 5, Paragraph 1 at bookofconcord.org.