The Poor and the Fool

The contrast in Pro 19:1 is that between “a poor man … in his integrity” and “he who is perverse in speech and is a fool”. Because of the contrast with the poor man, we can think of the fool as someone who is rich. The poor is not under the punishment of God because he is poor and the rich is not under the blessing of God because he is rich. Here the appearance is misleading. Wealth itself is not condemned. What matters is where we got it and what we do with it.

The contrast is about inner worth and outer appearance. He who seems to have everything is the fool, while he who seems to have everything against him walks in his integrity and is therefore better off than the rich fool. Personal integrity, even with poverty, is far better than foolish wrongness.

It all depends on one’s relationship with God. The poor person who goes his way in integrity can go that way because he goes his way with God. Therefore, in reality, he is rich. He who is perverse in speech speaks things that show that he has no relationship with God. Added to this is the fact that he is a fool, which means that he also does not want a relationship with God at all. The path he takes without God ends in death.

The word “also” with which Pro 19:2 begins indicates that Pro 19:2 is connected to Pro 19:1. A person who is diligent “without knowledge” is the fool of Pro 19:1. Unwise and thoughtless action leads to failure. It manifests itself in one “who hurries his footsteps”, one who hastily sets out on a path to fulfill a desire. It characterizes the man who wants quick results and as much profit as possible. People who spontaneously go off on something take the wrong path and miss the mark (the word “sin” literally means “to miss the goal”). Saul was such a person (1Sam 13:11-14). There can even be diligence for God, yet without understanding (Rom 10:1-4).

This proverb reminds us that we must know the time and direction for action, otherwise diligent effort will be a futile and even wrong activity. Someone “without knowledge” places his feet on a way of sin. Diligence is good if it is for the good (Gal 4:18), but it requires the knowledge of God and His will. Therefore, our diligence will have to come from fellowship with God through which we know His will. Then we will go our way in peace and at the same time with diligence. As a result, the goal will not be missed, but achieved and God will be glorified.

Being without knowledge or understanding is something that characterizes especially young people who do not engage with God’s Word. They therefore lack the necessary discernment to know the value of that to which they indulge. It is only through the study of God’s Word that they – and, of course, older people as well – gain that discernment. There is no excuse for being without knowledge. We have the entire Word of God at our disposal. It is the only reliable, unchanging source of knowledge and accessible to all who want to learn.

A fool, who is without knowledge (Pro 19:2), twists his own way making his life a ruin (Pro 19:3). And then he blames God for that too. Through his own foolishness he has twisted his way, he has given it a twist that has caused him to walk in the wrong direction. It is a path away from God. For the misery he encounters on that way, he holds God responsible. He is even furious with Him for allowing that to happen to him.

This attitude has characterized man since the Fall. When Adam twisted his way and sinned, he blamed God. It was because of the wife God had given him that things had gone wrong (Gen 3:12). We hear and see this today in all kinds of variations in all those situations where people do not want to be held accountable. Always it is someone else’s fault.

Man does not want to give God control over his life. When he makes good decisions that turn out well, he praises himself. If he makes bad decisions with a bad outcome, God is blamed (cf. Eze 18:25). There is no putting his own house in order. God is not thanked that in His goodness He gives sunshine and rain and fruitful times (Mt 5:45; Acts 14:17). But when He brings terrible plagues upon the world that man has brought upon himself, men blaspheme the God of heaven without repenting of their evil works (Rev 16:9-11; 21).

Wealth and Friends

This verse is again an observation without drawing a conclusion. That conclusion is left to the reader. It is about the unreliability of a friendship based on possession. Like love, friendship does not deserve that designation if it is only about the possible benefit that love or friendship can bring. If we love money ourselves, it reaps nothing in others but love for the money we have. People run after the rich hoping to get something.

But when the rich person has become poor, his friends disappear. They abandon him, because there is nothing more to get from him. A separation even takes place, because imagine if the poor were to ask something of you. It is better, therefore, to keep a wide distance from him. But the poor person who knows the Lord Jesus may know that he can never and will never be separated from Him (Rom 8:38-39; cf. Psa 40:17a).

A False Witness and He Who Tells Lies

“A false witness” will be punished (Deu 19:16-21); there is no question about that. The same goes for him “who tells lies”. A false witness speaks lies in public. Telling lies is more reminiscent of telling lies in general conversation in the private sphere. A false witness and he who tells lies are on the same level and receive the same judgment.

The saying is general because sometimes a perjury is not punished because it is not discovered, or because the judges are corrupt. We must therefore see this verse in the light of God. He does not hold innocent and will not let any guilty person escape.

Wealth Is Attractive, Poverty Repulsive

People seek the friendship of influential people in order to benefit (Pro 19:6). To do so, they seek to gain favor with them (Psa 45:12; cf. Jude 1:16). To “seek the favor” is literally “to caress the face” or “to soften the face”. The considerable are valued because of their possessions, not because of their qualities.

Likewise, one who is generous may be assured of having numerous friends. Generosity need not have a negative meaning here. One who is generous attracts people. Everyone wants to belong to his friends. It shows that man is an egoist, someone who is only after his own benefit. If there is something to gain that makes his life a little easier, he is the first to go. This is also how it works in business and politics.

That he wants only what makes his life more pleasant is evident in his rejection of God as the great Giver. God gave His Son as a free gift of His grace. But man does not want that Gift, because that means condemning himself as selfish. It puts an end to living for oneself.

People shun those who are poor (Pro 19:7). The thought of “hating”, in the sense of rejecting, indicates that family members and superficial friends will leave the poor man because he can no longer do anything for them. We also see this with the Lord Jesus. His earthly family, the Jews, hated Him.

When your luck runs out, even your family shuns you. Your friends wish you to perish. You can shout all you want, but they don’t listen. When they see you coming, they look the other way and pretend not to see you, because it is ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

To Love His Own Soul and Find Good

“He who gets wisdom”, is one who has made an effort, has committed himself to it. He thereby proves that he loves his soul, his life. It means that he wants to know God’s will for his life. Thereby he proves to himself a great benefit. He who gets wisdom comes to the point where he does not love his life to death (Rev 12:11). Indeed, loving his life does not refer to the earthly life, but to the life he received from God to live for Him.

It does not stop there. After getting comes keeping what has been gotten. This proves understanding of what is really important. The result is that he finds “good”. The good is the good life, living with and for Christ. The good is the knowledge of God’s will for his life and that is that it will be conformed to Christ, that He will become visible in his life. In this, wisdom and understanding come into their own.

A False Witness and He Who Tells Lies

This proverb is almost word for word the same as Pro 19:5. Pro 19:5 still sounds more or less as a warning, he “will not escape”, but here it is clearly stated that he “will perish”. The transgression of the ninth commandment establishes his guilt and God’s judgment. Being a false witness and telling lies go against all that God is. He is “righteous and upright”, “the faithful and true Witness”, the “God who cannot lie” (Deu 32:4; Rev 3:14; Tit 1:2).

What Is Not Fitting

There are plenty of fools who live in luxury. That at the same time makes clear the truth of this proverb. A fool always indulges in luxury. It needs wisdom to deal in the right way with luxury. The fool lacks wisdom. That luxury can consist of possession but also of position. He misuses both. He behaves boorishly and insensitively, making himself hated and mocked.

Even worse than a fool who possesses luxury is a servant who gains power (cf. Ecc 10:7). There are servants who have ruled because they were faithful. Think of Joseph and Daniel. It must be about an unfaithful servant here. The servant here is possibly one who hired himself out to pay a debt. He has fallen into debt through foolishness. If he cannot manage his own property, how will he be able to properly exercise a ruling function over those who can.

In today’s world there are also many people who are in great debt and yet think they can have a ruling function. The same is true in the church. A person who cannot manage his own house cannot have a governing function in God’s house, the church of the living God. Such a function would be inappropriate (1Tim 3:5).

Patience and Forgiveness

One who is wronged and then gives his feelings free rein will ignite in wrath and give a vehement reaction. But if his discretion, in the sense of spiritual understanding, prevails, he will be “slow to anger”. This is possible only when. there is fellowship with God. This allows him to heed the word: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath [of God], for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord” (Rom 12:19).

He is then able “to overlook a transgression”. This goes further than in a forgiving mood just once not blaming someone for something. It is also the ability not to attribute insults and not to allow an afterglow of hurt to linger even when the words have inflicted a wound.

Such an attitude is not appreciated in the world but is highly valued by God. This proverb is perfectly true of God (cf. Mic 7:18). He is slow to anger and it is His glory to overlook a transgression. This He can do because of the work of His Son, with respect to Whom He did not slow down His anger and did not overlook the transgression when He made Him sin.

The Wrath and the Favor of a King

We have a wonderful, pictorial contrast here. On the one hand, the “roaring of a lion” that terrifies all who hear it, and on the other hand, the “dew on the grass” that descends inaudibly, that invigorates and can be trampled on just like that. We see these two manifestations in a king. His wrath inspires great terror (Rev 10:3), while his favor is beneficence (Psa 72:6).

A king has the power to terrify or to invigorate and refresh. He can look menacing but also friendly. This proverb advises the king’s subjects not to do things that make him wrathful, for then they will not fare well. However, they may count on his favor if they serve him in faithfulness.

We can apply this verse, like the previous verse, to God and Christ. Christ is the Lion from the tribe of Judah. We must fear His wrath if we oppose Him, but we may be assured of His refreshing esteem if we serve Him in faithfulness.

Domestic Misery and Domestic Happiness

“A foolish son” and “the contentions of a wife” are two problems that cause chaos in a family (Pro 19:13). “A foolish son” deprives his father of all pleasure by his licentiousness, laziness, self-conceitedness, pride, willful attitude. The word “destruction” is plural, indicating that such a son inflicts grief upon grief upon his father. He is a chain of destructions for his father, under which, of course, his mother will also suffer.

A wife who quarrels does the same thing as the son, for she too by her quarrels makes the house uninhabitable. The house that should be an oasis of peace is full of envy and strife. One quarrel follows another, just as drops of water follow each other steadily, always going on and on. When it starts dripping through the roof, you don’t know where the leak is. As long as the leak is not found and then plugged, the water does its rotting work in the hidden. This is how it is sometimes with a wife’s quarreling. You neither know where it comes from nor how to solve it.

It may be that in this case it is known where the quarreling is coming from, and that is the son’s behavior. When a son, or a child, behaves outrageously, it can be a divisive factor in the marriage. This happens when the wife starts blaming her husband (in practice, it can be the other way around). Fortunately, it can also be the case that the worry for a child makes husband and wife a closer unity. This will be so if they continually bring the child to the Lord in prayer as a common concern.

Obtaining “house and property” is a matter of inheritance (Pro 19:14). An inheritance passes from father to son. It is a consequence of being a member of a particular family. It is very different with obtaining “a prudent wife”. There is no family relationship there. When someone obtains “a prudent wife”, it is a special gift from God. The contrast is, on the one hand, wealth that can be acquired from a father and, on the other hand, a prudent wife which is a gift from the LORD.

“Laziness” is another cause that brings misery on others and not just on the lazy person himself (Pro 19:15). This proverb is meant to deter laziness. Laziness means a person is completely inactive. “A deep sleep” (cf. Gen 2:21) is a state of unconsciousness. Time passes without the lazy person having the slightest awareness of it.

He who is lazy wastes time necessary to take care of himself and his family. The family in which the husband and father does not provide safety due to laziness because he does not provide income is a miserable family. There is hunger, but there is nothing to satisfy the hunger with. A lazy person is a poor steward of a precious gift from God: time. Laziness is the coffin of a living.

To Keep One’s Soul or Die

“The commandment” at issue here is the commandment of God, for God’s commandment is for life. Obedience to the commandment of God is a protection of life. It also involves obedience to the commandments of a father, for he represents God on earth. The same applies to the commandments of the government. Those who do not keep them, despise his ways and “will die”.

When a person decides for himself how he wants to live, he thereby expresses contempt for what God has commanded. With what God has said about his ways, about his way of life and the choices he makes, he wants nothing to do with it. He thinks he is on the way of life, but he is on the way of death. To be careless of conduct means to disregard God’s commands for his conduct. He will find that at the end of his self-willed way of living s death awaits.

Who Is Gracious to a Poor Will Be Rewarded

When someone “is gracious to a poor man”, it is a form of lending to the LORD (cf. Mt 25:40). Money given away to a poor person is not lost. God sees it as a loan to Him; it is seen by Him as being “gracious”. He will repay the loan, the “good deed” abundantly. Those who take care of the poor thereby demonstrate a characteristic of God, Who is a gracious, compassionate God (Psa 116:5; Isa 49:10; Isa 54:10).

The presence of the poor among God’s people is a test for the rich (Deu 15:7-11). Our response to their presence shows whether there is faith or not (Jam 2:14-17). Those who take care of the poor are doing a “good deed”, an act called “your righteousness” by the Lord Jesus (Mt 6:1-4). The Lord adds that this should not be done in front of people’s eyes, not even in order to make oneself feel good, but that it should be done “in secret”. Those who give in this way receive from Him the promise: “And your Father Who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” God blesses the generosity of one of His own with His generosity.

The promise of a reward does not necessarily mean a repayment of what has been given. If it were that alone, it could be seen as the repayment of a favor. It is about a reward that expresses appreciation. When God rewards something, it is much more than repaying what has been given. He will give the compassionate person a deeper sense of the richness of life with Him. No amount of money or gold can compete with this.

Discipline and Accept Discipline

Teaching obedience is a command (Pro 19:18). It is at the same time a powerful warning against parental passivity. There is a time to teach children obedience. That time begins as soon as it is clear that a child is acquiring a sense of right and wrong, and that is the case from an early age.

When it is clear that a child is not listening to a command from the parents, the child must learn to obey (Gen 18:19). This can take a lot of patience. It can sometimes get so bad that a parent loses patience and even his mind. Hence the warning not to let the thought arise of desiring to kill him or making decisions that would result in his death.

“Do not desire his death”, can mean to discipline him so much that he dies. Another meaning is also possible. Which is not to discipline him at all, so that he becomes a fool, goes on the bad path and, because of his bad behavior, finds death. He who does not discipline his child kills him, because then he continues to follow the path that leads to death. Withholding his punishment from him now will put him on the path to a much more severe and eternal punishment. Indulgence works his downfall. False indulgence is real cruelty.

Eli did not teach his sons obedience. As a result, they became fools and succumbed to their folly (1Sam 3:12-13). Similarly, David did not rebuke his son Adonijah, causing him to become a fool and die an untimely death (1Kgs 1:6; 1Kgs 2:24).

There are cases where it no longer makes sense to teach someone obedience (Pro 19:19). All hope of correction must be given up. This is the case when someone is so angry that he is out of control. Someone who cannot be appeased must experience the consequences of his folly for himself. Whoever wants to help him will never get rid of him, because he will never learn his lesson.

A hot-tempered person will constantly be in trouble. Only repentance and the Holy Spirit can give a change. Christ is the Only One who can save from such behavior. The Son makes free (Jn 8:36).

Pro 19:20 links to the two previous verses. By listening to “counsel” and accepting “discipline”, a person “may be wise”. There will be maturity through all the discipline that has been exercised and all the teaching that has been given. Then there will be steadfast perseverance on the path of life the rest of his days.

Counsel, Kindness and Life

Making “many plans” is allowed, but in doing so it is good to submit ourselves to “the counsel of the LORD”, or the purpose of God (Pro 19:21; Jam 4:13-15). Man must always remember that he is man and that God is Who He is. Man is extremely limited in what he can devise and even more so in what he can carry out. God, on the other hand, is infinite in understanding and ability. Not what man devises, but what God determines, that happens (Lam 3:37; Psa 33:10-11; Isa 46:10). Similarly, Paul planned, but God directed otherwise (Rom 15:22-32).

Every person desires to have another treat him with “kindness” (Pro 19:22). Every person finds it pleasant to hear kind words, words that show lovingkindness, that is, words of kindness. They are edifying, encouraging words, in which there is no mendacity. They are not spoken to flatter.

In “a liar” kindness is lacking. He can pretend to be merciful by promising all kinds of things and giving the impression that he is full of kindness, but that is hypocrisy and deception. Behind his words are dishonest motives. It is better to deal with a poor person, from whom you cannot expect anything he could give, but from whom kindness radiates, than with such a liar.

Reverence for the LORD brings a life of contentment and security (Pro 19:23). He who fears the LORD suffers no want and fears no danger. God gives a quality of life that cannot be disturbed by evil. The God-fearing goes to bed without hunger and sleeps peacefully, without fear of anything evil that might come upon him.

The life attached to the fear of the LORD is not the life that man lives by nature, but the life in connection with Him. That life is enjoyed in its fullness only when the believer is with Him. But even here on earth already, this life cannot be affected by anything, because it is an inner, spiritual life. It is the life from God. That life knows no lack and no fear. The Lord Jesus therefore says that we need not fear “those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul” (Mt 10:28).

The true life referred to here is not found in wealth or in health, nor in a good marriage or a fine family, but in Christ alone. This is what we must tell our children and hold up to them and live out before them. Of the evil that may afflict us, we know that God causes it to work together for good (Rom 8:28; Psa 91:9-10).

Even Too Lazy to Eat

“A sluggard” is so lazy that he cannot bring his hand with which he has dipped the piece of bread in the dish of dipping sauce “back to his mouth”. The actions described have tired him so much that before he can even start chewing he has fallen asleep again. It is a laughable description of a sluggard. This depiction should serve to not wanting to be a sloth and to prevent the ridicule associated with it.

In the spiritual application, we see that there are those who do not bother to take even the most basic step to get out of their sinful misery. Salvation is offered to them in the gospel and is within reach, but they do not stretch out their hand to grasp the thrown rescue buoy.

Discipline Makes Others Shrewd

There are three types of people in this verse: “a scoffer”, the “naive” and “one who has understanding”. They show who they are by their response to discipline. The scoffer does not allow himself to be corrected by any discipline. Its purpose does not penetrate him because he shuts himself off from it.

The naive is someone without knowledge, a simpleton, an empty head. He is not yet as hardened as the scoffer. It may dawn on him that the discipline that comes upon the scoffer is a warning to him. If that penetrates, he will become shrewd and recognize what awaits him if he continues on the path of foolishness and becomes a scoffer (cf. Deu 19:20).

One who has understanding does not need strokes. He has sufficient spiritual maturity to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. If he does something that needs correction, he can be reproved with words. Those words may also be painful, but he will listen to them and “gain knowledge” about what he has done or said that was not right and must be corrected.

A Son Who Acts Shamefully

It seems in Pro 19:26 to be about a situation where the father and mother are dependent on the son and that this son abuses the situation to his own advantage. A sharp judgment is passed on this. It should deter children from misbehaving in this way toward their elderly parents.

This goes beyond mere disobedience to parents. Disobedience is bad enough in itself. It is a violation of the commandment to honor father and mother (Exo 20:12). But here it is the abandonment of the natural love a child should have for his parents. He is going against the most basic laws of nature. The son described here not only fails to do what is commanded, but he treats his parents with contempt. God lets the Levites say of this: “Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother!” (Deu 27:16). This son not only disobeys his parents, but exploits them.

This is increasingly common in an increasingly cold social climate. It was, as evidenced by what Solomon says here, already happening then, and it is very current today. Children are verbally or physically abusing their parents in an increasing number of cases with the intention of enriching themselves rather than caring for them (cf. Mt 15:4-7). A Dutch newspaper headline reported: ‘Exploitation of elderly by own children – underestimated form of elder abuse’ (Reformed Newspaper, 15-06-2015).

A son can steal from his father. He can make life so unbearable for his mother that she leaves home. He makes ashamed because he acts disgracefully. It is a special bitterness for parents when a son acts this way. This is how Israel behaved toward God (Isa 1:2-3).

There is a certain irony in the proverb of Pro 19:27. What the father says to his son is not an advice not to listen. The father only wants to make it clear that there is no point for his son to listen to his instruction if he is not willing to act accordingly anyway. Let his son stop listening to the instruction if he intends to stray “from the words of knowledge” anyway.

The discipline consists of words of knowledge, which are words with the knowledge of God’s will for his life. By listening to these and obeying them, the son will walk the right path. The way the father approaches his son here confronts the son with his responsibility. Does he want to take a different path than the one presented to him in the words of knowledge? Then let him stop listening to discipline. Hopefully, this approach will lead the son to listen carefully and not stray.

Scoffers and Iniquity

“A rascally witness” (Pro 19:28) is literally “a witness of Belial”. He is inspired by satan. He is one who deliberately distorts the facts. That he “makes a mockery of justice” means that he twists justice with the greatest of ease. Justice is meant to keep people from sin, but a rascally witness does not care about that. For him, a concept like “justice” is something to be ridiculed. He does not care about God as Judge, but defies Him by his outright contempt of justice.

While there is contempt for justice, iniquity is feasted upon; it is even spread or, as it can also be translated, swallowed. The wicked are like hungry wolves that shamelessly swallow iniquity as if it were the greatest delicacy. Iniquity is a true delight for the mouths of the wicked. They chew on lying words and then utter them. That is where they get all their life energy from.

What characterizes the wicked characterizes our fallen nature. Our fallen nature not only makes us susceptible to receiving lies, but makes us enjoy them.

God has prepared “judgments” for the persistent “scoffers” (Pro 19:29). They scoff at holy things. Their scoffing will be publicly judged in the punitive judgments that God brings on them according to His purpose, from which they will not be able to escape. The “blows for the back of fools” are also prepared and will inevitably strike them.