Posted on 02/11/2014 8:42:01 AM PST by OneVike
This chapter continues the miscellaneous proverbs which began in chapter ten, and because of the character of these, the same subject seldom covers more than just a few verses together. Here, reference is made several times to the folly of trusting in riches, and there is the frequent contrast between the righteous and the wicked, but other than these, no general theme is traceable for many verses.
Proverb 11 (NKJV)
The Folly of Wickedness
01 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
00 But a just weight is His delight.
02 When pride comes, then comes shame;
00 But with the humble is wisdom.
03 The integrity of the upright will guide them,
00 But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
04 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
00 But righteousness delivers from death.
05 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright,
00 But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
06 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
00 But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
07 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
00 And the hope of the unjust perishes.
08 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
00 And it comes to the wicked instead.
09 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,
00 But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
00 And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
00 But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
00 But a man of understanding holds his peace.
13 A talebearer reveals secrets,
00 But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
00 But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer,
00 But one who hates being surety is secure.
16 A gracious woman retains honor,
00 But ruthless men retain riches.
17 The merciful man does good for his own soul,
00 But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
18 The wicked man does deceptive work,
00 But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
19 As righteousness leads to life,
00 So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.
20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD,
00 But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
21 Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;
00 But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.
22 As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,
00 So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
00 But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
00 And there is one who withholds more than is right,
25 The generous soul will be made rich,
00 And he who waters will also be watered himself.
26 The people will curse him who withholds grain,
00 But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,
00 But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall,
00 But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
29 He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind,
00 And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
00 And he who wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth,
00 How much more the ungodly and the sinner.
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. 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.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise.
Thank you for posting today’s Proverb.
ARRIVING IN GOMORRAH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd3tonnjMSI&list=UUFDlhK80EdO28R-iGTXiGaw&feature=c4-overview
Proverbs, chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
1False scales are an abomination to the LORD,
but an honest weight, his delight.* a
2When pride comes, disgrace comes;
but with the humble is wisdom.*
3The honesty of the upright guides them;
the faithless are ruined by their duplicity.
4Wealth is useless on a day of wrath,* b
but justice saves from death.
5The justice of the honest makes their way straight,
but by their wickedness the wicked fall.* c
6The justice of the upright saves them,
but the faithless are caught in their own intrigue.
7When a person dies, hope is destroyed;d
expectation pinned on wealth is destroyed.*
8The just are rescued from a tight spot,
but the wicked fall into it instead.
9By a word the impious ruin their neighbors,e
but through their knowledge the just are rescued.*
10When the just prosper, the city rejoices;f
when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11Through the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
but through the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
12Whoever reviles a neighbor lacks sense,
but the intelligent keep silent.
13One who slanders reveals secrets,g
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
14For lack of guidance a people falls;
security lies in many counselors.h
15Harm will come to anyone going surety for another,i
but whoever hates giving pledges is secure.*
16A gracious woman gains esteem,
and ruthless men gain wealth.*
17Kindly people benefit themselves,
but the merciless harm themselves.
18The wicked make empty profits,
but those who sow justice have a sure reward.j
19Justice leads toward life,
but pursuit of evil, toward death.
20The crooked in heart are an abomination to the LORD,
but those who walk blamelessly are his delight.*
21Be assured, the wicked shall not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the just shall escape.
22Like a golden ring in a swine’s snout
is a beautiful woman without judgment.*
23The desire of the just ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24One person is lavish yet grows still richer;
another is too sparing, yet is the poorer.*
25Whoever confers benefits will be amply enriched,
and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
26Whoever hoards grain, the people curse,
but blessings are on the head of one who distributes it!
27Those who seek the good seek favor,
but those who pursue evil will have evil come upon them.*
28Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but like green leaves the just will flourish.k
29Those who trouble their household inherit the wind,
and fools become slaves to the wise of heart.
30The fruit of justice is a tree of life,
and one who takes lives is a sage.*
31If the just are recompensed on the earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!* l
* [11:1] The word pair “abomination” and “delight” (= acceptable) to God is common in Proverbs. Originally the language of ritual, the words came to be applied to whatever pleases or displeases God (cf. also 11:20). False weights were a constant problem even though weights were standardized. Cf. 20:23; Hos 12:8; Am 8:5.
* [11:2] Disgrace is the very opposite of what the proud so ardently want. Those who do not demand their due receive wisdom.
* [11:4] Cf. note on 10:2. A day of wrath is an unforeseen disaster (even death). Only one’s relationship to God, which makes one righteous, is of any help on such a day.
* [11:5] In Hebrew as in English, “way” means the course of one’s life; similarly, “straight” and “crooked” are metaphors for morally straightforward and for bad, deviant, perverted.
* [11:7] An ancient scribe added “wicked” to person in colon A, for the statement that hope ends at death seemed to deny life after death. The saying, however, is not concerned with life after death but with the fact that in the face of death all hopes based on one’s own resources are vain. The aphorism is the climax of the preceding six verses; human resources cannot overcome mortality (cf. Ps 49:13).
* [11:9] What the wicked express harms others; what the righteous leave unsaid protects. Verses 9–14 are related in theme: the effect of good and bad people, especially their words, on their community.
* [11:15] Proverbs is opposed to providing surety for another’s loan (see note on 6:1–5) and expresses this view throughout the book.
* [11:16] Wealth and esteem are good things in Proverbs, but the means for acquiring them are flawed. As precious gifts, they must be granted, not taken. The esteem of others that depends on beauty is as fleeting as beauty itself (cf. 31:30) and the wealth acquired by aggressive behavior lasts only as long as one has physical strength.
* [11:20] The terminology of ritual (acceptable and unacceptable sacrifice, “abomination” and “delight”) is applied to human conduct as in v. 1. The whole of human life is under divine scrutiny, not just ritual.
* [11:22] Ear and nose rings were common jewelry for women. A humorous saying on the priority of wisdom over beauty in choosing a wife.
* [11:24] A paradox: spending leads to more wealth.
* [11:27] The saying is about seeking one thing and finding another. Striving for good leads to acceptance by God; seeking evil means only that trouble will come. The same Hebrew word means evil and trouble.
* [11:30] Most translations emend Hebrew “wise person” in colon B on the basis of the Greek and Syriac translations to “violence” (similar in spelling), because the verb “to take a life” is a Hebrew idiom for “to kill” (as also in English). The emendation is unnecessary, however, for the saying deliberately plays on the odd meaning: the one who takes lives is not the violent but the wise person, for the wise have a profound influence upon life. There is a similar wordplay in 29:10.
* [11:31] The saying is not about life after death; “on the earth” means life in the present world. The meaning is that divine judgment is exercised on all human action, even the best. The thought should strike terror into the hearts of habitual wrongdoers.
a. [11:1] Prv 16:11; 20:10; Lv 19:35–36.
d. [11:7] Prv 10:28; Wis 3:18.
I like this verse
14For lack of guidance a people falls;
security lies in many counselors.
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