Proverbs 13 Commentary
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KEY THOUGHT: Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished [Proverbs 13:11a NKJV]
Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!
Proverbs 13 NKJV
Wisdom Loves Righteousness
13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13 He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding [a]gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [b]disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21 Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 Much food is in the [c]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [d]waste.
24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [e]promptly.
25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
Footnotes
a. Proverbs 13:15 gives
b. Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
c. Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
d. Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
e. Proverbs 13:24 early
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 13 Commentary
The contrast between the upright and the wicked continues. The scripture discusses the fruit of the wisdom that the LORD bestows on the individual. You cannot make yourself wise by doing things described here, wisdom is a special gift the LORD gives.
Probably the Book of Proverbs should have come immediately after the Books of Kings. It would then be easy to show the link between the moment of Solomon’s request for wisdom, and the granting of the request.
Then it would be easier to see the wisdom in seeking Wisdom first, and seeing the rest added!
You are not wise because of the good things you do. You are wise because you have received Wisdom from above.
Therefore, the Book of Proverbs is like a PowerPoint presentation of the fruit of Wisdom.
One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. Verse 7. We can draw the thought that looks can be deceiving. The saint may appear to have nothing but their ‘nothing’ is great wealth.
One employee tells the truth and misses out on a promotion. The other one lies in his achievements and gets promoted with a pay rise. Who is richer? Verse 7 is speaking for lady Wisdom’s low-key appearance compared with lady Wickedness’ showy pretensions.
Yes, these are wise sayings, but importantly, they are laws. But laws are harmless if the lawgiver is unreliable, harmless, or inconsistently deceptive. The Creator God doesn’t go by such descriptions!
Examine the facts in your own life and that of others. Did you truly enjoy coming out first in an exam after cheating? Have you stopped to count the cost of such an activity afterwards? Haven’t you lived to regret this moment of madness as you have seen trouble after trouble because of this moment?
A person’s riches may ransom their life. Riches here may not be a reference to lady Wisdom’s endowment. It is most likely referring to the fake pretensions of lady Wickedness and the troubles that go with such a life. There isn’t such trouble with lady Wisdom’s disciples.
“Walk with the wise and become wise.” Verse 20a is stronger than it sounds. Walk with the LORD Jesus Christ and become wise. He is the Wisdom of God. There is no other way.
The chapter closes with the teaching on contentment. It is the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of Wisdom.
Lady Wickedness is associated with a lack of contentment. It is a bottomless pit. Drunkenness cannot fill it. Only the LORD can.
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