Who Hardens His Neck Will Suddenly Be Broken

This verse is a warning against persisting in sin and ignoring “much reproof” to repent. The reproofs can be given by parents, for example, or by the government. God can also use a particular event for it, such as an accident. Through all these reproofs, He wants to appeal to the conscience. We clearly see here the patience of God. He does not judge all at once, but calls for repentance. Every reproof He sends is a call.

But he “who hardens [his] neck”, who time after time does not listen, and resists the reproofs, or concludes that all is not so bad, “will suddenly be broken beyond remedy”. The phrase “hardens [his] neck” brings to mind an ox that will not bend its neck under a yoke. Applied to a human being, it represents someone who, despite numerous attempts to get him to do so, refuses to do what is in his own best interest. Then a condition enters that no remedy is possible (cf. 2Chr 36:16).

The verse also contains the serious message for the sinner that the time to repent is limited. “Behold, now is “the acceptable time”, behold, now is “the day of the salvation”“ (2Cor 6:2). God’s patience is great, repentance is still possible now, but it will stop sometime and then it will be forever too late. There will be no second chance.

A Happy or a Sighing People

“When the righteous increase”, that is, when they take control of the administration of the country and rule it, “the people rejoice” at the beneficent government being exercised. Just laws are enacted and injustice is punished. The wicked are judged and can no longer exercise their pernicious influence. The government of Solomon was such a beneficent government that gave joy to the people (1Kgs 4:20).

The contrast, indicated by the word “but”, with a wicked ruler is great. Such a ruler rules like a tyrant. He oppresses and exploits the people, especially the God-fearing part of them. Wickedness is rewarded and promoted. Injustice prevails because God and His will are not taken into account. There is no joy among the people, but groaning because of the misery.

The happiness or unhappiness of the people depends on the ruler. So it is in a man’s life. If he lives in keeping with the will of God according to righteous principles, he lives a happy and thankful life. This is the privilege of the believer. If a man lives according to wicked principles, he is groaning under the enormous burden of his sins that weighs on him. He can be delivered from this by surrendering himself to the Lord Jesus.

Rejoicing the Father or Wasting Wealth

This verse is about Divine wisdom, but as an object of love. This is not primarily about guidance in life through wisdom, but rather the attitude of the heart toward wisdom. That attitude is one of love. When a father sees this in his son, he is glad. He sees that his teaching not only has an effect in the practice of his life, but his love goes out to it.

In the second line of verse follows the contrast, indicated by the word “but”. The contrast with the love of wisdom here is keeping company with harlots, and not, as we might expect, keeping company with fools. After all, the contrast is usually that between the wise and the fool. But here it is about love. Associating with harlots is experiencing a surrogate love, a false love. However, you gain nothing and lose everything; your entire wealth is wasted (cf. Lk 15:30).

One of the earliest lessons a child must learn is to keep far away from harlots. Today this is especially true of pornography. The warnings against it have been discussed at length in the first part of this book, Proverbs 1-9. Here we see that we must instill in our children a love of wisdom. That will keep them from keeping company with harlots and pornography because it could cause them to lose their wealth and even their life.

Sustain or Tear Down a Land

“The king” who upholds “justice” “gives stability to the land”. By enacting and enforcing just laws, a king assures his subjects of peace and prosperity. In this way, he also ensures the safety of their possessions. God is the King Who, through the justice exercised by Solomon, gives stability to Israel forever (2Chr 9:8). Living in a land with such a king is a feast for all subjects, for all enjoy the privilege of it. The Lord Jesus will be that King in the kingdom of peace.

A king who takes bribes overthrows the land. Discontentment and poverty ensue. No one is happy anymore. Togetherness disappears. The land is torn apart and broken down.

Snares

Flattery is like a net to catch an animal with (Pro 29:5). Flattery is manipulation, for the purpose is to use that person for one’s own purposes and not to praise him. The “neighbor” who is flattered may thereby become enchanted and fall unnoticed into the flatterer’s power. Thus he has become caught in the net that “a man” has spread “for his steps” and the flatterer has succeeded in his purpose.

The verse is about the flatterer, not about the one who is flattered, but is of course a clear warning not to be bewitched by flattery. Flattery is a hypocritical compliment. When we are flattered, it awakens the latent pride within us. Caressed vanity contributes to believing what the flatterer says. Flattery is literally “to make someone soft”. The saying “smearing someone with butter”, with the intention of eating him, does tie in with this.

“An evil man” is ensnared in his own transgression (Pro 29:6). His transgression is a snare from which he cannot free himself. Because he is an evil man, the transgression is not an incident, but a frequent occurrence. He cannot do otherwise; it is in him, in his evil nature, to which he holds on and by which he is held.

Unlike an evil man, “the righteous sings and rejoices” in the security and peace he enjoys. A righteous has no fear of a snare and can sing and rejoice. He is overjoyed and is at full liberty to express his joy over what God has given and will give him. The righteous has his source of joy in God.

Taking Cognizance of the Trial of the Poor

“The rightful” here is a judge. A righteous judge wants to know why lawsuits are brought against the poor. The poor concern him because they concern God. Therefore, he examines their case. The poor should also be close to our heart. Paul gives us an example in this (Gal 2:10).

The wicked have no understanding of the poor, nor does he want to engage in them at all, because he has no interest in them. He does not care about the injustice done to the poor. On the contrary, he participates in it, for he is only after his own benefit.

Raging Fools Against Quiet Sages

By “scorners” (Pro 29:8) we can think of corrupt leaders of the city (cf. Isa 28:14). They scoff at law and justice. They do not consult and they govern the city at their own whim. Promises they do not keep and they scoff at service to God. This disrupts society and sets a city aflame spiritually. The fire of rebellion and division breaks out and there is no one to quench it. They fuel the fire; they stir up strife. Scorners are a pest to society.

The second line of verse, which begins with “but”, indicating that a contrast follows, states what “wise men” do. They do not stir up strife, but bring peace and harmony to society. By the peace they bring, they turn away the anger of God and men. We find an example in history of the rebellion of Sheba who takes refuge in a city. There is a wise woman there who prevents the destruction of the city (2Sam 20:14-22).

It is a waste of time to try to settle a dispute with a fool (Pro 29:9). There is no chance that a fool can reasonably pursue a lawsuit. You can expect two responses from him, which really do not contribute to the resolution of the dispute. One reaction is that he rages; he puts on big eyes of surprise and starts swearing. The other reaction is that he begins to roar with laughter because he finds the case brought against him so ridiculous.

A fool follows his emotions and not his reason. He does not think, but immediately gives vent to the emotion that comes to him, whatever it may be. Sometimes he gets agitated, other times he laughs everything away. But he does not put things to rest. He lacks the intellect for that.

Men of bloodshed mean men who have the deep desire to kill someone (Pro 29:10). The hatred of “men of bloodshed” is directed against “the blameless”. We see this with Cain, who was such a man of bloodshed who hated the blameless. He murdered his pious brother (Gen 4:5-8; 1Jn 3:12-13). Men of bloodshed cannot tolerate the pious. The darkness cannot tolerate the light but hates it. That is why the religious leaders killed the Lord Jesus.

The “upright” are opposed to the men of bloodshed , which we see from the word “but” at the beginning of the second line of verse. They do not seek to take anyone’s life, but they seek the salvation of others, even as here of the man of bloodshed. The Lord Jesus taught us to do good to those who hate us (Lk 6:27), that they may come to repentance.

“A fool” is a slave to his thought life and feelings (Pro 29:11). He has no control over them, but is controlled and lived by them. His mind is an open vessel into which everything enters without any filtering and from which everything also goes out without any filtering. He knows no brake. When he gets excited about something, he lets it be clearly heard. Unsolicited he gives his opinion about anything and everything, while he imagines that he knows what he is talking about. His lack of self-control leads him to utter the utmost nonsense, without being aware of it himself.

“A wise man” does not let his impulses control him. He keeps his temper, he holds it back. Therefore he does not blurt out everything he thinks, but waits for the right moment. The self-control he possesses does not come from himself, but from Spirit. The fool does not have a Spirit-led life, the wise does.

A Bad Example Makes Bad Followers

“If a ruler pays attention to falsehood”, he comes to misjudgment and makes wrong decisions. Falsehood is told to those who like to hear it. Such a ruler shows that he is not guided by God’s statutes and does not inquire after His will.

By so paying “attention to falsehood” as if it were the truth, he encourages those around him to be “wicked” and to deal with the truth. David was not such a ruler. He says: “He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me” (Psa 101:7b).

The influence of a ruler’s character on the people is great. People in a position of authority, such as rulers and parents, whether they like it or not, are role models for those under their authority.

The LORD Gives Light to the Eyes

Regardless of a person’s social status or the circumstances in which he lives, every person receives his life from God. Light in the eyes means that God gives the light of life (Job 33:30; Psa 13:3b). Light in the eyes also means that God gives the ability to perceive. This is not about seeing with the natural eyes, but with the spiritual eyes.

Both the poor man and the oppressor or the rich are given light to assess their situation. God gives indiscriminately. The question is what each does with the light given to him. The poor man can see that he is rich in God and may glory in his high position before God (Jam 1:9). The rich oppressor can see that he should not glory of his riches and their misuse, but should realize that he is poor before God if he abuses his riches to oppress the poor (Jam 1:10; Jam 5:1-6).

Truth Establishes the Throne Forever

“If a king judges ... with truth”, he will be especially concerned that justice be done to “the poor”. It shows his high character when it appears that he is especially attentive to the truth in relation to the socially weak. He does justice to all, but especially to the poor. By God, the throne of a king who rules in this way will be “established forever”.

The Lord Jesus is the only King to Whom this fully applies. He will in truth do justice to the poor by letting them enter the kingdom of peace. His throne will be established forever (Dan 2:44).

Good Upbringing and the Lack of It

Pro 29:15 is among the proverbs that urge discipline in education with a clear motivation (Pro 10:13; Pro 13:24; Pro 22:8; 15; Pro 23:13-14; Pro 26:3). Discipline causes the child to become wise. Wisdom is not hereditary. Both physical discipline (“the rod”) and spiritual discipline (“reproof”) “give wisdom”, that is, they contribute to giving wisdom. When the child listens to discipline (cf. Mic 6:9), he learns to make good choices in life.

He who withholds discipline from his child leaves him to himself. A child left to himself can do what he wants and get what he desires. It also means that he is left to the rule of his sinful nature, an apostate will, an evil world and the devil. Without guidance and correction, he is going to live a life that “brings shame to his mother”.

That it says here that the mother is shamed is probably because she has put most of the time into the education. She is also much more sensitive to the suffering that the child inflicts on himself. This does not mean that the father is not shamed, nor that he has nothing to do with the education. The father may well be the main cause of the child’s wrong choices, because he never acted with rod and reproof. Adonijah was a young man who got his own way, for his father David “had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?”“ (1Kgs 1:6).

Pro 29:16 is between two verses dealing with education. We can therefore see in this verse a description of the consequences of lack of proper education. Lax education is the main cause of social disasters. We see this in the world. Parental authority disappears, with the result that “the wicked increase”, so that “transgression increases” (cf. Hos 4:7).

The righteous suffer from that situation. They suffer by seeing lawless deeds, as Lot suffered (2Pet 2:7-8), and they suffer by what the wicked say to them and do to them. But no matter how numerous the wicked and their transgressions become, the righteous will prevail. God will cause the wicked to fall and the righteous to see their fall, rejoicing in “a God Who judges on earth!” (Psa 58:10-11; Psa 37:34).

A child who has learned to obey will give his parents rest (Pro 29:17). And not just the parents, but the entire environment. This is another encouragement for parents to discipline their children. It is about instilling obedience (Pro 19:18). This gives the parents inner comfort and outward delight in living together.

The parent who does not instill obedience in his child because discipline hurts him himself and he wants to avoid that pain will later feel the pain of negligence incessantly. Numerous sleepless nights are the result because the child has ended up in the gutter or in prison. It is a constant source of worry and anxiety. There is no comfort in the heart and no delight for the soul. We should not blame those parents harshly, but pray for them and their children.

No Vision – Keeping the Law

This verse refers to two forms of Divine revelation: a “vision” and “the law”. A vision is a message from God that He gives a prophet to pass on to His people (Hos 12:11). We find numerous examples of it in the Old Testament. The prophets Daniel, Amos and Zechariah, to name a few, had several visions. But in the days of Eli “visions were infrequent” (1Sam 3:1). That was in the days of the judges, when “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg 17:6; Jdg 21:25). The people were “unrestrained”, they had cast off the restraint of God (cf. 2Chr 15:3).

This is also the case in the once Christian Western countries in which we live. People are becoming increasingly detached from God because they reject God’s Word and are also kept from God by liberal theologians (cf. 2Chr 28:19). Depravity and violence are increasing hand over hand.

When the people as a whole are disconnected, it comes down to personal faithfulness. That is the message of the second line of verse. Although Divine revelation is missing from the prophets, it is possible to keep the law. Those who do so are praised “happy”.

When everything is in decay, God’s Word remains for the faithful individual the guide for his walk. God appreciates and rewards it when His Word is followed as a guide. Such faithful believers, who have been taught by wise men and have accepted that teaching, by their walk of life in obedience to God’s Word call unfaithful members of God’s people to return to obedience to God’s Word.

Relationship Between Employer and Employee

It is not enough to instruct a slave to be obedient by words alone (Pro 29:19). There is no perfectly obedient slave. That was only the Lord Jesus. A slave, or employee, must learn to obey because he is naturally disobedient. A disobedience must be punished not only with words, but also with other, palpable, means of discipline. We can think of being denied food for punishment or temporarily deprived of certain privileges he enjoyed.

If no palpable discipline is applied, the slave will simply go his own way. The master, or employer, can talk and command all he wants, but he does not respond. He does hear and understand what is asked, but he simply does not do it because he does not feel like it.

Teaching obedience is important in the family (Pro 29:17) and in society. One must obey the authority of parents, the employer, the government, and above all, God. Those who do not learn to obey in earthly relationships will not bow to God either, with the dramatic result of eternal judgment.

The Christian is a slave of Christ and as such must be taught obedience. In the Word of God he hears what Christ asks of him. The Christian is not always obedient to what Christ says. Then He disciplines him out of love (cf. Rev 3:19). By this He leads him to do what He has commanded.

Since Pro 29:20 is between two verses dealing with slaves, perhaps we can connect this verse primarily with them, without ruling out a broader application. One who speaks only to his slave, but receives no response (Pro 29:19), loses his patience and is “hasty in his words”. This applies to all interpersonal relations.

Those who respond out of irritation react impulsively, thoughtlessly. It is not about an incident, but about a habit. Someone who talks alone sees in it his strength, while he is blind to the fact that it is his sin. If he is not listened to, he will speak more words. He is sure of his business, does not think, does not deliberate and is uncorrectable. The warning is that we should be slow to speak (Jam 1:19; Ecc 5:1).

It is better to deal with a fool than a hasty, fast talker. There is “more hope” that something meaningful will come out of a fool than out of a hasty, fast talker. That does indicate what a hopeless case the hasty, fast talker is. He has no time to listen. A fool does lack wisdom, but sometimes he still takes the time to listen to what is being said.

As in Pro 29:19, in Pro 29:21 the fault lies with the master. Here the master’s fault is that he pampers his slave. By doing so, he makes him feel not like a slave, but a family member. One would expect the slave to thank him for that, but the opposite is true. The master “will in the end find” the slave “to be a son” has the meaning that the slave will “ultimately be ungrateful” to him, as it is translated in the Dutch translation I use. By indulging his slave, he creates certain expectations in him, perhaps that he will share in the inheritance. If that then does not happen, he will be ungrateful.

Such unfounded expectations are the result of skewed relationships. The master is responsible for this. He must ensure that the master-slave (employer-employee) relationship is properly respected. The master must tell the employee what to do. This has nothing to do with domination, but with recognizing authority relationships established by God.

Anger, Hot-Temper and Pride Against Humility

Wherever “an angry man” comes, strife stirs up (Pro 29:22). He arouses it; he provokes it by his unfounded anger. He is not just temporarily angry, but anger reigns over him. Whether he is in the family, at work or anywhere else, everywhere he is present as “an angry man”.

His attitude evokes resistance. His environment does not accept this and arguments arise. In his hot-temper he does not occasionally slip up, but he commits a succession of transgressions. Anyone who comes near him is snarled at and treated unfairly. Thus he accumulates his transgressions.

A person who is hot-tempered is subject to his emotions and lusts. He is an egoist and is out for self-preservation. For another he does not care. The inevitable result is that he “abounds in transgression”, both against his neighbor and against God.

An angry man (Pro 29:22) is also a prideful man (Pro 29:23). Anger is an attribute of God that He exercises in a perfectly just way (Jn 3:36; Rom 1:18). One who is willfully angry believes he is above others and above any criticism. In so doing, he takes the place of God. God “will bring him low”. He will certainly do so in judgment, but it is also already happening on earth. A prideful man is regularly humbled by his surroundings.

Against the angry, temperamental, haughty man is “a humble spirit”. This is not someone in just a humble attitude, but someone who is inwardly humble. With him it is not about his own honor, but the honor of God. Therefore, he is honored by God (1Sam 2:30). A person with a humble spirit obtains honor from God. That honor is that God comes to dwell with him and gives him the fullness of life with Him (Isa 57:15).

Humility is not false modesty, but recognizing that everything we are, do or get is due to the goodness of God. The humble spirit is in God’s presence.

Who Shares With a Thief Hates His Own Life

“He who is a partner with a thief” is his accomplice. He who partners with a thief “hates his own life”. Hating himself is the opposite of loving himself. He finds himself in a situation that ruins his life. When the thief and he are caught, he must testify against the thief and against himself. The judge interrogates him under oath, which he indicates by uttering the oath (Lev 5:1).

But the accomplice remains silent, because he is afraid of the thief’s vengeance and he is also afraid of being condemned by the judge. Therefore, he does not disclose, he does not testify, but tells nothing and remains silent. This makes him guilty of two sins: his helping the thief and his refusal to testify.

He who is friends with criminals can easily be tempted to join in, without bearing the main responsibility. Going along with criminals and sharing in their loot means you hate your life. You risk your life for a little distraction, excitement, possession. Then you really are acting very stupid and short-sighted.

Fear of Man or Relying on the LORD

There are two contrasts in Pro 29:25. One contrast is between one who is led by “fear of man” and “those who rely on the LORD”. The other contrast draws the consequences of the first contrast. Fear of man leads a person into “a trap” while relying on God leads to “a safe fortress”.

Fear of man means tuning your life to what other people say. People’s opinions dominate and control your life. Your behavior is determined by the environment you want to befriend. It hinders you from being yourself or speaking the truth or doing what God wants. Fear of man functions as a trap, depriving a person of all freedom to make choices independently with the Lord. The thought of what others would think determines decisions. It makes a person a prisoner of people’s opinions by controlling or limiting his actions by people he fears.

It is far better to rely on the LORD, because then you are safe, unreachable high. You are above what people think of your choice. Those who rely on God make choices that please Him. No man can change or influence that. God preserves everyone who relies on Him from the danger of people’s opinions.

The choice is between a life ruled by what others think and Who God is and what He has promised. The first is a life in bondage, a trap. The second is a life in freedom and security. Fear leads us into a trap, reliance brings us into safety and exaltation.

Fear of man led Abraham to deny his relationship with Sarah (Gen 12:11-13; Gen 20:2) and led Peter to deny his Lord (Mt 26:69-74). Paul was free from fear of man because he did not want to please men but God and because he did not want to be a slave of men but of Christ (Gal 1:10). It is one of the greatest evils for preachers to obfuscate the truth out of fear of men. It is acting out of the thought: what will people say about it, and not: what does the Lord say about it.

One form of fear of man (Pro 29:25) is seeking “the favor of a ruler” (Pro 29:26), to get his due. It can end up with that ruler emerging as a “trap”. People cannot give the right, but God can. He gives someone the right that he is entitled to. Therefore, relying on Him is far better than fearing man or seeking his favor, no matter how distinguished he may be or what resources he may have at his disposal.

To Be Unjust or Upright

This verse is the last proverb of Solomon. We can say that it is a kind of summary of all the teaching of the book. Here “the righteous” and “the wicked” are contrasted. But not only that. Here two completely different lifestyles and mindsets are presented and how they react to each other.

The righteous and the wicked abhor each other’s lifestyle. They cannot appreciate and tolerate each other. This is because of their opposite convictions. The righteous abhor “an unjust man” and the wicked abhors him “who is upright in the way”. Solomon uses the strong expression “abominable”.

There is abhorrence in both, yet there is a difference. The righteous abhor the unjust actions but not the unjust man himself, while the wicked hate the person. The wicked feel condemned by the righteous, while the other way around is not. The abhorrence of the righteous has its origin in their fellowship with God (Psa 139:21-22). The abhorrence of the wicked has its origin in himself.

There are only two kinds of people in the world since the Fall: the seed of the serpent, which is the wicked, and the seed of the woman, which is Christ and all who believe in Him, the righteous. The world can talk about “tolerance” that everything should be allowed, but at the deepest level, the world is wicked and full of hatred against the righteous.

The righteous and the wicked live in the same world and do some things exactly the same. For example, they both eat and drink to stay physically alive, they both live in houses, they both have families and friends, and they both go to work by car. But there the comparison ends, because they are driven by completely different motives and judge life and what goes with it from a completely different background. One views everything with the eyes of God, the other views it with the eyes of the devil.