Posted on 02/28/2014 8:11:19 AM PST by OneVike
Proverb 28 (NKJV)
The Righteous Are Bold as a Lion
01 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
00But the righteous are bold as a lion.
02 Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
00But by a man of understanding and knowledge
00Right will be prolonged.
03 A poor man who oppresses the poor
00Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
04 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
00But such as keep the law contend with them.
05 Evil men do not understand justice,
00But those who seek the LORD understand all.
06 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
00Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
07 Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son,
00But a companion of gluttons shames his father.
08 One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion
00Gathers it for him who will pity the poor.
09 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law,
00Even his prayer is an abomination.
10 Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way,
00He himself will fall into his own pit;
00But the blameless will inherit good.
11 The rich man is wise in his own eyes,
00But the poor who has understanding searches him out.
12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory;
00But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.
13 He who covers his sins will not prosper,
00 But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
14 Happy is the man who is always reverent,
00 But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion and a charging bear
00 Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor,
00 But he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.
17 A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit;
00 Let no one help him.
18 Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved,
00 But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
19 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
00 But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
00 But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is not good,
00 Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
22 A man with an evil eye hastens after riches,
00 And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.
23 He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward
00 Than he who flatters with the tongue.
24 Whoever robs his father or his mother,
00 And says, "It is no transgression,"
00 The same is companion to a destroyer.
25 He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife,
00 But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered.
26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
00 But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
27 He who gives to the poor will not lack,
00 But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.
28 When the wicked arise, men hide themselves;
00 But when they perish, the righteous increase.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs by Solomon is to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly.
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings.
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God';s guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us.
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is to know which Proverb to read. In the Months that have less than 31 days, I just double so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
Proverbs, chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
1The wicked flee though none pursue;
but the just, like a lion, are confident.
2If a land is rebellious, its princes will be many;
but with an intelligent and wise ruler there is stability.*
3One who is poor and extorts from the lowly
is a devastating rain that leaves no food.*
4Those who abandon instruction* praise the wicked,
but those who keep instruction oppose them.
5The evil understand nothing of justice,*
but those who seek the LORD understand everything.
6Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than rich and crooked in one’s ways.a
7Whoever heeds instruction is a wise son,
but whoever joins with wastrels disgraces his father.
8Whoever amasses wealth by interest and overcharge*
gathers it for the one who is kind to the poor.
9Those who turn their ears from hearing instruction,b
even their prayer is an abomination.
10Those who mislead the upright into an evil way
will themselves fall into their own pit,
but the blameless will attain prosperity.
11The rich are wise in their own eyes,
but the poor who are intelligent see through them.
12When the just triumph, there is great glory;
but when the wicked prevail, people hide.*
13Those who conceal their sins do not prosper,
but those who confess and forsake them obtain mercy.*
14Happy those who always fear;*
but those who harden their hearts fall into evil.
15A roaring lion or a ravenous bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
16The less prudent the rulers, the more oppressive their deeds.
Those who hate ill-gotten gain prolong their days.
17Though a person burdened with blood guilt is in flight even to the grave,
let no one offer support.
18Whoever walks blamelessly is safe,
but one whose ways are crooked falls into a pit.
19Those who cultivate their land will have plenty of food,
but those who engage in idle pursuits will have plenty of want.c
20The trustworthy will be richly blessed;
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.d
21To show partiality is never good:e
for even a morsel of bread one may do wrong.*
22Misers hurry toward wealth,
not knowing that want is coming toward them.*
23Whoever rebukes another wins more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.
24Whoever defrauds father or mother and says, “It is no sin,”f
is a partner to a brigand.
25The greedy person stirs up strife,
but the one who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
26Those who trust in themselves are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom are safe.
27Those who give to the poor have no lack,g
but those who avert their eyes, many curses.
28When the wicked prevail, people hide;
but at their fall the just abound.h
* [28:2] The first line expresses the paradox that rebellion, far from doing away with rulers, actually multiplies them. The second line is corrupt.
* [28:3] The reference may be to tax farmers who collected taxes and took a commission. The collectors’ lack of wealth was the cause of their oppression of poor farmers. They are like a rain too violent to allow crops to grow.
* [28:4] Instruction: torah; the word is used both for the teaching of the wise and the law of Moses.
* [28:5] Understanding nothing of justice plays on the twofold sense of justice as righteousness and as punishment that comes on the wicked. On the other hand, those who seek the LORD understand everything, i.e., that the Lord punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous (themselves).
* [28:8] Interest and overcharge were strictly forbidden in the old law among Israelites because it was presumed that the borrower was in distress; cf. Ex 22:25; Lv 25:35–37; Dt 23:20; Ps 15:5; Ez 18:8. Divine providence will take the offender’s wealth; cf. Eccl 2:26.
* [28:12] People react in opposite ways to the triumph of good and evil. To the triumph of good, they react by public display, public celebration, and to the triumph of evil, by hiding.
* [28:13] Concealing the faults of another is a good thing in Proverbs (17:9), but concealing one’s own sins is not. Ps 32:1–5 expresses the anguish caused by concealing one’s sins rather than bringing them to light so they can be healed by God.
* [28:14] Fear is a different verb than in the phrase “to fear (or revere) the Lord.” In its only other biblical occurrence (Is 51:13), the verb means to dread an oppressor. The saying states a paradox: those who fear in the sense of being cautious are declared happy, whereas those who are fearless will fall into traps they did not “fear.” In short, there is good fear and bad fear.
* [28:21] Cf. 24:23. Verse 21b warns that even in a light matter one must remain impartial.
* [28:22] “Bad of eye” is the Hebrew idiom for miserly. Misers fail to see that poverty is hurrying toward them because of their wrong attitude toward wealth. Because misers are “bad of eye,” they do not see the danger.
**16The less prudent the rulers, the more oppressive their deeds.
Those who hate ill-gotten gain prolong their days.**
Reminds me of current WH occupant and people being oppressed.
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