Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Pr 25.1 and following. Indeed, herebegins the third part of the book. The servants of Hezekiah, that king who did what is good and right and true… Acting with all his heart in the Law and in the commandments (2 Ch 31:20-21), have placed in mind what concerns kings: their glory (verse 2; which is not that of 2 Ch 32:24-29), their hearts (verse 3), their throne (verse 5), what is appropriate in their presence (verse 6). Most of these proverbs use poetic comparisons that help us understand and retain them. Verses 8 through 10 invite us to act with caution and discretion toward our neighbors for fear of being confused. Verses 11 to 15 deal with the words: A word about is a fruit of divine righteousness (gold) but always associated with grace (money). Even if it is a rebuke it will be priced for the ear that knows how to listen to it (verse 12).
Verse 13 reminds us of what we must be: faithful messengers. “Faithfully fulfilling the message that God has entrusted to us is not only a refreshment for those who receive it, but a satisfaction for the heart of the One who sends us. Do we think about it enough?” Honey is good, but if we wanted to make it our only food we would quickly be disgusted. Likewise natural affections: friendship, the joys of the family… are pleasant and gentle, but they must not take up too much space, otherwise they will turn to selfishness, will lead to satiety (verses 16, 27). The gospel is the good news par excellence, living water for altered souls (verse 25).
And every believer is like a channel through which this fresh water of grace can flow to water others (John 7:37-39). But beware! a little mud in a fountain is enough to make its water undrinkable. A lack of firmness before the wicked, a moment of relaxation, and this is the troubled and corrupt source as when one stirs the bottom of a clear stream with a stick (verse 26). Not to rule one’s spirit is to deliver it defenseless, like a city without ramparts, to all enemy assaults (verse 28). Impatience, resentment, jealousy, pride, doubts, covetousness… all the battalions of evil thoughts will soon have to meet there. 1 Peter 1:13 1p 1:13-16 invites us in this sense to put a belt on the loins of our understanding and to be sober, in other words to contain our imagination.
These are also Proverbs of Solomon, which the people of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed. Each part is titled: “Proverbs of Solomon.” 1:1; 10:1; 25:1. We have already explained ourselves on the appendix that we limit to vs. 23-34 of chapter 24. The chapters we are going to deal with are remarkable for the order of the subjects, for the simplicity and conciseness of the sentences. They appeal less to reflection by the richness of each maxim, as well as to individual research by the apparent disorder that we have seen in some series of previous Proverbs. Already the people of Hezekiah have probed together what they transcribe to us and have taken advantage for themselves of these new discoveries; they become the intermediaries to transmit these truths to others according to God’s willed order. They are “like a master of the house who produces from his treasure new things and old things.” (Matt. 13:52).
The glory of God is to hide one thing, and the glory of kings is to probe one thing: The glory of God is to hide. It is “the wisdom of God in mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God had preordained before the ages for our glory” (1 Cor. 2:7). When Christ descends here on earth, the glory of God, if one dares to speak like this, is to hide his glory. When the work of redemption is accomplished, God’s glory is to have Christ sit at His right hand in the hidden place of His sanctuary and hide our lives with Christ in Him. The time is yet to come when the glory of Christ will be publicly manifested. The glory of kings, to whom God has entrusted the government, is, on the contrary, to probe things, to apply themselves to know them in order to reward the good and to judge the wicked. This was Solomon’s glory from the beginning of his career.
The heavens in height, and the earth in depth, and the hearts of kings, cannot be probed: The wonders of Creation are unfathomable, but who can probe the heart of a king enriched by God in all wisdom like Solomon? But what is Solomon’s heart vis-à-vis that of the King of centuries who is Himself the Creator? Remove the slag from the silver, and a vase for the goldsmith will come out of it; remove the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be strengthened by righteousness (v. 4-5; Pr 29:14). The wicked must be removed so that the king’s throne may be strengthened in righteousness (1 Kings 2:46). This was proved by the beginning of Solomon’s reign by the judgment of Adonija, Joab and Shimhi. How much more will Christ’s reign be established on judgment and strengthened by righteousness when he removes the wicked from the land every morning (Ps. 101:8).
Golden apples encrusted (or: in baskets) with silver, this is the word said about: We see, according to the metals that represent it, what is this word said about. It is like a fruit of divine justice, gold, presented in silver which signifies the grace of God deployed in man. It brings to man, through Christ, justice and grace for the opportune moment. A golden ring and a jewel of fine gold, such is for the ear that listens, the one that wisely resumes: A docile heart is ready to listen. Even the reprehension of the wise is in his ear like a golden ring, like an ornament of divine justice of which he is enriched and which it is precious to him to wear. The freshness of the snow at the time of the harvest is the faithful messenger for those who send it: he restores the soul of his master: Faithfully fulfilling the message that God has entrusted to us is not only a refreshment for those who receive it, but a satisfaction for the heart of the One who sends us. Are we thinking about it enough?
Rarely put your foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he be satisfied with you and hate you: There is also a restraint to be observed in friendship relationships. What could be more valuable than the latter? But intimacy can lead to the temptation to take care of the details of the friend’s household. Then the latter will pass from satiety to hatred, and these precious bonds will be definitively broken. The man who gives false witness against his neighbor is a hammer and a sword and a sharp arrow: To be a false witness against someone is to possess against him all the weapons of attack, while he has nothing to defend himself. Trust in a treacherous, on the day of distress, is a broken tooth and a shaky foot. To confide in a treacherous person on the day of distress is to deprive oneself of resources, either to live or to escape calamity. This will be, in a special way, the experience of the faithful in the great tribulation (Ps. 109). He who takes off his garment on a cold day, – vinegar on the nitre, such is the one who sings songs to a mournful heart: To bring the sound of his cheerfulness to the one who is burdened with sorrow, is to strip again of his habit the one who is already invaded by the cold, it is to increase the evil by irritating it as when vinegar is poured on nitre; in a word, it is to add to the grief and pain of the unfortunate. This proves the dryness of a heart that does not know how to cry with those who cry.
If he who hates you is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for thou shalt pile burning coals on his head, and the Lord will return it to you (vv. 21-22; Rom. 12:20). Here we have the counterpart of v. 18-20: Overcoming evil with good is the character of love towards the world, in absolute contrast with the character of an enemy world vis-à-vis the believer. Instead of lying, perfidy, hardness of heart, insensitivity to the suffering of others, the Christian sees his enemy suffering and comes to his aid: It is love. In addition, he looks to remuneration: it is trust in the God he serves. He piles charcoals of fire on the head of his enemy: it is a call to the conscience of the latter and to the judgment of himself. Love not only provides for the misery of the enemy, but is interested in his soul. This maxim goes far beyond the moral limits of Israel, of man under the law. However, it is applied wonderfully in the case of Elisha, the prophet of grace, in 2 Kings 6:21-23. The north wind gives birth to showers, and indignant faces, a language that meditates in secret. This verse has been interpreted in various ways. Our version prefers the seemingly less clear meaning, but which seems to fit more with the spirit of this whole piece.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Proverbs, general references
1 Kings 5:12 Jehovah gave solomon wisdom as He had promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a covenant together. Pr 1:1 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, Ez 16:44 Behold, all those who say proverbs, will apply this proverb to you: Such mother, such daughter! John 16:25 I have told you these things in parables. The time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but when I will speak to you openly about the Father.
- Unfathomable God, His Ways and Works
Jb 11:7 Do you claim to probe God’s thoughts, to come to the perfect knowledge of the Almighty? Esa 3:11 Woe to the wicked! he will be in misfortune, for he will collect the product from his hands. Esa 40:28 Don’t you know? didn’t you learn it? It is the God of eternity, Jehovah, Who created the ends of the earth; He does not get tired, he does not tire; One cannot probe his intelligence. 1 Cor 2:16 For Who knew the lord’s mind, to teach him? But we have the thought of Christ.
- Publicsympathy for the fragility and sorrows of man
Ps 78:39 He remembered that they were only flesh, A breath that goes away and does not return. Ps 103:13 As a father has compassion for his children, Jehovah has compassion for those who fear him. Mt 26:41 Watch and pray, that you may not fall into temptation; the spirit is well disposed, but the flesh is weak. Hb 4:15 No creature is hidden before him, but everything is bare and uncovered in the eyes of the one to whom we are accountable.
- Self-sorting, the duty to
-On the spirit Pr 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than a hero, And he who is master of himself, than he who takes cities.
-On life Acts 24:25 But as Paul spoke about righteousness, temperance, and the coming judgment, Felix, frightened, said, “For the time being withdraw; when I find the opportunity, I will call you back.
-On the lusts of the flesh Rom 6:12 Let sin not reign in your mortal body, and do not obey its lusts.
-On the tongue Jc 3.2 We all flinch in several ways. If someone does not flinch in words, he is a perfect man, capable of holding his whole body in bridle.
-An essential virtue 2 Pet 1:5-7 because of this very fact, make every effort to join virtue to your faith, to virtue to science, 6 to science temperance, to temperance patience, to patience piety, 7 to piety fraternal love, to fraternal love charity.
From all the above, we note that itis worth living on the corner of a roof, that a quarrelsome woman and a house in common. This passage, already mentioned word for word above, is well in its place here to complete the subject of the traps set for the wise, the dangers that threaten him in his relations with the world, either men or women, and the things he must avoid. The good news from a distant country is fresh water for an altered soul. This sentence will easily apply to the circumstances of the Jewish Remnant of the last days, but how it also applies to our Christian circumstances! A soul who is thirsty, who has found nothing around him but a deserted, altered, waterless land is refreshed by a word from heaven. Her state disposes her to receive what comes from afar, the Gospel. The righteous one who staggers in front of the villain is a murky fountain and a corrupt spring. In contrast to the cool water of v. 25 where the soul is refreshed by the good news, here we have the righteous being influenced by the wicked and losing his moral balance in front of him, instead of standing firm after overcoming everything. It becomes, by this cowardice, a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring, object of repulsion for those who are thirsty. Eating a lot of honey is not good, and caring for one’s own glory is not glory. The thought expressed in the first half of the verse has already appeared elsewhere. It is not good to feed too much on natural ailments. However precious they may be, they have their dangers, for there are higher affections from which they could divert us: they can lead to satiety and disgust, which spiritual affections never do. Besides that, natural ailments are easily selfish. It is the same if we take care of our own glory, the privileges with which we are adorned or surrounded. To be occupied with our privileges, even spiritually, is not glory. The glory is that of the king; for us Christians, that of Christ. Nothing detaches us more from ourselves than being concerned with Him. The man who does not govern his mind is a city in ruins, without walls. This warning ties in with the previous maxim. The wise man must exercise habitual control over himself, not feed much on natural and legitimate affections, not make even his personal blessings the center of his thoughts; To do so is to indulge, like a city without walls, in the victorious assaults of the enemy. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Continuation of the proverbs on the moral life; Miscellaneous maxims (Pr 26).
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly. David Feze, Servant of the Almighty.