American Standard Version Proverbs 12

Proverbs 12:1-28
EXPOSITION
Pro_12:1
Instruction; correction, discipline, which shows a man his faults, gives him a lowly opinion of himself, and opens his mind to receive knowledge, especially the knowledge of himself and of all moral obligations. Is brutish; is as insensible to higher aspirations, to regret for the past or hope of amendment, as a brute beast (comp. Pro_30:2). On this point St. Augustine is quoted: “Quicumque corripi non vis, ex eo sane corripiendus es quia corripi non vis. Non vis enim tua tibi vitia demonstrari; non vis ut feriantur, fiatque tibi utilis dolor, quo medicum quaeras; non vis tibi tu ipse ostendi, ut cum deformem te vides, reformaturum desideres, eique supplices ne in illa remaneas foeditate” (’De Corrept. et Grat.,’ 5). Such conduct is unworthy of one who is possessed of an immortal soul and infinite capacity for progress and improvement.
Pro_12:2
A good man. The word is general, the particular virtue intended being often modified by the context. In view of the contrast in the second clause, it means here “pure,” “straightforward.” having a heart free from evil thoughts. As the psalm says, “Surely God is good to Israel, even to such as are pure in heart” (Psa_73:1). Obtaineth favour of the Lord (Pro_8:35); Septuagint, “Better is he who findeth favour from the Lord.” A man of wicked devices (Pro_14:17); one whose thoughts are perverse and artful. Will he—Jehovah—condemn; Vulgate, “He who trusts to his imaginations doeth wickedly;” Septuagint, “A man that is a sinner shall be passed over in silence (παρασιωπηθήσεται).”
Pro_12:3
A man shall not be established by wickedness. Man is metaphorically compared to a tree, especially the olive. Wickedness gives him no firm hold for growth or life (comp. Pro_10:25). The root of the righteous shall not be moved. The righteous are planted in a good soil, are “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph_3:17), and the root being thus well placed, the tree is safe, and brings forth much fruit (comp. Pro_12:12; Job_14:7-9).
Pro_12:4-12
Pro_12:4-12 contain proverbs concerning the management of a house and business.
Pro_12:4
A virtuous woman; one whose portrait is beautifully traced in Pro_31:1-31. The term is applied to Ruth (Rth_3:11). The Vulgate renders, diligens; Septuagint, ἀνδρεία. The expression means one of power either in mind or body, or both. The same idea is contained in ἀρετὴ and virtus. Such a woman is not simply loving and modest and loyal, but is a crown to her husband; is an honour to him, adorns and beautifies his life, making, as it were, a joyous festival. So St. Paul (1Th_2:19) calls his converts “a crown of glorying.” The allusion is to the crown worn by the bridegroom at his marriage, or to the garlands worn at feasts (comp. So Rth_3:11; Isa_61:10; Wis. 2:8). The Son of Sirach has much praise for the virtuous woman: “Blessed is the man that hath a good (ἀγαθῆς) wife, for the number of his days shall be double. A virtuous (ἀνδρεία) woman rejoiceth her husband, and he shall fulfil the years of his life in peace” (Ec 26:1, 2). She that maketh ashamed; “that doeth shamefully” (Pro_10:5; Pro_19:26); one who is a terrible contrast to the woman of strong character—weak, indolent, immodest, wasteful. Is as rottenness in his bones (Pro_14:30; Hab_3:16). Such a wife poisons her husband’s life, deprives him of strength and vigour; though she is made “bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh” (Gen_2:23), far from being a helpmate for him, she saps his very existence. Septuagint, “As a worm in a tree, so an evil woman destroyeth a man.” Here again Siracides has much to say, “A wicked woman abateth the courage, maketh an heavy countenance and a wounded heart: a woman that will not comfort her husband in distress maketh weak hands and feeble knees” (Ec 25:23). Thus runs a Spanish maxim (Kelly, ’Proverbs of All Nations’)—
“Him that has a good wife no evil in life
that may not be borne can befall;
Him that has a bad wife no good thing in life
that chance to, that good you may call.”
Pro_12:5
The thoughts of the righteous are right; literally, judgments; i.e. just and fair, much more then words and actions. St. Gregory (’Mor. in Job,’ lib. 25) takes another view, seeing in “judgments” the stings of conscience, and a rehearsal of the day of account. “The righteous,” he says, “approach the secret chambers of the Judge in the recesses of their own hearts; they consider how smartly he smites at last, who long patiently bears with them. They are afraid for the sins which they remember they have committed; and they punish by their tears the faults which they know they have perpetrated. They dread the searching judgments of God, even in those sins which perchance they cannot discover in themselves. And in this secret chamber of inward judgment, constrained by the sentence of their own conduct, they chasten with penitence that which they have committed through pride” (Oxford transl.). But the counsels of the wicked—which they offer to others—are deceit. The mere “thoughts” are contrasted with the mature, expressed “counsels” Septuagint, “The wicked steer (κυβερνῶσι) deceits.” (For “counsels,” see notes, Pro_1:5 and Pro_20:18.)
Pro_12:6
The words of the wicked are to lie in wait—a lying in wait—for blood (see Pro_1:11). The wicked, by their lies, slanders, false accusations, etc; endanger men’s lives, as Jezebel compassed Naboth’s death by false witness (1Ki_21:13). The mouth of the upright shall deliver them; i.e. the innocent whose blood the wicked seek. The good plead the cause of the oppressed, using their eloquence in their favour, as in the Apocryphal Story of Susannah, Daniel saved the accused woman from the slanders of the elders.
Pro_12:7
The wicked are overthrown, and are not; or, overthrow the wicked, and they shall be no more. The verb is in the infinitive, and may be rendered either way; but the notion is scarcely of an overthrow. The Vulgate has, verte impios; i.e. change them a little from their previous state, let them suffer a blow from any cause or of any degree, and they succumb, they have no power of resistance. What the stroke is, or whence it comes, is not expressed; it may be the just judgment of God—temptation, trouble, sickness—but whatever it is, they cannot withstand it as the righteous do (see Pro_11:7). Some commentators see in the phrase the idea of suddenness, “While they turn themselves round, they are no more” (Pro_10:25; Job_20:5). Septuagint, “Wheresoever the wicked turn, he is destroyed.” The house of the righteous, being founded on a secure foundation, shall stand (Mat_7:24, etc.).
Pro_12:8
According to his wisdom. A man who gives practical proof of wisdom by life and character, whose words and actions show that he is actuated by high views, is praised and acknowledged by all (see on Pro_27:21). Thus we read of David, that he behaved himself wisely, “and he was acceptable in the sight of all the people” (1Sa_18:5). The Septuagint, taking lephi differently, renders, “The mouth of the prudent is commended by men.” He that is of a perverse heart; Vulgate, “a vain and senseless man;” Septuagint, “one slow of heart (νωθροκάρδιος).” One who takes distorted views of things, judges unfairly, has no sympathy for others, shall be despised.
Pro_12:9
This verse may be translated, Better is a man who is lightly esteemed and hath a slave, than he that boasts himself and lacketh bread; i.e. the man who is thought little of by his fellows, and is lowly in his own eyes, if he have a slave to minister to his wants (which all Orientals of even moderate wealth possess), is better off than one who boasts of his rank and family, and is all the while on the verge of starvation. “Respectful mediocrity is better than boastful poverty.” Ecc_10:1-20 :27, “Better is he that laboreth and aboundeth in all things, than he that boasteth himself, and wanteth bread.” But the words rendered, hath a slave, are literally, a servant to himself. So the Vulgate has, sufficiens sibi, “sufficing himself,” and the Septuagint, δουλεύων ἑαυτῷ, “serving himself.” And the expression implies attending to his own concerns, supplying his own wants. Hence the gnome means, “It is wiser to look after one’s own business and provide for one’s own necessities, even if thereby he meets with contempt and detraction, than to be in real want, and all the time assuming the airs of a rich and prosperous man.” This latter explanation seems most suitable, as it is not at all clear that, at the time the book was written, the Israelites of moderate fortune kept slaves, and the proverb would lose its force if they did not do so. Says a mediaeval jingle—
“Nobilitas morum plus ornat quam genitorum.”
Pro_12:10
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. For “regardeth,” the Hebrew word is literally “knoweth” (Exo_23:9); he knows what animals want, what they can bear, and treats them accordingly (comp. Pro_27:23). The LXX. translates “pitieth.” The care for the lower animals, and their kind treatment, are not the produce of modern sentiment and civilization. Mosaic legislation and various expressions in Scripture recognize the duty. God’s mercies are over all his works; he saves both man and beast; he hateth nothing that he hath made (Psa_36:6; Psa_145:9; Jon_4:11; Wis. 11:24). So he enacted that the rest of the sabbath should extend to the domestic animals (Exo_20:10); that a man should help the over-burdened beast, even of his enemy (Exo_23:4, Exo_23:5); that the unequal strength of the ox and the ass should not be yoked together in the plough (Deu_22:10); that the ox should not be muzzled when he was treading out the corn (Deu_25:4): that the sitting bird should not be taken from her little brood (Deu_22:6), nor a kid seethed in its mother’s milk (Exo_23:19). Such humane injunctions were perhaps specially needed at a time when man’s life was little regarded, and animal sacrifices had a tendency to make men cruel and unfeeling, when their symbolical meaning was obscured by long familiarity. These enactments regarding animals, and the mysterious significance affixed to the blood (
Gen_9:4; Le Gen_17:10-14), afforded speaking lessons of tenderness and consideration for the inferior creatures, and a fortiori taught regard for the happiness and comfort of fellow men. Our blessed Lord has spoken of God’s ears of flowers and the lower creatures of his hand. But the tender mercies; literally, the bowels, regarded as the seat of feeling. The wicked cannot be supposed to have “tender mercies;” hence it is best to take the word in the sense of “feelings,” “affections.” What should be mercy and love are in an evil man only hard.heartedness and cruelty.
Pro_12:11
A contrast between industry and idleness, repeated at Pro_28:19. He that tilleth his land. Agriculture was the first of industries, and always highly commended among the Jews, bringing a sure return to the diligent (Pro_10:5; Pro_20:4; Pro_27:18, Pro_27:23-27; and Ec Pro_20:28). He that followeth after vain persons; rather, vain things; μάταια, Septuagint, empty, useless employments, profitless business, in contrast to active labour on the land. The Vulgate renders, qui sectatur otium, “he who studieth ease;” but the original, reikim, will not bear this meaning. Is void of understanding; he not only, as is implied, will be reduced to poverty, but shows moral weakness and depravity. The Septuagint and Vulgate here introduce a paragraph not found in our Hebrew text: “He who takes pleasure (ὅς ἐστιν ἡδύς) in carouses of wine will leave disgrace in his strongholds (ὀχυρώμασι)” (Isa_28:7, Isa_28:8; Hab_2:16). Probably this verse is derived from the following, with some corruption of the text.
Pro_12:12
Modern commentators have endeavoured to amend the text of this verse by various methods, which may be seen in Nowack’s note on the passage; but the existing reading gives an appropriate sense, and alteration is not absolutely needed, though it is plain that the LXX had before them something different from the Masoretic text. The wicked desireth the net of evil men (Ecc_7:26), that he may use the means which they take to enrich themselves; or matsod may mean, not the instrument, but the prey—”such booty as evil men capture;” or yet again, the word may mean “fortress,” i.e. the wicked seeks the protection of evil men. So the Vulgate, Desiderium impii munimentum est pessimorum, “What the wicked desire is the support of evil men,” or, it may be, “the defense of evil men,” i.e. that these may be secured from suppression and interruption. Another interpretation, which, however, seems somewhat forced, is that “the net” is a metaphor for the judgment of God, which overtakes sinners, and into which they run with such blind infatuation that they seem to “desire” it, The safest explanation is the second one given above, which signifies that the wicked man seeks by every means to obtain the prey which he sees sinners obtain, and, as is implied, gets small return for his labour, does not advance his interests. But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. The root supplies the sap and vigour needed for healthy produce. Without any evil devices or plotting, the righteous gain all that they want as the natural result of their high principles. Another hindering is, “He (the Lord) will give a root of the righteous,” will enable them to stand firm in time of trial. Septuagint, “The desires of the impious are evil; but the roots of the pious are in strongholds,” i.e. are secure.
Pro_12:13
The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips; rather, in the transgression of the lips is an evil snare (Pro_18:7). A man by speaking unadvisedly or intemperately brings trouble upon himself, involves himself in difficulties which he did not foresee. Often when he has spoken in order to injure others, the slander or the censure has redounded on himself (comp. Psa_7:15, Psa_7:16; Psa_9:16). The just; the man who does not offend with his lips, avoids these snares. The Septuagint here introduces a couplet not found in the Hebrew: “He who looketh gently (ὁ βλέπων λεῖα) shall obtain mercy; but he who frequents the gates [or, ’contends in the gates,’ συναντῶν ἐν πύλαις] will harass souls.” This seems to mean the man who is calm and considerate for others will himself be treated with pity and consideration (Mat_5:7); but he who is a gossip, or a busybody, or litigious, will be always vexing his neighbours.
Pro_12:14
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth (Pro_13:2; Pro_14:14; Pro_18:20). A man’s words are like seeds, and if they are wise and pure and kindly, they will bring forth the fruit of love and favour and respect. Christian commentaters see here a reference to the day of judgment, wherein great stress is laid on the words (Mat_12:37). Of a man’s hands. That which a man has done, his kindly actions, shall meet with full reward (comp. Isa_3:10, Isa_3:11; Mat_25:35, etc.; Rom_2:6).
Pro_12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; i.e. in his own judgment (Pro_3:7 : Pro_16:2). The second clause is best translated, as in the Revised Version, “But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel,” distrusting his own unaided judgment, which might lead him astray (Pro_13:10; Pro_14:12; Pro_16:25; Pro_21:2; comp. Ec 35:19; Tobit 4:18). Theognis, 221, etc.—
Ὅς τις τοι δοκέει τὸν πλησίον ἴδμεναι οὐδὲν
Ἀλλ αὐτὸς μοῦνος ποικίλα δήνε ἔχειν
Κεῖνός γ ἄφρων ἐστὶ νόου βεβλαμμένος ἐσθλοῦ
Ἴσως γὰρ πάντες ποικίλ ἐπιστάμεθα
“Who thinks his neighbour nothing knows,
And he alone can see,
Is but a fool, for we perhaps
Know even more than he.”
Pro_12:16
A fool’s wrath is presently (“in the day,” αὐθημερόν) known. A foolish man, if he is vexed, insulted, or slighted, has no idea of controlling himself or checking the expression of his aroused feelings; he at once, in the same day on which he has been incensed, makes his vexation known. A prudent man covereth—concealeth—shame; takes no notice of an affront at the moment, knowing that by resenting it he will only make matters worse, and that it is best to let passions cool before he tries to set the matter right (comp. Pro_20:22; Pro_24:29). Christ’s injunction goes far beyond this maxim of worldly prudence: “I say unto you that ye resist not evil;” “Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other” (Mat_5:39; Luk_6:29); and it is certain that these maxims might be carried into practice much more than they are, even in the present state of society. Septuagint, “A clever man (πανοῦργος; callidus, Vulgate) concealeth his own disgrace.” Corn. a Lapide quotes a Hebrew proverb which asserts that a man’s character is accurately discerned “by purse, by cup, by anger;” i.e. by his conduct in money transactions, under the influence of wine, and in the excitement of anger.
Pro_12:17
He that speaketh—breatheth out fearlessly (Pro_6:19)—truth showeth forth righteousness. The truth always conduces to justice and right, not only in a matter of law, but generally and in all cases. Vulgate, “He who speaks that which he knows is a discoverer of justice;” Septuagint, “A just man announces well proved assurance [or, ’the open truth’] (ἐπιδεικνυμένην πίστιν).” A false witness showeth forth deceit (Pro_14:5, Pro_14:25); exhibits his true character, which is fraud, treachery, and wrong doing.
Pro_12:18
There is that speaketh. The word implies speaking thoughtlessly, rashly; hence we may render, “a babbler,” “prater.” Such a one inflicts wounds with his senseless tattle. Like the piercings of a sword. The point of the simile is seen when we remember that the edge of the sword is called its “mouth” in the Hebrew (Gen_34:26; Exo_17:13, etc.; comp. Psa_59:7; Psa_64:3). The Greek gnome says—
Ἀλλ οὐδὲν ἕρπει ψεῦδος εἰς γῆρας χρόνου
“A sword the body wounds, a word the soul.”
Vulgate, est qui promittit, which restricts the scope of the clause to the making of vain promises (Le Pro_5:4; Num_30:7-9), continuing, et quasi gladio pungitur conscientiae, “And is pierced as it were by the sword of his conscience.” where “conscience” is added to make the meaning plain. Such a man suffers remorse if he breaks his promise, or if, like Jephthah, he keeps it. The tongue of the wise is health; it does not pierce and wound like that of the chatterer, rather it soothes and heals even when it reproves (Pro_4:22; Pro_10:11).
Pro_12:19
The lip of truth shall be established forever. Truth is consistent, invincible, enduring; and the fact belongs not only to Divine truth (Psa_117:2; Mat_24:35), but to human, in its measure. Septuagint, “True lips establish testimony,” pointing the last word ad as ed. Is but for a moment; literally, while I wink the eye (Jer_49:19; Jer_50:44). Lying never answers in the end; it is soon found out and punished (Pro_19:9; Psa_52:5). Septuagint, “But a hasty (ταχύς; repentinus, Vulgate) witness hath an unjust tongue.” One who gives his testimony without due consideration, or influenced by evil motives, readily fails into lying and injustice. With the latter half of the verse we may compare the gnome—
Ἀλλ οὐδὲν ἕρπει ψεῦδος εἰς γῆρας χρόνου.
“Unto old age no lie doth ever live.”
“A lie has no legs,” is a maxim of wide nationality; and “Truth may be blamed, but shall ne’er be shamed.”
Pro_12:20
Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil; i.e. that give evil advice; such are treacherous counsellors, and their advice can only work mischief, not joy and comfort (see on Pro_3:29). But to the counsellors of peace (health and prosperity) is joy. They who give wholesome advice diffuse joy around. Vulgate, “Joy attends them;” Septuagint, “They shall be glad;” but the original signifies rather to cause joy than to feel it.
Pro_12:21
There shall no evil—mischief—happen to the just. The mischief (aven) intended is not misfortune, calamity, but the evil consequences that follow on ill-doing (Pro_22:8); from these the righteous are saved. Our Lord goes further, and says (Mat_6:33), “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these (temporal) things shall be added unto you.” Vulgate, “Nothing that happens can make a just man sorrowful;” for he knows it is all for the best, and he looks toward another life, where all seeming anomalies will be cleared up. Septuagint, “The just man takes pleasure in naught that is unjust.”
The wicked shall be filled with mischief; rather, with evil, moral and physical (Psa_32:10). The Old Testament takes a general view of God’s moral government without regarding special anomalies.
Pro_12:22
(Comp. Pro_6:17; Pro_11:20.) They that deal truly; Septuagint, ὁ δὲ ποιῶν πίστεις, “he who acts in good faith.”
Pro_12:23
A prudent man concealeth knowledge (Pro_12:16; Pro_10:14). He is not wont to utter unadvisedly what he knows, but waits for fitting opportunity, either from humility or wise caution. Of course, in some cases reticence is sinful. The LXX; reading the passage differently, renders, “A prudent man is the seat of intelligence (θρόνος αἰσθήσεως).” The heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness (Pro_13:16; Pro_15:2). A foolish man cannot help exposing the stupid ideas that arise in his mind, which he considers wisdom. Septuagint, “The heart of fools shall meet with curses.”
Pro_12:24-28
speak of the means of getting on in life.
Pro_12:24
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule (Pro_10:4). For “diligent” the Vulgate has fortium, “the strong and active;” Septuagint, ἐκλεκτῶν, “choice.” Such men are sure to rise to the surface, and get the upper hand in a community, as the LXX. adds, “with facility,” by a natural law. But the slothful (literally, slothfulness) shall be under tribute; or, reduced to compulsory service, like the Gibeonites in Joshua’s time, and the Canaanites under Solomon (Jos_9:21, Jos_9:23; 1Ki_9:21). So Pro_11:29, “The fool shall be slave to the wise;” and an Israelite reduced to poverty might be made a servant (Le 25:39, 40). The LXX; taking the word in another sense, translates, “The crafty shall be for plunder;” i.e. they who think to succeed by fraud and trickery shall become the prey of those who are stronger than themselves.
Pro_12:25
Heaviness—care—in the heart of man maketh it stoop (Pro_15:13; Pro_17:22). Care brings dejection and despair; hence the Christian is bidden to beware of excessive anxiety, and not to perplex himself with solicitude for the future (Mat_6:1-34 :84; 1Pe_5:7). A good word maketh it glad.
Λύπην γὰρ εὔνους οἶδεν ἰᾶσθαι λόγος.
“A word of kindness grief’s keen smart can heal.”
Septuagint, “A word of terror disturbs the heart of a (righteous) man, but a good message will gladden him.” The “word of terror” may be an unjust censure, or evil tidings. Says a Servian proverb, “Give me a comrade who will weep with me; one who will laugh I can easily find.”
Pro_12:26
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour. This rendering has the authority of the Chaldee, and would signify that a good man is superior to others morally and socially, is more respected and stands higher, though his worldly position be inferior. But the clause is better translated, The just man is a guide to his neighbour, directs him in the right way; as the Syriac puts it, “gives good counsel to his friend.” Septuagint, “The righteous wise man (ἐπιγνώμων) will be a friend to himself;” Vulgate, “He who regards not loss for a friend’s sake is righteous,” which is like Christ’s word, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Joh_15:13). Hitzig, Delitzsch, and others, reading differently, translate, “A just man spieth out (or, looketh after) his pasture; i.e. he is not like the sinner, hampered and confined by the chain of evil habits and associations, but is free to follow the lead of virtue, and to go whither duty and his own best interests call him. This gives a very good sense, and makes a forcible antithesis with the succeeding clause. But the way of the wicked seduceth them; “causes them, the wicked, to err.” Far from guiding others aright, the wicked, reaping the moral consequences of their sin, drift hopelessly astray themselves. Before the last clause some manuscripts of the Septuagint add, “But the judgments of the wicked are harsh; evils shall pursue sinners” (Pro_13:21). The whole is probably a gloss.
Pro_12:27
The slothful man (literally, sloth) roasteth not that which he took in hunting. There is some doubt concerning the correct meaning of the word translated “roasteth” (חרךְ), which occurs only in the Chaldea of Dan_3:27, where it signifies “burned” or “singed,” according to the traditional rendering. It seems to be a proverbial saying, implying either that a lazy man will not take the trouble to hunt, or, if he does hunt, will not prepare the food which he has taken in the chase, or that he does not enjoy it when he has gotten it. Others render, “will not start his prey;” or “catch his prey,” Septuagint; or “secure his prey,” i.e. will not keep in his net what he has caught, but carelessly lets it escape. The Vulgate renders, “The cheat will gain no profit.” The word rendered “cheat,” fraudulentus in the Latin, and δόλιος in the Greek, is the same as that rightly translated “slothful” (Dan_3:24). But the substance of a diligent man is precious; i.e. the substance which an honest, industrious man acquires by hi.s labour is stable and of real value. This second clause, however, is variously translated, Revised Version, But the precious substance of men is to the diligent, or, is to be diligent; Delitzsch, “Diligence is a man’s precious possession;” Septuagint, “A pure man is a precious possession.” The Authorized Version is probably erroneous, and the rendering should be, as Delitzsch and Nowack take it, “But a precious possession of a man is diligence.”
Pro_12:28
In the way of righteousness is life (comp. Pro_10:2). For the promise of temporal prosperity which the Jew saw in such passages as these we substitute a better hope. And in the pathway thereof—of righteousness—there is no death. Many combine the two words thus: “no death,” i.e. immortality; but examples of such combination are not forthcoming, and the anomaly is not necessitated by the failure of the usual rendering to afford an adequate sense. The Greek and Latin versions are noteworthy. Septuagint, “The ways of the revengeful (μνησικάκων) are unto (אֶל, not אַל) death.” St. Chrysostom refers to this rendering: “He here speaks of vindictiveness; for on the spur of the moment he allows the sufferer to act in order to cheek the aggressor; but further to bear a grudge he permits not; because the act then is no longer one of passion, nor of boiling rage, but of malice premeditated. Now, God forgives those who may be carried away, perhaps upon a sense of outrage, and rush out to resent it. Hence he says, ’eye for eye;’ and yet again ’The ways of the revengeful lead to death.” Vulgate, “A devious path leads to death”—a path, that is, which turns aside from the right direction, a life and conversation which are alien from justice and piety. But both the Septuagint and the Vulgate have missed the right meaning of the words in question; derek nethibah, “pathway.” Many see in this verse a plain evidence that the writer believed in the immortality of the soul. We have reason to suppose that such was his faith, but it cannot be proved from this passage, though we may consider that he was guided to speak in terms to which later knowledge would affix a deeper interpretation (see Pro_14:32, and note there). It is Jesus Christ “who hath brought life and immortality (ἀφθαρσίαν) to light through the gospel” (2Ti_1:10). Writers in Solomon’s time could speak only darkly about this sublime and comforting hope, though later, as in the Book of Wisdom and throughout most of the Apocryphal books, it formed a common topic, and was used as a reason for patience and resignation.
HOMILETICS
Pro_12:3
The instability of wickedness
I. WICKEDNESS MAY BRING TEMPORAL PROSPERITY. It is important to observe the limitations of our subject. The Bible is not an unreasonable book; it does not ignore the patent facts of life; it does not deny that there are pleasures of sin. The very statement that “a man shall not be established by wickedness” implies that he may be lifted up, and may really enjoy prosperity for a season. Though not built up, he may be puffed up. This is to be borne in mind, lest the experience come as a delusion. All the warnings about the fatality of a sinful course are given with a frank recognition of its transient advantages. Therefore the occurrence of these advantages does not contradict the warnings.
II. WICKEDNESS DOES NOT SECURE STABLE PROSPERITY. It does not “establish.” There is no faculty for building in it. There are “tents of wickedness;” but these are frail and flimsy compared to “the house of the Lord” (Psa_84:1-12). When at its best and brightest, the product of evil is but a bubble that will burst with a touch of righteous judgment. The equilibrium is unstable. There is no foundation of truth to support the poor structure; it is not built according to the laws of righteousness; it is not guarded against the shock of adverse circumstances. The bad prosperous man has many enemies. All the course of the universe is in the long run directed against him. He has not God on his side, and at any moment the suspended hand of justice may fall upon his unsheltered head.
III. WICKEDNESS WILL NOT LEAD TO PERMANENT PROSPERITY. The pleasures of sin, at the best, do but endure for a season. The sinner lives, so to speak, “from hand to mouth.” If in this life only he had hope, the prospect would be poor; for most of the delights of wickedness are very brief, and the consequences of shame and trouble soon follow even upon earth. The harvest of a young man’s folly may be reaped by middle age. But when we consider the eternal future, the utter inability of wickedness to establish any enduring prosperity becomes clearly visible. For no one can pretend that his wicked devices extend beyond the grave; and no one can fortify himself against the pains of a future state by any successful Macchiavellianism, however cleverly devised it may be with a view to worldly security.
IV. WICKEDNESS SECURES NO PROSPERITY TO A MAN HIMSELF. “A man shall not be established by wickedness.” His business may be so established; his plans and devices may be made firm. But these things are not the man himself, and all the while they are prospering he may be tottering to ruin, like a consumptive millionaire or a paralytic winner of a lottery prize. Then the whole pursuit has ended in failure; for what is the use of the huntsman’s success in shooting the game if he cannot bring home and enjoy what he has acquired?
V. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A TRUE SECURITY. It has a root in the eternal laws of God. Though the storm tear off its “peaceable fruits,” this deep and hidden source remains. We cannot be satisfied with only wearing a “robe of righteousness.” We must have the living thing with its deep root—a growth which Christ plants (Rom_3:22).
Pro_12:10
Justice to animals
I. ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS WHICH MAY BE OUTRAGED BY INJUSTICE. We hear more of kindness to animals than of justice towards them. It seems to be assumed that they have no rights, and that all our consideration for them must spring from pure generosity, perhaps even from a superabundant condescension. The exercise of it is treated almost as a work of supererogation. These assumptions are based on an inordinate regard for our own supremacy. Man may consider himself as the lord of creation. If he may take this exalted view of himself, he cannot on that account shake off all obligations towards the dumb serfs on his estate. This natural feudalism requires protection, etc; from the aristocracy of creation, while it allows of the exaction of dues from the underlings. For we are all animals, though men are more than animals. All orders of creation are made by one God, and all sham in many common wants and feelings. The young lions are represented as crying to God for their food, and he as giving them their meat in due season. Christ tells us that God feeds the ravens—those wild birds of the mountains, while not a homely sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of our heavenly Father. It is not for us to be above giving their due to fellow creatures for whom God cares so tenderly. These animals not only make mute appeals to our compassion; they cannot be ill treated without injustice.
II. THE CHARACTER OF A MAN WILL BE REVEALED BY HIS TREATMENT OF ANIMALS.

1. Character is revealed in the treatment of the helpless. A man’s cattle are his property, and they are in his power. He is more free in his treatment of them than in his behaviour towards his fellow men. Therefore his true character will come out the more clearly when he is in his stable than when he is in his dining room.
2. The lower creatures claim consideration.
   (1) Their very inferiority gives point to this claim. Man stands to them somewhat in the position of a God. Therefore it becomes him to show the spirit of a limited Providence in his treatment of them.
   (2) Moreover, when he owns any animals, he is involved in especial responsibilities. He is their guardian, and their welfare largely depends upon him.
   (3) Further, if they render him patient service, the least that he can do is to give them all things necessary to make their lot of bondage happy to them.
   (4) Lastly, their affectionateness vastly strengthens the ties of obligation. Horses and dogs learn to love their masters, and love has its sacred claims in animals as well as in men.
3. Lack of consideration for animals is a sign of a base nature. The very sympathy of the wicked is cruelty, but this cruelty is not possible without the evil heart, of which it is the corrupt fruit. The brutal cattle drover, and the heartless horseman who lashes his weary, patient animal, do but make a public exhibition of their own low natures.
   Pro_12:17
   Truth and righteousness
   We have here a suggestion of the close connection between truth and righteousness. This connection is based on a reciprocal relation. Truthfulness is a trait of righteousness, and righteousness is advanced by truthfulness.
   I. TRUTHFULNESS IS A TRAIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. The truth here referred to is that which is most often mentioned in the Bible, viz. subjective truth, the agreement between our convictions and our utterances. We cannot attain to perfect objective truth, to the truth which consists in an agreement between our beliefs and the facts of the universe, because all men sometimes err even with the most innocent intention of finding the truth. We are liable to delusions from without, and to the influence of an unconscious bias from within. But we can all utter what we believe to be true. Now, this truth speaking is one of the most solemn and absolute obligations of righteousness.
4. The grounds of the obligation.
   (1) We recognize the awful duty of truthfulness in our conscience.
   (2) The Teutonic conscience is supposed to respond to this duty more readily than the Oriental conscience. Yet it is clearly and firmly insisted on in the Bible.
   (3) It is most evident in the transparent life of Christ, who is a true Witness to the truth (Joh_18:37).
   (4) All social arrangements presuppose truthfulness; without it society becomes a confusion. Truth cements the social fabric; lying dissolves it. A city of universal liars would be an inferno of mutual distrust, suspicion, and necessary isolation.
5. The bearing of the obligation.
   (1) On small things. Slight inaccuracies of speech may seem to be of no importance; but they open the door for more gross forms of deceit, by generating a habit of indifference to truth. Apart from this tendency, the least untruth is treason against the royal supremacy of truth.
   (2) In difficult cases. When we are severely tried, it is hard to speak the truth. Yet it is just then that truthfulness becomes a positive quality. Under such circumstances only a character that is morally sound will stand the strain. Indeed, it needs the grace of Christ to keep true in word and deed under all provocations to easier paths.
   II. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS ADVANCED BY TRUTHFULNESS.
6. In the individual. Untruthfulness is certain to issue in a lower moral tone all round. We cannot abandon one of the guardian towers of the soul without risking the whole citadel. The liar is not only a person who uses false language. His cowardly habit eats into the very heart of virtue and rots the moral fibre of his soul. On the other hand, there is no more bracing moral tonic than a loyal and reverent regard for truth. The true man is likely to be honest, just, and pure in all respects.
7. In the world. Truth always makes for righteousness. No greater blunder was ever made than the supposition that “pious frauds” could be used for advancing the cause of Christianity. Any temporary gain that could be produced in this way must be unsound from the first, and the ultimate issue is certain to be moral indifference and unbelief. Some truths are unpleasant, some ugly, some seemingly hurtful. Yet, in the end, truth makes for soul health. Above all, is not he who is “the Truth” also the great Source of the world’s righteousness?
   Pro_12:23
   Concealing knowledge
   I. KNOWLEDGE MUST FIRST BE POSSESSED. We cannot hide what we do not hold. The idea of secreting knowledge suggests the owning a large amount of it, or at least of knowledge of some value. The tradesman who puts all his wares in the window is not the proprietor of a large stock. It cannot be a superficial mind which conceals much knowledge. Such an action suggests a granary of truth, a storehouse of ideas, a territory rich in minerals that lie far below the surface.
   II. KNOWLEDGE MUST THEN BE PRIZED. Men may hide things from various motives—from shame as much as from love, because the things are bad quite as much as on account of any value set upon them. Thus the criminal tries to hide the evidences of his crime—buries his victim in a wood, or flings the telltale knife into a pond. But it is not with this ugly knowledge, which a man would only too gladly banish from his own mind, that we are now concerned. There are choice secrets, rare attainments, and much-valued stores of information. Such knowledge may well be kept for its own sake.
   III. KNOWLEDGE SHOULD NEVER BE DISPLAYED. The vanity which would make a show of knowledge is one of the weakest traits of humanity. It is usually a sign that but little is really known. A great pretence is made by the aid of a mere smattering of information cleverly arranged, like the scenery on a small stage adjusted to suggest a long vista. Such a parade of learning springs from more love of admiration than love of truth. The loyal seeker after truth will have little thought of “making an effect” by the exhibition of his mental properties. He will prize his possessions on their own account, though no one else may be aware of their existence.
   IV. KNOWLEDGE MAY SOMETIMES BE ABUSED. We may know damaging facts about a neighbour, and then charity will urge us to hide our knowledge. The feverish passion for gossiping tears the cloak of common decency which should cover the knowledge of what is bad. It is shocking that details of crime and vice are made familiar to millions by the blare of the newspaper trumpet. But, further, the knowledge of good things may sometimes be abused. The revelation may be premature; God did not send forth his Son till “the fulness of the times.” Truth may be misapprehended. The most sacred things may be degraded by irreverent handling.
   V. KNOWLEDGE IS TO BE USED. We do not have it as a hidden jewel to be laid by in a secret place and forgotten. Though buried in the soul and little talked about, it is a living thing, like a seed in the soil. It is given us that it may influence our lives and become a vital part of our souls.
   VI. KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE WISELY IMPARTED. We have no right to keep to ourselves any knowledge that would be helpful to our brethren. Concealment must never go so far as to hide from others the good news of God. The gospel is for the world. All Divine truth is for all honest inquirers. “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
   Pro_12:25
   Depression
   This proverb shows us depression of soul in its own distress and gloom, and then gives a hint of the way in which it may be remedied.
   I. THE STATE OF DEPRESSION. The heart is bowed down with heaviness. This is very different from external adversity and from the natural feelings that are produced by such a condition. It may be quite independent of circumstances. The buoyant soul will face great ca]amities with comparative cheerfulness, while the heavy heart is depressed among sight of unbroken prosperity.
8. Depression is caused by personal conditions. Not being the reflection of circumstance, it must be the expression of internal experience. Frequently it is a result of a man’s bodily state, a merely nervous disorder or a consequence of deranged health. We look for religious remedies when the true cure is in the hands of the physician. But it may be that melancholy thoughts have depressed the soul. Then the gloom within is projected on to the world without, and the sunnier scenes are overclouded.
9. Depression is a deplorable state of mind. It is a source of deep distress to the sufferer. It spreads an atmosphere of gloom among others. It checks enterprise by paralyzing hope. If the joy of the Lord is our strength, sorrow of soul must be a source of weakness. Depressed Christian people discredit the name of religion by making it appear unattractive to the world. Gratitude is scarcely compatible with depression, and the soul that has given way to this deplorable experience is not likely to sing the praises of God. Thus depression tends to check worship. On the other hand, it reveals the soul’s great need of God, who in his long suffering compassion has pity on his distressed children. “He knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.”
   II. THE CURE OF DEPRESSION. When it is due to physical causes, physical remedies may be needed. In many cases, change of scene and brighter circumstances may help to remove it. But there are also social and moral remedies, among which not the least valuable is a wise expression of brotherly kindness. Pure condolence may do more harm than good by aggravating the painful symptoms, and yet “a good word maketh” the heart “glad.”
10. The utterance of the word may be helpful. Isolation and silence are depressing. “It is not good for man to be alone.” The heavy heart seeks solitude, and uncongenial society cannot be helpful. But sympathetic society’s healing, even though it be admitted with reluctance. Christ founded a Church. He sought to cheer his people amid the various scenes of their heaven ward pilgrimage by means of Christian companionship.
11. The contents of the word should be helpful. We may not do much good by moralizing. Though advice for the depressed is easy to find, it is not often acceptable. But words of affection are wonderfully healing. Cheerful thoughts should help the depressed.
12. It is our duty to relieve the depressed. To blame, to shun, or to patronize are all no-Christlike methods. But the Christian should endeavour to make the world brighter by his presence. Above all, if it is possible to lead the depressed to hope in God, the surest method of cure is within our reach.
    Pro_12:28
    Righteousness and life
    I. THE ASSOCIATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND LIFE. It is something to have two such great ideas brought into close juxtaposition. Their very proximity is a revelation. They mutually illumine one another. We know more of righteousness when we see its bearing on life, and we have a better understanding of life when we recognize its dependence on righteousness. There is thus a relationship of ideas to be recognized here over and above the separate forms of the ideas themselves. The limitation of the subject is also instructive. We do not see to what else righteousness may be related. It may or it may not bring happiness, wealth, and success. What it is related to is distinct from all these ends, and greater than any of them—viz. life.
    II. THE FORM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT IS CONNECTED WITH LIFE. This is the path of righteousness. It is not righteousness regarded as an abstract idea, or viewed only as a law. It is not an external garment of righteousness, nor an internal principle of righteousness. It does not consist in one or more isolated deeds of righteousness. On the contrary, what is here presented to us is a view of a continuous course of righteous action. It may not be the highest path of holiness, but it is at least a right path. The traveller may stumble upon it, loiter by the way, even forget himself at times, and sleep. Yet, on the whole, this is the course he pursues. He is trying to do the right thing in his daily experience.
    III. THE INFLUENCE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS UPON LIFE. The path is life.
13. It is the path of a living soul. No one can continuously pursue a right course unless he has the spiritual life in him. Dead souls may be galvanized into momentary spasms of goodness by an electrifying example or the shock of a great authority. But the path of righteousness can only be trodden by those who have within them the soul energy to follow it.
14. It is the path that quickens life. It is not like the deadly tracts of sin, those ways of wickedness that head down into the fatal swamps of soul death. This path runs over bracing mountain heights.
15. It is the path that leads to life. There is a fuller life beyond, not yet reached; and righteousness is the way to it. Every attainment in holiness is accompanied by a deepening of the soul life. The way of God leads to eternal life. The gospel of Christ does not set aside this Old Testament principle, but it gives the new righteousness of a new life.
    IV. THE FATAL RESULT OF LEAVING RIGHTEOUSNESS. “A devious way leadeth to death.”
16. The way of evil is devious. It is not only an alternative; it is a departure from the normal course. He who is in it is where he ought not to be. Then this way is no direct high road; it is a wandering bypath.
17. The deviousness of the way is fatal to the traveller upon it. The higher way is made for the good purpose of leading to She city of life. The devious way is not purposely made; it is a lawless beaten track, which runs out into the wilderness. It must be dangerous to follow such a course. To pursue it to the end is to court soul destruction.
    HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON
    Pro_12:1-3
    Primary truths
    I. THE WISDOM OF SUBMISSION, THE FOLLY OF RESISTANCE, TO REPROOF. As self-knowledge is the most precious and indispensable, and as it comes to us by chastisement, i.e. by disappointment, humiliation, pain of various kinds,—to welcome correction, to be willing and anxious to know our faults, is the mark of true wisdom. To fret at reproof, to be angry with the counsellor, to hate the revealing light, is the worst folly and stupidity.
    II. THE FAVOUR AND THE DISFAVOUR OF GOD ARE DISCRIMINATING. The good reap his good will; the crafty and malicious are exposed to his condemnation.
    III. MORAL STABILITY AND INSTABILITY. Wickedness gives no firm foundation. The bad man is insecure, as a tottering wall or a leaning fence. The good man is like the oak, firmly and widely rooted, which may defy a thousand blasts and storms.—J.
    Pro_12:4-11
    Blessings and miseries of domestic life
    I. ELEMENTS OF HAPPINESS IN THE HOME.
18. The virtuous wife. (Pro_12:4.) The word is literally “a woman of power,” and the idea of force lies in the word and the idea of virtue. Her moral force and influence makes itself felt in all the life of the household (Pro_31:10; Rth_3:11). She is her husband’s “crown of rejoicing”, his glory and pride.
    “A thousand decencies do daily flow
    From all her thoughts and actions.”
19. Noble thoughts and words. (Pro_12:5.) This expression includes, of course, noble words and deeds, and implies all that we speak of as high principles. And these are the very foundations and columns of the home. But expressly also the straightforward speech of the good man is named. (Pro_12:6.) There is “deliverance” in the mouth of the righteous; men may build upon his word, which is as good as his bond.
20. Hence, stability belongs to the house of the good man. (Pro_12:7.) If we trace the rise of great families who have become famous in the annals of their country, the lesson is on the whole brought home to us that it is integrity, the true qualities of manhood, which formed the foundation of their greatness. On a smaller scale, the history of village households may bring to light the same truth. There are names in every neighbourhood known as synonyms of integrity from father to son through generations.
21. Prudence is an indispensable element in character and reputation. But let us give the proper extension to the idea of prudence which it has in this book. It is the wide view of life—the mind “looking before and after,” the contemplation of all things in their long issues, their bearings upon God, destiny, and eternity. The prudence which often passes by that name may be no prudence in this higher souse.
22. Self-help. (Pro_12:9.) To be “king of two hands,” and bear one’s part in every useful toil and art, to be a true “working man,” is the only honourable and true way of living. “Trust in thyself;” every heart vibrates to that iron string. “Heaven helps those who help themselves.” Proverbs unite with experience to bid us lean upon the energies God has placed in brain and hand and tongue. He is never helpless who knows the secret of that self-reliance which is one with trust in God.
23. Mercifulness. (Verse 10.) The good man “knows the soul of his beast;” enters into their feeling pains, and needs, and feeds them well. The Law of Moses is noted for its kindness to animals. And in the East generally there is a deep sense that animals are not only the slaves of man, but the creatures of God. A person’s behaviour to dumb creatures is, like behaviour to women end children, a significant part of character.
24. Industry and diligence. (Verse 11.) The picture of the hard-working farmer or peasant rises to the mind’s eye. Enough bread, competence, is ever conditioned by industry. Times may go hard with the farmer, but the evil that is foreseen and fought against by extra diligence is no evil when it comes; and how seldom are the truly industrious known to want, even in the most unfavourable seasons! This is a bright picture of domestic soundness, happiness, and prosperity. Let us contrast it with—
    II. ELEMENTS OF MISERY IN THE HOME.
25. The vicious wife. Like a canker in her husband’s bones. The slothful, or drunken, or extravagant, or frivolous wife is the centre of all evil in the house; she is like a stagnant pool in a weed grown garden. One may tell in many cases by the mere aspect of the house whether there be a good wife and mother dwelling there or not.
26. Unprincipled habits. (Verse 5.) Where the speech is impure, where there is mutual reserve and concealment, conspiracy and counter-conspiracy going on, neither truth nor love, how can a home be otherwise than cursed?
27. Fierce spite. (Verse 6.) All spite is murderous, and if it does not issue in the last extreme of violence, at least it lacerates the heart, burns, and is self-consuming. When taunts, recriminations, answering again, fill the air of a house, the very idea of the family and its peace must vanish.
28. Dissolution and break up. There are homes that go to pieces, names that sink into obscurity, families that die out; and a moral lesson may here too be often inferred.
29. Moral perversity is at the root of these evils (verse 8). There is a twist in the affections, a guilty misdirection of the will. Contempt in others’ minds reflects the moral basis, and prophesies its miserable end.
30. Idle vanity and pride, again, contrasted with that habit of honest self-help which is free from false shame, is another of the tokens that things are not going well. To be above one’s situation, to shun humble employment, to stand upon one’s dignity,—these are sure enough marks of want of moral power, and so of true stability.
31. Cruelty, again, to inferiors or to dumb creatures marks the corrupt heart. Even the comparative tenderness of the bad man is a spurious thing, for there is no real kindness from a heart without love.
32. The frivolous pursuit of pleasure, again, the “chase after vanity,” opposed to steady industry, is one of the unfailing accompaniments of folly and conducements to failure, poverty, and misery.
    LESSONS.
33. The indications of a sound state of things in the household, or the reverse, are numerous and manifold, but all connected together. Partial symptoms may point to widespread and deeply seated evil.
34. At bottom the one condition of happiness is the fear of God and the love of one’s neighbour; and the cause of misery is a void of both.—J.
    Pro_12:12-22
    Virtues and vices in civil life
    I. SOME VICES OF SOCIETY.
35. Envious greed. (Pro_12:12.) The wicked desires the “takings” of the evil. It is a general description of greedy strife and competition, one man trying to forestall another in the bargain, or to profit at the expense of his loss; a mutually destructive process, a grinding of egoistic passions against one another, so that there can be no mutual confidence nor peace (Isa_48:22; Isa_57:21). The hard selfishness of business life, which may be worse than war, which elicits generosity and self-denial.
36. Tricks eye speech. (Pro_12:13.) How much of this there is, in subtler forms than those of ancient life, in our day! Exaggerations of value, suppression of faults in articles of commerce, lying advertisements, coloured descriptions, etc.,—all these are snares, distinct breaches of the moral law; and were they not compensated by truth and honesty in other directions, society must crumble.
37. Conceit of shrewdness (Pro_12:14) is a common mark of dishonest men. This may seem right in their own eyes, no matter what a correct moral judgment may have to say about it. There may lurk a profound immorality beneath the constant phrase, “It pays!” Want of principle never does pay, in God’s sense. The seeming success on which such men pride themselves is not real. They laugh at the preacher, but expose themselves to a more profound derision.
38. Passion and impetuosity. (Pro_12:16.) The temper unfits for social intercourse and business. Flaming out at the first provocation, it shows an absence of reflection and self-control. How many unhappy wounds have been inflicted, either in word or deed; how many opportunities lost, friendships broken, through mere temper!
39. Lying and deceit. (Pro_12:17.) The teaching of the book harps upon this string again and again. For does not all evil reduce itself to a lie in its essence? And is not deceit or treachery in some form the real canker in a decaying society, the last cause of all calamity? “We are betrayed!” was the constant exclamation of the French soldiers during the last war, upon the occurrence of a defeat. But it is self-betrayal that is the most dangerous.
40. Foulness or violence of speech. (Pro_12:18.) The speech of the fool is compared to the thrusts of a sword. Not only all abusive and violent language, but all that is wanting in tact, imagination of others’ situation, is condemned.
41. Designing craft. (Pro_12:20.) The wicked heart is a constant forge of mischief. And yet, after this catalogue of social ills, these moral diseases that prey upon the body of society and the state, let us be comforted in the recollection
    (1) that all evil is transient (Pro_12:19); and
    (2) that its just and appropriate punishment is inevitable.
    The first and last of frauds with the wicked is that he has cheated himself and laid a train of malicious devices which will take effect upon his own soul certainly, whoever else may escape.
    II. SOCIAL VIRTUES.
42. They are the condition of security to the practiser of them. The root of the righteous is firmly fixed (Pro_12:12). In time of distress he finds resources and means of escape (Pro_12:13).
43. They yield him a revenue of blessing. He reaps the good fruit of his wise counsels and pure speech. They come back to him in echoes—the words of truth he has spoken to others (Pro_13:2; Pro_18:20). And so too with his good actions. They come back with blessing to him who sent them forth with a prayer (Pro_12:14). Spiritual investments bring certain if slow returns.
44. Some characteristics of virtue and wisdom enumerated.
    (1) It is the part of wisdom to listen to all proffered advice, from any quarter, to discriminate and select that which is good, and then follow it (Pro_12:15). In critical times we ought, indeed, to find ourselves our own best counsellors, in the privacy of prayer, in communion with the Divine Spirit. But it is ever well to consult friends. Conversation with such wonderfully helps us to clear our own perceptions, resolve our own doubts, confirm our own right decisions.
    (2) It is the part of prudence to ignore affronts (Pro_12:16), instead of hastily resenting them like the fool. A good illustration may be taken from Saul, as showing the contrast in the same person of wisdom and folly in this matter (1Sa_10:27 and 1Sa_20:30-33). In the heathen world, Socrates was a noble example of patience under injuries. He taught his disciples that the man who offered an unjust affront really more injured himself than him who received it; and that if the insulted person resented it, he did but place himself on a level with the aggressor. Either you have deserved the affront or you have not. If you have, submit to it as a chastisement; if you have not, content yourself with the testimony of your conscience. But above all, the example of our Saviour is the example for us, “who when he was reviled, reviled not again, but submitted himself to him that judgeth righteously.” His whole behaviour at his trial should make a deeper impression upon us than a thousand arguments.
45. Truthful speech is one of the most eminent signs of virtue and godliness How constantly is this emphasized!
    (1) Truthful and right speech can only proceed from the truthful mind. “He who breathes truth,” says Pro_12:17, “utters right.” We must make truth the atmosphere of our being, our very life itself, as in ancient thought the breath is identified with the life.
    (2) Truthful and wise speech is also known by its effects (Pro_12:18). It heals, it brings salvation—correction to error, comfort to the wounded heart. Compare the picture of our Lord in the synagogue at Nazareth, and the words he quotes from Isaiah as expressive of the purport of his ministry (Luk_4:16, etc.).
    (3) It is valid, abiding, permanent in value (verse 19). Much in our knowledge is subject to the laws of change and growth. We grow out of the old and into the new. But the simple sentiments of piety and duty common to all good men are capable of no change, no decay. Of them all the good man will ever say, “So was it when I was a boy; so is it now I am a man; so let it be when I grow old!”
46. Joy, peace, and eternal safety are the portion of the wise and just (verses 20, 21). Joy in the heart, peace in the home and amongst neighbours, safety here and hereafter. Translated into the language of the gospel, “Glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life!” (Rom_2:7). For in one word, he enjoys the favour of his God, and this contains all things (verse 22). – J.
    Pro_12:23
    Experimental truths: 1. Prudent reserve and foolish babbling
    I. PRUDENCE HAS REGARD TO TIME, PLACE, AND PERSONS; FOLLY HAS NONE.
    II. PRUDENCE KNOWS THAT THERE IS A TIME FOR SILENCE; THE FOOL WILL STILL BE TALKING. A quiet tongue shows a sound head.
    III. ANXIETY TO MAKE KNOWN OUR OPINIONS MAY BE BUT ANXIETY TO EXALT OURSELVES. Great talkers are great nuisances. The ambitious aim to shine cannot be hidden. The fool talks as if he were ambitious to be known for a fool.
    IV. SILENCE IS ALWAYS SEASONABLE IN REFERENCE TO SUBJECTS WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Were this rule observed, conversation would be generally more entertaining and more profitable. At the same time, a great many pulpits would be emptied, and publishers and printers would have a sorry time of it. Let us confess that there is a great deal of the fool in every one of us.—J.
    Pro_12:24
47. The promotion of the diligent and the subjection of the slothful
    I. THE DILIGENT RISE IN LIFE. This is too obvious to need insisting upon. But often, when wonder is expressed at the rise of ordinary men, this solution may be recurred to. As a rule, it is not the greatest wits who fill the high places of the realm, but the greatest workers.
    II. HE ONLY IS FIT TO GOVERN WHO HAS BEEN WILLING TO SERVE. For in truth the spirit of the true servant and that of the true ruler are alike in principle; it is respect for law, for right beyond and above self-will and self-interest, which animates both. If this has been proved in the trials of an inferior situation, its genuineness has been discovered, and it becomes a title to promotion. Abraham’s servant (
    Gen_24:2, Gen_24:10) and Joseph (Gen_39:4, Gen_39:22) are illustrations from patriarchal life.
    III. THE SLOTHFUL DECAY. This too is obvious. But perhaps we often fail to fix the stigma of sloth in the right place. Many busy, energetic, fussy people miscarry because their activity is ill-placed. To neglect one’s proper vocation anal work is idleness, no matter what may be the uncalled for activity in other directions.—J.
    Pro_12:25
48. Depression and comfort
    I. DEPRESSION IS COMMON.
    II. TROUBLE AFFECTS THE HEART. When we use the word “discouragement” we point to a state that is both bodily and psychical. The action of the heart is lowered, and there is less energy to act and to endure.
    III. THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF SYMPATHY. The kindly word, and all that it expresses of love and fellow feeling on the part of our friend, quickens the pulse, and restores, as by magic, the tone of the mind.—J.
    Pro_12:26
49. Good guidance and misleading counsels
    The true translation seems to be, “The righteous directs his friend aright: but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”
    I. WE ARE ALL SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE INFLUENCES OF THOSE ABOUT US. This is true even of the strongest minds; how much more of the feebler!
    II. WE ARE ALWAYS SAFE IN THE COMPANY OF MEN OF RECTITUDE. The character of the man, not his mere opinions, is the force that goes forth from him to enlighten and guide.
    III. WE ARE NEVER SAFE IN THE COMPANY OF UNPRINCIPLED PERSONS; no matter how correct their conversation or unexceptionable their expressed opinions.—J.
    Pro_12:27
50. Laxity and industry
    I. LAXITY GOES EMPTY HANDED. The proverb seems to call up the image of a hunter who is too lazy to pursue the game.
    II. INDUSTRY IS ITSELF A CAPITAL. Toil is as good as treasure; such seems to the force of the proverb. And we may be reminded of the parable of the farmer who indicated to his sons the treasure in the field; their persevering toil in digging led to their enrichment.—J.
    Pro_12:28
51. The straight road and the bypath
    I. RECTITUDE MAY BE COMPARED TO A STRAIGHT ROAD. It has a definite beginning, a clearly marked course, a happy termination.
    II. ALL IMMORALITY AND IRRELIGION MAY BE COMPARED TO BYPATHS. See Bunyan’s Bypath Meadow in ’Pilgrim’s Progress.’
    III. LIFE AND DEATH ARE THE TWO GREAT TERMINI. All the more impressive because we know not what they contain of blissful or of dread meaning: “Behold, I set before you life and death!” is the constant cry of wisdom, of every true teacher, of the unchanging gospel.—J.
    HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
    Pro_12:1, Pro_12:15
    The downward and the upward paths
    Whether we are daily ascending or descending depends very much on whether we are ready or are refusing to learn The man of open mind is he who moves up, but the man whose soul is shut against the light is he who is going down.
    I. THE DOWNWARD PATH. We strike one point in this path when we come to:
52. The forming of a false estimate of ourself. When “our way is right in our own eyes” (Pro_12:15), and that way is the wrong one, we are certainly in the road that dips downward. The wise who love us truly are grieved when they see us imagining ourselves to be humble when we are proud of heart, generous when we are selfish, spiritual when we are worldly minded, sons of God when we are children of darkness; they know well and sorrow much that we are in a bad way, in the downward road.
53. The consequent refusal to receive instruction. The man who thinks himself right is one who will oppose himself to all those who, and to all things which, approach him to instruct and to correct. He takes up a constant attitude of rejection. Whenever God speaks to him by any one of his many agents and influences, he is resolutely and persistently deaf.
54. The consequent sinking into a lower state; he becomes “brutish.” A man who never admits correcting and purifying thoughts into his mind is sure to decline morally and spiritually. If our soul is not fed with truth, and is not cleansed with the purifying streams of Divine wisdom, it is certain to recede in worth; it will partake more and more of earthly elements. The finer, the nobler, the more elevating and enlarging elements of character will be absent or will grow weaker; the man will sink; he will become brutish.
    II. THE UPWARD PATH. This is, naturally and necessarily, the reverse of the other. It is that wherein:
55. We form a true estimate of ourselves.
56. We open our minds to welcome wisdom from all quarters. We. hearken “unto counsel,” i.e. to the words of those who are wiser than ourselves. And it may be that some who have much less learning, or experience, or intellectual capacity than we can claim are in a position to advise us concerning the way of life. It may be even “the little child” who will “lead” us into the circle of truth, into the kingdom of God. And not only unto “counsel” shall we hearken; we shall give heed, if we are wise, to the suggestions of nature, to the teaching of events, to the promptings of the Divine Spirit. We shall be always ready and even eager to learn and willing to apply.
57. We attain to a higher and deeper wisdom. “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge.” In the upward way which he of the humble heart and open mind is travelling there grow the rich fruits of heavenly wisdom. The higher we ascend, the more of these shall we see and gather. To love counsel is to love knowledge; it is to love truth; it is to become the friend and disciple and depository of wisdom. There is a knowledge which is very precious that may be had of all men; it is found on the plain where all feet can tread. There is also a knowledge which dwells upon the hills; only the traveller can reach this and partake of it; and the path which climbs this height is the path of humility and heedfulness; it is taken only by those who are conscious of their own defect, and who are eager to learn all the lessons which the Divine teacher is seeking to impart.—C.
    Pro_12:3, Pro_12:12
    Strength and fruitfulness
    Concerning the righteous man two things are here affirmed.
    I. IN HIM IS STRENGTH. “The root of the righteous shall never be moved.” The strong wind comes and blows down the tree which has not struck its roots far into the foil; it tears it up by the roots and stretches it prone upon the ground. It has no strength to stand because its root is easily moved. The righteous man is a tree of another kind; his root shall never be moved; he will stand against the storm. But he must be a man who deserves to be called and considered “righteous” because he is such in deed and in truth; for they are many who pass for such of whom no such affirmation as this can be made. The man of whom the text speaks:
58. Is well rooted. He is rooted
    (1) in Divine truth, and not merely in human speculation;
    (2) in deep conviction, and not merely in indolent acceptance of inherited belief, or in strong but evanescent emotion;
    (3) in the fixed habit of the soul and of the life, and not merely in occasional, spasmodic outbursts.
59. Is immovable. There may come against him the strong winds of bodily indulgence, or of pure affection, or of intellectual struggle and perplexity, or of worldly pressure; but they do not avail; he is immovable; his roots only strike deeper and spread further in the ground. He “stands fast in the Lord;” he is a conqueror through Christ who loves him. For:
60. He is upheld by Divine power. While his own spiritual condition and his moral habits have much to do with his steadfastness, he will be the first to say that God is “upholding him in his integrity, and setting him before his face.”
    II. IN HIM IS FRUITLESSNESS. “The root of the righteous yieldeth fruit” (Pro_12:12). The ungodly man cannot be said to bear fruit, for the product of his soul and of his life does not deserve that fair name.
61. The forms of godly fruitfulness are these:
    (1) all excellency of spirit;
    (2) all beauty and worthiness of life, the presence of that which is pleasing in the sight of God and admirable in the sight of man;
    (3) all earnest endeavour to do good, the patient, persevering effort to instil the thoughts of Christ into the minds of men, to awaken their slumbering consciences, to lift up their lives, to ennoble their character, to enlarge their destiny.
62. The source and the security of such fruitfulness are:
    (1) Union with the living Vine.
    (2) Abiding in him (Joh_15:1-8).
    (3) The wise and kind discipline of the Divine Husbandman (Joh_15:2; Heb_12:10, Heb_12:11).—C.
    Pro_12:5
    Right (just) thoughts
    “The thoughts of the righteous are right,” or are “just” (Revised Version). There is something more than a truism in these words. We may see first—
    I. THE PLACE OF THOUGHT IN MAN. This is one of the greatest importance, for it is the deepest of all; it is at the very foundation.
63. Conduct rests on character. It is often said that conduct is the greater part of life; it is certainly that part which is most conspicuous, and therefore most influential. But it is superficial; it rests on character; it depends on the principles which are within the soul. It is these which determine a man’s position in the kingdom of God.
64. Character is determined by our prevalent and established feeling; by what we have learned to love, by what we have come to hate. As a man thinketh in his heart, as he feels in his soul, so is he; it is our final and fixed attachments and repulsions that decide our character.
65. Feeling springs from thought. As we think, we feel. By the thoughts admitted to our minds and entertained there are determined our loves and our hatreds. Life, therefore, is ultimately built on thought. What are we thinking?—this is the vital question. Now, the thoughts of the righteous, the upright, the good, the true man, are right, or just.
    II. THE JUST THOUGHTS OF THE GOOD. A good man’s thoughts are such as are:
66. Just to himself. He owes it to himself to thick only those thoughts which are pure and true. If he harbours those which are impure and untrue, he is doing himself deadly injury, he is inflicting on his spirit, on himself, a fatal wound. This he has no right to do; he is bound, in justice to himself, to guard the gate of his mind against these—to admit only those which are true and pure.
67. Just to his neighbours. He owes it to them to think thoughts that are honest and charitable. We wrong our brethren, in truth and fact if not in appearance, when we think of them that which is not fair toward them. Every really righteous man will therefore banish thoughts which are not thoroughly honest, and also those which are uncharitable; for to be uncharitable is to be essentially and most materially unjust.
68. Just to God. We owe to our Divine Creator and Redeemer all thoughts which are
    (1) reverent, leading us to piety and devotion;
    (2) grateful, leading us to thankful praise;
    (3) submissive, leading us to the one decisive, all-inclusive act of self-surrender, and to daily and hourly obedience to his holy will;
    (4) trustful, leading us to a calm assurance that all is well with us, and that the darkness or the twilight will pass into the perfect day.—C.
    Pro_12:9
    Consideration or comfort?
    It is worth remarking that we might obtain a very wholesome truth from the text, if we take the exact reverse of the proverb as worded in our version; for then we reach the wise conclusion—
    I. THAT SELF-RESPECT, HOWEVER INDIGENT, is better than “being ministered unto” at the cost of reputation. It is better to lack bread, or even life itself, really honoring ourself, than it is to receive any amount of service from others, if we have forfeited the regard of the good, and are deservedly “despised.” But taking the words as they are, and reaching the sense intended by the writer, we gather—
    II. THAT DOMESTIC COMFORT AND SUFFICIENCY ARE MUCH TO BE PREFERRED TO THE GRATIFICATION OF PERSONAL VANITY. One man, in order that he may have consideration and deference from his neighbours, expends his resources on those outward appearances which will command that gratification; to do this he has to deny himself the attendance which he would like to have, and even the nourishment he needs. Another man disregards altogether the slights he may suffer from his meddlesome and intrusive neighbours, in order to supply his home with the food and the comforts which will benefit his family. It is the latter who is the wise man. For:
69. The gratification of vanity is a very paltry satisfaction; there is nothing honourable, but rather ignoble about it; it lowers rather than raises a man in the sight of wisdom.
70. The gratification thus gained is likely to prove very ephemeral, and to diminish constantly in its value; moreover, it is personal and, in that sense, selfish.
71. Domestic comfort is a daily advantage, lasting the whole year round, the whole life long.
72. Domestic comfort not only benefits the head of the household, but all the members of it, and he who makes a happy home is contributing to the good of his country and his kind. Using now the words of the text as suggestive of truths which they do not actually hold, we learn—
    III. THAT THERE IS A VALUABLE SERVICE WHICH ALL MAY SECURE. “He that hath a servant.” Men are divisible into those that are servants and those that have them. Some are the slaves of their evil habits; these are to be profoundly pitied, however many menservants or maidservants they may have at their call. But we may and should belong to those who hold their habits, whether of the mind or of the life, under their control and at their command. If that be so with us, then, though we should have no dependents at all in our employ, or though we ourselves should be dependents, living in honourable and useful service, we shall have the most valuable servants always at hand to minister to us, building up our character, strengthening our mind, enlarging our life.
    IV. THAT WE SHOULD SECURE NOURISHMENT AT ALL COSTS WHATEVER. We must never he “the man that lacketh bread.” To attain to any honour, to receive any adulation, to indulge any tancy, and to “lack bread,” is a great mistake. For nourishment is strength and fulness of life; it is so in
    (1) the physical,
    (2) the intellectual,
    (3) the moral and spiritual realm.
    With the regularity and earnestness with which we ask for “daily bread,” we should labour and strive to secure it, for our whole nature.—C.
    Pro_12:16
    (See homily on Pro_29:11.)—C.
    Pro_12:24
    (See homily on Pro_27:23.)—C.
    Pro_12:26
    Growth and seductiveness
    The goal which a man will reach must depend on the tendency of the habits he has formed, or the way in which his life inclines, whether upward or downward. Are his habits such that we can properly speak of them as growing toward perfection, or such as may be more properly thought of as conducting or seducing to wrong and ruin?
    I. THE GROWTH OF GOODNESS. “The righteous is more abundant than his neighbour” (marginal reading). He is more abundant because:
73. The blessing of God rests upon him, and his reward is in fruitfulness in some direction.
74. Righteousness means or includes virtue, temperance, industry, thrift, culture; and these mean prosperity and success.
75. God’s great prevailing law that “to him that hath [uses, or puts out, what powers he has] is given, and he shall have abundance,” is constantly operating here and now, in all realms of human action; consequently, the good man is reaping the beneficial result.
    (1) In the physical world, bodily, muscular exercise “is profiting,” and ends in abounding health and strength and capacity of endurance.
    (2) In the mental world, study and patient observation result in abounding knowledge and intellectual grasp.
    (3) In the spiritual world, devotion and the daily learning of Christ (Mat_11:28) end in abounding virtue, in the “more abundant life” which the Saviour offers to confer. Thus the life of the righteous man is one of continual growth in all good directions, and he is “more abundant than his neighbour.”
    II. THE SEDUCTIVENESS OF SIN. “The way of the wicked seduceth them.” We read (Heb_3:18) of “the deceitfulness of sin.” And we know only too well by experience and observation how seductive and deceitful are its ways.
76. It begins with a pleasureableness which promises to continue, but which fails, which indeed turns to misery and ruin (see Pro_7:6-27). At first it. is a soft green slope, but the end is a steep and rocky precipice over which the victim falls.
77. It promises an easy escape from its hold, but it coils its cords around its subjects with quiet hand, until it holds them in a fast captivity.
78. It persuades its adherents that its ways are right when they are utterly wrong, and thus sings to sleep the conscience which should be aroused and active.
79. It pleads the crowded character of its path, and assures of safety; although the presence of a multitude is no guard or guarantee whatever against the condemnation and the retribution of the Almighty. But let youth understand that all these are “refuges of lies.” For the truth is that
    (1) the way of transgressors is all too soon found to be “hard” indeed.
    (2) After a very little way is trodden, it is most difficult, and further on all but impossible to return.
    (3) The paths of sin are all grievously wrong in the sight of Divine purity.
    (4) “The wages of sin is death.”—C.
    Pro_12:28
    The one way of life
    “All that a man hath will he give for his life;” but of what worth is life to many men? What does it mean to them but work and sleep and indulgence? Of how many is it true that they “are dead while they live”! But “in the way of righteousness there is life, and in the pathway thereof is no death.”
    I. THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THE ONE PATH OF LIFE. It is the one and only path; for the paths of sin are those of spiritual death. In them the human traveller is separated from God, from all excellency of character, from all true and lasting joy: and what is this but death in everything except the name? It is not the true, the real life of man. But righteousness in the full, broad sense in which the word is here employed, includes:
80. Devotion; the spirit of reverence, the act of prayer, the approach of our human spirit to God, and our habitual walking with him and worship of him.
81. Virtue; the practice of truthfulness, temperance, purity, integrity; the exercise of self-restraint, the discharge of the duties which we owe to our fellow men, respecting ourselves and honouring them.
82. Service; the endeavour, in a spirit of loving kindness, to raise, to succour, to guide, to bless, all whom we can reach and influence.
83. Joy; i.e. not mere excitement or gratification, which may expire at any moment, and may leave a sting or a stain behind, but rather that honourable and pure elation of spirit which springs from conscious rectitude, which is the consequence of our being in harmony with all that is around us, and with him who is above us, which lasts through the changes of circumstances, which “through all time abides” which “satisfies and sanctifies the soul.” This is life; this is life indeed; this is worth callling life; and this is in the way of righteousness.
    II. ITS IMMUNITY FROM DEATH. “In the pathway,” etc.
84. No death during mortal life; so long as we walk in the light of Divine truth there is no fear of our stumbling into error and falling into the condition of spiritual death; our life in God and with him will be steadily maintained.
85. No real death at the end of that life; for though we must pass through “the portal we call death,” yet “it is not death to die,” when the termination of mortal existence is the starting-point of the celestial life; when the being unclothed of the earthly tenement means the “being clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,” when “absence from the body” means “presence with the Lord.”
86. Fulness and enlargement of life forever; for our hope and confident expectation is that, along whatever paths our God may lead us in the heavenly spheres, the way we shall take will be one that will be ever disclosing greater grandeurs, ever opening new sources of joy, ever unfolding new secrets, and making life mean more and more to our rejoicing spirits as the years and ages pass.—C.

Proverbs 12:22
I. To tell lies is pitiful and mean. Nobody who is honourable and high-minded will stoop to do it. Even when we suffer for telling the truth, it is far better to have the courage to stick to it.
II. Lying is a hateful thing, because it has brought so much misery into the world. The safety and happiness of God’s children depend on their telling the truth.
III. Lying is wicked. Wrong-doing consists in disobeying God’s holy laws, and since He so positively bids us tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, we commit sin every time that we fail to do it.
IV. Another reason why lying should be abhorred is because it is dangerous. Even when God does not punish liars in this world, they will not escape in the next. Hear what the Bible says about it: “All liars have their portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Rev_21:8).
J. N. Norton, The King’s Ferry-boat, p. 33.
References: Pro_12:22.—R. Newton, Bible Warnings, p. 114. Pro_12:26.—G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 178; H. Thompson, Concionalia: Outlines for Parochial Use, 2nd series, p. 419. Pro_13:12.—W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 347. Pro_13:15.—Ibid., p. 352; R. Newton, Bible Warnings, p. 91. Pro_13:16-21.—R. Wardlaw, Lectures on Proverbs, vol. i., p. 347. 13—J. Irons, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. xv., p. 333.

Proverbs 12:1
Knowledge. It is a great kindness to shew us our faults. But God’s grace is necessary to make us reap benefit from correction, (Calmet) as self-love recoils at it.

Proverbs 12:2
But. Hebrew, “and he will condemn the man of devices,” (Mont.[Montanus?]; Haydock) or, “the man of thoughts doth wickedly,” (Calmet) as he trusts in them, rather than in God. (Menochius)

Proverbs 12:4
Diligent. Hebrew, “strong or virtuous,” (Haydock) including all the perfections of the sex, and in particular those of economy and chastity, chap. 14:1, and 31:10

Proverbs 12:7
Turn. In a moment the wicked is not to be found, chap. 10:25, and Psalm 36:35

Proverbs 12:8
Learning. We apply to those things which we love, and those who study sacred (Calmet) or useful sciences, shall receive praise.

Proverbs 12:9
Glorious. Or a boaster, (Haydock) as many noblemen are, who are involved in debt, Sir_10:30 (Menochius) — It is better to have a sufficiency, than to be of noble parentage; and starving through a stupid idea, that work would be disgraceful.

Proverbs 12:10
Beasts. Those who treat them with cruelty, would do the like with men. God gives regulations to let brute beasts have rest, Lev_22:28 (Calmet) (St. Chrysostom in Romans xxix.)

Proverbs 12:11
Idleness. Hebrew, “the idle.” Their company is seducing. — He that, &c. This occurs in the Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew or the new edition of St. Jerome. (Calmet) — Wine. Or “in taverns.” — Holds. Soldiers have thus been often surprised. (Menochius) — “Drunkenness is an incitement to lust and madness, the poison of wisdom.” (St. Ambrose)

Proverbs 12:12
Men. They wish to supplant one another.

Proverbs 12:13
Lips. Liars often become the victims of their own deceit.

Proverbs 12:16
Wise. It is more difficult to repress, than to avoid anger. (St. Ambrose) — To dissemble, so as to seek an opportunity of revenge, is not commended.

Proverbs 12:17
That. Hebrew, “the truth announceth justice.” We easily give credit to an honest man. (Calmet)

Proverbs 12:18
Promiseth. Septuagint, “there are, who speaking, wound with the sword; but,” &c. Hebrew bote (Haydock) means also, making a foolish promise, which causes remorse. (Menochius) — This was the case with Herod, when he was pleased with Herodias, Mat_14:8 (Calmet) — Hebrew, “speaketh like the piercings of the sword,” (Protestants; Haydock) as detractors, and those who disseminate impious and scandalous maxims do.

Proverbs 12:19
Frameth. He studies how to escape detection. Hebrew, “a lying tongue is but for a moment;” it is presently discovered.

Proverbs 12:20
Deceit. Or uneasiness. (Calmet) — Honi soit qui mal y pense: “let him be covered with shame who thinks evil in it,” seems nearly the same import. (Haydock)

Proverbs 12:21
Sad. Even if he fall into sin, he will not lose all hope. (Calmet) — The accidents accompanying this life will not overwhelm him. (St. Chrysostom) — Hebrew, “no evil shall befall the just.” If he be afflicted here, he will be amply rewarded hereafter. Septuagint, “the just will not be pleased with any injustice.”

Proverbs 12:23
Cautious. Versutus is taken in a good, as well as in a bad sense. The wise are reserved in speaking, Pro_16:14 (Calmet)

Proverbs 12:25
Grief. Septuagint, “a fearful speech troubleth the heart of a (just) man.” (Grabe) (Haydock)

Proverbs 12:26
Just. A true friend will make any sacrifice. (Calmet) — “I am convinced that friendship can subsist only among the good,” says Cicero. Hebrew, “the just hath more, (Calmet; Protestants) or is more excellent than his neighbour.” Septuagint, “the intelligent just is his own friend; (but the sentences of the impious are contrary to equity. Evils shall pursue sinners) but the way,” &c. (Grabe) (Haydock)

Proverbs 12:27
Gain. Hebrew and Septuagint, “his prey,” (Calmet) or what “he took in hunting.” (Protestants) (Haydock)

Proverbs 12:28
Bye-way. Of vice. Hebrew, “and a way which leadeth to death,” or “its paths conduct to death.” (Calmet)

Proverbs 12:1
Pro_5:11-13; Pro_9:7-9; Pro_13:1; Pro_13:18; Pro_15:5

Proverbs 12:10
(1768) A merciful person will even care for his animals but an unloving person would not even care for human beings who are close to them.

Proverbs 12:11
Pro_28:19

Proverbs 12:15
Pro_14:12, Pro_16:25

Proverbs 12:19
(1769) Honestly, loyalty and truth will lead to eternal life, but a false witness and liar will be judged in the Lake of fire, Rev_22:15.

Proverbs 12:22
Pro_6:19

Proverbs 12:24
Gen_49:15, Pro_10:4

Proverbs 12:25
Pro_15:13

Proverbs 12:1-2

To Love Knowledge and Obtain Favor

Pro_12:1 is a good illustration of the fact that love is not about a pleasant emotion. Accepting “discipline” is often not easy. To accept discipline you must love it. You do that when you recognize its importance. This is about whether we have the explicit will to accept discipline or whether we do not want to be disciplined. If we have the will to accept discipline, we will love discipline. It is a love that must be learned. The other case, hating “reproof” happens almost automatically. This is how we are by nature.

Those who want to grow spiritually must learn to accept and learn from “discipline” or correction. This requires voluntarily acting as a disciple toward someone who disciplines him. It shows the humble mind of one who does not think highly of himself. The one who disciplines him may be God Who speaks to him through His Word. God can also speak through a person, anyone, or through an event.

“Whoever loves discipline”, which implies that a person longs to be disciplined, proves that he loves “knowledge”. Discipline is associated with “knowledge”. It is about the knowledge of God and Christ, which is knowing God’s will to live to His glory. To gain knowledge requires effort through training. When it is about “the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord” (Php_3:8 ), no way can be too hard and no cost can be too high. There is no easy way to spiritual knowledge. Eve chose the easy way and sin made its entry.

The second line of verse begins with “but”, indicating that now the contrast with the first line of verse follows. There are two contrasts: “hate” is contrasted with love and “stupid” with knowledge. “He who hates reproof”, who contemptuously refuses and rejects, acts foolishly and stupidly like an animal that has no understanding. To hate means to dislike. That aversion comes from the prideful heart that does not want to know about reproof. He who hates reproof shows the unreason of an animal that does not realize that it is for its own good if it is hurt.

“A good man” (Pro_12:2 ) is he who by the grace of God is good, for “there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom_3:12 ). “None is good, but one: God”, that is the Lord Jesus (Mar_10:18 ). He who has Him as his life can also be good and therefore do good. The good one is full of goodness, which can only be worked by the Spirit of God. Goodness is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal_5:22-23 ).

A good man wants only what God, the Good One, wants and what is expressed through the Spirit. This brings him “the favor from the LORD”. God connects Himself to him, for in him He recognizes Himself. There is harmony between the good and the Good. This applies to every believer who walks with God. It applies above all to Christ. He is the perfectly good Man and also the perfectly good God. As Man, He obtained God’s favor.

Opposite the man of goodness is the man “who devises evil”. In such a person there is no goodness; he has no life from God. He acts according to his sinful nature, as evidenced by the plans he makes to harm others. Such a person does not obtain the goodness of God, but obtains condemnation. Here we see that not only a sinful act makes someone condemnable before God, but also devising evil. Absalom was a man who devised evil, who set out to remove his father David from the throne and seize power (2Sa_15:2-6 ).

Proverbs 12:3

Not Established – Not Moved

There is no stability in wickedness. This applies to both society and individuals. It is written here in the most general sense, “a man”. No one, no matter what wicked, obtains constancy in whatever he does. Wickedness means apart from God, without asking for His will by consulting His Word. People like Abimelech and Ahab disrupted society in the days of their reign and were not established.

Only the righteous are established in life through their righteousness. Righteous people do not have stability in themselves, but they “will not be moved” because they are rooted in Christ (Eph_3:17 ), in His Word (Col_2:7 ). The life of the righteous may be shaken violently so that it seems as if they are toppling over, but their root, the principle on which their life is based, is not moved. Wickedness does not last because there is no root in them that is in Christ.

Proverbs 12:4

An Excellent Wife

“An excellent wife” is a ‘stout’, ‘brave’, ‘firm’ wife, a wife who knows her task and performs it with satisfaction. By her performance, she enhances the dignity of her husband. She is his “crown”, his fame, a jewel of honor. When he says something and people know who and how his wife is, it gives his words extra strength. The wife makes this valuable contribution because she answers to God’s purpose with her and that is to be of help to her husband.

It is always good, if a servant of the Lord is married, to know what his wife is like, to know who the wife is behind the husband. Boaz tells Ruth that everyone knows she is “a woman of excellence” (Rut_3:11 ). Any married woman can be a woman of excellence by being as God purposes her to be (cf. Pro_31:10 ).

The opposite of a wife who is “the crown of her husband” is the wife who “shames” her husband. It does not say what she shames him with, but we can think, for example, of irresponsible spending, neglecting her children and household, excessive talking, immoral behavior. She does not support her husband by her behavior, but renders him powerless in his testimony. The “rottenness in his bones” means that what should give him strength to walk is rotting away from within, rendering him powerless. Bones give firmness and structure to life. A wife who is not of excellence destroys that. She is like the worm in the wood that rots the wood.

Proverbs 12:5-7

The Righteous Against the Wicked

There is an ascent in these verses with contrasts between the righteous and wicked. With the righteous, it goes from their just thoughts in Pro_12:5 through their delivering words in Pro_12:6 to their house standing firm in Pro_12:7 . With the wicked it goes from their deceitful counsels in Pro_12:5 through their bloodthirsty words in Pro_12:6 to their overthrow in Pro_12:7 .

Of every man who lives apart from God, “every intent of the thoughts of his heart” is “only evil continually” (Gen_6:5 ), but through repentance and new life a person becomes a righteous one. Of all the righteous, God has become the source of their thoughts. What they think of is governed by Him and His grace in the new life. As a result, it can be said that the thoughts of the righteous “are just” (Pro_12:5 ). God wants us to direct our thoughts toward Him and Christ. Then our thoughts are just. This verse shows that the thoughts or purposes of good people are focused on what is just for God, for other people and for themselves.

With wicked people, the opposite is true. Their “counsels… are deceitful”. Their thoughts are only evil. Therefore, their counsels can only lead to evil. The cause is that they have no connection with God. They have a depraved heart and what else can come out of it but bitter water (Jer_17:9 ; Mat_15:19 ). While the righteous set their senses on doing good to others, wicked set their senses on doing evil to others.

Nehemiah was such a righteous one. It is said of him by his enemies that he had “had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel” (Neh_2:10 ). Mordecai and Esther also sought good for their people. In contrast to this is what Haman came up with. Out of ‘patriotism’, he made the proposal to King Ahasuerus to kill the Jews (Est_3:8-9 ). The same spirit possessed Herod. He said he wanted to worship the Child, when in reality he wanted to kill Him (Mat_2:8 Mat_2:16 ). Ahithophel gave Absalom “good counsel” (2Sa_17:14 ) on how to eliminate his father David and conquer the kingship (2 Samuel 16-17).

Words are the natural means of making thoughts (Pro_12:5 ) known (Pro_12:6 ). “The words of the wicked” are like an ambush. The vivid picture of “lie in wait for blood” involves the wicked making false accusations as a trap for the upright. They act deliberately, not on a whim, and are children of their father, the devil, who is a murderer of men from the beginning (Joh_8:44 ). Many wicked witnesses spoke words against the Lord Jesus to get Him condemned. They laid traps for Him and wanted to catch Him in His words (Luk_20:20-21 ).

“The upright” who have gained knowledge and experience through discipline and teaching are able to avoid traps of the wicked. They not only avoid words from which blood flows, but use the power of the word to rescue from them those who are trapped by the words of the wicked. Mordecai pleaded with Esther and Esther pleaded with the king to deliver the Jews from Haman’s ruse to exterminate the Jews (Est_4:7-14 Est_7:4-6 ).

The Lord Jesus, as the perfectly Upright One, always put His opponents to shame by His wise answers. They have lain in wait for His blood, but never have they been able to catch Him in anything He said. They were finally able to kill Him because He surrendered Himself into their hands according to the will of God. Only then could they do what they wanted with Him: shed His blood.

The evil ones are out to harm others, while the upright are out to deliver others from evil. The latter are led by the Holy Spirit, Who works life. They speak from their new life, showing that Christ is their life. If they are killed because of their testimony, they will be delivered from eternal death by the testimony of their mouths. They will be justified by their words (Mat_12:37 ).

After the thoughts in Pro_12:5 and the words in Pro_12:6 , we see the end of the wicked and the righteous in Pro_12:7 . It is the contrast between what disappears and what remains. The wicked disappear because God overthrows them with power. They may have built an empire that is very powerful and give the impression that nothing and no one can threaten them, but they have built their entire existence on sand.

From the picture of the fate of the wicked, that they are “overthrown”, shines power. It signifies complete extermination, reminiscent of what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen_19:25 ). The wicked disappear from the world stage without leaving behind anything of lasting value.

In contrast to this is “the house of the righteous”. The house means the family, as we read that Noah and his house were saved (Heb_11:7 ). The house means the posterity. The house of the righteous will stand because its foundation is Christ, the Rock. As a result, it will stand in times of need, meaning it will always stand. It marks the enduring consequence of righteousness versus the momentary sojourn on earth of the wicked (Mat_7:24-27 ).

By “the house of the righteous” we can also think of the house of Israel in the future. That house will consist only of the righteous (Isa_60:21 ), for it is formed by a faithful remnant from Israel. This remnant was formed and protected by God during the great tribulation. To those who are the new Israel, God fulfills His promises. Their house will remain standing during the millennial kingdom of peace. The wicked are the apostate mass of the Jews who, together with the antichrist, will be overthrown at the end of the great tribulation and disappear forever from the world stage.

Proverbs 12:8

To Harvest Praise or Despise

The term for “insight” or understanding refers to the ability to think clearly. This saying shows the appreciation of clear thinking. This is not about intelligence. At birth, each person is given a certain degree of insight or understanding in the sense of intelligence. Of this God says in His Word of all men that they are “darkened in their understanding” (Eph_4:18 ) and that there is no one who is wise (Rom_3:11 ). The insight referred to here is the thinking a person receives when he is converted and receives new life. Then he receives the “mind of Christ” (1Co_2:16 ).

The believer has received “the understanding” by which he knows “Him who is true” (1Jn_5:20 ). Practically speaking, it means that through this new insight a person can come to know God and Christ better. This is open to every believer, regardless of the degree of intelligence. “According to” that he has come to know Them and shows it in his words and actions, he will be “praised”. People will notice the beneficial effect even though they may remain inwardly hostile to the gospel. The Lord Jesus has been praised for His words and deeds, although that did not lead to a national conversion, but the people even ended up rejecting and killing Him.

“One of perverse mind”, literally “of perverse heart”, lacks the ability to see things as they really are. He turns against God and Christ and God’s people. Perverse heart means a heart that is deviated, crooked, bent, degenerate. It has departed from God’s Word. A person who is of perverse heart needs not lack logical thinking ability. He may even be extremely intelligent. It is about the nature of the beast, so to speak. Because of being of perverse heart, he makes wrong choices. As a result, he brings upon himself the despise of his fellow men. Abimelech was one of perverse heart (Jdg_9:1-6 ).

Proverbs 12:9-11

Humility, Care and Diligence

He who in humility is satisfied with what he has is better off than the braggart who is hungry (Pro_12:9 ). This is about the fine appearance that someone can put on, when in reality he is miserable. It may be someone who has fallen on the lower ground, but wants by all means to hold his head up to the outside world. Some people turn their life into a hollow show. They pretend to be important persons. Simon the magician said of himself “that he was a great man” (Act_8:9 ).

The lesson is to be content with the little comfort we have – having a servant is convenient anyway. First and foremost, it is about the mind of humility, about being lightly esteemed or lightly esteeming oneself. However, he who wants to live in opulence and provide himself with all the comforts and puts himself in debt for it, while he cannot provide for the basic needs of his family, is foolish. You cannot fill your stomach with a caravan bought on the cheap.

The verse is a warning against grandstanding, boasting. God “regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar” (Psa_138:6 ). The pride of life “is not from the Father, but from the world” (1Jn_2:16 ). God is close to the humble. With him He dwells, there He feels Himself as at home, as it were, as in heaven (Isa_57:15 ). But there is a vast distance between Him and the haughty one, whom He sees in the distance.

Just as God cares for the animals, for example the sparrows (Mat_10:29-31 ; Psa_147:9 ; Job_39:3 ), so does the righteous (Pro_12:10 ). That God draws our attention to His care for animals is to show us that His care for man is even greater than His care for animals. The Lord Jesus, after speaking of God’s care for the ravens, says: “How much more valuable you are than the birds!” (Luk_12:24 ).

We must remember this at a time when people are doing all kinds of things to give animals a “human existence”, while killing babies in their mother’s womb. This kind of “compassion” characterizes the wicked, while they are ruthless toward the most defenseless there is. The so-called compassion of a wicked animal activist is cruel. This is evidenced by his destruction of property or even human lives of those who, in his view, mistreat animals and justify it by his claim to stand up for animal rights.

That does not take away from the fact that God’s concern is also for animals. Compassion for animals shows one’s character. It is about “his animal” that is, his own animal, not animal welfare in general. Even less is it a call to establish a party for animals in order to give animals ‘a voice’. What we need to be aware of is that we share with animals that we and they were made by the same Creator. Animals are fellow creatures of man and that should define our attitude toward them. For example, God has established a day of rest for man, but in doing so He has also decreed that animals must rest on that day as well (Exo_20:8-11 ).

Animals were given to man to serve him and also for food, not to abuse them. The righteous not only cares for his animal, but he “has regard for the life of his animal”. He will take into account what an animal is capable of and needs (Gen_24:32 Gen_33:13-14 ). If a beast of burden succumbs, even if the animal is owned by an enemy, we must help it (Exo_23:5 ). When God spares Nineveh, He also considers the animals (Jon_4:11 ). The righteous will feed the animal as it works (cf. Deu_25:4 ). In all this he shows the likeness to God Who also cares for His creation with the perfect knowledge that is belongs to Him, through which He knows what each creature is capable of and needs.

The point of the verse is to point out that the righteous is good to all, even to his animals, how much more so than to his neighbor. In contrast to this is the cruelty of the wicked, even toward men, his neighbor. In his inner being there is no compassion, but his inner being is hardened.

Tilling the land (Pro_12:11 ) is not a consequence of the Fall, but is a command of God to Adam that predates the Fall (Gen_2:15 ). After the Fall, the command to work remained, though the work became harder (Gen_3:19 ; Isa_28:23-26 ). What also remained is the promise that work pays. There is pay for working the land in the form of bread. He who acknowledges this and therefore works will be satisfied with bread.

This principle also applies to the work we do for the Lord. We are called to always be abundant in the work for the Lord and may know that it is not in vain, but will be rewarded (1Co_15:58 ). Every believer has a piece of “land” to till (2Co_10:13 ). If he has a family, that “land” is first and foremost his family. To that he will have to give attention and invest time. Work must also be done in the church. Whoever performs his task faithfully will be rewarded by the Lord.

In contrast to tilling the land is to pursue what is “worthless” things or people. Worthless people are people who follow worthless things, i.e. fantasies or dreams or people who have such fantasies or dreams. All such people prove that they are ‘work-shy’. The company of idlers consists of empty heads, which are heads that “lack sense”. There is no regard for God and His Word. God has said that whoever will not work will not eat (2Th_3:10-12 ). The pursuers of worthless things or persons will surely experience this to their shame one day.

Proverbs 12:12-14

Fruit and Escape

“The wicked man” has desires (Pro_12:12 ). Those desires form a safety net [“booty” is literally “net”] in which evil is caught and held. By the wicked man is meant especially the antichrist, for he is the embodiment of evil. Everything he desires is evil. There is nothing good in that man. He is a prisoner of evil, he cannot get away from it, and he himself holds evil captive, he does not want to let it go. Everyone who follows him exhibits the same characteristic.

Evil is practiced and the victims or the looted goods are enclosed by him in his ‘safety net’. Death and destruction are the results of his work, both as to his victims and as to him personally, for he will perish in the evil in which he is imprisoned.

In opposition to the evil desires of the wicked, “the root of the righteous yields” corresponding fruit. Producing fruit is not an activity, but the result of the root being in good soil and receiving good nourishment. The righteous have their root in Christ (Col_2:6-7 ). The Lord Jesus says that those who have their abode in Him and in whom He is bear much fruit (Joh_15:5 ). It is about having a living connection with Christ.

“The transgression of his lips” happens when rash statements are made and certainly when there is deliberate lying (Pro_12:13 ). Then the evil man is ensnared in what has been said. He who transgresses in what passes his lips is in danger of being judged for it. Sometimes a politician tries to nuance his statements through a whole verbiage. It may happen that this does not convince and then he has to step down. An Amalekite’s lie to David about Saul’s death became his death, when he thought he would receive a reward (
2Sa_4:9-12 ).

“The righteous” will not get into trouble because of what he says. He knows what to say and what not to say. As a result, he “will escape from trouble”. He does not have to talk his way out of anything or justify himself. What he says is consistent with the truth.

The language of the righteous is compared to “the fruit of his words” (Pro_12:14 ). He who speaks the truth in love in his language “will be satisfied with good”. Good words give great satisfaction. God gave man a mouth that out of it might come forth fruit for Him, that is, praise, “the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Heb_13:15 ). God responds and gives satisfaction in the heart that has produced that fruit.

Similarly, in general, there will be blessing or good for one who is wise and sensible in conversation while honoring God. Good advice, sound teaching passed on, is a fruit of words. The words are compared here to a tree that produces fruit. Fruit presupposes growth, beauty and the ability to give satisfaction to others. Fruit demands to be eaten. Words can be eaten (Jer_15:16 ).

Timothy was nourished on “the words of the faith and the sound doctrine” which he had been following (1Ti_4:6 ). This allowed him to pass them on as the fruit of his words. Joshua and Caleb spoke good words about the land and were “satisfied with good”.

Proverbs 12:15-16

The Wise and the Prudent and the Fool

The fool is so set up that he trusts in himself alone (Pro_12:15 ). He determines his own way which is then completely right in his own eyes. He follows his own way and will not listen to advice. “The way of a fool” is characterized by headlong actions. He pursues those actions despite good advice not to do it. Even if he thought long and hard about a particular path and weighed all the arguments for and against it, it is still a headlong decision, because he does not tolerate any advice. He has a high opinion of himself and his mind. That is the essence of foolishness. God plays no role for him because He does not even exist for him (Psa_14:1 ).

People show their maturity or immaturity by how they respond to counsel. A reasonable thinking person, that is, a wise person, will recognize and accept good counsel, even if he himself often gives counsel to others. Council is an application of wisdom and knowledge to a specific situation based on keen observation or thoughtful opinion that includes the opinions of others.

One of the names of the Lord Jesus is “Counselor” (Isa_9:5 ). It is especially important to listen to His counsel. He gives that counsel in His Word. We also do well to consult or listen to God-fearing people when they give us unsolicited counsel. David listened to Abigail’s good counsel and refrained from killing Nabal when he was on his way to him (1Sa_25:32-35 ).

The fool makes himself known as foolish by his anger, which becomes “known at once”, that is, his anger ignites immediately (Pro_12:16 ; cf. Ecc_7:9 ). He is always hot-tempered and convinced of his own rightness. When he is contradicted, he reacts as if stung by a wasp. He has a short fuse and explodes immediately. He lacks reflection and thoughtfulness. As a result, his shame becomes public. An outburst of anger garners not admiration, but contempt. Saul’s moments of rage were a disgrace to him.

He who is prudent controls himself and thereby covers shame; he does not expose himself to it. He is able to deal with criticism without reacting instinctively and irrationally. It is not so much that the prudent man suppresses his anger or feelings, but that he deals with them thoughtfully and keeps them to himself. He knows himself and knows that he can make a mistake. He will, if contradicted, reconsider the matter to himself and not react impulsively. In this we see self-control, a fruit of the Spirit (Gal_5:22-23 ).

Proverbs 12:17-20

Speaking Happens From the Heart

When someone “speaks truth” (Pro_12:17 ), words come out of his mouth that belong to the Divine nature he possesses. He cannot but make known what is “right”. Truth leads to the making known what is right. Right can only be called right if it comes from truth. Given the contrast with the second line of verse, which speaks of “a false witness”, we can think of a trial. But it can also be applied more broadly.

The true or truthful witness is trustworthy because he tells the truth. He gives the right view. He who brings forth the truth will not bend right, but will make it known.

A false witness violates the truth. He commits “deceit” regarding the facts. He lies about it. We can all err at times in representing certain facts. But deceit is deliberately giving a different representation, and that as a witness, than corresponds to reality.

The Lord Jesus always spoke truth and thereby made known what is right. He also had to deal with false witnesses. The one evokes the other. Those who will not bow to the truth are going to lie to and about the truth.

In Pro_12:17 it is about a person’s character, what animates him and what he produces as a result. What we say makes it clear who we are. To speak truth means that it comes from within. John the baptist spoke the truth of God about marriage by making known to Herod God’s right about his illicit relationship with the wife of his brother (Mar_6:18 ).

Words can act “like the thrusts of a sword” (Pro_12:18 ). Words spoken hastily and thoughtlessly (Lev_5:4 ; Num_30:6 ) can damage the soul of a person. They are words that wound and hurt (cf. Psa_57:4 Psa_59:7 Psa_64:3 ). The enemies of Jeremiah say they want to “strike at him with” their “tongue” (Jer_18:18 ). The friends of Job spoke many true words to Job, but these were words like the thrusts of a sword.

And what of the terrible insinuation, uttered by the Jews against the Lord Jesus, that He would have been born of fornication (Joh_8:41 ). What a thrust of a sword! And what a calm, quiet and thoughtful response from the Lord. Their thrusts of the sword made it clear that they had the devil as their father, and the Lord tells them so (Joh_8:44 ).

A person can be so damaged by words that it makes it impossible for him to live. Many people know the stinging pain of false, unkind, thoughtless remarks about his person or about a loved one. We must also consider that we ourselves, possibly unconsciously, have done it at times.

Conversely, what the wise say brings healing. Of ourselves, we do not have a “tongue of the wise”. We can get one by learning from the Lord Jesus, because He had that tongue. He learned to speak as a wise man and is an example to us in this. From Him we can learn how to speak (Isa_50:4 ). Then our words will be healing, for then they will be trustworthy and true. We speak gently and kindly, uplifting and encouraging to those who are the targets of slander.

Barnabas had a tongue of the wise. He spoke reassuring words to the church at Jerusalem about Paul (Act_9:27 ). The tongue should be a healing instrument both for damaged hearts of individuals and for critical situations in churches. That happens if a good word is spoken, a word that edifies and gives grace to those who hear it (Eph_4:29 ). Even an admonishing word can have that effect if it is said at the right time, to the right person and in the right mind.

“Truthful lips” truthfulness, outlasts all lies, always, and never dies (Pro_12:19 ). Truth is from God. God is the God of truth. Therefore, truth is connected to eternity. What is said in truth will never be undone. All attacks on truth, all opposition to truth, cannot undo truth in any way, ever.

It is different with “the lying tongue”, the lie. That one can be as old as the devil, he is and remains a temporary intruder. Lies can only exercise and maintain a certain power for a limited time. It is “only for a moment”. This expression indicates that it is for no longer than the duration of a blink of an eye. It is so short that the length of time cannot be calculated (cf. Job_20:5 ). The life of those who speak with a false tongue is of short duration compared to the eternity that awaits. All false teachers will experience this. Their lies disappear, while the truth remains.

Every believer must have a truthful lip. Then he speaks the truth and that will last forever. Lip here stands for the person who uses the lip.

The contrast in Pro_12:20 is between “devise evil” and “counselors peace” and in both cases with a view to the consequences. Because there is deceit “in the heart”, the heart is the forge of evil. Evil results from deceit. The consequence of devising evil is only sorrow and trouble. “Evil” here implies the idea of pain.

Opposite this are “counselors of peace”. Peace, shalom, does not cause pain, but works wholeness and well-being, both for an individual and for a community (Psa_34:14 Psa_37:37 ). Those who counsel peace will reap the inner satisfaction of doing what is right, as well as the pleasure of seeing positive results.

The difference between truth and lie is the difference between peace and war. All wars are born of a lie, except the wars of God. The lie was born when satan declared war on God.

Proverbs 12:21

No Harm Befalls the Righteous

This verse deals with the contrast between “the righteous” and “the wicked” with regard to harm and trouble. That “no harm befalls the righteous” means that he will not definitively perish from harm. The harm of hell will not affect him in any way because Christ bore the punishment for his sins. He has become a righteous person and lives as a righteous person.

It does not mean that he will never get sick or experience anything bad. We see this in a man like Job who was a righteous one. His friends do explain the harm that befalls Job that way. Job, they judge, must be a wicked one given the harm that befalls him. The end of the book of Job shows that God justifies Job to his friends and compensates him doubly for all that has been taken from him. It is about the good that God has in mind for the righteous (
Gen_50:20 ; Rom_8:28 Rom_8:35-39 ). God has the last word, not harm.

With the wicked, it is the other way around. They may live a prosperous life, but there is no protection from trouble in their prosperity. Protection is found only in Christ, and Him they do not want. Therefore, they will end up “filled with trouble”, with no possibility of recovery, let alone receiving a double blessing. They will have to bear the full consequences of their sinful life forever.

Proverbs 12:22-23

To Deal and Speak Faithfully

“Lying lips” continually speak lies (Pro_12:22 ). This can happen by speaking lies about everyday things. It can also happen by proclaiming false teachings, as, for example, the roman-catholic church does in its worship of Mary. Selling lies for truth is “an abomination to the LORD”. It is in direct contradiction to His nature as the God of truth. To speak lies is an abuse of the God-given ability to speak.

Opposed to lying lips are “those who deal faithfully”. They “are His delight”, which stands in opposition to what is an abomination to Him. With what is an abomination to Him, He has no fellowship. With those who deal faithfully He can associate Himself with joy. They not only speak the truth, but do the truth, they live it out. Words and deeds, doctrine and life, correspond to one another. Those who deal faithfully exhibit the characteristics of the Son of God in Whom all God’s delight is.

“A prudent man” refrains from exhibiting “knowledge” (Pro_12:23 ). The verb “conceal” does not mean that he never speaks, but that he is careful, thoughtful, with his words. He will not speak to display his knowledge or to avenge an injustice done to him. He possesses self-control to say the right word at the right time in the right situation (Ecc_3:7 ). Elihu could wait his turn to speak (Job_32:4 ). Mary kept in her heart what the angel told her (Luk_2:19 ). Joseph waited for the right moment to make himself known to his brothers (Gen_42:7 ).

Conversely, in “the heart of fools” there is foolishness that they cannot keep to themselves but proclaim it (Ecc_10:3 ). The fool rattles on at a stretch and babbles on numerous subjects, not hindered by any knowledge of the matter. It is impossible to have a good substantive conversation with him. He can’t listen, let alone wait his turn. Big talkers waste time and hurt others.

Proverbs 12:24

Diligence Opposite to the Slack Hand

He who works diligently will get ahead in society. He will climb up the social ladder and get an executive position. Diligence is the usual path that leads to prosperity. The diligent one is on his way to the top, but the lazy one sinks into a slave job. There is no top job for him. This is due to his laziness. He does nothing and has no desire for anything. In order to still earn something, he has to offer himself for the least of chores.

In the kingdom of God it goes the same way. If we are diligent in the Lord’s work and work with our talents, we will be given authority over cities in the future. If we are lazy, we will get nothing and even have what we had taken away from us (Mat_25:14-30 ; Luk_19:11-27 ). We will reign with Christ if we serve Him now as subjects in His kingdom. Let us take to heart the exhortation to not be “lagging behind in diligence” (Rom_12:11 ).

Proverbs 12:25-26

A Good Word and to Ask For Advice

“Anxiety” can so engross a person that his heart is weighed down and that he goes his way dejected (Pro_12:25 ). His mind can no longer occupy itself with anything but that particular worry or concern. He cannot get free of it. When it has taken possession of his heart, it affects all his pursuits and thinking. His joy is gone. The future is bleak.

How encouraging, even rejoicing, then is “a good word”. It is not about all kinds of well-meaning advice to see things differently, because such a person cannot. The problems, the worries, remain. A good word is a word that shows compassion. It is a kind and not an admonishing word. It is saying something that the person needs to regain proper perspective and renew hope and confidence.

Barnabas was a man of consolation who encouraged others (Act_4:36 ). If we can get to look above the difficulties to the Lord Jesus, worries come into a different perspective. We can then become joyful right through the worries because we then see Him Who said: “Do not be worried” (Mat_6:25-34 ). We may cast our worries and anxieties on Him, for He cares for us (1Pe_5:7 ; Psa_55:22 ).

The first line of Pro_12:26 can be translated in several ways. One translation that does justice to the contrast in the second line of verse is: “The righteous properly guides his neighbor”. The wicked do the opposite. They mislead themselves and others, leading them astray and down the wrong path. The general thrust is that the righteous give proper guidance, while the wicked bring trouble to themselves and others.

Proverbs 12:27

The Results of Laziness and Diligence

The first line of verse describes a person who starts something but does not finish it. The picture is that of a lazy man who has obtained a piece of game by deception but will not roast it, meaning he will not eat anything from it. Because of the contrast with the second line of verse, the lazy man seems to be someone who uses deception because he does not want be diligent. He is a sluggard. This prevents him from eating what he has obtained by deception.

Opposed to the lazy deceiver is the “man” of “diligence”. He is in possession of the most precious thing a man can have: his diligence. This is his most precious possession, for by it he can obtain everything he desires.

Proverbs 12:28

What Leads to Life and Not to Death

Those who enter righteousness by faith and strive to live righteously are on the way to eternal life. That “in [its] pathway there is no death” underscores that it is about eternal life. Death is completely absent from eternal life. It is a state of ‘immortality’, to which permanence and stability are attached.

Those who walk in the way of righteousness already partake of it. By walking the way of keeping the Word of God and doing what is right, death is avoided in its fullness and with all its terrors. Death is not a killjoy, for the life enjoyed in the way of righteousness is immune to death. He Who is this life has conquered death (Rev_1:17-18 ), so that “death is swallowed up in victory” (1Co_15:54 ).

Proverbs 12:1-2
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:1. Instruction, “discipline” or “disciplinary instruction.”
Pro_12:2. Obtaineth, literally “draws out.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:1
THE LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE PROOF OF IT
True knowledge is to be loved—
I. For what it can do for him who loves it. 1. It refines a man. Gold when it is in its natural condition is valuable because it is gold, but when it has been purged from its impurities by the refining process it is more to be valued and is more beautiful. So a man may be sterling gold without much knowledge, but when the dross of ignorance is removed, he is worth more and is more attractive. If this be true of knowledge in the general, it is pre-eminently true of the knowledge which comes from above. If any knowledge exercises a refining influence upon the human mind, much more does the highest knowledge—the knowledge of God. 2. It will open up sources of enjoyment that would otherwise be hidden. The blind are deprived of many enjoyments by lack of sight. There is an abundance of beauty all around them, but their want of vision makes it useless to them. Intellectual ignorance is intellectual blindness; the ignorant man is a stranger to a thousand pleasures which are enjoyed by a well-informed man. Especially ignorance of Divine things shuts a man out from the highest, the only lasting unalloyed source of joy. 3. It makes a man less dependent on the outward and visible. A man who has stored up knowledge will be good company for himself. He can find refreshment by meditating on what he has within him, and need not be ever seeking it in external things. The contemplation of Divine and eternal truths especially, will ever be “within him a well of water” (Joh_4:14).
II. For what it will do for others. If a man makes money only to dig a grave and bury it, he sins against himself and all whom he might bless by its use. So there are men who seem to have no other end in getting knowledge than to bury it. Such a man is an intellectual miser, and a sinner against human kind. There ought to be a love of giving, as well as a love of getting. For a man who possesses any kind of knowledge can bless others by its use. And this being true of all useful knowledge, how much more true is it of the knowledge which makes “wise unto salvation?” Christ insists that no Christian make himself a grave in which to bury this knowledge, but a medium to communicate it (Mat_5:16). And the influence of knowledge which has been acquired is not limited to the short life of a man upon the earth. How much are we indebted to the knowledge gained by earnest seekers in every department of knowledge long before we were born. One earnest seeker may gain a knowledge that will be a light to men as long as the world lasts. Especially those who have been earnest seekers after Divine truth leave a legacy of blessing behind them, the influence of which will outlive the world. For all these reasons men ought to love knowledge.
III. The proof of loving knowledge. He will seek instruction. This is the only way to knowledge. If a man loves the object of his pursuit, he will show his love by the use of means. 1. Seeking instruction is a confession of ignorance, and to be convinced that we are ignorant is the first step to becoming wise. Self-conceit is the fatal barrier to a man’s gaining knowledge. 2. It involves self-denying labour. Little that is worth having can be obtained without labour. The gold-digger has to labour long and painfully before he finds the precious nuggets. If men would drink of a springing well of pure water they must dig deep down for it. The student must plod over dry details if he wishes to taste the sweets of learning. 3. It generally involves correction by the instructor. If a man sets out to dig for gold or to dig for water, he will most likely make mistakes while he is a novice. If he is really in earnest about his work he will receive “reproof,” although it will not be altogether palatable. So with the scholar, he must suffer the reproof of the master. Doubtless the main reference here is to that knowledge which regenerates the character; and certainly the man who loves this highest knowledge will confess his ignorance, will not shrink from labouring to attain it, will accept that “reproof” which is an indispensable element in Divine instruction. If the man of God is to be “thoroughly furnished” or “perfected,” he must accept “reproof” and “correction,” as well as instruction (2Ti_3:16-17).
IV. The character of the man who does not love reproof. He is “brutish.” The great difference between a man and a brute is that the one can grow intellectually and morally and the other cannot. Many animals possess great sagacity, and to a certain extent that can be developed. They sometimes, too, possess admirable qualities, but they are not capable of soul-enlargement. But man is, and in order to attain it he must submit to the instruction and reproof of those who are wiser than himself. He must stoop before he can rise. If he will not do this, he will never attain to the high destiny for which he was created—ever to be rising higher and higher in the scale of being. His lower nature will rule his spirit, and he will be little better than the beast. He must submit to the correction and instruction of His God if he would not be classed with “the horse and the mule, which have no understanding” (Psa_32:8-9). The man who will not take reproof will certainly have to submit to it, and this not only from those who are wiser than himself, but from his companions in ignorance, A terrible reproof will be administered by Divine Wisdom to those who refuse reproof (chap. Pro_1:24-31). And he will not escape upbraidings from those who are involved in the same sentence. Ungodly men are the first to upbraid their companions in ungodliness when they are all involved in the same penalty.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Here is shewed that adversity is the best university, saith an interpreter. Corrections of instructions are the way of life. Men commonly beat and bruise their links before they light them, to make them burn the brighter. God first humbles whom He means to illuminate; as Gideon took thorns of the wilderness and briars and with them he taught the men of Succoth (Jdg_8:16). M. Ascham was a good schoolmaster to Queen Elizabeth, but affliction was a better, as one well observeth. He that hateth reproof, whether it be by the rebukes of men, or the rod of God, is fallen below the stirrup of reason, he is a brute in man’s shape; nothing is more irrational than irreligion.—Trapp.
The most we can attain to in this life is, not to know, but only to have a love of knowledge; we know in part, and a partial knowledge is not to know indeed. If we can love knowledge entirely, that is the entireness of knowledge in this life. Now as knowledge cometh from instruction, so the love of knowledge from the love of instruction. He that is servant to the one, will soon be a master to the other. A loving obedience in receiving doth even command love to keep what is received.… There is the reproof of an enemy and there is the reproof of a friend, the one seeketh reproach, the other amendment, but neither is to be hated, for howsoever reproof be used it is a profitable thing.—Jermin.
Reproof is not pleasant to nature. We may learn its value from its results, but it will never be sweet to our taste. At the best it is a bitter morsel. The difference between a wise man and a fool is not that one likes it and the other loathes it; both dislike it, but the fool casts away the precious because it is unpalatable, and the wise man accepts the unpalatable because it is precious.—Arnot.
The grand secret of life is to hear lessons, and not to teach them.—Haliburton.
It is the property of all true knowledge, especially spiritual, to enlarge the soul by filling it; to enlarge it without swelling it; to make it more capable, and more earnest to know, the more it knows.—Bishop Sprat.
Ignorance is the curse of God,
Knowledge the wing with which we fly to heaven.
Shakespeare.
This is a great text. We may expect great texts where there is a look of commonplace. The thought raises itself two stories at least in the respect of doctrine. He that, instead of fretting at that mysterious Providence of God that we call evil, enters into its deep experiences, and learns to value it as precious to his soul—that man loves light, or gospel “knowledge.” That is the first story. But, now, he who takes a much wider view, and looks at all the gains from evil to the universe—how impossible would be high forms of knowledge, how utterly unconceived by anyone not Infinite, without the foil of either observed or experienced misery—that man acquiesces in all the evils that are seen in the creation, loving discipline because he loves knowledge, and acquiescing even in hell itself, because he suspects its absolute necessity in the providential system. Mourning over our griefs, which seems to be the work often of a refined and delicate nature, is here asserted to be “brutish.” He is but a Hottentot in the ways of the Almighty who does not see that the crushing of his hopes has been one of the tenderest methods of his redemption.—Miller.
He, and he only, that loves the means, loves the end. The means of knowledge are “instruction” in what is right, and “reproof” for what is wrong. He who is an enemy to either of these means is an enemy to the end. A. Fuller.
Is there any man so like a beast as not to love knowledge? Solomon tells us, that those who hate reproof are brutish. Let us, therefore, examine ourselves by this mark.… He is surely not a rational creature who has swallowed poison, and will rather suffer it to take its course than admit the necessary relief of medicine, lest he should be obliged to confess his folly in exposing himself to the need of it.—Lawson.
It was when Asaph recovered from that strange temptation, under the power of which he seemed to forget the eternity of man’s being, and to confine his estimate to the present life, that he exclaimed, “So foolish was I, and ignorant; I was as
a beast before Thee” (Psa_73:22). And the same comparison is repeatedly used respecting the ungodly. They sink themselves even below the level of the brutes, for they fulfil the ends of their being, under the impulse of their respective instincts and appetites; but the man who forgets his immortality and his God, does not fulfil the end of his. There may also be comprehended in the expression, the absence of what every rational creature ought to have—spiritual discernment and taste; the destitution of all right sentiment and feeling in reference to God and Divine things. This is the character of him whom Paul denominates the “natural” or animal “man,” who receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him.—Wardlaw.
The subject of Pro_12:2 has been treated in previous chapters. See Homiletics on chap. Pro_3:4; Pro_11:21, etc.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_12:2. Or “hath what he will of God.” Thus it is written of Luther, that by his prayers he could prevail with God at his pleasure. When gifts were offered him, he refused them with this brave speech, “I solemnly protested to God that I would not be put off with these low things.” And on a time praying for the recovery of a godly useful man, among other passages, he let fall this transcendent rapture of a daring faith, “Let my will he done,” and then falls off sweetly; “My will, Lord, because Thy will.” Blessed is he that hath what he will and wills nothing but what he should. If an evil thought haunt his heart, it is the device of the man, he is not the man of such devices.—Trapp.
A man can no way be so happy as by being in God’s favour. If any other thing were better than this, it would here be named; for His purpose is to promise and perform the best. Good men do set their wits to work to find the way whereby they may best please Him, and He doth set His wisdom to work to frame a recompense that may best pleasure them. It is precious—1. In regard of the rareness of it, it is a flower which groweth only in God’s own garden. It is a privilege and freedom peculiar to the children of God. 2. In regard to the continuance of it, it is not worn out by time, it vanisheth not away, it is never taken from them upon whom it is bestowed. 3. In regard to those good effects wherewith it is always accompanied—defence from enemies, safety from danger, gladness of heart, the love and favour of God it doth minister to everyone that partakes of it.—Dod.
Were the goodness of the godly such as it should be, it would from God’s goodness even deserve praise, not stand in need of remitting favour, it would carry favour with it, it would not be put by seeking to obtain it. But in the best, so little it is, that he must even fetch it out from the Lord with many prayers, earnest suit, and at last it is the great mercy of God that he doth obtain it. But yet, such is the mercy of God toward the good, that however He dealeth with the good man he still obtaineth favour from Him. St. Augustine saith, “Thou receivedst benefit both from His coming and His going; He cometh to the increase of thy comfort, He goeth to the increase of thy care. He goeth away sometimes lest continual presence should make Him despised, and that absence should make Him more desired.—Jermin”
A man of wicked devices may be artful enough to disguise his selfish plans under the mask of religion and benevolence, like the old Pharisees; but the eyes of the Judge of the world are like a flame of fire, they pierce into the secrets of every soul, and there is no dark design harboured which shall not be completely disclosed in the day of Christ.—Lawson.
Let blind reason condemn God. (see on Pro_12:1.) He who has gospel light will see Him as one out of whom he can draw favour. A man not only pure himself, but doing good to others, looks upon God as a fountain of blessing.—Miller.

Proverbs 12:3
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:3
A RIGHT DESIRE AND THE MEANS OF ITS ATTAINMENT
I. There has always been a desire in men for establishment—for fixedness. 1. It is a good and God-given aspiration, and manifests itself in many ways. Men rightly desire to have a settled home—a spot on earth to which they may attach themselves and from which they cannot be driven. This is a desire especially strong in the western and northern nations, and has been a powerful element in their development. Men desire a permanent and certain income, and the desire to obtain it is a great motive power to induce them to acquire knowledge of mechanical arts and professions. Men desire to earn a fixed reputation, and the desire acts as a moral power in the world. 2. It is a desire very old in its manifestation. Very early in the history of our race we have an instance of man’s desire for fixedness of position on the earth, and for a permanent reputation. It was this that prompted the men of Shinar to say one to another, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth” (Gen_11:4). They desired to have a centre of unity in the world—a spot where they could settle down together and establish a name that would outlive them. The building of Babel is a parable of what has been going on ever since, and will go on until the end of time. The building is not of bricks and mortar, but the desire is the same.
II. Men can only have this desire satisfied in one way. The men who purposed to build the tower of Babel used wrong means to fulfil a lawful desire. It was right to aspire towards reaching the fixedness of heaven, but that cannot be done with bricks were they never so many or so well burnt. They did “make a name,” but not the name they desired. And so it is with men now. They want to gain for themselves a permanent resting place and a lasting name, and they think to attain their desire by linking themselves with something belonging only to earth, they desire to reach the heavenly with the earthly. And if they could use all the clay upon the globe to make their bricks they would find their tower fall far short of reaching heaven. All life without God is a life of wickedness, and such a life cannot be an establishment because it is contrary to Divine law. But this desire towards the immutable is intended by God to lead man to turn his face towards “those things which cannot be shaken” (Heb_12:27), that righteous character which fits a man for the “house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2Co_5:1), which can be obtained by union with Him who is immutable—“The same yesterday, to-day, and for ever” (Heb_13:8). Men may build upon a foundation which shall not be removed, they may send their roots deep down into an eternal abiding place by falling in with the conditions laid down by Christ Himself in Mat_5:24-25.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Established may have reference not to the stability of his fortunes, but to that of his mind—to tranquil self-possession and firmness. Even if, in the providence of God, his substance should fail, he himself remains unshaken and entire in all his best blessings, and in all his hopes.—Wardlaw.
A man, being wicked, how shall he expect anything, except that he shall be disturbed? While the saint, though “shaken” in leaf and bough, and storm-tossed, and, perhaps, broken in his branches, yet “shall not be shaken” in his “root.”—Miller.
Ahab strove to establish himself in despite of the threatened curse of God. He increased his family, trained them with care under the tutelage of his choicest nobility. And surely one, at least, out of seventy, might remain to inherit his throne. But this was the vain “striving” of the worm “with his Maker.” One hour swept them all away (1Ki_21:21, with 2Ki_10:1-7). The device of Caiaphas, also, to establish his nation by wickedness, was the means of its overthrow (Joh_11:49-50, with Mat_21:43-44).—Bridges.
A man shall not be established by wickedness, for he lays his foundation upon firework, and brimstone is scattered upon his housetop: if the fire of God from heaven but flash upon it, it will all be aflame immediately. He walks all day upon a mine of gunpowder; and hath God with His armies ready to run upon the thickest bosses of his buckler, and to hurl him to hell. How can this man be sure of anything? Cain built cities, but could not rest in them; Ahab begat seventy sons, but not one successor to the kingdom. Sin hath no settledness. But the righteous, though shaken with winds, are rooted as trees; like a ship at anchor, they wag up and down, yet remove not.—Trapp.
We shall lose our labour in seeking any sinful helps. We shall but make quicksand our foundation, and mud our stonework, and stubble and reeds our strongest timber. It is time for us to pull down our own ruinous building, lest it fall upon our heads. For though it be so slight, and as weak as a cobweb, to be a cover over us, yet it is very heavy, and as weighty as a mountain to press us under it.—Dod.
Many are established in wickedness, and cannot be removed from it, but none shall ever be established by it.—Jermin.

Proverbs 12:4
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:4. Virtuous, literally “strenuous,” “capable” (used in Rth_3:11).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:4
A HUSBAND’S CROWN
I. A woman possessed of a quality which time will not destroy or impair. Virtue is not a mere negative good—it is not simply an absence of evil. A virtuous person is one who has overcome evil—one who is prevented from being a worker of evil by being a worker of good. Virtue is a thing of growth—human nature has to struggle to acquire moral excellence—to attain that strength of goodness which we call virtue. It has its seat in the regenerated heart. The river that is always flowing with pure, living water, is not fed from a cistern, but from a living spring which is in communication with the parent of waters. So virtue is not a native of this fallen world—it is of celestial birth—it is derived from the source of all goodness and consequently partakes of the indestructibility of all eternal things. There is no annihilation of virtue. Stabbing cannot kill it. Burning cannot destroy it. It will break the bonds of calumny and rise from the dead. Virtue adorns either sex, but it is especially attractive in a woman. It is
her crown, and because she is so crowned, she crowns her husband.
II. Man needs such a woman to complete, or crown his life. Even the first man in his sinless condition, with all the peculiar joys springing from his sinless nature, felt his existence incomplete until God gave him the woman as the filling up—the crown and finish of his life. But this woman was crowned herself with innocence and purity or she could not have crowned her husband. If man in his sinless condition needed a wife to complete his life, how much more does he need now a virtuous woman to be a helpmeet for him. 1. He needs her because he needs help from virtue outside himself. The most perfect of imperfect men must lean upon some human support, and they will consciously or unconsciously do so. A man who has a virtuous wife has ever about him an atmosphere which is strengthening to his own virtue. She will help him to preserve his integrity more effectually than any other person because she is so constantly about his path. She will give him that moral sympathy which is so helpful to men struggling to keep a good conscience in an evil world, which is like oil to the wheels of life, and makes what would otherwise be very difficult easy and pleasant. 2. He needs an intellectual companion. He must have a rational and intelligent spirit in his home if his life is to be what God intended it to be—one with whom he can converse and to whom he can impart his thoughts on things human and divine. He cannot be crowned, in the full sense of the word, unless he has such a wife, and the word virtue may embrace intellectual vigour as well as moral excellence. (See Comments on the verse). When a man has such a wife as we have described his life is completed or crowned. The word among the Hebrews was also symbolic of joy and gladness (Son_6:11), and such a woman is of necessity a joy to her husband.
III. The man who would be thus crowned must be wise in his choice of a wife. The most precious things are not generally to be obtained without some amount of seeking. Pebbles can be gathered upon any shore, but diamonds are only to be had for patient seeking. Pinchbeck ornaments are to be had for a trifle, but a golden diadem costs much money. There are plenty of women who may be won without much seeking, but a wife who is virtuous in the sense of the text is not to be met with every day or in every place. To find such an one he must ask counsel of Him who provided the first man with the woman who supplied his need in this respect. Though we have no record that Adam asked God for a helpmeet for him, yet we do not know that he did not. This we do know, that God’s best gifts, as a rule, are only had for asking. And when we reflect upon the terrible blight that an ungodly, unsympathetic, incapable wife is to a man, causing him such shame as is “rottenness to his bones,” we can fully see the need of seeking Divine guidance in forming a relationship which has so much to do with “making” or “marring” a man.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Here we have a king and a crown, a holy woman the crown; a happy man, the king. I. Inasmuch as a woman of grace is here called her husband’s crown we learn that a good wife is the husband’s best outward blessing, the worthiest mercy that a man may have in this world. It follows: 1. That as he who would be introduced into the crown of any kingdom or monarchy must match himself into the king’s race, so, he that would be sure to have a crown for his wife must take the same course, he must marry into the house of heaven, with some one to whom the King of Kings is a father, and who is by grace of the lineage and offspring of the Lord of Hosts. 2. The wife being the husband’s crown must be much respected by her husband. Crowns are no contemptible things. The Apostle Peter is exact in commanding this (1Pe_3:7). She is called the “glory of the man” (1Co_11:7) and his companion (Mal_2:14) his second-self (Eph_5:28-29). If in these regards God hath made a woman an honour to a man, the Lord looks that man should give honour to a woman. 3. A wife being a crown, requireth maintenance as much as her husband’s estate will afford. The crown must be maintained, it is for the honour and safety of the king, and for the content of the subjects that it have meet support. II. If the wife be the crown, the husband is the king. Therefore: 1. She must acknowledge him and obey him in all matrimonial loyalty and love. The proverb is, there is no service to compare with that of a king, but, certainly there is no king’s service to this. Kings can give the greatest about them, but rewards when they have done their best; but the husband gives the wife himself for her obedience. 2. It is her duty to grace him. To be a woman, and to be a wife, is not enough to be a crown, a man may have both these and yet she that he hath may be a shame unto him. There go more than two words to this bargain; to be a woman, a wife, and gracious, and she that is so cannot fail of her glory.—John Wing (1620).
Man, though made for the throne of the world, was found unfit for the final investiture until he got woman as a help.… When the relations of the sexes move in fittings of truth and love, the working of the complicated machinery of life is a wonder to an observing man and a glory to the Creator God.… We need not be surprised by the announcement of the horrid contrast. It is according to law; the best things abused become the worst. Woman is the very element of home. When that element is tainted, corruption spreads over all its breadth and sinks into its core.—Arnot.
The word implies the virtue of earnestness, or strength of character, rather than of simple chastity.—Plumptre.
The weakness of women is never a reproach unto them, but when it appeareth in not resisting sin. And therefore the original is a woman of strength, such a woman as is by God’s grace strong enough to withstand sin: a manlike woman, the Syriac hath it, in spiritual courage. But contrariwise she, who is not ashamed of her sinful weakness in yielding unto sin maketh him ashamed for whom she was created, and as rottenness in his bones destroyeth his strength, making him weak through grief, as she is through folly, for such grief enters deeply, and it is the bones that it wasteth, when she is naught who was made of man’s bone.—Jermin.
Let man learn to be grateful to woman for this undoubted achievement of her sex, that it is she—she far more than he, and she, too often, in despite of him—who has kept Christendom from lapsing back into barbarism, kept mercy and truth from being utterly overborne by those two greedy monsters, money and war. Let him be grateful for this, that almost every great soul that has led forward, or lifted up the race, has been furnished for each noble deed, and inspired with each patriotic and holy aspiration, by the retiring fortitude of some Spartan—some Christian mother. Moses, the deliverer of his people, drawn out of the Nile by the king’s daughter, some one has hinted, is only a symbol of the way that woman’s better instincts outwit the tyrannical diplomacy of the man. Let him cheerfully remember, that though the sinewy sex achieves enterprises on public theatres, it is the nerve and sensibility of the other that arm the mind and inflame the soul in secret. Everywhere a man executes the performance, but woman trains the man.—Anon.
The figure in the second clause is strong. We may consider it as conveying two ideas! 1. The “bones” are the strength of the frame. Upon them the whole is built. There is, therefore, in the idea of caries, or rottenness in them, that of the wasting of the vigour of body and mind, and the bringing of the man prematurely to his grave; and that, too, by means which cost him, ere this result is effected, exquisite suffering. 2. The “bones” are unseen. The poor man is pierced with inward and secret agony, which he cannot disclose; pines in unseen distress—distress of which the cause is hidden, while the effects are sadly and rapidly visible.—Wardlaw.
“Capable;” sometimes “virtuous,” literally strong. “It is well observed by Michaelis (Supp. No. 17), that in the early stages of society, when the government and laws had little influence, fortitude was the first and most necessary virtue; and might therefore naturally give its name to the other virtues. Hence virtus in Latin, and αρετη in Greek, which, according to their etymology, denote mainly strength and fortitude, came, at length, to signify virtue in general (Holder).” “Crown,” that is (1) ornament, and (2) source of power. A virtuous woman is both to her husband. A spendthrift, drunken, or adulterous wife is so entrenched in our being, that our very bone, that is, our dearest interests (Psa_35:10; Joh_19:36), are rotten, when these qualities begin their influence. A man, linked with such disorders, cannot complain of his inevitable reproof (Pro_12:1). Does he link himself with evil, he must partake of the storms that buffet it. Women, however, in all this book, seem to be types of qualities;—of Grace (Pro_11:16); of Wisdom (Pro_14:1); of Folly (Pro_9:13). The “virtuous woman” has not stood before us in all her true light, till she stands as Wisdom; nor “One that causes shame,” till we make her Impenitency. “The virtuous or capable woman” is our “crown,” for, with faith, all things are ours; and her great rival is our shame, for, with unbelief, there is “rottenness” in our very “bones.” This disposition always to see a figure must not be set down as fanciful, till the Woman of Grace, of Folly, and of Wisdom, and other still more artificial cases (Rev_12:1), have been thoroughly considered.—Miller.

Proverbs 12:5-8
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:5. Thoughts, or “purposes.” Right, “judgment,” “justice.”
Pro_12:7. Wordsworth here reads, “When the wicked turn themselves,” etc., i.e., on any reverse of their fortunes, however slight, they perish.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPHS—Pro_12:5-8
THOUGHTS AND WORDS AND THEIR RESULT
I. The thoughts of the righteous or godly man are right. 1. Because he has the best material out of which to build his thoughts. The kind of building which is reared will depend mainly upon the quarry from which the stones are hewn. The man of God gets the material of his thoughts from the revealed word of God. He obeys the Divine command.—“This book of the law shall not depart out thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night” (Jos_1:8). 2. Because his thinking is under the rule of law. He does not allow his mind to dwell upon every suggestion that comes into it, he forbids certain things to enter there, or if they enter in an unguarded moment, he will not give them a dwelling place. He does not give unqualified assent to the boast that “thought is free.” The righteous man does not aspire to be a “free-thinker,” if he did he could not be a good thinker. He rules his thoughts accordiag to the legislation of Christ (Mat_5:28; Mat_15:18), and endeavours to bring every thought into obedience to Him (2Co_10:5).
II. The speech of the righteous. A man’s words are never worse than his thoughts. In a good man they are the outcome of his thoughts. As the child is the undeveloped man, and the seed the undeveloped tree, so thought is the seed of speech. If the child’s constitution is good and the seed is good, the man and the tree will be healthy and vigorous. If the thought is healthy and wise the speech will be so likewise, for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Mat_12:34).
III. The thoughts of the wicked. They are such as spring spontaneously from the human heart, which is, according to the estimate of One who knows, “deceitful above all things” (Jer_17:9). In such a heart counsels or thoughts of deceit must be generated. His own life-work will be a deceit (chap. Pro_11:18), and he will deceive others. The verse evidently refers to thoughts which purpose harm to other people. When a man’s thoughts are not in subjection to the law of God, they have a tendency to go from bad to worse. The ungodly man, either directly or indirectly, injures others as well as himself.
IV. The words of the wicked. The ungodly are here represented, as in chap. Pro_11:21, as combining to injure the godly (see Homiletics on that verse). Their words are the outcome of their evil and malicious thoughts. Most ungodly men try to lessen the influence of the good by depreciating their character when they do not dare to attack their property and their lives. This lying in wait for blood may cover all schemes to bring about the downfall of the good. The two characters now stand before us. Let us look at what is in store for each. I. For the righteous. 1. Deliverance from the machinations of the wicked. This is effected by means of the godly man’s own words. He is able to refute what his enemies bring against him. This proverb cannot of course be taken to assert that the righteous are always delivered from death at the hands of their persecutors. They are delivered as Christ was delivered from the counsels of deceit, and from the bloody plans of the Scribes and Pharisees. The words here used exactly describe their character, and the deliverance of the righteous is such a deliverance as our Lord wrought for Himself by the words of truth and wisdom with which He silenced them. Take the instance of the tribute-money as recorded by Matthew (chap. Pro_22:15). “Then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us, therefore, What thinkest Thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And they brought Him a penny. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Cæsar’s. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s, and unto God the things which are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.” Two other instances of Christ’s delivering Himself by His “mouth” are given in the same chapter. And many of His followers have in like manner defeated the plans of their enemies. 2. The establishment of his family. His thoughts and words bless his own house—they are the means of reproducing other characters whose thoughts and words are like his own. This of itself is a good reason why his house should stand. Each member of it thus becomes a centre of influence for good, and in this way the world is preserved from moral corruption and ruin. And it is a law of God’s kingdom that the godliness of the head of a family or race should bring a blessing upon his posterity. God defended the people of Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah for “His servant David’s sake” (Isa_37:35). He blessed Isaac for “my servant Abraham’s sake” (Gen_26:24). And the same law is at work in New Testament times, “The promise is unto you and to your children” (Act_2:39). 3. General commendation. The wise and the righteous are synonymous in the book of Proverbs, the wisdom of the 8th verse is, doubtless, moral wisdom. Paul calls his Corinthian converts, whom he had begotten by his holy thoughts and wise words, his “letters of commendation” (2Co_3:1-3). Every godly man has some such commendatory epistles in the living souls whom his life and words have blessed. Men can but acknowledge that he is a blessing to his fellow-creatures while he lives, and after he has left the world he is praised by, and because of, those whom he turned to righteousness” (Dan_12:3). But for the wicked there must be—1. Overthrow. They entered the lists against a power much stronger than their own, and must therefore come to ruin. The stubble of the field can contend for a time against the fire, but the latter grows stronger the longer it burns, and the stubble is less and less able to resist its power, until presently there is nothing left but a few ashes which are soon scattered by the winds, and the place that once knew them knows them no more, “For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Mal_4:1). 4. General contempt. The wicked or “perverse of heart” will not be able to respect himself, how then can he expect others to hold him in honour? And in the day of his overthrow the contempt or indifference with which both he and his fate will be regarded will not come from those whom he has striven to injure, but from those who are like himself. Those who have already met with their overthrow will be those who will meet him with the taunt, “Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?” (Isa_14:10). And those whose time of judgment is yet in the future will not stoop to pity or succour him.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_12:5. That thoughts are free, is his lesson, by whom we are made slaves unto sin. For if the thoughts be corrupted, the affections will soon be polluted, and then the actions are easily perverted. If the flies of Egypt get into our eyes, the frogs of Egypt will soon get into our chambers, the chambers of our hearts, and then the caterpillars of Egypt will soon destroy our fruits, the actions of our lives. The counsels of the wicked are deceit—they deceive God of His honour, their neighbour of his right, themselves of their salvation.—Jermin.
The stress lies upon the words, “thoughts” or “purposes,” and “counsels.” Habits of good and evil reach beyond the region of outward act to that of impulse and volition.—Plumptre.
To the righteous are ascribed simple and clear thoughts, to the godless, prudently thought through schemes and measures, but on that very account not simple, because of their tendency. Delitzsch.
If good thoughts look into a wicked heart, they stay not there, as those that like not their lodging; the flashes of lightnings may be discerned into the darkest prisons. The light that shines into a holy heart is constant, like that of the sun, which keeps due times, and varies not the course for any of these sublunary occasions.—Trapp.
At the first creation man was made to excel brute beasts more by the reason and gifts of the soul than by the fashion and shape of the body, so at the second, a Christian is made to excel sinful men more by the holiness and working of the soul than by those of the body.—Dod.
The mere thoughts—the unpremeditated resolves of a righteous man—are right; the deliberate counsels, the very deliberations of the wicked, are deceit.—Burgon.
Many indeed are the deviations of the righteous. But there is an overcoming law within that, in despite of all opposition, fixes his thoughts with delight on God and His law (Psa_139:17-18; Rom_7:15; Rom_7:23), and gives to them a single bias for His service. Widely different are the thoughts of the wicked, ripening into counsels fraught with deceit. Such were those of Joseph’s brethren to deceive their father; of Jeroboam, under a feigned consideration of the people; of Daniel’s enemies, under pretence of honouring the king; of Herod, under the profession of worshipping the infant Saviour.—Bridges.
This verse has been rendered, “The policy of the just is honesty; the wisdom of the wicked is cunning.” The righteous man deals in rectitude, and from his actions you know his thoughts. It is not so with “the wicked.” He thinks one way and acts another. His words and deeds are not the fair index of his thoughts.—Wardlaw.
“The plans of the righteous are a judgment.” This word, which is very common in the Bible, means a judicial decision. The “judgment” of the wicked is a verdict of the Almighty consigning them to hell. The “judgment” of the righteous, by what Christ has wrought out, is a verdict of eternal reward.… The “plans of the righteous,” however disastrous they may seem, “are a judgment.” And, as the “judgment” of the righteous is in his favour, his plans, however bad, are shaped in him for his good. Whatsoever storms they may lead to, they are from a most prosperous verdict, and have been allowed to supervene, for his highest, and well-graduated good. Mark now the climax (as in ch.
Pro_14:11). It says, the plans of the righteous, leaving us to suppose they might be very wretched. But it says “the helmsmanship (counsels, see on chap. Pro_11:14) of the wicked,” leaving us to suppose they are very shrewd. The keenest calculations of the wicked, where a cool eye is at the helm, and where instead of marrying a foolish wife (Pro_12:4), he has built grandly for the world; still, as a judgment, I mean by that, as the whole verdict in his case, his very helmsmanships are a deceit. (1) His own wisdom cheats him in ordering his life; and (2) God Himself, as a part of His award, takes care that he be deceived as to his total well-being.—Miller.
Pro_12:6. The law of parallelism leaves it open to us to refer the pronoun at the end of the verse to the righteous themselves, or to those, the unwary and innocent, for whom the words of the wicked lie in wait.—Plumptre.
The fiercer ebullitions of humanity may, indeed, be softened down and restrained. But the principle remains the same. The fiery elements only lie in slumbering cover, and often break out, wasting the very face of society.—Bridges.
The words. Speech is the great instrument of man. Talking is his trade. Wall Street and Lombard Street make their fortunes by the tongue. The “words of the wicked” are, therefore, their highest activities, and our proverb declares that these high acts are “a lying in wait for blood.” We would not deny that this may include the blood of others; but in the light of the last verse the grand victim is themselves (chap. Pro_1:18). Each order on change is for a man’s last discomfiture.—Miller.
Though nature hath denied man the weapons of his teeth, yet wickedness giveth to some such words as are more bloody than the teeth of the most bloody beasts. The false witness will frame his tale so cunningly as if he intended nothing but a clearing of the truth, whereas he seeketh nothing but the shedding of blood. The corrupt judge will couch his words so closely, as if he meant nothing but to have justice executed, whereas they are nothing but ambushments to surprise innocent blood. But there are words which issue from the mouth of the upright, as making a sally out of some adjoining fort, whereby the prey is rescued, the pillagers are defeated, the innocent is delivered, the upright as victorious is crowned with the diadem of his judgment as in Job it is called (ch. Pro_29:14); and which St. Gregory saith is rightly called a diadem, because by the glory of an excellent work it leadeth to the crown of a glorious reward. Now such were the words of Job’s mouth, who brake the jaws of the wicked and plucked the spoil out of his teeth, being eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, and a father to the poor.—Jermin.
The prayers of God’s people ascend up to God’s presence for His help, and those mouths prevail mightily that seek for redress of wrong at His hands. Herod thought it would be too late for all the friends which Peter had to minister help to him when he had clapped him in prison. But he remembered not how swift the godly be to prayer and how soon a prayer can come to God.—Dod.
Pro_12:7. The persons of the wicked are overthrown and are not, the house of the righteous (the very roof that sheltered him) shall stand.—Burgon.
He that is strong may be overthrown and may rise again, he that riseth not to what he was may rise in part to something, he that riseth not at all, may lie where he has fallen; but in the overthrow of the wicked all hope is gone of anything, for they themselves are nothing. They were not in goodness, they are not by their wickedness. They are not to be recovered from their overthrow, because they are not changed to repentance by their overthrow. On the other side, not only the righteous shall stand, their family, their posterity shall stand, for God shall stand by them, and then no fear of falling can be unto them.—Jermin.
When a change of the estate of the ungodly is made from prosperity unto adversity, their utter destruction is commonly wrought, for their house being built upon the sand, the tempests and the winds arise and quite overthrow it. The whole manner of the overthrow is described in Job_18:15.—Muffet.
The righteous shall “have a place in the Lord’s house,” immovable here (Isa_56:4-5), and in eternity (Rev_3:12).—Bridges.
Solomon had a signal exemplification of this in the case of Saul and his father David. Possibly this instance might be in his eye at the time.—Wardlaw.
Eventually there must be overthrow, even if it be no overthrow but death. When the wicked do fall, there is positively nothing of them left. While in the deepest disasters of the righteous, nothing is not left. “His house,” and by that is meant every possible real interest (1Sa_2:35) shall stand for ever.—Miller.
Pro_12:8. Sometimes, and very often, the wicked shall commend him, commonly the righteous, and always the Lord Himself, but most of all at the last day, before all men and angels. They that are not void of uprightness shall not be destitute of praise and honour. Though some be blind that they cannot discern their understanding and graces, yet others have their eyesight and behold them. Though some be dumb and will not speak of their virtues, yet others have their lips open to commend them.—Dod.
And all wisdom consists in this, that a man rightly know and worship God. Apollonius, Archimedes, and Aristotle were wise in their generations, and so accounted, but by whom? Not by St. Paul, he hath another opinion of them (Rom_1:22). Not by our Saviour (Mat_11:25).—Trapp.
According—“in exact proportion;” such is the meaning of the Hebrew. A man is more applauded for good sense than perhaps anything else. Wisdom—“shrewdness;” that attribute that leads to success. Therefore it sometimes means success (2Ki_18:7). Successful shrewdness is a very positive sort. Such is the shrewdness of the righteous man (Pro_12:7). Perverse heart—“crooked sense,” literally heart; though heart contains more of sense (νους) than we ascribe to it. If a man whose mind works crookedly every time becomes an object of contempt, why ought not the wicked to become so, whose very helmsmanships are a deceit? (Pro_12:5).—Miller.
How thrilling will be the commendation of wisdom before the assembled universe! (Luk_12:42-44). Who will not then acknowledge the wise choice of an earthly cross with a heavenly crown?—Bridges.
This is capable of two interpretations. It may refer to commendation by men, or to commendation by God. In the one case it may mean mere secular discretions, in the other it must mean religious principle, according to the invariable testimony that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.” This is not the wisdom that secures the eulogy of men; but it will ever secure that of the Infinitely Wise, the Infinitely Good. And, indeed, the two things may be united. A man who fears God will always be a faithful counsellor, and if at the same time he have sound discretion in regard to the affairs of life, this will form the perfection of character, and there will be commendation both from men and God.… In the pride of your hearts, you may affect to hold very cheap the contempt of men; though even that is often more pretension than reality, disappointment rankling at the heart, while scorn is curling the lip. But what must it be to be “lightly esteemed” at last, to be “despised” by that God who has in his hands the destinies of the universe!—Wardlaw.

Proverbs 12:9
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:9. This verse is read in two ways. Zockler reads, “Better is the lowly that serveth himself than he that boasteth and lacketh bread.” Wordsworth agrees with this view. Delitzsch and Stuart render as the authorised version (see comments on the verse).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:9
Whichever rendering we adopt of this verse the subject is the same—that of one man’s allowing his vanity, his love for appearances, to rob him of all real comfort, and that of his wiser brother’s preference of comfort to outside show.
I. The wise man who is despised. Men who have the moral courage to live in a simple style, and to labour with their own hands, will certainly be regarded with contempt by some, but by whom? By those whose good opinion and honour is not worth having. Children are taken with what is showy on the surface—they have little regard for what lies underneath. They will be more delighted with a soap-bubble than with a diamond. But men look on things with different eyes. So it is only men and women of childish minds who estimate a man by his clothes, his house, or his establishment, and it is only such who will despise the first man mentioned in the text. If we take the common rendering of the verse, then this man is more useful to society than the other; for, instead of spending all his money on himself, he keeps a servant, and so gives another a means of living. For as it is implied that he does not lack bread himself, so he will not let those in his employ want the necessaries of life. Other things being equal, the man who, by a judicious use of his means, gives employment to others, is a greater benefactor to his race than he who spends his money in selfish luxury. At any rate, this man is a wiser man than the other, for he has the good sense to prefer the greater to the less. It is only obeying a natural instinct to satisfy the bodily wants, and to supply ourselves with all the substantial comforts of life before we spend money on things which do not, after all, add in the least to our real enjoyment, and yet the majority of men do sacrifice some of the former to the latter. He who has the moral courage not to do so shows his real wisdom. And by such a course of conduct he blesses others as well as himself—he does something to stem the tide of passion for keeping up appearances which in our age and country is the fruitful source of so much crime and misery—he, and he only, is the truly honest man, for he is content to pass for just what he is as to wealth.
II. The foolish and wicked man who “honours himself.” 1.
He is a fool. Vanity is one of the most despicable passions that can possess a man—it often leads a man to the most childish actions. No man of modern times was more entirely under its dominion than Voltaire, whose only aim in life seemed to be to gain that unsubstantial homage which afforded his spirit at the last such an unsatisfying portion. He did not literally lack bread, but he did find himself in his old age without anything which could give him any real comfort. The man mentioned in our text is so bent upon obtaining this false honour that he will “lack bread”—suffer positive bodily discomfort—rather than not obtain it. 2. He is a sinner. He lies in action, if not in word. While he is resorting to the meanest shifts in secret he is trying to make people believe that he is much better off than he really is. By stinting himself in the common comforts of life he sins against his own body and against his Creator, for “the Lord is for the body” (1Co_6:13), and it is man’s duty to feed that house of the soul which is so “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psa_139:14). He therefore sins against himself and against society. It is worth while to inquire whether anybody will honour him after all his foolish efforts. God cannot, for He hates all hypocrisy. Men may, for their own interest, flatter him, and feign to respect him, but he will obtain no real honour, either from men like him in character, or from those who are better and wiser. “I have read,” says Thomas Adams, “of Menecrates, a physician that would needs be counted a god, and took no other fee of his patients than their vow to worship him. Dionysius Syracusanus, hearing of this, invited him to a banquet, and, to honour him according to his desire, set before him nothing but a censer of frankincense, with the smoke whereof he was feasted till he starved, while others fed on good meat.” Such smoke as this is all the return such a man as the one pictured in this proverb will get for starving himself, and for sinning against his own body, against society, and against God.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
We give a few of the many renderings of this verse:—
Better is he that laboureth and aboundeth in all things than he that boasteth himself and lacketh bread. Wordsworth.
This proverb, like Pro_15:17, commends the middle rank of life with its quiet excellencies. A man of lowly rank, who is, however, not so poor that he cannot support a slave, is better than one that boasts himself and is yet a beggar. The first necessity of an oriental in only moderate circumstances is a slave, just as was the case with the Greeks and Romans.—Delitzsch.
Better is the condition of the poor man, who has the means under his control of aiding his exertions for sustenance, than the nobleman, real or fancied, who is in a state of starvation. Stuart.
Each interpretation is tenable grammatically. (1) He whom men despise, or who is “lowly” in his own eyes (the word is used by David himself, 1Sa_18:23), the trader, the peasant, if he has a slave, i.e., if he is one step above absolute poverty, and has someone to supply his wants, is better off than the man who boasts of rank or descent, and has nothing to eat. Respectable mediocrity is better than boastful poverty. (2) He who, though despised, is a servant to himself, i.e. supplies his own wants, is better than the arrogant and helpless.—Plumptre.
Some do think it more miserable to be known to be miserable than to be so, and are more grieved to be disesteemed for it than to be pinched by it, wherefore they will feed the eyes of others with a show of plenty, although they have not bread to feed themselves. But he is better who, disesteeming the esteem of others and being servant to himself, does get his own bread, and is contented with it. For as lie is servant, so is he master also; and howbeit he serveth, yet it is at his own pleasure. And this is his comfort, that while he serveth himself he hath to serve his need and occasions, when he that honoureth himself is fain at last to live by others. Or else take the meaning thus: the ambitious itch of many is so great, and so disquieteth their hearts, that they can lack anything, even bread itself, rather than honour and preferment; so that when they are swollen big in greatness and dignity they are even starved in their estate, and have not of their own the next meal to feed themselves. But better is he, especially if he be a good man, who—having to keep himself and a servant—doth keep within his means; and though he be despised by them that overlook him, yet looks upon himself with thanks to God that it is so well with him. And, indeed, how can this man but be better than the other, when his servant is better than the other is. For as Chrysostom speaketh, it cannot be but that he who is the slave of glory should be servant of all, yea, more vile than all other servants. For there is no servant commanded to do such base things as the love of glory commandeth him.—Jermin.
The son of Sirach, who may well be called an interpreter of this book of the Proverbs, hath a very like saying to this where he speaketh thus, “Better is he that worketh and aboundeth with all things, than he that boasteth himself, and wanteth bread” (Sir_10:30). Muffet.
When men are such slaves to the opinion of the world, they rebel against Him who makes no mistake in His allotments and often appoints a descent from worldly elevation as a profitable discipline (Jas_1:10-11; Dan_4:32-37). Yet it is hard, even for the Christian, as Bunyan reminds us, “to go down the valley of humiliation and catch no slip by the way.” We need our Master’s unworldly elevated spirit (Joh_6:15) to make as safe descent … “Let our moderation be known unto all men,” under the constraining recollection, “The Lord is at hand (Php_4:5). How will the dazzling glory of man’s esteem fade away before the glory of His appearing!—Bridges.
Paul travelling on foot, and living on the wages of a tent-maker, was more respectable than the pretended successor of his brother apostle, with a triple crown upon his head.—Lawson.

Proverbs 12:10
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:10. Regardeth, literally “knoweth.” Delitzsch reads, “knoweth how his cattle feed.” “Cruel is singular, denoting that each one of his mercies are cruel” (Fausset).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:10
CARE FOR ANIMALS AND CRUELTY TO MEN
Even the animal is benefited by being related to a righteous man.
I. The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. 1. Because of the entire dependence of the creature upon him. Animals which are the property of man are entirely at his mercy. They have no power to change a bad master for a good one—no voice to utter their complaints—no means of getting redress for their wrongs. All these considerations tend to make a good man care for them, for the righteous man’s sympathies are always drawn out in proportion to the need of the object. And with regard to the animal creation, it may be that the present life is the only opportunity a man may have of showing kindness to them. If, on the other hand, animals live in another world, it may be all the better for men to treat them well here. 2. Because of his dependence upon his beast. Men are very largely indebted to animals for the sustaining of their life—it would be very difficult for the work of the world to be carried on without their help; men would certainly have to labour much harder if they had it not. Therefore, the righteous man feels that he is paying a debt when he “regards the life of his beast.” 3. Because the animal is an object of Divine care. The Bible has many references to the brute creation, and many passages which show that “God regardeth the life of the beast.” Christ tells us that not a sparrow falls to the ground without His Father’s notice, and God has given special commands with reference to the care of dumb creatures. “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn” (Deu_25:4). Seeing, then, that “God doth care for oxen,” a righteous man will do likewise. 4. Because of the lessons that may be learned from the animal creation. God often sends man to learn of them (see Isa_1:3; Jer_8:7), and much suggestive teaching may be got from observation of their dispositions and habits. It would be ingratitude not to repay them with considerate care.
II. The wicked man is cruel. Wickedness is, in its nature, destitute of kindliness. The sea is by nature salt, and its saltness makes it unfit to sustain human life. The father of wickedness is a cruel being—his only aim is to increase the misery of the universe. All his children have partaken more or less of his character since the first human murderer killed his brother. It is said here that even his acts of mercy are cruel. History gives many instances of men whose so-called acts of mercy were only refined cruelties. It follows that if wicked men are cruel to their fellow-creatures—to men and women of their own flesh and blood, they will be even more indifferent to the welfare of creatures below man.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Sir Robert Clayton, as commander of a troop of British cavalry, which after service on the Continent was disbanded in the city of York, and the horses sold, could not bear to think that his old fellow-campaigners, who had borne brave men to battle, should be ridden to death as butcher’s hacks, or worked in dung-carts till they became dogs’ meat, he therefore purchased a piece of ground upon Knavesmire heath, and turned out the old horses to have their run for life. What made this act to be the longer had in remembrance, was the curious fact, that one day, when these horses were grazing, a thunder-storm gathered, at the fires and sounds of which, as if mistaken for the signs of approaching battle, they were seen to get together and form in line, almost in as perfect order as if they had their old masters on their backs.
Sir James Prior tells us, in the last year of the life of Burke, that a feeble old horse which had been a favourite with young Richard—now dead—and his constant companion in all his rural journeyings and sports, when both were alike healthful and vigorous, was turned out to take the run of the park at Beaconsfield during the remainder of his life, the servants being strictly charged not to ride or in any way molest him. This poor worn-out steed it was that one day drew near to Burke, as the now childless and decrepit statesman was musing in the park, and after some moments of inspection, followed by seeming recollection and confidence, deliberately rested his head upon the old man’s bosom. The singularity of the action, the remembrance of his dead son, its late master, and the apparent attachment and intelligence of the poor brute, as if it could sympathise with his inward sorrows, rushing at once into his mind, totally overpowered his firmness, and throwing his arms over its neck, he wept long and loudly.
John Howard writes home from the Lazaretto, himself sick and a prisoner: “Is my chaise-horse gone blind or spoiled? Duke is well, he must have his range when past his labour; not doing such a cruel thing as I did with the old mare. I have a thousand times repented of it.”—Jacox.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
What the cruelty of the wicked is, at its worst, words might seem wanting to show, after it has been said that the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. But “a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.” Jacob, as flock-master, is studiously careful for his flocks and herds as well as for his tender children; “if men should over-drive them one day, all the flock would die;” so “I will lead on softly,” said he to Esau, “according as the cattle that goeth before me is able to endure.” The angel of the Lord standing in the way, rebukes Balaam for smiting his ass three times: that unrighteous man, wishing there were a sword in his hand, too literally regardeth not the life of his beast.… We certainly ought not, pleads Plutarch, to treat living creatures like shoes or household goods, which, when worn out with use, we throw away; and, were it only to learn benevolence to human kind, we should be merciful to other creatures. To be kind to these our fellow-lodgers is common humanity. To be cruel to them is to be below it. It is almost, if not quite, to be a little lower than themselves. It is, maintains Sir Arthur Helps, an immense responsibility that Providence has thrown upon us in subjecting these sensitive creatures to our complete sway, and he avowedly trembles at the thought of how poor an answer we shall have to give, when asked the question how we have made use of the power entrusted to us over the brute creation.… The question of interposing law has been a vexed one, upon which the humanest have differed … So hard-headed and cool-headed a thinker as Stuart Mill is decisive and incisive in his arguments in favour of legal intervention. Mr. Lecky’s suggestion of a doubt whether cruelty to animals can be condemned on utilitarian grounds, is met by the obvious answer that a utilitarian may rationally include in his definition of the greatest number whose happiness is to be the aim of human beings, not only human beings themselves, but all animals capable of being happy or the reverse; beside which it is urged that, even if we limit our view to the good of our own species, the argument is as strong as can be desired. “If the criminality of an action were to be measured simply by its direct effects on human happiness, we might probably urge that the murderer of a grown-up man was worse than the murderer of a child, and far worse than the torturer of a dumb animal. Yet, as a matter of fact, we should probably feel a greater loathing for a man who could torment a beast for his pleasure than for one who should ill-use one of his equals.” For such cruelty is held to indicate, as a rule, a baser nature. A murderer, though generally speaking a man of bad character, is not of necessity cowardly or mean; he may not improbably show some courage, and possibly even some sensibility to the nobler emotions. The tormentor of animals, on the other hand, shows callousness of nature, a pleasure in giving pain for the sake of giving pain, which has about it something to be described as devilish … John Foster declared it to be a great sin against moral taste to mention ludicrously, or for ludicrous comparison, circumstances in the animal world which are painful and distressing to the animals that are in them; the simile, for instance, “Like a toad under a harrow.”—Jacox.
Lit. “knoweth.” The authorised version gives the right application, but the words remind us that all true sympathy and care must grow out of knowledge. The righteous man tries to know the feelings and life even of the brute beast, and so comes to care for it. “Tender mercies.” Better “the feelings, the emotions,” all that should have led to mercy and pity towards man. The circle expands in the one case, narrows in the other.—Plumptre.
When the pulse of kindness beats strong in the heart the warm stream is sent clean through the body of the human family, and retains force enough to expatiate among the living creatures that lie beyond.… Cruelty is a characteristic of the wicked in general, and in particular of antichrist—that one, wicked by pre-eminence, whom Christ shall yet destroy by the brightness of His coming. By their fruits ye shall know them. The page of history is spotted with the cruelties of papal Rome. The red blood upon his garments is generally the means of discovering a murderer. The trailing womanish robes of the papal high priest are deeply stained with the blood of the saints. The same providence which employs the bloody tinge to detect the common murderer has left more lasting marks of Rome’s cruelty. The Bartholomew massacre, for example, is recorded in more enduring characters than the stains of that blood which soaked the soil of France. The pope and his cardinals rejoiced greatly when they heard the news. So lively was their gratitude that they cast a medal to record it on. There stands the legend, raised in brass and silver—“Strages Huguenotorum” (the slaughter of the Huguenots)—in perpetual memory of the delight wherewith that wicked antichrist regarded the foulest butchery of men by their fellows that this sin-cursed earth has ever seen. That spot will not out with all their washings.—Arnot.
It is better to be the beast of a righteous man than the son of a wicked man; nay it is better to be the beast of a righteous man than to be a wicked man. For the righteous will do right unto his beast; the merciful man hath sense of mercy wheresoever is sense of misery, and while in mercy he regardeth the life of the beast that is beneath him, he is made like unto God, who is so far above him. But the wicked man’s tender mercies are “mercies of the cruel,” or else his tender mercies are cruel, hurting as much as severe cruelty; and therefore many times a wicked father’s fond affection is the utter undoing of a petted child, and sparing pity, where evil should be chastised, is the breeding nurse of mischief which cannot be helped. The fond mercies whereby the wicked favoureth himself in sloth and idleness, whereby he pleaseth himself with pleasures and delights, whereby he pampereth himself with delicate and luscious meats, whereby he restraineth not his lusts and desires—what are they but cruelties whereby he tormenteth his body with sickness and quickly killeth it, and whereby he wilfully destroyeth his soul.—Jermin.
The worldly care of a high prosperous man may seem very tender to those dependent on him and towards others; but the very tenderness of an impenitent example is the higher snare, the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.… Religion has no austerities that make a true saint careless of the life or feelings even of his beast. On the contrary, it breeds the most pervading tenderness; whereas the wise worlding, however careful of his home and tender towards all who have any claim upon his care, yet, in admitting that there is a hell, and neglecting all prayer for his household, and all example, except one that braves the worst, breeds children simply to destroy them.—Miller.
The tender mercies of the wicked are when base and guilty men are spared that should be smitten with the sword of justice. Pity of this sort is more cruel than cruelty itself. For cruelty is exercised upon individuals, but this pity, by granting impunity, arms and sends forth against innocent men the whole army of evil doers.—Lord Bacon.
We have been used to hear much of the benevolence of infidels and the philanthropy of deists. It is all a pretence. Self is the idol and self-indulgence the object, in the accomplishment of which they are little scrupulous about the means. Where self is the idol, the heart is cruel. While they talk of universal charity, they regard not the cruelty of robbing thousands of the consolations of religion.… While they speak of harmless gaiety and pleasure they would treacherously corrupt piety and pollute unsuspecting innocence.—Holden.
The word regard is of twofold application, and may either apply to the moral or the intellectual part of our nature. In the one it is the regard of attention; in the other it is the regard of sympathy or kindness. But we do not marvel at the term having been applied to two different things, for they are most intimately associated. They act and re-act upon each other. If the heart be very alive to any particular set of emotions the mind will be alert in singling out the peculiar objects which excite them; so, on the other hand, that the emotions be specifically felt the objects must be specifically noticed.… So much is this the case that Nature seems to have limited and circumscribed our power of noticing just for the purpose of shielding us from too incessant a sympathy.… If man, for instance, looked upon Nature with a microscopic eye his sensibilities would be exposed to the torture of a perpetual offence from all possible quarters of contemplation, or, if through habit these sensibilities were blunted, what would become of character in the extinction of delicacy of feeling?.… There is, furthermore, a physical inertness of our reflective faculties, an opiate infused, as it were, into the recesses of our mental economy, by which objects, when out of sight, are out of mind, and it is to some such provision, we think, that much of the heart’s purity, as well as its tenderness, is owing; and it is well that the thoughts of the spirit should be kept, though even by the weight of its own lethargy, from too busy a converse with objects which are alike offensive and hazardous to both.… But there is a still more wondrous limitation than this.… The sufferings of the lower animals may be in sight, and yet out of mind. This is strikingly exemplified in the sports of the field, in the midst of whose varied and animating bustle that cruelty, which is all along present to the senses, may not, for one moment, be present to the thoughts.… It touches not the sensibilities of the heart, but just because it is never present to the notice of the mind. The followers of this occupation are reckless of pain, but this is not rejoicing in pain. Theirs is not the delight of savage, but the apathy of unreflecting creatures.… We are inclined to carry this principle much further. We are not sure if, within the whole compass of humanity, fallen as it is, there be such a thing as delight in suffering for its own sake. But, without hazarding a controversy on this, we hold it enough for every practical object that much, and perhaps the whole of this world’s cruelty, arises not from the enjoyment that is felt in consequence of others’ pain, but from the enjoyment that is felt in spite of it.… But a charge of the foulest delinquency may be made up altogether of wants or of negatives; and just as the human face, by the mere want of some of its features, although there should not be any inversion of them, might be an object of utter loathsomeness to beholders, so the human character, by the mere absence of certain habits or sensibilities which belong ordinarily and constitutionally to our species, may be an object of utter abomination in society. The want of natural affection forms one article of the Apostle’s indictment against our world; and certain it is that the total want of it were stigma enough for the designation of a monster. The mere want of religion is enough to make a man an outcast from his God. Even to the most barbarous of our kind you apply, not the term of anti-humanity, but of inhumanity—not the term of anti-sensibility; and you hold it enough for the purpose of branding him for general execration that you convicted him of complete and total insensibility.… We count it a deep atrocity that, unlike to the righteous man of our text, he simply does not regard the life of a beast.… The true principle of his condemnation is that he ought to have regarded.… Our text rests the whole cause of the inferior animals on one moral element, which is in respect of principle, and on one practical method, which is, in respect of efficacy, unquestionable: “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.” Let a man be but righteous in the general and obvious sense of the word, and let the regard of his attention be but directed to the case of the inferior animals, and then the regard of his sympathy will be awakened to the full extent at which it is either duteous or desirable.… The lesson is not the circulation of benevolence within the limits of one species. It is the transmission of it from one species to another. The first is but the charity of a world; the second is the charity of a universe. Had there been no such charity, no descending current of love and liberality from species to species, what would have become of ourselves? Whence have we learned this attitude of lofty unconcern about the creatures who are beneath us? Not from those ministering spirits who wait upon the heirs of salvation.… Not from that mighty and mysterious visitant who unrobed Him of all His glories, and bowed down His head unto the sacrifice, and still, from the seat of His now exalted mediatorship, pours forth His intercessions and His calls in behalf of the race He died for. Finally, not from the eternal Father of all, in the pavilion of whose residence there is the golden treasury of all those bounties and beatitudes that roll over the face of nature, and from the footstool of whose empyreal throne there reaches a golden chain of providence to the very humblest of His family.—
Chalmers.
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God that loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
Coleridge.

Proverbs 12:11
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:11. Vain persons, or “vanity,” “emptiness.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:11
SATISFACTION FROM TILLAGE
I. Satisfaction as the result of tillage depends—1. Upon the performance of a Divine promise. It is long ago since God gave to Noah the promise that “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen_9:22), and it has been so invariably fulfilled that men have come to forget upon whom they are depending—in whom they are exercising faith—when they plough the ground and sow the seed. God’s regularity in His performance has bred in men a contempt for the promise and the promise maker. Men speak of the laws of nature and ignore the fact that it is by the Word of the Lord that the “rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater” (Isa_55:10). But so it is. The promise is the power that set the laws in motion at first and that have kept them in motion ever since. There can be no tillage without dependence upon God either acknowledged or unacknowledged. The promise is an absolute one, and implies power in God to fulfil it to the end of time. It can never fail unless God’s power fail, or unless He break His word; these are blessed impossibilities with Him. Therefore, so far as God is concerned the shall of the text is absolute. But it depends likewise—2. Upon men’s fulfilment of their duties. First, it is not all tillage that will satisfy a man with bread, the tillage must be painstaking and intelligent. The promise of God does not set aside the necessity for the man to be very laborious and to study carefully the nature and needs of the soil which he tills. Agriculture is a science which must be acquired—a man must learn how to till the ground. God claims to be man’s instructor in this matter (Isa_28:26). Then, again, it must be his land that he tills, not land taken by fraud or violence from another. Neither if a man tills the land of another as his servant is he always paid sufficient wages to be satisfied with bread. But this is the greed of man interfering with God’s ordinaton.
II. The promise suggests symbolic teaching. We may look at it in relation to the human spirit. As land must be ploughed and sown with painstaking intelligence if a man is to have the satisfaction of reaping a harvest, so the human soul must be the object of spiritual tillage if it is ever to yield any satisfaction to God or man. There is very much to be got out of the land, but no man can obtain the full blessing unless he cultivate it. So it is with the man himself. A human soul left to lie barren can never become as a “field which the Lord hath blessed.” (1) It must be prepared to receive the words of God. The “fallow ground” must be broken up, lest the sowing be “among thorns” (Jer_4:3), or the seed fall where it can find no entrance (Hos_10:12; Mat_13:4). (2) Good seed must be sown. The word of God (Mar_4:14), that “incorruptible seed” by which men are “born again” (1Pe_1:23). (3) And the spiritual sower must be persevering and prayerful. It is true of natural tillage that “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap” (Ecc_11:4); it is equally so of soul-husbandry. The world, the flesh, and the devil will be always putting difficulties in the way of a man’s caring for his “own soul.” But these obstacles must be surmounted, and if the seed is watered by prayer God will assuredly send down the rain of the Holy Ghost. (4) And in spiritual tillage there is also a certainty of satisfaction. This also depends upon not one Divine promise but upon many—upon the revelation of God as a whole. (Upon the opposite character—him “that followeth vain persons,” or vanity, instead of tilling his land or his spiritual nature—see Homiletics on chapters Pro_6:11 and Pro_10:5, pages 79 and 147.)
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
We might have expected that the antithesis of the second clause would have ended with “shall lack bread,” but the real contrast goes deeper. Idleness leads to a worse evil than that of hunger.—Plumptre.
Vain persons or “empty people”—most signally the impenitent—for they are empty of all good. “That follows after empty people” is a fine characteristic of the impenitent man’s decline. Following others is the commonest influence to destroy the soul.—Miller.
Special honour is given to the work of tilling the land. God assigned it to Adam in Paradise. It was the employment of his eldest son. In ancient times it was the business or relaxation of kings. A blessing is ensured to diligence, sometimes abundant, always such as we should be satisfied with.—Bridges.
Of all the arts of civilised man agriculture is transcendantly the most essential and valuable. Other arts may contribute to the comfort, the convenience, and the embellishment of life, but the cultivation of the soil stands in immediate connection with our very existence. The life itself, to whose comfort, convenience, and embellishment other arts contribute, is by this sustained, so that others without it can avail nothing.—Wardlaw.
The only two universal monarchs practised husbandry.… Some people think that they cannot have enough unless they have more than the necessaries and decent comforts of life: but we are here instructed that bread should satisfy our desires. Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. There are few that want these, and yet few are content.… To be satisfied with bread is a happy temper of mind, and is commonly the portion of the man of industry, which not only procures bread, but gives it a relish unknown to men that are above labour.—Lawson.
Sin brought in sweat (Gen_3:19), and now not to sweat increaseth sin.… “But he that followeth vain persons,” etc. It is hard to be a good fellow and a good husband too.—Trapp.
Here is encouragement to those who travail in husbandry. They are of as good note with God for their service, if they be faithful, as others whose trades are more gainful, and better esteemed among men. The merchants, and goldsmiths, and others of such places, are not so often mentioned in Scripture as they be, nor animated with so many consolations as they are. The grand promises for blessing on their labour are made to them in special, and the rest must deduct their comforts from thence by proportion.—Dod.
In a moral point of view the life of the agriculturist is the most pure and holy of any class of men; pure, because it is the most healthful, and holy, because it brings the Deity perpetually before his view, giving him thereby the most exalted notions of supreme power, and the most fascinating and endearing view of moral benignity.—Sir B. Maltravers.
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates and men decay;
Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade;
A breath can make them, as a breath has made:
But a bold peasantry, their country’s pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied.
Goldsmith.

Proverbs 12:12-14
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:12. Net. Delitzsch, Zockler, and Miller translate this word “spoil” or “prey.” The Hebrew word means also a “fortress.” Maurer, therefore, translates it “defence,” and understands it to mean that the evil combine for mutual protection. This agrees with Zockler’s rendering of the second clause, “the root of the righteous is made sure.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Pro_12:12-14
I. Concerning wicked men we have—1. A blessed instance of their inability to do all they desire. Pro_12:12 speaks of their “desiring the net of evil men”—of their reaching out after larger opportunities of ensnaring their fellow-creatures than they have at their command at present. The desires and abilities of good men are not always equally balanced. They have more desire to be good and to do good than they have ability to be or to do. The first teachers of Christianity desired a “net” that should enclose all to whom they preached the gospel, and this has been the desire of godly men ever since. They desire a “net” in which to catch their fellow-creatures for their good, but their ability always comes short of their desires. This is a saddening truth, but there is no denying the fact. But “the net of evil men” desired by the wicked is one in which to entrap men to their hurt. In this case it is a matter of rejoicing that their desires and their ability are not balanced. If ungodly men had their desires fulfilled they would soon transform the world into a mirror in which they would see them reflected in every human creature. We ought ever to give thanks to God that wicked men lack power to do all they desire to do to good men, and that they cannot even go to the length of their aspirations even with other ungodly men. They hate each other often with deep hatred, and human and Divine law alone prevents the world from being turned into a hell by the fulfilment of their desires against each other. There are outstanding debts always waiting to be settled whenever a net can be found large enough to entrap the victim, but God’s providence is a larger net, and so arranges the events of human life that wicked men are often prevented from committing greater crimes than they do against each other. 2. Retribution falling upon them. A net is laid, and prey is ensnared, but it is he who desired to entrap his brother who “is snared by the transgression of his own lips” (Pro_12:13). It is as certain as that water will find its level that men who lay traps for others will be entrapped themselves (see chap. Pro_11:8). And this will come about not by another man’s laying a net for them but by their own plans being turned against them. Thus Haman made a snare for his own feet by the “transgression of his own lips” when he sought to persuade Ahasuerus that “it was not for his profit to suffer the Jews” (
Est_3:8). He thought this net would enclose Mordecai, but it enwrapped himself in its meshes. So when Daniel’s enemies laid their plans against him. Many a time has a godly man had occasion to sing David’s song, “The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is their own foot taken” (Psa_9:15). It is a law of God’s government. “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity” (Rev_13:10). This is the “recompense which shall be rendered unto” the man who lays plans to injure others (Pro_12:14).
II. Concerning righteous men we have—1. A godly character springing from a root of piety. The principal thing to be aimed at in building a house is to get a good foundation; if the foundation be insecure, the house will be worthless. That which makes a healthy fruit-bearing tree is a healthy, strong root; however fair the branches may at present look, they will soon betray any disease at the seat of its life. The root of a man’s character is his desire; if the desire is righteous, he is a righteous—though not a perfect—man. As the wicked man was made by his evil desire, so the good man is made by his desires after that which is true and benevolent. 2. That which is yielded by such a root. 1. Deliverance. He is delivered from the net laid for him by the evil counsels of the wicked. His character is often the means of bringing him into trouble, but the same character is a guarantee that he shall come out of it. The time of trouble is by permission or by appointment of God, and it is only for a limited time. Job and Joseph were both brought into trouble because their characters awakened the envy—the one of angelic, the other of human sinners; but their histories are left on record to show to all just men, who find themselves in similar circumstances from the same cause, what the “end of the Lord” is, and will be to them (Jas_5:2). There must come a final and blessed deliverance from all trouble for those who yield the fruit of a holy life from the root of a holy character (Rev_21:4). 2. Satisfaction (Pro_12:14). One of the fruits of a righteous man will be his holy and wise speech—speech which blesses men in opposition to that “transgression of the lips” which is meant to injure them (Pro_12:13). From this “fruit of the mouth” he shall be “satisfied with good”—he will have the reward of knowing that his words bless others, and this will be to him a source of satisfaction. Or his wise speech may be the means of bringing him material good and temporal honour.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_12:12. Man is always restless to press onwards to something not yet enjoyed. The wicked emulate each other in wickedness, and if they see evil men more successful than themselves, desire their net (Psa_10:8-10; Jer_5:26-28).—Bridges.
The words are somewhat obscure, both in the original and in the translation. The meaning, however, seems as follows: The “net of evil men,” as in chap. Pro_1:17, is that in which they are taken—the judgment of God in which they are ensnared. This they run into with such a blind infatuation that it seems as if they were in love with their own destruction. The marginal “fortress” (a meaning given to the feminine form in Isa_29:7; Eze_19:9) gives the thought that the wicked seek the protection of others like themselves, but seek in vain the “root of the just” (i.e., that in them which is fixed and stable), alone yields that protection. The latter rendering is, on the whole, preferable.—Plumptre.
Some render the latter clause, He (i.e., the Lord) will give a root of the righteous; that is, will enable them to stand firm.—Wordsworth.
The impenitent does not prefer to work the soil of his soul, as in the last verse, but is in hopes to gain by something easier; he likes to seize as in the chase, or as robbers do. He likes to seize without having produced or earned. But the righteous not only goes through solid processes of piety, but (another intensive clause, chap. Pro_11:14) earns for others, as well as for himself. While impenitence would take heaven as in a net, religion works for it, and, in so doing, “gives” or “yields.”—Miller.
The word “net” may be understood of any means by which the wealth and honours of the world may be acquired. Thus it is used in Hab_1:13-17. The net described here is that of the oppressor, who regards his fellow-men as of any value only as he can render them conducive to his own benefit and aggrandisement, and who uses them accordingly, and when his oppressive powers prove successful vaunts himself in the power and the skill by which the means has been secured. There seems to be a special reference, in the verse before us, to illegitimate or fraudulent means. When “the wicked” see the devices of “evil men” succeed, they desire to try the same arts.… If, in any case, conscience should remonstrate and restrain, and will not allow them to go quite so far, they yet envy, and regret their restraints. They still desire the net, even when they can’t bring themselves to use it. They wish they could get over their scruples, and, in this state of mind, the probability is that by and by they will. The “root of the righteous” might be understood as meaning the fixed, settled, stable principle of the righteous, and the sentiment may be, and it is an important one, that, acting on rooted principle, the righteous may and will ultimately prosper. I incline, however, to think that as “the net” signifies the varied artifice, cunning, and fraud employed to gain riches quickly, the root of the righteous may rather represent the source of his revenue or income; and, in opposition to the art of making rich quickly, to excite the surprise and the envy of others, a steady, firmlyestablished, regularly; and prudently and justly-conducted business, bringing in its profits fairly and moderately, as a tree, deeply-rooted in the soil, draws thence its natural nourishment, and, “receiving blessing from God,” brings forth its fruit in due season. The two views are closely, if not inseparably, connected.—Wardlaw.
The wicked seek their good from without; the righteous have it within, their own root, deep and firmly sunk, supplying it.—Fausset.
He so furiously pursueth his lusts, as if he desired destruction; as if he would outdare God Himself; as if the guerdon of his gracelessness would not come time enough, but he must needs run to meet it. Thus thrasonical Lamech (Gen_4:23) thinks to have the odds of God seventy to seven. Thus the princes of the Philistines, whilst plagued, came up to Mizpeh against Israel, as it were, to fetch their bane (1 Samuel 7).—Trapp.
Pro_12:13. The words saphah (lip) and lashon (tongue) occur, the first in Pro_12:13; Pro_12:19; Pro_12:22, the second in Pro_12:18-19 in this chapter. The former occurs about forty-five times in this book; and the words connected with them, such as strife, wrath, slander, scorn, and their contraries, love, peace, truth, etc., are very frequent, showing the importance to be attached to the right government of the tongue.—Wordsworth.
Matters are so arranged, in the constitution of the world, that the straight course of truth is safe and easy; the crooked path of falsehood difficult and tormenting. Here is perennial evidence that the God of providence is wise and true. By making lies a snare to catch liars in, the Author of being proclaims, even in the voices of nature, that He “requireth truth in the inward parts.” “The just shall come out of trouble;” that is the word; it is not said he shall never fall into it. The inventory which Jesus gives of what His disciples shall have “now in this time,” although it contains many things that nature loves, closes with the article “persecutions” (Mar_10:30).… Those who wave their palms of victory and sing their jubilant hymns of praise, were all in the horrible pit once.—Arnot.
All human conduct is represented by the lips (Pro_12:6 and chap Pro_14:3). The tongue is aforemost business agent. The impenitent, though he may stand out very clear, and see no tokens of a net, yet, as his life is false his not seeing the snare shows only how the more insidiously he may be entangled in. While the righteous, though he may be born to the snare; originally condemned; and though he may be caught in the toils of great worldly evil, yea, of sin itself; yet out of the very jaw of the trap where he may have foolishly entered, he will in the end be helped to get out.—Miller.
They (the just) suffer sometimes for their bold and free invectives against the evils of the times, but they shall surely be delivered.… John Baptist, indeed, was, without any law, right, and reason, beheaded in prison as though God had known nothing at all of him, said George Marsh, the martyr. And the same may be said of sundry other witnesses to the truth, but then by death they entered into life eternal.… Besides that heaven upon earth they had during their troubles.… The best comforts are usually reserved for the worst times.—Trapp.
Pro_12:14. Albeit the opening of the mouth is a small matter; yet, when it is done in wisdom, it shall be recompensed by the Lord with great blessing. For such as use their tongues to God’s glory, and the edification of their brethren, instructing them and exhorting them from day to day, shall be loved by God and man, and taste many good things. Now, as good words, so good works shall be rewarded. For the recompense of a man’s hands shall reward him; not only shall the wicked be plagued for their evil doing, but the godly shall be blessed for their well-doing.—Muffet.
This is the whole question of capital and labour put in a nutshell. All is not to be claimed by the hands, for there is the mouth that directs and orders. As much is not to be claimed by the hands, for the Bible is a good, truthful book, and it claims for the mind more than for the muscle. (See this distinction in Ecc_10:10.) “A man of the better sort,” with his education, and expensive capital, earns more, according to the inspired Solomon, than the “labouring man.” What he demands of the Christian gentleman is, that he shall make an estimate of all this, and, while he keeps himself “
the earnings of the mouth,” he render carefully to the labourer the wages of his hands. We have no authority for this interpretation. We present it as unquestionably just. The translation it would be hard to give literally. But the words are about thus: “From the fruit of the mouth of a man of the better class, a good man will be satisfied; and the wage (lit. the work) of the hands of a common man he will render to him.” This fair, calculating spirit, in all questions between man and man, not tending to communism on the one hand and not yielding to tyranny on the other, is the true spirit of the inspired Gospel.—Miller.
There are “empty vines that bear fruit unto themselves” (Hos_10:1). And as empty casks sound loudest, and base metal rings shrillest, so many empty tattlers are full of discourse. Much fruit will redound by holy speeches to ourselves—much to others. Paul showeth that the very report of his bonds did a great deal of good in Cæsar’s house (Php_1:14).… One seasonable truth, falling upon a prepared heart, hath oft a strong and sweet influence. Sometimes, also, although we know that which we ask of others as well as they do, yet good speeches will draw us to know it better by giving occasion to speak more of it, wherewith the Spirit works most effectually, and imprints it deeper, so that it shall be a more rooted knowledge than before.—Trapp.

Proverbs 12:15-16
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:16. Presently, literally “in that very day,” i.e. “at once.” Covereth shame, or “hides his offence.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:15-16
TWO EXAMPLES OF FOOLISHNESS AND WISDOM
I. The man who guides his life by his own self-conceit—rejecting the advice of others. No finite creature possesses sufficient wisdom within himself to direct his path through life. The largest and deepest rivers are dependent upon small streams to sustain their volume of water, and each little stream again must be fed from a source outside itself, and the springs which feed the streams have their origin in the ocean’s fulness. So the very greatest minds are in some things dependent upon minds which in many things are their inferior, and it is a mark of wisdom to acknowledge this, and to be willing to take advice of anyone who is able to give it upon matters in which they are better informed. Thus men are led to exercise a mutual dependence on each other, and all to depend upon Him whose wisdom is the parent of all finite counsel that is of any value. (1) A man who will not acknowledge and act upon this principle is a fool, because he practically shuts his eyes to a self-evident fact, and denies that he is a member of a race, the members of which are evidently intended to supply each other’s lack in such a manner as to form a mutually dependent body. It is in human society as it is in the individual human body—“the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you” (1Co_12:21), or if they do say so they only proclaim their great want of wisdom. (2) He is a fool because he declines to profit by the experience of men in the past. To recur to the simile of the human body, it is intended to live upon material outside itself, and a man is counted insane who refuses to take food. So we are intended to profit by the experience of men who have lived before us, and it is quite as foolish to set it aside as useless to us as it is to refuse to eat in order to live. It is indeed like expecting to keep in health and strength by consuming one’s own flesh. No man does actually and in all cases refuse to profit by the wisdom and experience of others, but he is foolish in proportion as he does so. (3) He is a fool because he is so declared by the highest authority. God by His offers of guidance, by the very existence of the Bible, declares that men need counsel. (See upon this subject Homiletics on chap. Pro_3:7-8, page 34.) The human soul is like a blind Samson, because of the blinding nature of sin relative and sin personal, and all its endeavours to find a right way without hearkening to Divine counsel only result in stumbles and wounds, and finally, if persisted in, in moral ruin. All a man’s endeavours only increase his misery, until he take the counsel offered him by God. He is like a shipwrecked mariner suffering from raging thirst from having drunk of the briny water, every draught only increases the disease, and nothing can save him but drinking of pure water. (4) This man is his own destroyer. It is bad to be ruined by the temptations of others, but there is this advantage, we can fall back upon the excuse of our first parents: “The woman gave me of the tree and I did eat,” or “the serpent beguiled me” (Gen_3:12-13). But when a man’s rejection of counsel ruins him, he finds himself in a “blind alley,” from which there is not even the outlet of an excuse.
II. The passionate man. This is often the companion of self-conceit and is indeed a proof of it. If a man is unable to hold a restive horse well in hand, it proves that he has not taken lessons in horsemanship. If a man cannot steer a vessel in ordinary circumstances without running her upon the rocks, it shows that he has not learned the art of navigation. A man who cannot keep his anger from over-mastering him—who cannot keep a firm hold of the rudder of his own spirit—proclaims that he has not subjected himself to moral discipline, that he has disdained to learn the art of moral rulership. Such a man is a fool, because a man in a passion is always despised by others, he often utters words which he would afterwards give much to recall, and generally ends by losing his own self-respect.
III. In contrast to this character stands the man who is in all respects the opposite—him whose character is sketched in the first clauses of these verses, who “loveth instruction” (Pro_12:1) who acknowledges that “he is a stranger in the earth and needs Divine guidance” (Psa_119:19), that “the way of man is not himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his step” (Jer_10:23.—See Homiletics on chap. Pro_10:8, page 151). Such a man is willing to listen to the advice of any who are capable of giving it, and his prudence in this matter is generally accompanied by an ability to “cover shame”—to take a reproof or an insult in silence. He has learned to take George Herbert’s advice—
“Command thyself in chief. He life’s war knows
Whom all his passions follow as he goes.”
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_12:15. All through our lost nature the truth of this proverb is visible. A man may be on the road to hell, but think that he is fair for heaven. A man may build by rapine, but think that he is the pink of fair dealing. A man is not a judge about himself. A Christian, therefore, will feel this, and while the impenitent is hard as to his own right, the Christian will be humble, and will be glad, in reasonable ways, to leave his duties to be advised upon by others.—Miller.
We have one great “Counsellor” Messiah, who is made unto us “wisdom” (Isa_9:6; 1Co_1:30). Let us “hearken unto” Him (chap. Pro_1:33). Fausset.
And such a fool is every natural man (Job_11:12); wise enough, haply in his generation—so is the fox too—wise with such wisdom as, like the ostrich’s wings, makes him outrun others upon earth, but helps him never a whit towards heaven.—Trapp.
The worse any man is, or doth, the less he seeth his evil. They that commit the most sins have hope that they stand guilty of fewest; they that fall into the greatest transgressions, imagine that their faults be the smallest; they that sink into the deepest dangers do dream of greatest safety; they that have longest continued in rebellion against God, of all others, for the most part are slowest to repentance.… St. Paul testifieth that when he was in the worst case, he knew nothing but that he had been in the best.—Dod.
Every man’s way is, and must be, in some degree, acceptable to himself, otherwise he would never have chosen it. But, nevertheless, whoever is wise, will be apt to suspect and be diffident of himself. Let men’s abilities be ever so great, and their knowledge ever so extensive, still they ought not, and without great danger and inconvenience cannot, trust wholly and entirely to themselves. For those abilities and that knowledge easily may be, and often are, rendered useless by the prejudices and prepossessions of men’s own minds. Nothing is more common than for men’s appetites and affections to bribe their judgments, and seduce them into erroneous ways of thinking and acting. They are often entangled and set fast, not through the want of light and knowledge, not through any defect of their heads, but through the deceitfulness of their hearts. In many cases where they could easily direct other men, they suffer themselves to be misled, and are driven into the snare by the strength of inclination, or by the force of habit.… This acquired darkness, this voluntary incapacity, as well as the want of counsel thereby occasioned, nowhere appears more frequently, or more remarkably, than in the transaction of our spiritual concerns, and what relates to the discharge of our duty. “The way of man,” says our royal author, “is right in his own eyes,” though the end “thereof be the ways of death.” When we have wandered out of the road, and almost lost ourselves in bye-paths, we can make ourselves believe that we have continued all the while in the highway to truth and happiness.… But, however lightly we may esteem the helps and directions of men, shall we not attend to the counsels of Our Heavenly Father, and the admonitions of the Most High? Can we have more regard to what is “right in our own eyes” than to what is right in His?—Balguy.
Pro_12:16. “Covereth,” with the mantle of patience and charity, instead of exasperating himself, and losing self-control by dwelling on the indignity of the word or deed, and the worthlessness of the injurer. He does not publish the act to the discredit of the other, but consults for the reputation of the other, lest he should add sin to the injury suffered.—
Fausset.
Truly is wrath called shame. For is it not a shame that unruly passions should, as it were, trample reason under foot, disfigure even the countenance, and subjugate the whole man to a temporary madness? (Dan_3:19.)—Bridges.
A fool hath no power over his passions. Like tow, he is soon kindled; like a pot, he soon boils; and like a candle whose tallow is mixed with brine, as soon as lighted he spits up and down the room. “A fool uttereth all his mind” (Chap. Pro_29:11). The Septuagint renders it “all his anger.” For, as the Hebrews well note in a proverb they have, “A man’s mind is soonest known in his purse, in his drink, and in his anger.” But “A wise man covereth shame” by concealing his wrath, or rather by suppressing it when it would break forth to his disgrace, or the just grief of another. This was Saul’s wisdom (1Sa_10:27); and Jonathan’s (1Sa_20:35); and Ahasuerus’s, when, in a rage against Haman, he walked into the garden. The philosopher wished Augustine, when angry, to say over the Greek alphabet.—Trapp.
The meaning of the Holy Ghost is not here to condemn all kinds of anger, for it is one of the powers of the soul which God created as an ornament in men, and godly anger is a part of God’s image in him, and a grace commended in Moses, Elijah, etc., and our Saviour Himself, and he that is always altogether destitute of this doth provoke God to be angry with him, for want of zeal and hatred of sin; but it is a passionate anger that is here reproved, which is not a power of the soul, but an impotency. He that conceiveth the other is an agent, and doth a service to God; but he that is moved with this is a patient, and sin hath in that case prevailed against him.—Dod.

Proverbs 12:17-19
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:17. Speaketh, literally “breathes.”
Pro_12:18. Speaketh, literally “babbles.” Health, “healing.”
Pro_12:19. A moment, literally “while I wink.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Pro_12:17-19, and Pro_12:22
WOUNDING AND HEALING
I. The mischief that may be done by a lying tongue. 1. In a legal matter. It is the duty of a witness to testify exactly what he knows, and no more nor less. If a man speaks deceitfully he may bring much misery upon the innocent, whom his straightforward testimony would have acquitted. And he may do this by withholding truth as well as by uttering direct falsehood. The first is “showing forth deceit” as well as the last. 2. In common conversation. The word “speaketh,” in Pro_12:18, is “babbleth,” and seems to point to those who are great talkers, and who are not careful what they say. (See Homiletics on chap. Pro_10:19-21, page 168.) In both these cases words may inflict a more deadly wound than a sword. If spoken to a man they may break his heart, if spoken of him they may kill his reputation, which no sword of steel can touch, and which to the best men is much more precious than bodily life. A lying or even a babbling tongue can pierce a much more vital organisation than flesh and blood—it can enter the human spirit, and hurt it in its most sensitive part; or by slander it can destroy all the joy of a man’s earthly life. And as a sword can in a moment sever the spirit and the body of a man, and work such ruin and misery as can never be done away with, so a lying tongue may by one word, or one conversation, do mischief that can never be undone. The sword of steel can divide human friends locally; but it cannot sever their love; it tends rather to increase and brighten the flame; but a word of slander may do all this, and estrange those who were bound in the tenderest ties, until the God of Truth shall bring the truth to light. Though the lying tongue is comparatively “but for a moment,” yet in a moment it can deal a thrust that will last as long as life. It can open a wound whence will flow out all the joy of life, as the heart’s blood flows from a mortally wounded man.
II. Its judgment and its destiny. It is an abomination in the sight of a God of Truth, and, therefore, its life is comparatively short—it is “but for a moment” compared with the eternal duration of truth. A lying man or devil is the very antipodes of the Divine character. All truthful men instinctively shrink from a liar as the sensitive plant withdraws from the human touch. How much more must he be held in abhorrence by Him who is a “God of Truth, and without iniquity” (Deu_32:4). Christ characterises lying as the cardinal sin of the greatest sinner in the universe (Joh_8:44). It was his lying tongue that “brought death into the world, and all our woe,” and so spoiled the Paradise which God had prepared for man. How then can lying be any other than an abomination to Him? But, because it is so, its doom is fixed. It is destined to destruction by the victory of truth, as the night is destroyed by the overcoming light of day. (On this subject see also Homiletics on Chap. Pro_10:18, page 166.)
III. The blessed results of a truthful and wisely-governed tongue. 1. It will “show forth righteousness.” A man who speaks the truth shows forth righteousness in two ways—(1) in his own character. He reveals himself to be a righteous man. He gives a living example of uprightness and integrity. (2) He helps on righteousness in the world. By being a faithful witness he furthers the ends of justice and righteousness—he helps on the just administration of the law. 2. It will heal wounds inflicted by the untruthful tongue. In nature we have a two-fold exhibition of power. The hurricane comes and breaks the branches of the tree, and strips off its leaves; but a more beneficent power clothes it again with beauty. So the tongue of a fool strips a man of what made life beautiful to him—takes away his good name, or breaks bonds of close friendship—but wise and kind words have a healing power in them—they help to cheer the wounded spirit, and enable the bowed head to lift itself again. Such a tongue of healing had the Divine Son of God, who came “to heal the broken in heart” (Isa_61:1), and to restore the friendship between God and man, which was first broken by the slandering tongue of the devil—that great slanderer of God to man, and of man to God” (Gen_3:5; Job_1:10). To Him the “Lord God gave the tongue of the learned, that He might know how to speak a word in season to him that was weary (Isa_50:4). The tongue of all true servants of God is an instrument of healing, for they are enabled to tell to their fellow-men “words whereby they may be saved” (Act_10:14).
IV. God’s estimation of it and its destiny. It is “God’s delight,” Pro_12:22. Whatever gives delight to a noble and benevolent man must be a blessing to humanity, and everything will delight him that tends to minister blessing to the world. This is pre-eminently true of the good God. Truth is the great need of the race—truth in word and deed and thought. To this end Christ came into the world “to bear witness of the truth” (Joh_18:37), because that alone is the cure for the world’s woes. Then every man who is true must bless humanity and consequently delight God. A good father rejoices to see his own excellencies of character appear in his son, and the Father of the good likewise delights to see His children copy Him in “dealing truly.” (See also on chap. Pro_11:1, page 191.) And because it is God’s delight it will last for ever. Truth of any kind will be established in the course of time. If a man proclaim a scientific truth, however much he may be laughed at and disbelieved at first, his “lip,” or his words, will be established in the end. The words of Galileo, when he uttered the truth, that the earth moved round the sun, have long since been “established.” Time only is needed for any truth to take root-hold—it can never be overturned, whether it be physical or moral truth. Many truths which were scoffed at by most men, when they were first promulgated, are now regarded as truisms by almost everybody. And the lips that uttered them are now established and held in honour. Such men, for instance, as Cromwell and Milton, when they declared that the right of private judgment in religious matters, the freedom of the press, etc., were the right of every man, are now established in the estimation of this nation, and the truths which they uttered are regarded by all Englishmen as undoubted facts. “This,” says F. W. Robertson, “is man’s relation to the truth. He is but a learner—a devout recipient of a revelation—here to listen with open ear devoutly for that which he shall hear; to gaze and watch for that which he shall see. Man can do no more. He cannot create truth; he can only bear witness to it; he can only listen and report that which is in the universe. If he does not repeat and witness to that, he speaketh of his own, and forthwith ceases to be true.… Veracity is another thing. Veracity is the correspondence between a proposition and a man’s belief. Truth is the correspondence of the proposition with fact.” It is to such witness-bearers—especially to those who witness concerning moral truth—that the promise of the text applies.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_12:17. He who is brought to a spiritual discernment of the “truth” “breathes” it like his breath, instinctively and unconsciously. (See CRITICAL NOTES.) And he who does this not simply “covers shame” (Pro_12:16), but causes others to, for he advertises righteousness—i.e., publishes it. This, therefore, is the meaning of the sentence: “He that breathes forth truth publishes righteousness”—i.e., saving righteousness: and does it like uttering forth his breath. While the “deceived” (false) witness; literally, the witness of falsehood; aphrase which is ambiguous, because it might mean a witness to falsehood (see chap. Pro_6:9)—the “deceived witness”—i.e., the man who sees or witnesses falsehood instead of truth, “publishes (understood) delusion”—i.e., is a constant fountain of deceit to other men. This sense of the witness of falsehood is necessary to many proverbs (chap Pro_14:5), and saves a number from tautological or truistic interpretations.—
Miller.
There is more here than lies upon the surface. It might seem enough for a faithful witness to speak truth. But no—he must show forth righteousness; what is just, as well as what is true. The best intentioned purpose must not lead us to conceal what is necessary to bring the cause to a righteous issue.—Bridges.
The words read at first almost like a truism; but the thought which lies below the surface is that of the inseparable union between truth and justice. The end does not justify the means, and only he who breathes and utters truth makes the righteous cause clear. Plumptre.
He that speaketh, ordinarily, in his common speech, that which is true, will show righteousness—that is, will carry himself justly, and further righteousness with his testimony, when he shall be publicly called thereunto. There must be a training of the tongue to make it fit for equity and justice, as of the hands, and other parts of the body, to make them skilful in handling a weapon and bearing of arms.… No man is competent for any work that is public unless his former upright and honest conversation commend him unto it. The rule which our Saviour gives in another case will hold as firmly in this. “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much” (Luk_16:10). For, first, the mouth of the man is the mouth of the man’s treasure. That which he speaketh he best loveth. That which is most in the lips hath greatest place in the heart. If, therefore, the truth be dear unto him, he will certainly show it forth when he shall stand forth before God and His substitute for that purpose, and so do a good service of love and piety; but if he have any fellowship with falsehood he will now take part with it, being void of the fear of God, and afraid to displease man. Secondly, no man exerciseth the truth at any time conscionably, but by the spirit of truth, and that directing men’s hearts at other times, in matters of less weight, will not fail them at their greatest need, when they are to perform a duty of so great importance; and so, on the other hand, Satan hath the disposing of their tongues that give themselves to lying. He is their father, he teacheth them their trade, and tasketh them in their work, and they be wholly at his commandment, and who doubteth but he will command them to be on his side, and to take against the truth, so far as a knowledge of the truth shall make against his practices.—Dod.
Pro_12:18. Wit, when not chastened and controlled by an amiable disposition, often wounds deeply. Jibes, jests, irony, raillery, and sarcasm, fly about. No matter what the wounds, or where they be inflicted, if the wit be but shown. A happy hit, a clever, biting repartee, will not be suppressed for the sake of the feelings, or even the character of a neighbour, or, as it may happen, a friend. The man of wit must have his joke, cost what it may. The point may be piercing in the extreme; but if it glitters it is enough; to the heart it will go.—Wardlaw.
Abimelech and his fellow priests were killed with the tongue, as with a rapier; so was Naboth and his sons; so was our Saviour Christ Himself. An honest mind is ever more afflicted with words than blows. You shall find some, saith Erasmus, that if they be threatened with death can despise it; but to be belied they cannot brook, nor from revenge contain themselves. How was David enraged by Nabal’s railings! Moses, by the people’s murmurings! Jeremiah by the derisions of the rude rabble! (chap. Pro_20:7-8.)—Trapp.
Among all the complaints which the godly, and God’s own spirit make against the wicked in the Scriptures, they seldom complain of anything more than of their virulent and pestiferous mouths (Psa_55:21; Psa_52:2; Pro_25:18; Rom_3:13). First, they cause swords to be drawn, and blood to be shed, and men to be slain, and much mischief to be wrought. Secondly. The sword, or any other weapon, can only hurt them that are present, and in places near to it; but the stroke of the tongue will light most dangerously upon them that are absent; no place or distance can help against it, and one man may do mischief to a great multitude.—Dod.
Pro_12:19. Liars need to have good memories. A lying tongue soon betrays itself. “No lie reaches old age,” says Sophocles.—Fausset.
The verse has been differently rendered. “The tongue of truth is ever steady: but the tongue of falsehood is so but for a moment” (Hodgson). There is unvarying consistency in the one case; for truth is always in harmony with itself; while there is shifting evasion, vacillation, contradiction, in the other.—Wardlaw.
Who will gainsay the martyr’s testimony—“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, play the man! We shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust shall never be put out.”—Bridges.
The Christian shall utter for ever just the things that he utters on earth. Miller.
Pro_12:22. Not merely they that speak truly, but they that deal truly. Deeds of true dealing must confirm words of fair speaking.—Fausset.
A lie is a thing absolutely and intrinsically evil; it is an act of injustice and a violation of our neighbour’s rights. The vileness of its nature is equalled by the malignity of its effects; it first brought sin into the world, and is since the cause of all those miseries and calamities that disturb it; it tends utterly to overthrow and dissolve society, which is the greatest temporal blessing and support of mankind; it has a strange and peculiar efficacy above all other sins to indispose the heart to religion. It is as dreadful in its punishments as it has been pernicious in its effects.—South.
Honesty is just truth in conduct; and truth is honesty in words.—Wardlaw.
Such as speak the truth in uprightness will not vary in their talk, but tell the same tale again, and be like to themselves in that which they shall say; whereas liars be in and out, affirming and denying, and speaking contradictions in the same matter. Only true men are constant in their words. First, their matter will help their memory, for that which is truth once will be truth ever. Secondly, the same Spirit that worketh a love and conscience of the truth, whereby men are made to be true, doth never cease to be the same, therefore, as it seasoneth the heart and guideth it at the first, so it will establish it, and direct the lips to the end. For sincerity and uprightness is of all things most durable, and least subject to alteration or change. And that St. Paul assigneth for a cause of his invariable constancy, that he minded not those things that he did mind according to the flesh, whereby there should be with him, yea, yea, and nay, nay (2Co_1:17).—Dod.
Truth is always consistent with itself, and needs nothing to help it out; it is always near at hand, and sits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before we are aware; whereas a lie is troublesome, and sets a man’s invention upon the rack, and one trick needs a good many more to make it good. It is like building upon a false foundation, which constantly needs props to shore it up, and proves at last more chargeable than to have raised a substantial building at first upon a true and solid foundation.—Tillotson.
Dare to be true, nothing can need a lie:
A fault which needs it most grows two thereby.
—Herbert.
God “desireth truth in the inward parts” (Psa_51:6), and all His are “children that will not lie” (Isa_63:8); they will rather die than lie. As they “love in the truth” (2Jn_1:1) so they “speak the truth in love” (Eph_4:15), and are therefore dear to the Father in truth and love (2Jn_1:3), especially since they “do truth” as well as speak it (1Jn_1:6), and do not more desire to be truly good than they hate to seem to be so only.—Trapp.
God doth never hate anything that is not hateful, and that must needs be odious which He abhorreth, and especially when it is abomination. Ye may know by their companions among whom they are marshalled what account he maketh of them (see Rev_21:8).… That truth which is acceptable to God consisteth both in speaking and doing. 1. His Spirit doth make every man that hath attained to the one to be able to do the other. That which St. John setteth down in a more general manner doth strongly confirm this particular point. “If any man sin not in word, he is a perfect man, and able to bridle all the body.” His meaning is that some be absolute without sin in word, and perfect, without infirmity in goodness; but that many be gracious without sinfulness, though they have their slips in speeches; and sincere, without wickedness, though they have their frailties in behaviour. 2. Both are infallible and essential fruits of regeneration, and the Apostle doth thereby persuade us thereby to declare ourselves to be of the number of the saints, and faithful, saying, “Cast off lying, and let him that stole steal no more” (Eph_4:24; Eph_4:28). 3. Both are required of them that would know and manifest themselves to be natural members of the Church in this world, and inheritors of salvation in the life to come. (See Psa_15:1-2.)—Dod.

Proverbs 12:20
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:20. Delitzsch reads, “cause joy.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:20
JOY FROM PEACE
I. There must be counsel if there is to be peace. There can be no peace either in a soul, a family, or a nation, where there is no counsel given and taken. There must be some centre of authority and rule whence counsel issues, if there is to be any order, and where there is no order there can be no peace. The peace of the text must be peace based upon righteousness, indeed all that bears the name that is not built upon this foundation, is false and transitory. It is like that house built upon the sand, which, when the winds come, is swept away, although it may look like a solid structure on a summer day. It is “the work of righteousness,” that “shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever.” “The mountains shall bring peace … by righteousness (Psa_72:3; Isa_32:17).
II. Where there is true peace by righteousness there will be joy. Joy is the overflow of peace. Peace is like a river flowing tranquilly between its banks, and joy is like the same river when there is such a volume of water that it overflows the banks. When there is “an abundance of peace” in a soul, or a family, or a nation, it must overflow into joy—it must take a more active form. (The subject of the first clause of this verse has been treated before. See on
Pro_12:5).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
That deceit is in the heart of him who deviseth evil appears to be a platitude, for the devising is directed against a neighbour. But, in the first place, it says that the evil which a man hatches against another always issues in a fraudulent malicious deception of the same; and, secondly, it says, when taken into connection with the second clause, that with the deception he always at the same time prepares for him sorrow. The contrast denotes not those who give counsel to contending parties to conclude peace, but such as devise peace—viz., in reference to the neighbour, for the word means not merely to impart counsel, but also mentally to devise, to resolve upon, to decree. Hitzig and Zöckler give to peace the general idea of welfare, and interpret joy as the inner joy of a good conscience. But as the deception in the first clause is not self-deception, but the deception of another, so the joy is not that which men procure for others. Thoughts of peace for one’s neighbour are always thoughts of procuring joy for him, as thoughts of evil are thoughts of deceit; and thus of procuring sorrow for him.—Delitzsch.
Evil counsel most hurteth those that give it. By deceit is here meant a deceitful reward; or an issue of a matter deceiving a man’s expectation.—Muffet.
They shall have peace for peace; peace of conscience for peace of country; pax pectoris for pax temporis. They shall be called and counted the children of peace; yea, the children of God.—Trapp.
First, no man can soundly seek to reconcile man to God, or one man to another, or give direction for his neighbour’s welfare, unless he himself be reconciled to God, and peaceable towards men, and have Christian love in his heart, and these graces are never separated from holy comfort and gladness. For the same sap that sendeth forth the one, doth in like manner also yield the other, as the apostle testifieth (Gal_5:22; Rom_14:17). Secondly, if their counsel be embraced and followed, the good effect thereof, with God’s blessing, besides thanks and kindness which the parties holpen by their counsel, will yield to them; as David to Abigail, and Naaman to Elisha, etc. Thirdly, though their advice be rejected, yet, as Isaiah saith, their reward is with the Lord, and they shall be glorious in His eyes (Isa_49:4-5).—Dod.
Deceit is in the heart (or cometh back to the heart) of them that imagine evil (or practise mischief).
I. The persons are described. They are evil-doers, but not every evil-doer, but the practiser, the trader, the artificer in evil, one wholly bent upon sin, not every bungler or beginner, but an expert workman, that can despatch more business of sin in one day than some other in a month or a year. Nor is every evil here aimed at, but evil against others—mischief. Many evil men are only greatest enemies to themselves, intent to serve and satisfy their own lusts; but these with whom we have now to do, always have evil in their hearts or hands, in their consultations and executions, whereby to hurt others. Again, this man in our text is subtle in evil; as he is a cunning workman and active in high designs of evil, so he carrieth his business as subtilely, for which the whole work carries in the original the name of deceit, pretending all fair weather, as still water is deepest and most dangerous, or like a waterman that looks one way and rows another.
II. The condition of these persons. Their deceit returns to them that first hatched it; that is, brings unavoidable mischief on themselves. 1. There is no small unquietness in the heart, while it is plotting evil. 2. Whomsoever they deceive, they cannot deceive God, who will make them deceivers of themselves (See Job_5:12-13). 3. Whereas sin is a sure paymaster, and the wages death, the sin of these men must needs slay them and play the part both of an officer to apprehend them, of a gaoler to hold them, and of an executioner to bring them to shameful death.—Thos. Taylor, 1650.

Proverbs 12:21-22
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:21
ALL WORKING FOR THE GOOD OF THE RIGHTEOUS
The first clause cannot, of course, mean that nothing that appears evil—that no sorrow or loss happens to the just. Such an assertion would be contrary to other teachings of Scripture, as well as to experience and history. The righteousness of the first man who is called righteous (Luk_11:51) led to his murder. If Joseph had been a less virtuous man, the iron of imprisonment would not have entered into his soul (Psa_105:18). If John the Baptist had been a timeserving godless man, he would not have had the bitter experience of the dungeon of Machaerus. To these men, and to all the noble army of martyrs, many of the things which happened were very evil in themselves. The Word of God likewise forewarns men that all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, that through much tribulation they must enter into the kingdom of God (2Ti_3:12; Act_14:22). And every just man now living has had experience of evil befalling him in his health, his circumstances, or in some other form. But—
I. No evil shall really injure the godly man. It shall not hurt his better part, that which is the man himself—his spiritual nature, his moral character. The storms that cannot uproot a tree only make it take deeper root-hold, and so add to its strength. If it break some of the branches it makes it more fit to weather another tempest. So all the trials of the just man tend to strengthen his character by causing him to lay a firmer hold upon the things that are unseen and eternal.
“Affliction then is ours;
We are the trees whom shaking fastens more,
While blustering winds destroy the wanton bowers,
And ruffle all their curious knots and store.—Herbert.
The true interpretation of the text is found in the inspired declaration of Paul, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom_8:28). Many elements work together to produce a good harvest at the appointed time. Winter winds and snow, summer breezes, gentle rain and noontide heat, all have a part in the work. One of these agencies alone would not bring forth one golden ear, but the “working together” will cover the land with fields of grain ready for the sickle. Many and various materials and agencies must be brought together to build a seaworthy ship. Iron and wood, fire and water, men skilled in many different arts must work together to bring about the required result. And so with the just man. Manifold experiences, failure and success, joy and sorrow, make up his earthly life. Not sorrow alone, nor joy alone, would fit him for his eternal inheritance—would fit him to be presented “faultless before the presence” of his Lord (Jud_1:24). But it is the combination of both, the many things “working together,” that effect the desired good. And so no evil befals him, because all the evil shall work together with the good for his eternal well-being.
II.—The wicked man shall likewise attain to a completion of character. “The wicked shall be filled with mischief” teaches (1) that wicked men are not so bad as they can be. Thorns and briars grow stronger year by year. Time is needed to transform the blade into the full ear. As the present season of probation is but the beginning of man’s life, we conclude that men can go on eternally progressing in the character which now belongs to them—that all their present habits of thought and feeling can become much stronger than they are at present. Therefore, a wicked man can grow worse than he is at present. (2) That wicked men are not so bad as they shall be. If a stone is set in motion down a hill it will keep on its course unless it is arrested by some opposing force. So, unless a godless man yields to a Divine influence, and so is brought to repentance, he shall “wax worse and worse” (2Ti_4:13). No man can stand still in character; if he do not grow better, he must grow worse. And this “filling up” of the measure of wickedness is but the necessary reaction of his own actions. He is filled with his own mischief. As the just man’s present actions go to strengthen and develop his spiritual nature, and to complete and perfect his character in goodness, so every act of the godless man is one more link of the chain of evil habit which binds him daily more tightly, and sinks him every day a little lower in the moral universe of God.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
No “evil,” or calamity; literally nothing worthless or empty. The root means nothingness, entire vacuity. The expression, too, is peculiar. “There shall not happen to the righteous any nothingness at all.” But as several of the nouns that mean evil, through a deep philosophy, trace to the same kind of root, “calamity,” or actual evil, is the proper translated sense. No event that turns out an actual calamity can ever happen to the saint. And if anyone points to their tremendous agonies it is well enough to go back to the root, nothingness. Nothing worthless; that is, nothing that proves not so useful as to be better than present joy. Nothing not actually precious. In the whole course of their lives each is “filled” with “their own proper lot.” The wicked, if he have joys, will find them sorrows; and the righteous, if he have sorrows, will find them, not nothings, but for his eternal joy.—Miller.
The word signifies evil as ethical wickedness, and although it may be used of any misfortune in general, it denotes especially such sorrow as is the harvest and produce of sin (chap. Pro_22:8; Job_4:8; Isa_59:4), or such as brings after it punishment (Hab_3:7; Jer_4:15). That it is also here thus meant the contrast makes evident.—Delitzsch.
First, for evil of sin. God will not lead him into temptation; but will cut off occasions, remove stumbling-blocks out of his way; devoratory evils, as Tertullian calls them, he shall be sure not to fall into “That evil one shall not touch him (1Jn_5:18) with a deadly touch; nibble he may at their heels, but cannot reach their heads, shake he may his chain at them, but shall not set his fangs in them, or so far thrust his sting into them as to infuse into them the venom of that sin unto death (
1Jn_5:17). Next, for evil of pain, though “many be the troubles of the righteous” (Psa_34:19), and they “fall into manifold temptations” (Jas_1:2), they go not in step by step into these waters of Marah, but “fall into” them, being, as it were, precipitated, plunged over head and ears, yet are bidden to be exceeding glad, as a merchant is to see his ship come laden in. Their afflictions are not penal, but probational; not mortal, but medicinal. “By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit, the taking away of his sin (Isa_27:9). Look how the scourging and beating of a garment with a stick drives out the moths and the dust; so doth affliction corruptions from the heart; and there is no hurt in that; no evil thereby happens to the just.… To treasure up sin is to treasure up wrath (Rom_2:5). “Every bottle shall be filled with wine (Jer_13:12); the bottle of wickedness, when once filled with those bitter waters, will sink to the bottom; the ephah of wickedness, when top full shall be borne “into the land of Shinar, and set there upon her own base” (Heb_5:8; Heb_5:11). He that makes a match with mischief shall have his bellyfull of it (Hos_4:17; Pro_14:14); he shall have an evil, “an evil, an only evil” (Eze_7:5), that is, judgment without mercy, as St. James expounds it (chap. Pro_2:13). Non surgit hic afflictior, as the prophet Nahum hath it (chap. Pro_1:9); affliction shall not rise up the second time. God will have but one blow at him; he shall totally and finally be cut down at once. The righteous are smitten in the branches; but the wicked at the root (Isa_27:8); those he corrects with a rod; but these with a grounded staff (Isa_30:32); and yet the worst is behind too. For whatever a wicked man suffers in this world is but hell typical; it is but as the falling of leaves—the whole tree will one day fall on them. It is but as a drop of wrath forerunning the great storm; a crack forerunning the ruin of the whole building; it is but as paying the usemoney for the whole debt, that must be paid at last.—Trapp.
The great principle of self-preservation implanted in our nature which, puts us on our guard against the slightest inconvenience, and maketh us arm for the repelling of a single evil, fails to engage men in the pursuit of that which would powerfully protect us in the most difficult circumstances, and universally secure us against all manner of hazards. Piety alone is that armour of proof which renders those that wear it safe and invulnerable, and yet, as if the Christian were the only infidel, how few of us are so thoroughly convinced of this great truth as to pursue it with an eagerness proportionate to its value. The text assures us—That a religious life and conversation is the best security against all manner of evils. All evil to which we can be liable, may be reduced under three heads.
I. Such as are inflicted immediately by God. Here it is necessary to distinguish between such afflictions as He vouchsafeth in mercy and those with which He visiteth in judgment. The best of men are not exempted from the former, they are not always so intent upon their duty, but that they stand in need of a remembrancer, or it pleaseth God to afflict them for the trial of their faith, for the exercise of their patience, and to wean them from the world. But these are but like the more difficult talks of a discreet and loving tutor; which recommend the pupils to a higher applause and a more excellent advantage, and are, therefore, so far from doing them any harm that they ought to be looked upon as most valuable blessings. Those inflictions therefore of God, which may be justly entitled to the name of evils, are such only as He visiteth in judgment, and from such nothing can more effectually secure us than a godly life and conversation.
II. Such as are occasioned by ourselves. Many evils are the effect of sin and carelessness, and as it is the work and office of true piety to make us at the same time holy and considerate, it will evidently appear that none of these evils shall happen to the just.
III. Such as are brought upon us by the malice of men or devils. These are only tolerated by God’s connivance and permission. The devil, furious and malicious as he is, always drags his chain after him, by which he may be drawn back to his infernal dungeon, and therefore, unless He hath some such favourable ends, as I formerly instanced in His own inflictions, He will certainly keep His own out of their ravenous jaws. Shall we then neglect the only means by which we may be defended against such numerous calamities? To be just is no more than to follow after the thing that is good, and good is desirable in its own nature; we have such an inward tendency towards it that nothing which is ill can debauch our affections, but by taking upon itself the appearance of being good. If, then, a seeming good doth so allure us, how ought we to be enamoured of the real substances. Nicholas Brady.
The wicked are hurt, wounded, or grieved, by every occurrence, and nothing turns to their profit.—A. Clarke.

Proverbs 12:22
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:17. Speaketh, literally “breathes.”
Pro_12:18. Speaketh, literally “babbles.” Health, “healing.”
Pro_12:19. A moment, literally “while I wink.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Pro_12:17-19, and Pro_12:22
WOUNDING AND HEALING
I. The mischief that may be done by a lying tongue. 1. In a legal matter. It is the duty of a witness to testify exactly what he knows, and no more nor less. If a man speaks deceitfully he may bring much misery upon the innocent, whom his straightforward testimony would have acquitted. And he may do this by withholding truth as well as by uttering direct falsehood. The first is “showing forth deceit” as well as the last. 2. In common conversation. The word “speaketh,” in Pro_12:18, is “babbleth,” and seems to point to those who are great talkers, and who are not careful what they say. (See Homiletics on chap. Pro_10:19-21, page 168.) In both these cases words may inflict a more deadly wound than a sword. If spoken to a man they may break his heart, if spoken of him they may kill his reputation, which no sword of steel can touch, and which to the best men is much more precious than bodily life. A lying or even a babbling tongue can pierce a much more vital organisation than flesh and blood—it can enter the human spirit, and hurt it in its most sensitive part; or by slander it can destroy all the joy of a man’s earthly life. And as a sword can in a moment sever the spirit and the body of a man, and work such ruin and misery as can never be done away with, so a lying tongue may by one word, or one conversation, do mischief that can never be undone. The sword of steel can divide human friends locally; but it cannot sever their love; it tends rather to increase and brighten the flame; but a word of slander may do all this, and estrange those who were bound in the tenderest ties, until the God of Truth shall bring the truth to light. Though the lying tongue is comparatively “but for a moment,” yet in a moment it can deal a thrust that will last as long as life. It can open a wound whence will flow out all the joy of life, as the heart’s blood flows from a mortally wounded man.
II. Its judgment and its destiny. It is an abomination in the sight of a God of Truth, and, therefore, its life is comparatively short—it is “but for a moment” compared with the eternal duration of truth. A lying man or devil is the very antipodes of the Divine character. All truthful men instinctively shrink from a liar as the sensitive plant withdraws from the human touch. How much more must he be held in abhorrence by Him who is a “God of Truth, and without iniquity” (Deu_32:4). Christ characterises lying as the cardinal sin of the greatest sinner in the universe (Joh_8:44). It was his lying tongue that “brought death into the world, and all our woe,” and so spoiled the Paradise which God had prepared for man. How then can lying be any other than an abomination to Him? But, because it is so, its doom is fixed. It is destined to destruction by the victory of truth, as the night is destroyed by the overcoming light of day. (On this subject see also Homiletics on Chap. Pro_10:18, page 166.)
III. The blessed results of a truthful and wisely-governed tongue. 1. It will “show forth righteousness.” A man who speaks the truth shows forth righteousness in two ways—(1) in his own character. He reveals himself to be a righteous man. He gives a living example of uprightness and integrity. (2) He helps on righteousness in the world. By being a faithful witness he furthers the ends of justice and righteousness—he helps on the just administration of the law. 2. It will heal wounds inflicted by the untruthful tongue. In nature we have a two-fold exhibition of power. The hurricane comes and breaks the branches of the tree, and strips off its leaves; but a more beneficent power clothes it again with beauty. So the tongue of a fool strips a man of what made life beautiful to him—takes away his good name, or breaks bonds of close friendship—but wise and kind words have a healing power in them—they help to cheer the wounded spirit, and enable the bowed head to lift itself again. Such a tongue of healing had the Divine Son of God, who came “to heal the broken in heart” (Isa_61:1), and to restore the friendship between God and man, which was first broken by the slandering tongue of the devil—that great slanderer of God to man, and of man to God” (Gen_3:5; Job_1:10). To Him the “Lord God gave the tongue of the learned, that He might know how to speak a word in season to him that was weary (Isa_50:4). The tongue of all true servants of God is an instrument of healing, for they are enabled to tell to their fellow-men “words whereby they may be saved” (Act_10:14).
IV. God’s estimation of it and its destiny. It is “God’s delight,” Pro_12:22. Whatever gives delight to a noble and benevolent man must be a blessing to humanity, and everything will delight him that tends to minister blessing to the world. This is pre-eminently true of the good God. Truth is the great need of the race—truth in word and deed and thought. To this end Christ came into the world “to bear witness of the truth” (
Joh_18:37), because that alone is the cure for the world’s woes. Then every man who is true must bless humanity and consequently delight God. A good father rejoices to see his own excellencies of character appear in his son, and the Father of the good likewise delights to see His children copy Him in “dealing truly.” (See also on chap. Pro_11:1, page 191.) And because it is God’s delight it will last for ever. Truth of any kind will be established in the course of time. If a man proclaim a scientific truth, however much he may be laughed at and disbelieved at first, his “lip,” or his words, will be established in the end. The words of Galileo, when he uttered the truth, that the earth moved round the sun, have long since been “established.” Time only is needed for any truth to take root-hold—it can never be overturned, whether it be physical or moral truth. Many truths which were scoffed at by most men, when they were first promulgated, are now regarded as truisms by almost everybody. And the lips that uttered them are now established and held in honour. Such men, for instance, as Cromwell and Milton, when they declared that the right of private judgment in religious matters, the freedom of the press, etc., were the right of every man, are now established in the estimation of this nation, and the truths which they uttered are regarded by all Englishmen as undoubted facts. “This,” says F. W. Robertson, “is man’s relation to the truth. He is but a learner—a devout recipient of a revelation—here to listen with open ear devoutly for that which he shall hear; to gaze and watch for that which he shall see. Man can do no more. He cannot create truth; he can only bear witness to it; he can only listen and report that which is in the universe. If he does not repeat and witness to that, he speaketh of his own, and forthwith ceases to be true.… Veracity is another thing. Veracity is the correspondence between a proposition and a man’s belief. Truth is the correspondence of the proposition with fact.” It is to such witness-bearers—especially to those who witness concerning moral truth—that the promise of the text applies.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_12:17. He who is brought to a spiritual discernment of the “truth” “breathes” it like his breath, instinctively and unconsciously. (See CRITICAL NOTES.) And he who does this not simply “covers shame” (Pro_12:16), but causes others to, for he advertises righteousness—i.e., publishes it. This, therefore, is the meaning of the sentence: “He that breathes forth truth publishes righteousness”—i.e., saving righteousness: and does it like uttering forth his breath. While the “deceived” (false) witness; literally, the witness of falsehood; aphrase which is ambiguous, because it might mean a witness to falsehood (see chap. Pro_6:9)—the “deceived witness”—i.e., the man who sees or witnesses falsehood instead of truth, “publishes (understood) delusion”—i.e., is a constant fountain of deceit to other men. This sense of the witness of falsehood is necessary to many proverbs (chap Pro_14:5), and saves a number from tautological or truistic interpretations.—Miller.
There is more here than lies upon the surface. It might seem enough for a faithful witness to speak truth. But no—he must show forth righteousness; what is just, as well as what is true. The best intentioned purpose must not lead us to conceal what is necessary to bring the cause to a righteous issue.—Bridges.
The words read at first almost like a truism; but the thought which lies below the surface is that of the inseparable union between truth and justice. The end does not justify the means, and only he who breathes and utters truth makes the righteous cause clear. Plumptre.
He that speaketh, ordinarily, in his common speech, that which is true, will show righteousness—that is, will carry himself justly, and further righteousness with his testimony, when he shall be publicly called thereunto. There must be a training of the tongue to make it fit for equity and justice, as of the hands, and other parts of the body, to make them skilful in handling a weapon and bearing of arms.… No man is competent for any work that is public unless his former upright and honest conversation commend him unto it. The rule which our Saviour gives in another case will hold as firmly in this. “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much” (Luk_16:10). For, first, the mouth of the man is the mouth of the man’s treasure. That which he speaketh he best loveth. That which is most in the lips hath greatest place in the heart. If, therefore, the truth be dear unto him, he will certainly show it forth when he shall stand forth before God and His substitute for that purpose, and so do a good service of love and piety; but if he have any fellowship with falsehood he will now take part with it, being void of the fear of God, and afraid to displease man. Secondly, no man exerciseth the truth at any time conscionably, but by the spirit of truth, and that directing men’s hearts at other times, in matters of less weight, will not fail them at their greatest need, when they are to perform a duty of so great importance; and so, on the other hand, Satan hath the disposing of their tongues that give themselves to lying. He is their father, he teacheth them their trade, and tasketh them in their work, and they be wholly at his commandment, and who doubteth but he will command them to be on his side, and to take against the truth, so far as a knowledge of the truth shall make against his practices.—Dod.
Pro_12:18. Wit, when not chastened and controlled by an amiable disposition, often wounds deeply. Jibes, jests, irony, raillery, and sarcasm, fly about. No matter what the wounds, or where they be inflicted, if the wit be but shown. A happy hit, a clever, biting repartee, will not be suppressed for the sake of the feelings, or even the character of a neighbour, or, as it may happen, a friend. The man of wit must have his joke, cost what it may. The point may be piercing in the extreme; but if it glitters it is enough; to the heart it will go.—Wardlaw.
Abimelech and his fellow priests were killed with the tongue, as with a rapier; so was Naboth and his sons; so was our Saviour Christ Himself. An honest mind is ever more afflicted with words than blows. You shall find some, saith Erasmus, that if they be threatened with death can despise it; but to be belied they cannot brook, nor from revenge contain themselves. How was David enraged by Nabal’s railings! Moses, by the people’s murmurings! Jeremiah by the derisions of the rude rabble! (chap. Pro_20:7-8.)—Trapp.
Among all the complaints which the godly, and God’s own spirit make against the wicked in the Scriptures, they seldom complain of anything more than of their virulent and pestiferous mouths (Psa_55:21; Psa_52:2; Pro_25:18; Rom_3:13). First, they cause swords to be drawn, and blood to be shed, and men to be slain, and much mischief to be wrought. Secondly. The sword, or any other weapon, can only hurt them that are present, and in places near to it; but the stroke of the tongue will light most dangerously upon them that are absent; no place or distance can help against it, and one man may do mischief to a great multitude.—Dod.
Pro_12:19. Liars need to have good memories. A lying tongue soon betrays itself. “No lie reaches old age,” says Sophocles.—Fausset.
The verse has been differently rendered. “The tongue of truth is ever steady: but the tongue of falsehood is so but for a moment” (Hodgson). There is unvarying consistency in the one case; for truth is always in harmony with itself; while there is shifting evasion, vacillation, contradiction, in the other.—Wardlaw.
Who will gainsay the martyr’s testimony—“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, play the man! We shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust shall never be put out.”—Bridges.
The Christian shall utter for ever just the things that he utters on earth. Miller.
Pro_12:22. Not merely they that speak truly, but they that deal truly. Deeds of true dealing must confirm words of fair speaking.—Fausset.
A lie is a thing absolutely and intrinsically evil; it is an act of injustice and a violation of our neighbour’s rights. The vileness of its nature is equalled by the malignity of its effects; it first brought sin into the world, and is since the cause of all those miseries and calamities that disturb it; it tends utterly to overthrow and dissolve society, which is the greatest temporal blessing and support of mankind; it has a strange and peculiar efficacy above all other sins to indispose the heart to religion. It is as dreadful in its punishments as it has been pernicious in its effects.—South.
Honesty is just truth in conduct; and truth is honesty in words.—Wardlaw.
Such as speak the truth in uprightness will not vary in their talk, but tell the same tale again, and be like to themselves in that which they shall say; whereas liars be in and out, affirming and denying, and speaking contradictions in the same matter. Only true men are constant in their words. First, their matter will help their memory, for that which is truth once will be truth ever. Secondly, the same Spirit that worketh a love and conscience of the truth, whereby men are made to be true, doth never cease to be the same, therefore, as it seasoneth the heart and guideth it at the first, so it will establish it, and direct the lips to the end. For sincerity and uprightness is of all things most durable, and least subject to alteration or change. And that St. Paul assigneth for a cause of his invariable constancy, that he minded not those things that he did mind according to the flesh, whereby there should be with him, yea, yea, and nay, nay (2Co_1:17).—Dod.
Truth is always consistent with itself, and needs nothing to help it out; it is always near at hand, and sits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before we are aware; whereas a lie is troublesome, and sets a man’s invention upon the rack, and one trick needs a good many more to make it good. It is like building upon a false foundation, which constantly needs props to shore it up, and proves at last more chargeable than to have raised a substantial building at first upon a true and solid foundation.—
Tillotson.
Dare to be true, nothing can need a lie:
A fault which needs it most grows two thereby.
—Herbert.
God “desireth truth in the inward parts” (Psa_51:6), and all His are “children that will not lie” (Isa_63:8); they will rather die than lie. As they “love in the truth” (2Jn_1:1) so they “speak the truth in love” (Eph_4:15), and are therefore dear to the Father in truth and love (2Jn_1:3), especially since they “do truth” as well as speak it (1Jn_1:6), and do not more desire to be truly good than they hate to seem to be so only.—Trapp.
God doth never hate anything that is not hateful, and that must needs be odious which He abhorreth, and especially when it is abomination. Ye may know by their companions among whom they are marshalled what account he maketh of them (see Rev_21:8).… That truth which is acceptable to God consisteth both in speaking and doing. 1. His Spirit doth make every man that hath attained to the one to be able to do the other. That which St. John setteth down in a more general manner doth strongly confirm this particular point. “If any man sin not in word, he is a perfect man, and able to bridle all the body.” His meaning is that some be absolute without sin in word, and perfect, without infirmity in goodness; but that many be gracious without sinfulness, though they have their slips in speeches; and sincere, without wickedness, though they have their frailties in behaviour. 2. Both are infallible and essential fruits of regeneration, and the Apostle doth thereby persuade us thereby to declare ourselves to be of the number of the saints, and faithful, saying, “Cast off lying, and let him that stole steal no more” (Eph_4:24; Eph_4:28). 3. Both are required of them that would know and manifest themselves to be natural members of the Church in this world, and inheritors of salvation in the life to come. (See Psa_15:1-2.)—Dod.

Proverbs 12:23
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:23
THE CONCEALMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE PROCLAMATION OF FOOLISHNESS
I. The concealment of knowledge is always a mark of self-control. It proves that a man has himself “well in hand.” He is like a skilful workman whose tools are all arranged in order, so that he can select or reject them according to his need, or the need of others. Or he resembles a skilful rider who is thoroughly master of his steed, and can either arrest his course or urge him to put forth all his speed at any moment. If a man does not possess this power over himself he can never be a king among men, and even the possession of knowledge will not prove very serviceable either to himself or others. All the treasures of his mind ought to be under the lock and key of his will, and his will under that of his conscience, for,
II. Under some circumstances the concealment of knowledge is a mark of prudence. 1. It is so when to proclaim it would feed personal vanity. To reveal our knowledge from no other motive than to let others know that we know is to sin against ourselves by ministering to our pride. In such a case to conceal our knowledge is a means of grace to a man’s own soul, and will carry with it the approbation of conscience. 2. It is also prudent to conceal knowledge when we know that it would not benefit others. It is not always seasonable to reveal even the most precious knowledge that we possess. Men are sometimes manifestly unprepared for its reception—unable to appreciate it. God concealed the gospel of salvation from the men of the early ages of the world because the “fulness of time” (Gal_4:4) had not come, by which we understand that the world then was not in a condition to profit by a revelation of it. Our Lord charged His disciples not to disclose what they had witnessed on the mount of transfiguration until “the Son of Man should be risen again from the dead” (Mat_17:9). He exhorts them also not to “cast pearls before swine” (Mat_7:6). Hence we learn that concealment of knowledge is sometimes to be preferred to a revelation of it, and that a due regard must be had to the mental and moral condition of those to whom we would impart it. The revelation of scientific truth would only bewilder people of little education and small capacity, and the revelation of even moral truth would sometimes increase men’s guilt. It would only lead them to blaspheme the God of Truth and scoff at His messengers, and thus harden them instead of enlightening them. And even when this is not the case men cannot always receive all kinds of moral truth. A parent conceals from his son when he is a boy a knowledge of things which he will reveal to him when he is a man. A wise teacher does not at once disclose to his pupil all that he desires him to learn. Both bring prudence into exercise, and give “line upon line, here a little and there a little” (Isa_28:10), following the example of the Great Father and Teacher in His dealings with His ancient people, and that of the Incarnate Son when He said to His disciples, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (Joh_16:12). All who are possessors of knowledge should always remember to bring prudence into exercise in proclaiming it, whether it be Divine or human truth that they have to reveal.
III. The man who tells out all he knows without any regard to the fitness of time and circumstance proclaims only his foolishness. He is as much a proclaimer of his own folly as he who should sow seed on the high road instead of in ploughed ground. He may be very injurious to others. If a teacher of the young were to tell out all he knows about men and things to those under his care he might inflict on their spiritual nature a life-long injury. Indiscreet parents who utter all their mind and tell out all their experience in the hearing of their children not only “proclaim their foolishness,” but are a curse to their family. They are like an unskilful surgeon who takes the first instrument that comes to hand, regardless of its fitness for the needs of the patient. They are like men upon a fiery steed without power to guide him—they not only put themselves in jeopardy but endanger the well-being of others.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Not that he grudges to impart his knowledge to others, but he does not obtrude it or make a display of it, nor babble out all that he knows, in order that he may be counted wise.… The fool, trying to make a display of knowledge, only betrays foolishness. Fools, wise in their own esteem, babble out everything at random; not wisdom, which they have not, but foolishness, which they have. Proclaiming foolishness is attributed to a fool’s heart, not to his mouth, for a fool’s heart is in his mouth. He has no sense within. On the contrary, “The mouth of the wise is in their heart” (Sir_21:26)—Fausset.
The Apostle concealed his knowledge for fourteen years, and even then mentioned it reluctantly, to vindicate his own rightful claims of apostleship (2Co_12:1-6). Elihu, though “full of matter,” and longing to give vent, yet prudently concealed his knowledge, till his elders had opened his way (Job_32:6; Job_32:18-19). Circumstances may sometimes prudently dictate concealment. Abraham spared the feelings of his family, and cleared his own path, by hiding the dreadful message of his God (Gen_22:1-7). Joseph concealed his kindred for the discipline of his brethren (Gen_42:7). Esther, from a prudent regard of consequences to herself (Est_2:10). Nothing can justify speaking contrary to the truth. But we are not always obliged to tell the whole truth. Jeremiah answered all that he was bound to speak; not all that he might have spoken (Jer_38:24). In all these cases “the wise man’s heart will discern both time and judgment” (Ecc_8:5; Ecc_10:2).… The fool is dogmatical in dispute, when wiser men are cautious. He is teaching, when he ought to take the learner’s place; his self-confidence proclaiming his emptiness (1Ti_6:3-4).—Bridges.
True are the words of Paul, “knowledge puffeth up,” and the augmentation of it may only puff up the more. This produces a very anomalous and incongruous combination, a mind filled with solid information and a heart distended with the emptiness of vanity. And this generates the pedant, one of the most contemptible and disgusting of all characters—the man who is ever showing off, ever aiming at effect, ever speaking as nobody else would speak, ever dwelling on his own theme in his own terms, and in every word and look and movement, courting notice of self, as the only object of his own admiration, or worthy of the admiration of others. What a fool even the man of knowledge does at times make of himself! exemplifying the truth of the old quaint adage, “An ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy.” Still it is true that, the more extensive the knowledge which a man acquires, he is, generally speaking, the more conscious of remaining ignorance, and consequently the less vain; that it is in the early stages of acquirement that self-sufficiency and conceit are most apparent. It is the empty that are usually the most prone to vain glory.—Wardlaw.
“Prudent.” subtle, from a root meaning crafty, cunning; opposed to “stupid,” literally, fat, crass. The saint has the highest craft, and the lost are more fat in mind than even the beasts around them.—Miller.
Another aspect of the truth of chap. Pro_10:14. The wise is not quick to utter even the wisdom that deserves utterance. He broods over it, tests it, lives by it.—Plumptre.
We deem them not the most thrifty husbands and wealthiest men that will lock up nothing in their coffers, nor keep anything close in their purses, but carry all their money in their hands and show it to every comer-by, and so do they that have no more matter within their hearts, than all the standers-by shall hear their lips deliver. It is a point of humility to be silent in modesty, and their words are so much more desirable, and better accepted as they are rare, and few, and seasonable. The ointment that is close kept in a box will yield a sweeter savour when it is poured out, than that which is continually open. A wine fresh from the vessel hath a better relish than that which was drawn long before there was any need of it.—
Dod.
Think not silence the wisdom of fools, but, if rightly timed, the honour of wise men who have not the infirmity but the virtue of taciturnity; and speak not of the abundance, but the well-weighed thoughts of their hearts. Such silence may be eloquence, and speak thy worth above the power of words. Make such an one thy friend, in whom princes may be happy, and great counsels successful. Let him have the key of thy heart who hath the lock of his own, which no temptation can open; where thy secrets may lastingly lie, like the lamp in the urn of Olybius, alive and alight, but close and invisible.—Sir T. Browne.

Proverbs 12:24
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:24
THE REWARD OF DILIGENCE
I. What is here meant by diligence? It is not being always active, but active in the right direction—active in the right use of talents and opportunities. There is an activity that is worse than idleness, an activity that brings men into contempt and bondage instead of enabling them to rule themselves or others. Men may have great talent and keep it in constant exercise, and yet their diligent use of it may be destroying both themselves and others. A machine that is constructed to work in one direction may be very active in going in the opposite direction—this is worse than if it stood still, for it will certainly work injury to itself, and may do so to other things and to those who have to work it. A thief may be very diligent, but his diligent hand will not bring him to “bear rule.” It will probably, in the end, bring him into a most irksome servitude. There was once a Roman Emperor who was very active in catching flies; this was certainly not the diligence which would enable him to bear rule. If a man who is capable of a high and noble work spends his time in a childish and ignoble manner, he is not diligent although he may be very active. Diligence consists not in being very busy, but in being busy in what will build up our own moral nature and, as a necessity, bless our fellow-creatures. Moreover, diligence is not the right exercise of our talent or the wise use of our time at intervals, by fits and starts, but a constant and steady continuance of that exercise and activity.
II. The consequence of such diligence. He who is thus diligent will bear rule over the slothful man—over the man who wastes his time or his talent. 1. This is right. Even the slothful man himself must, in his conscience, feel that he deserves to be ruled by the diligent. The human conscience will not sanction such waste—such a destruction of character, and, while it is allowed to speak at all, will utter its testimony against it. And all impartial judges must concede that it is the just reward of diligence—that, when a man has rightly used that which the Great Ruler of the universe has committed to his trust, it is right that he should receive the award, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” (Mat_25:21). 2. It is necessary. First, for the slothful man himself. When he is under the rule of a diligent man he is doing better with his life than if he were left to himself; he is compelled to act, whether he will or not, and he has the guidance of the wisdom of another when his slothfulness has prevented him from gaining any of his own. His slothfulness grows greater, and therefore his guilt is increased every day that he is his own master. His powers will become more and more incapable of being exercised the longer they are unused, and the only thing that can save him from being entirely buried in the grave of his own sloth is that he become a servant to a diligent man. Secondly, for humanity in general. A slothful man in power is a curse to society. If he is a husband and father he is a curse to his children; if he is a master he is a curse to his servants, and will endanger their characters and industrious habits. Those who rule ought to be wise, and no slothful man can be a wise man.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
“Diligent;” from a root meaning to cut. Hence the idea of something incisive or decided. The primary idea is promptness or determination. “Sloth;” primarily remissness or what is indecisive. In this world, diligence puts a man at the head. In the eternal world, it will have made the man a king, and made all hell, and of course, all “sloth, under tribute” to him.—Miller.
This was Joseph’s road to bearing rule (chap. Pro_22:29). But if it does not raise in the world, it will command in its own sphere. The faithful steward is made ruler over his lord’s household (Mat_24:45-47). The active trader bears rule over many cities (Ib. Pro_25:21). Diligence, therefore, is not a moral virtue separate from religion, but rather a component part of it.—Bridges.
The slothful are like Issachar, who saw that the rest was good, and bowed down his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute; by their laziness they expose themselves to want, and reduce themselves to a slavish dependence on those who, through the blessing of God on their own diligence, or on that of their fathers, are in better circumstances. Spiritual sloth weakens men, and exposes them to the spiritual sloth of their spiritual enemies. We must be strong, resolute, and active, if we would escape the tyranny of the rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph_6:10-18).—Lawson.
The comparison is suggested by the contrast common in most ancient monarchies in the east, between the condition of a conquered race, compelled to pay heavy taxes in money or in kind (like the Canaanites in Israel, Jos_16:10; Jdg_1:30-33), and that of the freedom of their conquerors from such burdens. The proverb indicates that beyond all political divisions of this nature there lies an ethical law. The “slothful” descend inevitably to pauperism and servitude. The prominence of this compulsory labour under Solomon (1Ki_9:21), gives a special significance to the illustration.—Plumptre.

Proverbs 12:25
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:25
HEAVINESS OF HEART AND ITS CURE
I. The causes of “heaviness of heart” are many and various. It may arise, 1. From great bodily pain. The human mind and the human body act and re-act upon each other. The mind or spirit may be made heavy by physical pain, as the body may be brought under the dominion of disease by mental suffering. It is only when a more powerful influence comes into operation that pain of body is prevented from exercising a depressing influence upon the spirit. In the case of Job we have an instance of severe bodily suffering, weighing down a spirit that had borne other most terrible calamities without being overcome (Job 7). In the case of Stephen, and many others, we see intense bodily suffering exercising no depressing influence upon the man, because he is lifted above it by supernatural interposition. Where this special grace is not given pain of body will make the heart “to stoop”—that is, it will disqualify the man for duty by depriving him of hope and courage, and will leave him more or less passive in the hands of circumstances. 2. Heaviness of heart is often caused by bringing the future into the present. The man that has every day to carry a heavy burden upon his shoulders will find that an attempt to carry the load of two days at once will weigh down his body beyond all his power to rise and stand upright. He must not try to carry more than the load of to-day, if he is to do anything at all. So is it with the spirit of a man if he goes out to meet the cares and difficulties of to-morrow, while he is bearing and battling with those of to-day. The weight of the present is as much as he can carry, his heart must “stoop,” if he dwells upon the possible or certain trials of the future. The right way to bear burdens is to take the advice of One who Himself was a burden-bearer. “Take therefore no thought (no anxious care) for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. There are many other burdens which make the heart to stoop, we will mention but one more. 3. A consciousness of unpardoned guilt. There is no burden so heavy to bear as this. Guilt makes the spirit feel as if the hand of God’s displeasure was sinking the soul lower and lower. The language of Scripture is very vivid in describing the feelings of man in such a case. “When I kept silence my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long.” “Mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.” “Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up,” etc. (Psa_22:3; Psa_38:4; Psa_40:12).
II. The human heart can be uplifted by seasonable words. “A good word maketh it glad.” Such words sometimes take the form of a promise of help. A man bowed down by disease is made glad by the word of the physician, which assures him that his malady can be cured. The debtor who feels himself hopelessly involved is made glad by the promise of one who engages to meet his debts. The man who is bowed down under a sense of guilt is lifted out of his heaviness by the promises of a forgiving God. In all these cases the worth of the word depends upon the character of him who utters them. It is a “good word” if it is not only a cheering word, but a reliable word—if the promise is uttered by one whom we know would not promise what he was unable to perform. It is this certainty which makes every promise of God so good a word to the soul. And when a man’s heaviness of heart arises from a source which is beyond the power of human help, there is no greater service that a friend can do him than to remind him of some “good word” of the Heavenly Father which is suitable to his case.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Not “heaviness,” but “anxiety.” This last is the fashion of most griefs. We are bound to conquer it. The determined man (see comments on Pro_12:24) is just the character to do it. “Anxiety” discredits faith. “A good word,” and such words are plenty in this very book, should
gladden it, as the expression is; or, as a freer translation, “cheer it away.” It is a sin for men to be dejected. It is a great folly, too; for it broods over half their lives. Our passage tells all this, and tells the mode to dissipate it. It was the mode of Christ when he quelled the foul fiend. The sword of the Spirit is the “word” of God (Eph_6:17).—Miller.
There is nothing that claims our grief so much as sin, and yet there may be an excess of sorrow for sin, which exposes men to the devil and drives them into his arms.—Lawson.
A single good or favourable word will remove despondency; and that word, “Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee,” will instantly remove despair.—A. Clarke.

Proverbs 12:26
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:26. Is more excellent than his neighbour, rather “guides his neighbour.” Delitzsch reads, “looketh after his pastures.” The Hebrew word signifies “abundance” (see Miller’s remarks in the comments on the verses).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:26
THE GUIDE AND THE SEDUCER
Translating this verse, “The righteous guides his neighbour aright,” we remark:—
I. That the righteous man guides his neighbour both by his word and by his life. He guides him by wise counsel—by giving him “a word in season” (see Pro_12:25)—and he more especially guides him by his holy life. His character is a revealer of the way of life. The light which shines through a lantern reveals the path, not only to the man who carries it, but to him who beholds it if he should be disposed to follow in the same road. The righteous man is a light-bearer—he has moral light within him, which breaks forth in the acts of his daily life, and sets a good example to other men, and so, to some extent, his life, like that of his Master’s, is a “light of men.”
II. That he guides him aright because he shows him how to make the most of his life. Men are generally anxious to live long, and the righteous man shows his neighbour how to live long by living well. A husbandman values his trees, not by the length of time they have stood in the ground, but by the amount of fruit they yield. There are trees which bring forth more fruit in one season than others do during the whole time they stand in the orchard. And the length of a man’s life is to be estimated not by the number of years he has been in the world, but in the use which he has made of them. Many men who leave the world comparatively young have lived longer, because to more purpose, than others who have not died until they were a hundred years old (On this subject see homiletics on chap. Pro_10:17, page 164).
III. That the wicked man also exercises an influence upon his neighbour; but his influence tends to evil. He is a seducer—one who leads astray by false professions and promises. Like the good man, he emits a light, but it is the false light of the ignus fatuus, which is the offspring of the stagnant swamp, and which will only lure him who follows it to destruction. One of the chief employments of the bad, and that which seems to afford them the greatest pleasure, is to carry other men to ruin. And even when the wicked man is not an active seducer, his way, or his life, seduces his neighbour. The force of an evil example is very great, and men are insensibly influenced by it. Men of ungodliness diffuse around them an atmosphere of moral unhealthiness, which insensibly affects those around them, who are not godly, and strengthens them in all their downward tendencies. Such men are “as graves which appear not” (Luk_11:44), and are centres of spiritual disease and death.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
If then, the “righteous be more excellent than his neighbour,” how is it that men do not follow their way? Because “the way of the wicked, which is apparently more excellent, or abundant in temporal advantages, seduces them (Kimchi in Mercer). It “seduceth” with false hopes, doomed in the end to destruction.—Fausset.
The way of the godless leads them into error; the course of life to which they have given themselves up has such a power over them that they cannot set themselves free from it, and it leads the enslaved into destruction. The righteous, on the contrary, is free with respect to the way which he takes, and the place where he stays. His view (regard) is directed to his true advancement, and he looks after his pasture (see CRITICAL NOTES), i.e., examines and discovers where, for him, right pastures, i.e., the advancement of his outer and inner life, is to be found.—Delitzsch.
Let him dwell by whomsoever, he is ever a better man than his neighbours; he is “a prince of God” among them, as Abraham was amongst the Hittites. Said Agesilaus, when he heard the King of Persia style himself the Great King—“I acknowledge none more excellent than myself, unless more righteous; none greater, unless better.” “Upon all the glory shall be a defence” (Isa_4:5)—that is, upon all the righteous, those only glorious, those “excellent of the earth” (Psa_16:2), that are “sealed to the day of redemption” (Eph_4:30). Now, whatsoever is sealed with a seal, that is excellent in its own kind, as Isa_28:25. The poorest village is an ivory palace, saith Luther, if it have in it but a minister and a few good people. But the wicked will not be persuaded of the good man’s excellency, he cannot discern, nor will not be drawn to believe that there is any such gain in godliness, any such difference between the righteous and the wicked. He, therefore, goes another way to work.—Trapp.
I. In regard of their condition in this present life. They have all prerogatives and preferments. By parentage every one of them is God’s child. By dignity they are all kings. By inheritance they have title to heaven and earth; their food is heavenly manna, their clothing is Christ’s righteousness, their attendants are the holy angels.—II. In respect of their state that shall be in the life to come. They shall have perfect happiness, and be made like unto Jesus Christ, more excellent and puissant than the most glorious angels.—Dod.
The “wicked” man not only does not “guide” his neighbour, but does not guide himself, actually “leads” himself “astray.” Here is the same climax we have so often noticed (chap. Pro_11:14).—Miller.

Proverbs 12:27
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:27. The word translated roast does not occur in this sense elsewhere. In the Chaldee of Dan_3:27, it is used in this sense. It may be read “catcheth not his prey.” The second clause should be, “a precious treasure is diligence,” or “a diligent man.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:27
I. Even the slothful man may be sometimes roused to activity. He is here represented as having made an effort, he has “taken spoil in hunting.” There are probably few men who are not sometimes roused to exertion, who do not every now and then make a start towards an industrious life, but they lack perseverance, they do not let one act of industry follow upon another so as to form industrious habits. Therefore—
II. The slothful man loses by negligence what he has gained. “He roasteth not that which he took in hunting.” He is too lazy to finish his work. He neutralises the one action by neglecting to perform the other. The food that he has taken is wasted because he is too lazy to roast it, and therefore he might as well have remained idle altogether.
III. He may thus rob an industrious man. The game which he has taken and wasted might have fallen into better hands. Another man might have taken it and put it to a good use. A man has no right thus to deprive another of what he is too lazy to put to a good use himself.
IV. A diligent habit of life is a fortune in itself. 1. It is a possession of which a man cannot be robbed by any of the mischances of life. A habit is a second nature, and if a man has once acquired the habit of a diligent improvement of his time and opportunities, he can no more lose it than he can his identity. It can be touched by no rise or fall of the market, nor affected by any commercial panic. If he is rich, he will be diligent, and if he become poor he will make the most of what still remains to him. 2. It is a source of continual satisfaction. God has made man for work, and a rightly constituted mind is never so happy as when all its powers are actively employed. It is a great source of consolation in times of sorrow to have acquired industrious, active habits, for they often help a man to forget, or to rise above his trials. 3. It makes a man, in one respect, an imitator of God. The Eternal Ruler of the universe is ever active; diligence is one of His attributes. It is the boast of the Hebrew prophet, concerning the everlasting God, that “He fainteth not, neither is weary” (Isa_40:28). Christ declares that He and His Father are unceasing in their activities: “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (Joh_5:17).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
What a diligent man gains becomes, in his hands, precious by the use he makes of it. It is the means of further increase. And his substance becomes “precious” to others as well as to himself. It is industriously, profitably, benevolently used. In this lies the true value of a man’s substance;—not in the acquisition, but in the use.—Wardlaw.
By translating remiyah the deceitful, instead of the slothful man, which appears to be the genuine meaning of the word, we may obtain a good sense, as the Vulgate has done. “The deceitful man shall not find gain, but the substance of a (just) man shall be the price of gold.” But our version, allowing remiyah to be translated fraudulent, gives the best sense. “The fraudulent man roasteth not that which he took in hunting,” the justice of God snatching from him what he had acquired unrighteously. Coverdale translates “A dis-creatfull man schal fynde no vauntage: but he that is content with what he hath, is more worth than golde.”—A. Clarke.
The substance of a diligent man is great in value, whatsoever it be in quantity, as a small boxful of pearls is more worth than mountains of pebbles. The house of the righteous hath much treasure. He is without that care in getting, fear in keeping, grief in losing—those three fell vultures that feed continually on the heart of the rich worldling, and dis-sweeten all his comforts. Jabal, that dwelt in tents, and tended the herds, had Jubal to his brother, the father of music. Jabal and Jubal, diligence and complacence, good husbandry and a well-contenting sufficiency, dwell usually together.—
Trapp.
Is not this a graphical picture of the slothful professor? He will take up religion under strong excitement. He begins a new course, and perhaps makes some advance in it. But, “having no root in himself,” his good frames and resolutions wither away (Mat_13:20-21). The continued exertion required, the violence that must be done to his deep-rooted habits, the difficulties in his new path, the invitations to present ease, all hang as a weight upon his efforts.… No present blessing can be enjoyed without grasping something beyond (Php_3:12-14). Godliness without energy loses its full reward (2Jn_1:8).—Bridges.
The impenitent, who wait for something to turn up, are the same type of lazy people as love hunting and fishing better than more regular labour. The wise man goes to the root and says, There are no such hunting gains in the spiritual world. He goes further. He seems to remind his reader that character is all that will be left for a man at the last. He seems to imply that man will bring home from his hunt nothing but “his laziness,” and would ask whether one can “roast” that like a quail or a duck. And though we start at such horrible absurdity, yet it brings out in keen light a very different possibility for diligence. Diligence can be roasted. It earns for us an eternal heaven, and yet, for all it gets, it is itself our richest dainty. “One cannot roast laziness as something he has taken in the chase; but a precious treasure of a man is a diligent one.” It is tantalising to come so near other and important renderings. Many see very plausibly a meaning like this: The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting” (so far the English version), meaning that he is wasteful, and suffers what he has actually now to run to loss; “but the substance of a common man” (making the distinction as in Pro_12:14) “is precious” (that is, made account of, and kept) “by a man of diligence.” A sinner throws away treasures; a saint values the very smallest. This would be a fine sense if the verse before meant that the “saint gains from his neighbour.” Per contra, though, there are difficulties. “The slothful man” (E.V.) in the Hebrew is the “sloth” or “laziness” itself. And the word is feminine, and must be the object rather than the subject of the verb. The meaning is, that sloth cannot be roasted and eaten, but diligence can.—Miller.

Proverbs 12:28
CRITICAL NOTES
Pro_12:28. No death, literally “no-death,” i.e., “immortality.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_12:28
I. There is a way of righteousness in the world. 1. This fact is universally recognised. Men regard each other as moral and responsible beings. The doctrine of necessity will not do for every-day life. In all positions and conditions, man is met with the assumption that there is a “way of righteousness,” and his fellow-men deal with him accordingly. Man could not be held accountable for his actions if a right way of life did not exist, in which it was possible for him to walk. 2. This fact is confirmed by conscience. Bad actions are followed by remorse, and good deeds bring gladness to the soul. If there were no way of righteousness, how could this be the case? 3. It is revealed to us by God. The Bible sets forth two paths, in one of which man must walk, it foretells a day in which God will judge men, and will hold them guilty who have refused to walk in the way of righteousness after it has been made known to them. Where there is no way of righteousness there can be no transgression, and, consequently, no penalty.
II. The way of life implies—1. A beginning. All ways or paths have a starting-point, all methods or plans of life date from some point of time. 2. An object in view. If men walk in a certain road it is presumed that they have some purpose in view. 3. An end or goal. So the way of righteousness. Its beginning is “repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ;” the object at which it aims by “patient continuance in well-doing” is “glory, and honour, and immortality;” its end is “eternal life” (Act_20:21; Rom_2:7), for “in the pathway thereof is no death, or immortality” (On this subject see also homiletics on chap. Pro_4:18).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
From life being said to be in the way of righteousness, I should urge the lesson that the deeds of the hand have a reflex influence upon the state of the heart. There is life in spiritual-mindedness, and it serves to aliment this life to walk in the way of obedience.—Chalmers.
And life, in any sense, is a sweet mercy, a precious indulgence. Life natural is but a little spot of time between the two eternities, before and after, but it is of great consequence, and given us for this purpose, that glory may be begun in grace, and we have a further and further entrance into the kingdom of heaven here, as Peter saith (2Pe_1:2). Christ hath unstinged the first death, and made of a postern to let out eternal life, a street-door to let in eternal life. Surely the bitterness of this death is past to the righteous; there is no gall in it; nay, there is honey in it, as once there was in the corpse of Samson’s dead lion. And for the second death there is no danger, for they shall pass from the jaws of death to the joys of heaven. Yea, though hell had closed her mouth upon a child of God, it would as little hold him as the whale could Jonah; it must, perforce, regurgitate such a morsel.—Trapp.
“Righteousness” which is the very path of the righteous man, is itself eternal life. All men have a “way,” and this implies that all men have an “end.” The Psalmist had before announced (Psa_1:6) that “the way of the ungodly shall perish;” that is, not only shall they not reach their end, but their very way shall die down and perish. They shall cease to take an interest in it. But this passage goes deeper. It says the path of righteousness is life itself, and then, contrasting them with the wicked, it says, “their way is a path,” i.e., it leads somewhere; and then implies that all other ways are “a death!” These are striking truths. Immortality is a path. It travels the ages. It begins among believers. It is itself its destiny. Impenitence is “a death.” It travels nowhere. The very mind of the impenitent can announce no terminus for his way-worn tread.—Miller.
NOTE.—It will be seen from the foregoing remarks that Miller translates the latter clause of this verse, “The way is a path, not a death.”
HOMILY ON THE ENTIRE CHAPTER
On the true wisdom of the children of God as it ought to appear (1) In the home, under the forms of good discipline, diligence, and contentment; (2) In the State, or in the intercourse of citizens, under the forms of truthfulness, justice, and unfeigned benevolence (Pro_12:12-22); in the Church, or in the religious life, as a progressive knowledge of God, a diligent devotion to prayer, and striving after eternal life (Pro_12:23-28).—Lange’s Commentary.

Proverbs 12:1
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Worthless and attentive hearers
Attention to the precepts and wise counsels of this book is urged by—

1. The advantage which such precepts are of, to improve a man’s carriage and conversation.
2. The fact that they are a safeguard against the mischiefs of evil company.
3. That they are the best preservatives of health and long life.
4. In the ways of wisdom is to be found peace with God, with man, and with our own conscience. But Solomon tells us there are several sorts of men who will be never the wiser nor better for what he says.
   (1) Such as are stupid, and have no palate to relish anything but sensual, earthly pleasures.
   (2) The froward man, who is under the dominion of his lusts and passions.
   (3) The proud man. For he is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. This conceit is commonly the child of prosperity.
   (4) The negligent and slothful man. He will not be at the pains to cultivate his mind with the instructions of wisdom.
   (5) Men of a vain and frothy spirit, who love to turn serious things into ridicule; jesters and scorners. The qualifications our divine philosopher calls for are diligence and attention. He would have his hearers apply their hearts and incline their ears to the words of his mouth. Where were, and where are now, these schools of wisdom, where diligent hearers may be instructed in the laws of God and a good life? They are found in our schools of literature and in our churches. (W. Reading, M. A.)

The love of instruction
It is by instruction that knowledge comes. He who fancies he has all in himself will never learn. In proportion to the love of instruction will be the acquisition of knowledge. The love of instruction implies humility. It argues a sense of ignorance and need of information. It is a common thing for men to allow pride to cheat them of much valuable knowledge. That the knowledge of duty as well as of truth is here to be included may be inferred from the latter part of the verse. “Refusing reproof” is “brutish,” as irrational, senseless, unworthy of a creature endowed with intellect; distinguished by reason from the beasts of the field, and distinguished from them too by his immorality. There may also be comprehended in the expression the absence of what every rational creature ought to have—spiritual discernment and taste; the destitution of all right sentiment and feeling in reference to God and Divine things. This is the character of him whom Paul denominates “the natural” or animal man, who “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.” (R. Wardlaw.)

Instruction implies discipline
Instruction, as the contrast teaches, chiefly implies discipline—that most needful course for acquiring spiritual knowledge. The submission of the will is the only road to Christian attainment. The irritable pride that hates reproof, as if it were an affront to be told of our faults, argues not only want of grace but also want of understanding. (C. Bridges.)

Reproof
The knowledge and the wisdom which this book recommends is a practical and devout thing, having for its foundation the fear of God, and then obedience will come out as the result. If a man loves the end he will love that which leads to the end. Reproof is instruction under another form. It is instruction with an unpleasant face; but not the less necessary and salutary. Some men can hardly be managed in any other way than by just having the rein kept tight upon them. The Bible never permits us to lose sight of our immediate connection with God. The world and human society is not a mere machine. It is a great thing to get the idea of law, and that law is working out its results; but it is a greater thing to get before the mind the idea of the personal superintendence of the Lawgiver. Under His superintendence “virtue will be its own reward,” and vice and wickedness will bring their own condemnation and punishment. The good or benevolent man does not think about the results to himself and his actions towards others; he does the thing out of those impulses, those Divine and holy instincts, which inhabit that religious nature of his: and God has His eyes upon the good, and the result is the favour of God comes upon him and overshadows him. A man may get on by wickedness for a while wonderfully; but in general the triumph of the wicked is short. When he seems to be established he is always in fear. (T. Binney.)

Hating reproof
A story is told of a Scotch minister, who, for a month or two after his appointment to a country parish, used to treat his hearers to sermons of a very flowery description. Finding, however, that continual preaching of this kind is fruitful of little benefit, he changed his style to something less catching but more practical, and also, with the view of adding weight to his exhortations, inaugurated the “schedule system” of making collections. On one occasion a young lady collector called on an erstwhile benevolent old spinster belonging to the congregation, and began the attack with the insinuating schedule; but no sooner was her mission comprehended than the countenance of the spinster hardened. “Na, na!” she exclaimed. “Wha wud gie a ha’penny to yon man? I likit um weel eneuch when he used to tell us aboot the works o’ nature, an’ the bonnie flo’ers, an’ a’ that; but when he begoon to speak till us like yon aboot oor fau’ts, I couldna dae wi’ um.”
Reproof in preaching
One thing I have against the clergy, both of the country and in the town; I think they are not severe enough on their congregations. They do not sufficiently lay upon the souls and consciences of their hearers their moral obligations, and probe their hearts and bring up their whole lives and action to the bar of conscience. The class of sermons which I think are most needed are of the class which offended Lord Melbourne long ago. Lord Melbourne was seen one day coming from a church in the country in a mighty fume. Finding a friend, he exclaimed, “It’s too bad! I have always been a supporter of the Church, and I have always upheld the clergy. But it is really too bad to have to listen to a sermon like that we have had this morning. Why, the preacher actually insisted upon applying religion to a man’s private life!” But this is the kind of preaching which I like best, the kind of preaching which men need most; but it is also the kind which they get the least. (W. E. Gladstone.)

Proverbs 12:2
A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord.
The blessing of the righteous and misery of the wicked
There is s marked difference between the righteous and the wicked both in their characteristics and in their condition.
I. The teaching of the passage regarding the blessing of the righteous.

1. The righteous has the favour of the Lord (Pro_12:2). In the Divine favour is the guarantee of all good.
2. The righteous is firmly fixed (Pro_12:3).
3. He is wiser in his speech (Pro_12:6).
4. His blessings are continued to his children (verse 71.
5. He wins the confidence of his fellow-men. In spiritual privileges, at least, the good man gains advantages of inestimable worth. Some of the advantages of the righteous man are specified. Because he is industrious, he—
   (1) Shall have plenty of bread.
   (2) His labour shall not be without results.
   (3) He shall somehow come out of trouble triumphant.
   (4) He shall be satisfied with good (Pro_12:11-14).
   The longings of the child of God are so controlled and directed that in time they are fully met. They keep themselves within the channels of the Divine will, and so are never stranded and wrecked by their self-will.
   II. The passage pictures the misery of the wicked. This consists, first of all, in the disapproval of God; then in the disapproval of his fellow-men. By their misdeeds the wicked forfeit the esteem of the public, and this is a blow they find hard to bear. A wrong course of conduct is also sure to ensnare one in difficulties. Each sin is a misstep which brings one into new entanglements. One lie necessitates another to bolster it. The immediate results of sin may not be seen to be evil. But the end is sure to come. Sin persisted in brings ruin. The end of unrepented wrong is sure. The law of moral turpitude cannot be broken.
   III. The characteristics of both these classes. The wicked are marked by a dislike for reproof. Their very sinfulness is an indication that they are void of understanding. They are self-conceited. An indifference to the opinions of others, a certain self-assurance, an unwillingness to learn, these are some of the characteristics of the wicked. Another almost certain indication of wrong-doing is the keeping of bad company. The wrong-doer “followeth after vain persons.” He naturally seeks those of his own kind. His conduct is all in the line of injury to others. Selfishness has in it the seeds of cruelty. Self is steadily seeking its own gratification, and does not stop at any injury to others who chance to stand in its way. The characteristics of the righteous are—
6. He loveth knowledge. He is honestly seeking to find out what it is best to do. Hence he gladly welcomes correction. He does not shrink from reproof.
7. His thoughts are just. He desires to treat all rightly and to give every man his just dues. His thoughts even are under control in this matter. Not only does he not do others wrong, but he has no wish to; nor even does the thought of evil rise up in his mind. (A. F. Foster.)

The man of wisdom
I. The relation of the man of wisdom to God. He is in favour with God, whereas the man of unwisdom is condemned of God (Pro_12:2). The ethics of Proverbs is most deeply religious. All moral obligations derive from the Creator, and the foundation of wisdom is over and over again stated to be in the fear of the Lord. Many a moral teacher fails because he tries to induce men to act right without first setting their hearts right.
II. The traits of character belonging to the wise man are set forth partially here.

1. He is truthful.
2. He is receptive.
3. He has good practical judgment.
4. He is industrious.
5. He is kind-hearted.
   III. The wise man in his relations with other men is here set forth.
6. He has honour from others. That man only has true honour whose name is honestly revered. Such reverence comes only to that nobility of character whose spring is in that heart-wisdom which consists in the fear of the Lord.
7. Such a character brings honour to others.
8. Such a man is safe from embroilments with others. A man without principle is always getting into troubles from which the righteous escape.
   IV. The results to himself of the wisdom Of the good man.
9. The wise man has a return for his devotion to that which is good. Satisfaction is dealt out to him.
10. In this passage the character of the result is described.
11. Stability is specially noted as one of the rewards of the good. (D. J. Burrell.)

The good man
By a good man we are to understand a benevolent man; that is, a man who always wills happiness to others and carries forward his benevolence into the active form of beneficence. The good man is not an intellectual fop, or a moral phenomenon, but is well disciplined, thoroughly chastened, adjusted in all his faculties, and sometimes concealing exceptional excellences under a general average of fine nature; that is to say, instead of living in his eccentricities and making a reputation out of his occasional excellences he brings down these mountains and irregularities and smooths them so as to consolidate a general average of true worth. Whoever does good is an ally of God; he is in immediate co-operation with Him. (J. Parker, D. D.)

Proverbs 12:4
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones
False affection
Delilah’s character, though but briefly drawn, is not without terrible significance.
In her we see a violation of the ties of life and properly-poised affection which makes us start; and yet by many among us this fault is committed and scarcely considered to be a fault. We hardly know a case of more affecting and heartless treachery than that of Delilah. Under the guise of love and in the apparently trusting confidence of affection a man is induced to tell a secret. There is a mixture of treachery, hypocrisy, cruelty, and perseverance about the whole which is remarkable. Yet is the case so uncommon after all? Delilah’s conduct has few parallels in Scripture. It is a fearful contradiction—treachery and hypocrisy stand among its foremost features; conspiring with others, and those cruel and vindictive foes, against one who trusted her, is a strong aggravation of the evil. It would be scarcely worth while to dwell on a character like Delilah’s were it not that it bears on a certain condition of things among ourselves which we continually have brought under notice, especially among our poor—the determination to defend and protect at all hazards, through evil report and good report, the husband and near relative from the mere fact of his close relationship. It is often difficult to know how to treat persons whose prominent features are so beautiful and attractive, when the deeper lines of the character may perplex us by an indifference to truth, the glory of God and the zeal needful for His service, which deviation from such a line of uncompromising affection and defence necessitates. Illustrate the devotion of a woman who has a drunken husband, of a woman who has been wronged, or whose husband is a criminal. These are cases of heroism. What is the history of these feelings, these sad perversions of rectitude, and what are the remedies which we may apply to them? What is the object of these intense natural affections? Are they intended to blind the eyes to the faults of those we love? No. And yet the moral sense of mankind condemns Delilah, and honours these other women. They may be partially in error; no doubt they are, but the question is, Which tendency is right? The very object of strong natural affections is to give a tendency or prejudice which may, to a certain degree, supersede the mere dictum of justice. We are too weak, too frail, to endure the latter only. If we cannot stand at God’s tribunal neither can we endure man’s ignorant and partial judgment, when there is no counter impulse given by some other prejudicing principle. I say it with reverence; the justice of God is tempered by the love of the Incarnation, and the stern decree of bare judgment is toned down or reversed by the examination of motives and impulses, circumstances and temptations, which He alone can do who “knoweth our frame and remembereth that we are dust.” The office of natural affection in us gives a strong impulse in favour of, not adverse to, the dependent. And when justice decides that the extenuating circumstance is not enough to acquit, it forces itself on the forlorn and forsaken, goes out of court with the condemned criminal, sits by his side in mournful attitude in the cell, sings sweet words of sympathy through the dreary hours of punishment, “weeps with him who weeps,” and makes his sorrows its own. We can so little trust the keen eye of the most impartial justice. We need to see with some other eye. None looks so deeply as that of affection. It lets nothing escape which can defend, justify, save. Its object and aim—its interest is to defend from false blame; to detect palliating circumstances; to discover motives which may extenuate. And do we not need that protective power? Are any of us sufficiently fair judges of one another to allow of our demanding a state of society without the protecting influence of this strong and mighty advocate? Evidently we should value, not despise, the existence and exercise of natural affections. And more than this, they are to be brought into practical account. We should in every way encourage those who are pursuing that line of self-devotion and unselfish affection by showing them how beautiful we esteem their conduct, and how well it may be the stepping-stone to higher self-sacrifice to Him who yearns for their heart’s devotion. (E. Monro.)

The queen of the household
Here a virtuous woman is spoken of, and a virtuous woman is a true woman, chaste, prudent, modest, loving, faithful, patient in suffering, and brave in duty, keeping within the orbit of her sex, and lighting it with all the graces of womanhood. The language of the text implies two things.
I. That she exercises a control over her husband. A “crown” is the insignia of rule. A virtuous woman rules by the power of her love and the graces of her life. Beauty, tenderness, love, purity, are the imperial forces of life, and these woman wields.
II. That she confers a dignity upon him. A crown is a dignity.

1. Her excellence justifies his choice.
2. Her management enriches his exchequer.
3. Her influence exalts his character. Her gentle spirit and manners smooth the roughnesses of his character, refine his tastes, elevate his aims, and round the angles of his life. (Homilist.)

A husband’s crown
Woman’s place is important. God has made it so, and made her fit for filling it. Woman became the completion of man’s capacity and title—she became his crown. Let woman be content with the place that God has given her. The adaptation of the feminine character to be the companion and complement of man is one of the best defined examples of that designing wisdom which pervades creation. When the relations of the sexes move in fittings of truth and love, the working of the complicated machinery of life is a wonder to an observing man, and a glory to the Creator God. (R. F. Horton, D. D.)

Virtuous woman
The moral element is not excluded from this term “virtuous,” but it is latent and assumed rather than active and pronounced. It must be understood that the moral element is indeed essential; yet that does not impair the true etymology of the term. By “virtuous” we are to understand a woman of power—so to say, a virile woman; a woman of great capacity and faculty, of penetrating sagacity, and of ability to manage household and other affairs. She is a high-minded woman, giving the very best help to her husband in all the difficulties of life, crowning him with grace and with light, such a woman as he can trust in perplexity and exigency of every kind. She will not be less an intellectual woman or a woman of strong mind because she is morally pure, spiritually sympathetic, and religiously tender. She will not be less a philosopher because she is a true child of God. (J. Parker, D.D.)

A good wife a crown to her husband
A remarkable instance of helpfulness in a wife is presented in the case of Huber, the Geneva naturalist. Huber was blind from his seventeenth year, and yet he found means to study and master a branch of natural history demanding the closest observation and the keenest eyesight. It was through the eyes of his wife that his mind worked as if they had been his own. She encouraged her husband’s studies as a means of alleviating his privation, which at length he came to forget; and his life was as prolonged and happy as is usual with most naturalists. He even declared that he should be miserable were he to regain his eyesight. “I should not know,” he said, “to what extent a person in my situation could be beloved; besides, to me my wife is always young, fresh, and pretty, which is no light matter.” Huber’s great work on “Bees” is still regarded as a masterpiece, embodying a vast amount of original observation on their habits and natural history. Indeed, his descriptions read rather like the work of a singularly keen-sighted man than of one who had been entirely blind for twenty-five years at the time at which he wrote them. The married life of Faraday furnishes another example. In his wife he found, at the same time, a true help-mate and soul-mate. She supported, cheered, and strengthened him on his way through life, giving him “the clear contentment of a heart at ease.” In his diary he speaks of his marriage as “a source of honour and happiness far exceeding all the rest.” After twenty-eight years’ experience, he spoke of it as “an event which, more than any other, had contributed to his earthly happiness and healthy state of mind The union (he said) has in no wise changed, except only in the depth and strength of its character.” And for six-and-forty years did the union continue unbroken; the love of the old man remaining as fresh, as earnest, as heart-whole, as in the days of his impetuous youth.
Verse 5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
On right thoughts
(see also Pro_23:7):—We are in reality what we are in our hearts, and not what we may be only in appearance. There may be a fair show, while many bad things prevail within. The Bible, therefore, teaches a religion for the heart, and it is alike suitable and necessary for every heart. We are required to keep our hearts with all diligence, but no one can be kept right who is not first set right. If a person is as he thinketh in his heart, his very salvation must depend much upon his thoughts. A due management of these must have a bearing upon everything else.
I. Some remarks on human thoughts. What an inconceivable number of these are continually rising up in all minds! Then what a mind His must be who knoweth all these thoughts! Our thoughts are weighed and judged by Him who searcheth all hearts. Thoughts pertain to moral agents, and partake of the moral qualities of the mind that breeds them. Self-scrutiny and self-knowledge are therefore important duties. Good thoughts are such as God approves according to His Word, and they are productive of good deeds. Evil thoughts are sinful in His sight, polluting to the soul, and productive of transgressions. Human thoughts differ much in their origin and cause, and this not only in different minds, but also in the same mind. There are suggested thoughts, such as are communicated by some outward agency. There are also voluntary thoughts, such as are deliberately pursued and cherished. And there are involuntary thoughts, such as seem to come and go at random. Some are momentary, others are more permanent; others, again, grow into settled designs, full determinations of the will. Evil minds ought to be under right government and control, so as to furnish prompt restraint and influence to its numerous and various thoughts.
II. The assertion concerning the thoughts of the righteous. Consider what it does not mean. All the thoughts of the righteous are not perfect and true. And it is only thoughts that are properly the righteous man’s own for which he is responsible. The text expresses what is the true and proper influence of religion upon the mind that receives it. That influence is of the right kind. Hence the great importance of being brought under the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, since it is precisely this which rectifies the mind.

1. True religion hath a prevailing influence upon the thoughts concerning God. Righteous men’s thoughts of God are reverential and devout.
2. True religion hath a prevailing influence upon the thoughts of the righteous concerning themselves. Their thoughts awaken them to a sense of their high destiny, quicken them in the path of duty, make them watchful against temptation, and lead to prayer and communion with God. Because the prevailing bias of the unrighteous is wrong, they disregard these things. Each one should therefore inquire, What is the character and tenor of my thoughts? (Essex Remembrancer.)

The righteous and the wicked contrasted
I. In their thoughts. Thoughts are the factors of character, and the primal forces of history. By thought man builds up his own world. The righteous man is righteous in heart: therefore his thoughts will be right. The heart is the spring of the intellect. The thoughts of the wicked are false. He lives in an illusory world.
II. In their speech. Words are the incarnations, the vehicles, and the weapons of thought. The words of the wicked are mischievous. The words of the righteous are beneficent.
III. In their standing. “The wicked are overthrown and are not, but the house of the righteous shall stand.” The wicked are insecure. The righteous are safe.
IV. In their reputation. The good commands the respect of society. The consciences of the worst men are bound to reverence the right. The evil awakes the contempt of society. Servility and hypocrisy may bow the knee and uncover the head before the wicked man in affluence and power, but deep in the heart there is contempt. (D. Thomas, D.D.)

The righteous man and right
The verse has been rendered, “The policy of the just is honesty; the wisdom of the wicked is cunning.” This rendering marks more strikingly the intended distinction. The righteous man, in all his thoughts, keeps by what is right. He deals in rectitude, as opposed to deceit; and from his actions you may know his thoughts. The wicked man thinks one way and acts another. (R. Wardlaw.)

The thoughts of the righteous
As odorous flowers give out their fragrance so that we may inhale it, so the thoughts and affections of our spiritual nature go forth to be inbreathed again by other souls. On this ground, Jesus taught that when the Holy Spirit dwells in man, streams of holy influence flow forth from that man’s spirit. If a frail flower breathes sweetness into the general air, how much more a holy man? If a cesspool emits a pestiferous influence, how much more a bad man? (J Pulsford.)

The difference between the thoughts of the righteous and the wicked
There is a difference between good thoughts that ascend from the frame of our hearts and those that are injected from without. For instance, a gracious man’s holy thoughts ascend from the spiritual frame that is within his soul; but now a wicked man may have holy thoughts cast into him as a flash of lightning in the night, which doth not make a day; neither doth the injection of some holy thoughts argue the frame of his heart spiritual and holy. When he hath been hearing a warm sermon, then he thinks with himself, heaven deserves his choice, and eager pursuits; this is but from without, and therefore doth not argue that he is spiritual. (J. Pulsford)

The thoughts of the righteous are right
Take a river—let it be dammed and stopped up, yet, if the course of it be natural, if the vent and stream of it be to go downward, at length it will overbear, and ride triumphantly over: or let water that is sweet be made brackish by the coming in of the salt water; yet, if it naturally be sweet, at the length it will work it out. So it is with every man; look what the constant stream of his disposition is, look what the frame of it is; if it is grace, that which is now natural and inward to a man, though it may be dammed up, and stopped in such a: course for a while, yet it will break through all at the last; and though there be some brackish and some sinful dispositions that may break in upon a man, yet by the grace of God he will wear them out, because his natural disposition, the frame: of his heart, runs another way. (J. Pulsford.)

Proverbs 12:7
But the house of the righteous shall stand.
Virtuous kindred
I. In the first place, the circumstance of belonging to the house of the righteous, is a great security that the early principles which so commonly decide the character of the man, have been the subjects of a judicious and anxious attention. The child of such a house cannot have been left to collect from the chance companions of after-life those important truths upon the knowledge of which so much depends.
II. It is a second advantage belonging to the house of the righteous that the companions and examples furnished by it are likely to have a powerful influence in deepening every good impression, and recommending every valuable lesson received in it.
III. It is another privilege belonging to an early education in the house of the righteous that virtue is there seen from the first in its own lovely form, and its influence felt to be full of calm and lasting enjoyment.
IV. Another of these advantages is the additional motive felt in such a connection to respectable conduct—to conduct which may recommend us to the continued regard of the numerous and friendly witnesses who, with anxious interest, are watching our progress. (J. G. Robberds.)

Proverbs 12:8
A man shall be commended according to his wisdom.
Appreciation better than praise
There are persons in this world—and the pity is that there are not more of them—who care less for praise than for appreciation. They have an ideal after which they are striving, but of which they consciously fall short, as every one who has a lofty ideal is sure to do. When that ideal is recognised by another, and they are praised or commended for something—let that something be important or not—in its direction, they are grateful, not for the praise, but for appreciation. An element of sympathy enters into that recognition, and they feel that they have something in common with the observer who admires what they admire, and praises what they think is most worthy of praise. (Alliance News.)

Proverbs 12:9
He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.
Domestic modesty and display
Vanity, or love of display, is one of the most contemptible and pernicious passions that can take possession of the human mind. Its roots are self-ignorance, its fruits are affectation and falsehood. The text refers to this in families, and when it takes possession of households it often destroys domestic comforts.
I. There are domestic comforts without display. In many an unpretending cottage there is more real domestic enjoyment than can be found in the most imposing mansions.
II. There is domestic display without comforts. Many sacrifice comforts for appearances. They all but starve their domestics to feed their vanity. They must be grand though they lack bread. This love of appearance, this desire for show, is making sad havoc with the homes of old England.
III. The condition of the former is preferable to that of the latter. It is better to have comforts without show than show without comforts.

1. It is more rational.
2. It is more moral.
3. It is more satisfying. (Homilist.)

Vain honouring of self
Amid the changes of this world, I have seen a man who, having known better days, had been nursed by luxury, and reared in the lap of fulness, outlive his good-fortune, and sink down into the baseness and meanness of the deepest poverty—in such a case it seems to be with men as with plants. Naturalists find it much less easy to teach a mountain flower to accommodate itself to a low locality than to persuade one which by birth belongs to the valleys to live and thrive at a lofty elevation; so there seems nothing more difficult to men than to descend gracefully . . . And thus I have seen such an one as I have described, when he had lost his wealth, retain his vanity, continuing proud in spirit when he had become poor in circumstances. (
T. Guthrie, D. D.)

Proverbs 12:10
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.
The sin of cruelty to animals
First remove some prejudices against dealing with this subject.

1. This is a trifling subject, which is unworthy of being made a matter of grave and deliberate consideration. But if this subject constitute a matter of moral and religious obligation at all, it is not to be thrust out of view because it is not of the most universal and commanding importance. It belongs to the great duty of mercy, and pertains to the exercise of dominion, one of the high and peculiar distinctions belonging to human nature.
2. The outcry against cruelty to animals is a mere piece of sentimentalism or affectation, and that what is so called is little if at all felt by the creatures that are pitied. But many of the animals exceed ourselves in their susceptibility of impressions, having acuter powers of hearing, a more enlarged and distinct vision and a keener smell. There is a difference between a tyrannic exercise of power and a mild and gracious management of the lower creatures. What shall we say of acts of gratuitous cruelty, of unmitigated tyranny, and of unrighteous injury?
3. It is urged that this subject cannot be treated from the pulpit with the hope of much good. It is surely a part of the benevolent work of the pulpit to turn the kindly feelings of humanity towards the brute creation, and thereby to rescue them from the tormenting cruelty which would embitter their existence and sport with their lives. State some arguments to enforce the duty of abstaining from the cruel treatment of the inferior animals.
   I. Kindness to the brute creation is a command of God (Exo_23:5; Deu_22:6; Deu_25:4). The will of God for the treatment of His irrational creatures is—
4. That labouring animals are to be well fed and cared for in return for their toil and work.
5. That every animal in a situation of oppression, peril, or insuperable difficulty is to be relieved, assisted, and delivered; and that without any regard to whom it may belong, though to your worst enemy.
6. That no animal is to be tormented merely for our pleasure, or have its rational instincts thwarted, or its accustomed and long-acquired habits denied. Every one must admit the equity and justice of these rules.
   II. An argument against cruelty to animals is presented by the example of God. We are required to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful. This extends to our treatment of the inferior animals, since God shows us an example of mercy in His dealing with them (Psa_147:8-9). But ample as is the evidence which the brute creation furnishes of the goodness of God, we do not see them enjoying at present all the happiness which God intended that they should possess. They are involved in sufferings consequent upon the fall of man, being committed, as it were, to the same fortune with us. We ought to take pity on them the more on this account as our blameless fellow-sufferers, and diminish, as far as we can, the necessary evils of their lot. This is to resemble our heavenly Father.
   III. Another argument may be deduced from the tendency of such cruelty to harden the heart and to injure the temper and feelings of those who habitually commit it. A man who is cruel in the treatment of his animal cannot be a good husband, a kind parent, a humane neighbour, or a gentle and tender friend. Men cannot change their dispositions like their dress; whatever disposition they encourage, it will become habitual and natural. Cruelty to animals makes men sullen, rude, ferocious, wrathful, apt to strike, impatient of contradiction, and prone to every evil work.
   IV. Cruelty to animals is a mean and contemptible vice to which there is no temptation. Almost any sin can say more for itself than this can. What but a love of vulgar and low excitement gives zest to sports in which animals are baited, tormented, mangled, and destroyed?
   V. The crying injustice of such cruelty may be urged. We have no right to abuse the inferior creation, although we have a right to use them. Some of the causes which lead to the commission of cruelties upon the brute creation are, mere thoughtlessness and wantonness; avarice; love of excitement, from which come the strifes and conflicts of the bear-garden, the race-course, the chase, the cock-pit, etc. (John Forbes.)

Cruelty to animals
The word “regard” may either apply to the moral or to the intellectual part of our nature. It is the regard of attention, or the regard of sympathy. If the regard of attention could be fastened strongly and singly on the pain of a suffering creature as its object, no other emotion than the regard of sympathy or compassion would in any instance be awakened by it. With the inertness of our reflective faculties, rather than with the incapacity of our senses the present argument has to do. It is on behalf of animals that we plead; those animals that move on the face of the open perspective before us. The sufferings of the lower animals may, when out of sight, be out of mind. But more than this, these sufferings may be in sight and yet out of mind. This is strikingly exemplified in the sport of the field, in the midst of whose varied and animating bustle, that cruelty which all along is present to the senses, may not for one moment have been present to the thoughts. Such suffering touches not the sensibilities of the heart, just because it is never present to the notice of the mind. We are not even sure if, within the whole compass of humanity, fallen as it is, there be such a thing as delight in suffering for its own sake. Certainly much, and perhaps the whole of this world’s cruelty, arises not from the enjoyment that is felt in consequence of others’ pain, but from the enjoyment that is felt in spite of it. Without imputing to the vivisectionist aught so monstrous as the positive love of suffering, we may even admit for him a hatred of suffering, but that the love of science had overborne it. This view in no way is designed to palliate the atrociousness of cruelty. Man is a direct agent of a wide and continual distress to the lower animals, and the question is, Can any method be devised for its alleviation? The whole inferior creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain, because of man. It signifies not to the substantive amount of the suffering whether this be prompted by the hardness of his heart or only permitted through the heedlessness of his mind. These sufferings are really felt. The beasts of the field are not so many automata without sensation, and just so constructed as to give forth all the natural signs and expressions of it. These poor animals just look and tremble and give forth the very indications of suffering that we do. Theirs is unmixed and unmitigated pain.

1. Upon this question we should hold no doubtful casuistry. We should not deem it the right tactics for this moral warfare to take up the position of the unlawfulness of field sports or public competitions. To obtain the regards of man’s heart in behalf of the lower animals, we should strive to draw the regards of his mind towards them.
2. We should avail ourselves of the close alliance that obtains between the regards of his attention and those of his sympathy. For this purpose we should importunately ply him with the objects of suffering, and thus call up its respondent emotion of sympathy. This demands constant and varied appeals from the pulpit, the press, and elsewhere. (T. Chalmers, D.D.)

The sin of cruelty towards the brute creation
What the sun is to the natural, that Christianity is to the moral world—its universal benefactor. Christianity regulates the intercourse between man and man. It forbids hatred, malice, and revenge. It allows no one to take advantage of his height of station to oppress or domineer over his humbler brethren. But it also condescends to undertake the cause of the brute tribe against the cruelty of man, both high and low, rich and poor. The tendency of the laws God has enacted for their treatment forbids occasioning unnecessary pain to the most obnoxious or destructive of them; while towards the positively useful we live under actual obligations. We are not merely forbidden to do these harm; to do them good is a cheap return for the services they perform in our behalf. To treat humanely animals in our possession constitutes a part of true religion, and will be viewed by God accordingly. The words of the text imply that he who “regardeth not the life of his beast” forfeits all pretensions to the character of a righteous man. By this single breach of morality he betrays a degree of guilt for which the most unexceptionable conduct to those of the same flesh and blood can make no amends. The common sources of cruelty.

1. Inattention. This must not be confounded in point of guilt with the diabolical spirit of cool, intended cruelty, but the pain it occasions may be equally severe. Children are in peculiar danger of sinning under this head.
2. Prejudice. In many families children are taught to treat the greater part of reptiles and insects as if they were highly dangerous or injurious, and of course to be destroyed, or at least to be avoided with horror. The young implicitly believe the unfair reports, and act accordingly. Once give a child the liberty of inflicting death on certain species of inferior beings, and you will soon find he indiscriminately wages war on all; what has been a habit will ere long become a pleasure. If parents would preserve their children free from the stain of cruelty, let them beware how they make them the executioners of their vengeance on even the most noxious or unsightly creatures, the crushers of ants and spiders, or the tramplers on the caterpillar or the earth-worm.
3. Selfishness. A selfish man may plead that he means no harm to the creatures he is maltreating; but to get his pleasure, he cares not what sufferings he occasions them. Refined methods of barbarity are keeping certain creatures so as to render them choicer food; the wagers laid at races, etc. There are those who, however considerate they may be towards their own property, care little how they treat the property of others when lent or hired out. Such incur not only the charge of cruelty; they are also chargeable with ingratitude or deceit; and under these circumstances their sin becomes “exceeding sinful.” (
   H. A. Herbert, B. A.)

The feelings of animals
This verse might be rendered, “A righteous man knows the feelings of beasts.” He gives them credit for feelings; he does not look upon them as merely so much animated matter, but as standing in some relation to himself, and the more complete his ownership the more considerate ought to be his treatment even of the beasts he owns. Even when the wicked man supposes himself to be merciful there is cruelty in his tenderness. A wicked man cannot be gentle. Men should remember this, and distrust all the gentleness which is supposed to attach to men who are without conscience. The tenderness of such men is an investment, is a political trick, is a bait to catch the unwary, is an element of speculation. Rowland Hill used to say, in his quaint way, that he would not value any man’s religion whose cat and dog were not the better for his piety. This is the beauty of the Christian religion: it flows throughout the whole life, it ramifies in every department of the existence and carries with it softness, purity, sympathy, kindness. The young lions roar, and get their meat from God. The universe must be looked upon as a great household belonging to the Almighty, regulated by His power and His wisdom, and intended to exemplify the beneficence of His providence. Life is a mystery which remains unsolved, bringing with it claims which none can safely or religiously set aside. (J. Parker, D.D.)

The duty of mercy to animals
If we look in the final, total, and eternal teachings of Scripture for our moral standard, nothing is more clear than that mercy is one of the chief duties of man, as it is one of the main attributes of God. In the deluge provision is made that the animals should be saved as well as man; and in the renewed covenant we know that God said (Gen_9:2). Thus early is attention called to the connection of animals with man, the use of animals to man, and the dominion over animals by man. God’s care for them, man’s duty to them, are constantly inculcated. Take, for instance, the Mosaic law. How exquisite is the consideration which it shows for the creatures of God’s hand! “If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee, thou shalt not take the dam with the young, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.” Did any other lawgiver like the mighty Moses thus care for the curlew in the furrow and the mother-linnet in the brake? “Thou shalt not seethe the kid in its mother’s milk. I am the Lord.” “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.” Why? Doth God care for oxen? Assuredly He does, for His are “the cattle upon a thousand hills.” “Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together.” Why not? Because it is contrary to the law of natural justice, since, if the two animals be yoked together, an unfair share of the burden must fall upon the one or upon the ether. Could God have taught more clearly to us than He thus did by the mouth of the great leader of His people that we must be merciful because our Father in heaven is merciful? Turn again to the fresh, bright, vivid poetry of the Psalmist of Israel. How beautiful, how tender, throughout the Psalms, are the repeated allusions to the world of creatures! Or turn again to that magnificent, dramatic, and philosophic poem of the Book of Job. The care of God and the love of God for the creatures He has made convince Job of God’s care for him. Turn again to the calmer and graver wisdom of the wise King Solomon. “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise” (Pro_30:24-28). And when we turn to the New Testament we find, as we should have expected, that this perfect love for all God’s creatures appears most fully and tenderly in the words and teaching of the Lord Himself. The lessons of the wise earthly king are taught us with creeping and laborious creatures. He made the bee and the ant teach their lessons to us; but the heavenly King taught us rather from those birds of the air, which “toil not, nor spin,” but are employed, like angels, in offices of love and praise. There is nothing in all human language more touching and more beautiful than Christ’s illustration of God’s tenderness in the works of nature, the flowers of the field, and the creatures of the air. Here is a legend of Christ, which may be no legend, but a true story: By the hot roadside, in the blistering sunlight, the vultures eyeing it, and ready in a moment to sweep down upon it with their foetid wings, lay a dead dog—one of the hated, despised, ownerless dogs of an Eastern city—a dead pariah dog, the most worthless thing, you might think, that all creation contained—a pitiable and unlovely spectacle; and round it were gathered a crowd of the wretched, loathing idlers of the place—coarse, pitiless, ready, like all the basest of mankind, to feed their eyes on misery and on ugliness, as flesh-flies settle on a wound. And one kicked it, and another turned it over with his foot, and another pushed it with his staff, and each had his mean, unpitying gibe at the carcase of the dead, helpless, miserable creature which God had made. Then, suddenly, there fell an awe-struck silence on these cruel, empty triflers; for they saw One approach them whom they knew, and whom, because He was sinless, many of them hated while yet they feared. And He came up, and, for a moment, the sad kingly eyes rested on the dead creature in the blistering sunlight with the vultures hovering over it, and then He turned His eyes for a moment to the pitiless, idling men who stood there looking at it, and, breaking the silence, He said: “Its teeth are as white as pearls”; and so He went His way. Where they in their meanness could gloat on what was foul, and see nothing but its loathliness, His holy eye—because it was the eye of loving mercy—saw the one thing which still remained untainted by the deformity of death, and He praised that one thing. And, leaving them smitten into silent shame before His love and His nobleness, He once more went His way. Turn to the most ancient Greek poems, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” of Homer. In the “Iliad” the horses of the great hero Achilles weep human tears for their great master’s death. In the “Odyssey” we have the return of Ulysses, ragged, unknown, desolate, after his twenty years of wanderings. He is in the guise of a beggar. No one recognised him of all whom his bounty fed—not his servants, not his wife, not his only son; but Argus knows him—Argus, the dog with which he has hunted as a boy—Argus cannot forget him as human beings can. Outstretched, neglected, before the hall door lies the poor old hound, and he no sooner hears the footsteps of his master whom he had known as a boy long years before, than he looks up and strives to crawl to his feet, licks his hand, and dies. And at the saddest moment of Athenian history, when the people of Athens were flying to Salamis from the mighty hosts of Xerxes, leaving their desolate homes to be spoiled and burned, the one great nation which raised an altar to pity had time to remember and to record how one poor dog swam all the way across the straits of the salt sea after the boat which carried his master to the island shore. And the Jews, too, had well learned this lesson of their great books. The historian of the book of Tobit is not afraid to tell us that when the Jewish boy left his father’s house for his long and perilous journey his dog went with him; and how, when he returned with the friendly angel, the dog still followed the angel and the youth. One of the most celebrated of all the rabbis, the writer of the earliest.and most sacred part of the Talmud, was Rabbi Judah the Holy. He was afflicted with intermittent agonies, and the Talmud tells us this legend of him: On one occasion a calf destined for sacrifice fled lowing to him, and thrust his head upon the rabbi’s knees. “Go,” said the rabbi, pushing the animal from him; “for sacrifice is thy destiny.” “Lo!” said the angels of God, “the rabbi is pitiless; let suffering come upon him.” And he was smitten with sickness. But on another occasion, when his servant was dusting his room, she disturbed a brood of young kittens. “Let them alone,” said the rabbi, kindly; “disturb them not, because it is written, ‘God’s tender mercies are over all His works.’” “Ah,” said the angels, “he has learned pity now; and, therefore, let his sufferings cease.” All the best Christian history is full of the spirit of mercy; all the saints of God, without exception, have been kind to animals, as most bad men have been unkind. It was observed in the earliest centuries of Christianity that the hermits living in the desert their pure and simple and gentle lives had strange power over the wild creatures. Those quiet and holy men so controlled them that the creatures near them lost their wildness, and the fawn would come to them, and the lion harmed them not. Some of God’s holiest saints in later times had this strange, sweet gift of inspiring animals with the confidence which they had before—to our shame—they had been taught distrust by the cruelties and treacheries of fallen man. So it was with St. Francis of Assisi. He called all creatures his brethren and his sisters. “My little sisters,” he said to the twittering swallows who disturbed him by chasing each other through the blue Italian sky, as he preached in the open air in the market-place of Vercelli—“my little sisters, you have said your say; now be silent, and let me preach to the people.” We are told how on one occasion he gave up his own robe to save two lambs which were being led to the slaughter; how a little lamb was one of his daily companions, and how he sometimes preached upon its innocence to the people. At Gubbio a leveret was brought to him, and when he saw the little creature his heart at once was moved. “Little brother leveret,” he said, “why hast thou let thyself be taken?” And when the little trembler escaped from the hands of the brother who was holding it and fled for refuge to the folds of the robe of St. Francis, he set it free. A wild rabbit which he took, and afterwards set free, still returned to his bosom as though it had some sense of the pitifulness of his heart. On another occasion he put back into the water a large tench which a fisherman had given him, and he bade it swim away; “but,” says the legend, “the fish lingered by the boat until the prayers of St. Francis were ended, for the saint obtained great honour from God in the love and obedience of His creatures.” (
Dean Farrar.)

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast
It is said of God that He remembered Noah, and every beast (Gen_8:1); yea, such is His merciful providence, that He watcheth not only over men, but beasts; and a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. Nay, Xenocrates, a very heathen, who had no other light but what the dim spectacles of nature did afford, is commended for his pitiful heart, who succoured in his bosom a poor sparrow that, being pursued by a hawk, fled unto him, and afterwards let her go, saying that he had not betrayed his poor suppliant. And such is the goodness of every just man, that he is merciful to his very beast; alas, it cannot declare its wants, nor tell its grievances, otherwise than by mourning in its kind; so that to an honest heart its dumbness is a loud language, crying out for relief. This made David rather venture upon a lion than lose a lamb (1Sa_17:34). Jacob will endure heat by day, and cold by night, rather than neglect his flocks (Gen_31:40). Moses will fight with odds rather than the cattle shall perish with thirst (Exo_2:1-25.). It is only Balaam and Bedlam-Balaamites that want this mercy to their faultless beast; and it is ill falling into their hands whom the very beasts find unmerciful. (J. Spencer.)

Kindness to animals
Two ladies well known in New York were spending the summer at Newport. They were in the habit of ordering a carriage from a livery stable, and were always driven by the same coachman, a cab-driver whose name was Burns. One day Burns very suddenly pulled up his horses and turned abruptly to one side of the road. The ladies were alarmed, and, leaning out, inquired what was the matter. Burns replied that there was a little lame bird in the road, which he had very nearly run over. He was just about getting off the box to remove the little creature from its dangerous position, when one of the ladies, wishing him to remain in charge of the horses, stepped from the carriage, and picking up the bird, which was a young one, discovered its leg was broken. Her first thought was to take it home and keep it till it was quite strong again, but Burns advised her to put it on the other side of the fence on the grass, where the mother bird could find it, and nature would heal the broken leg. They decided to do this, so the bird was left in a safe place and the driver resumed his journey. The story of the kind-hearted coachman was told until it reached Mrs. John Jacob Astor, who was much touched by it, saying a man who did that little act of mercy would surely be kind to horses, and as her husband was in need of a coachman she would try to get Burns for the position. The end of the story is that Burns was duly installed as Mr. Astor’s coachman.
Consideration for animals
I am sure that if donkeys or goats could speak they would say, “Be kind to us. We will work for you, and go as far and as fast as we can, if only you won’t drive us beyond our strength, and lay those cruel sticks across our poor thin backs! Then, don’t make us stand, for hours perhaps, in a burning sun without a drop of water, while you are playing marbles with your friends. You could not run about as you do now if you had no breakfast and no dinner: then how can you expect us to work hard and carry heavy children one after the other till we are ready to drop, unless you feed us properly?” (M. Sewell.)

Cruelty to an animal
I always tremble when I see a cruel boy. I feel sure he will, if he lives, grow up to be a wicked man. A brutal boy once saw his sister’s two pet rabbits running about the garden. He took one up by the ears and threw it into the air. It came down on a piece of stone and lay bleeding on the ground till it died. Years after the sister visited that brother in prison, just before his execution for murder. Do you remember the bleeding rabbit, Mary?” he said, weeping; “I have been cruel ever since.” (M. Sewell.)

Proverbs 12:11
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread.
The law of labour
It is no mercy to be freed from the law of labour. Nor is it God that frees a man from that law. Among the opulent there are some who break the law of labour, and some who keep it. They keep it by working in their own province, in that state of life into which it has pleased God to call them. There is brain-toil as well as hand-toil; the wear and tear of the mental energies tend more to shorten life than the ordinary labourer’s wear and tear of body. Some kind of labour is enjoined upon all, by a law of God’s own framing. There is division of labour, but it is a labour nevertheless. Woe to him who craves an idle life, who would slumber existence away in listless reverie! The truth of the text is forcible, whether taken literally or applied spiritually. A contrast is drawn between the industrious and the loiterer. Solomon uses the words “wise” and “foolish,” and their kindred terms, in a deep spiritual sense—moral as well as mental, religious as well as intellectual. The fool is he who acts without reference to the Divine above him, and the everlasting before him. As we dare not let things take their course in our worldly business, so neither in our spiritual. Christianity is meant to hallow life in all its phases—to hallow business, labour, recreation. The Sabbath of the Christian is a life-long Sabbath, an every-day Sabbath. Bishop Taylor reminds us that the “life of every man may be so ordered that it may be a perpetual serving of God—the greatest trouble, and most busy trade, and worldly encumbrances, when they are necessary, or charitable, or profitable, being a-doing God’s work. For God provides the good things of the world to serve the needs of nature, by the labours of the ploughman, the skill and pains of the artisan, and the dangers and traffic of the merchant. Idleness is called the sin of Sodom and her daughters, and indeed is the burial of a living man.” The text suggests two pictures. In the one we have the persevering husbandman, who loses no time, who works with a good heart, and at last enjoys a noble harvest. In the other we have a slothful spendthrift, who whiles away life’s sunshine by basking in it, leaving the evening to care for itself, and heedless of coming night. But it is important to remember that no earthly seed-corn will produce fruit for another world—therefore the seed-corn must be supplied from the heavenly storehouse by the heavenly husbandman—it must be indigenous to the skies, an exotic upon earth. If thou be in earnest for God, He will multiply thy seed sown, and increase the fruits of thy righteousness. (Francis Jacox, B.A.)

Manly industry and parasitical indolence
I. Manly industry.

1. He has manly industry indicated. Agriculture is the oldest, divinest, healthiest, and most necessary branch of human industry.
2. He has manly industry rewarded. Skilled industry is seldom in want.
   II. Parasitical indolence..
3. There are those who hang on others for their support.
4. Such persons are fools. They sacrifice self-respect. They expose themselves to degrading annoyances. (Homilist.)

There is great moral value in being well employed
The idle classes are waiting to become the vicious classes. This is vividly illustrated by the well-known story of a friendless girl who, about three generations ago, was thrown upon the world, uncared for. Her children and children’s children came to number over a hundred, desperate and dangerous men and women of crime. No record of earth can tell how many a bright young man or woman thrown out of employ has become a centre of equally dark and ever-widening circles. (Washington Gladden.)

The fate of drones
It will be profitable to idle people to observe the arrangement whereby nature condemns the drones to death in the bee community. No sooner is the business of swarming ended, and the worker-bees satisfied there will be no lack of fertile queens, when issues the terrible edict for the massacre of the drones. Poor fellows! It is to be hoped they comfort themselves with the reflection that their fate is an everlasting homily, presented by nature in dogmatical but most effective fashion, of the uselessness of all who labour not for their living. If one must die for the good of one’s kind, by all means let it be as a martyr. Poor fellows! how they dart in and out, and up and down the hive, in the vain hope of escape! The workers are inexorable. (Scientific Illustrations.)

Proverbs 12:12
The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
The crafty and the honest
I. Craftiness.

1. Craft is an instinct of wickedness: No true Christian is a hypocrite. The better a man is, the less temptation he has to disguise himself. A wicked man must be hypocritical in proportion to his wickedness. Sin is ever cunning; wisdom alone is free.
2. Craftiness is no security against ruin. Lies are the language of craftiness. One lie leads on to another, until the man is involved in contradictions, and falls and founders.
   II. Honesty.
3. Honesty is strong in its own strength. It has a root. It lives by its own natural force and growth.
4. Honesty will extricate from difficulties. The just man may get into trouble, but by his upright principles, under God, he shall come out of them. “Honesty is the best policy.” (D. Thomas, D.D.)

Proverbs 12:13
The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips.
Lies, the snare that liars are caught in
The Supreme has set many snares, in the constitution of things, for the detection and punishment of evil-doers. The liar’s own tongue betrays him. In some of its movements, ere he is aware, it touches the spring which brings down the avenging stroke. It is instructive to read with this view the detailed account of a criminal trial. In the faltering and fall of a false witness you should see and reverence the righteousness of God. When a man is not true, the great labour of his life must be to make himself appear true; but if a man be true, he need not concern himself about appearances. He may go forward, and tread boldly; his footing is sure. (
R. F. Horton, D.D.)

Proverbs 12:14
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.
Obedience to God’s will and its fruits
Wheresoever goodness is, whether it bridle our tongue, or guide our hand, or regulate our fancy, it carries its satisfaction, its recompense, along with it. Our songs of praise echo back again upon us; the works of our hands follow us, and fill us with joy; and our thoughts, if goodness raise them, are comforts. Goodness, whether in thought, word, or deed, will satisfy us, that is, fill us with joy; and nothing will satisfy us but goodness. The argument will hold a contrario: if that which is good satisfy us, then that which is evil cannot.
I. Goodness doth satisfy.

1. This we cannot doubt, if we know what goodness is, and consider the nature of it, and the fountain from whence it springs. For it flows from God. It is a beam from that Eternal Light, an emanation from God Himself. The nearer goodness carrieth to the fountain of goodness, the more satisfaction it brings with it, and the fuller is our cup. Without God we cannot be happy in heaven itself, nay, without Him there could be no heaven.
2. As we draw an argument from piety, so may we draw another from the love of it. As Augustine saith, “We do not only love goodness, but even the love with which we embrace it, and delight in both.” Joy and satisfaction is a resultancy from love. That which we love is also the joy of our heart.
3. If the bare opinions of piety, in those who are not yet made perfect, satisfy, though it be but for a while, then piety itself will satisfy much more. If the shadow hath this operation, what hath the substance, the thing itself! If a form of godliness, then much more godliness in its full power, will fill and satisfy us.
   II. Nothing else can satisfy us but goodness. It is the prerogative of goodness and piety to be alone in this work.
4. Satisfaction is but a name on earth.
5. Such is the nature and quality of the soul, that it is not fashioned nor proportioned to the things of this world.
6. God hath imprinted in the soul and in the very nature of man an “infinite and insatiable desire,” which cannot be satisfied with anything that the world can present. The soul which is made capable of God, can be satisfied with nothing but God.
7. In wickedness, impiety, the licentiousness of the tongue, and the wantonness of the hands, no satisfaction can possibly be found.
8. To show how unsatisfying a thing sin is, you may behold it tormenting the wicked man, and that not only after the act, but also before and in it, first forbidding itself, then perplexing him in the act, and after gnawing the heart.
   Application:
9. If the fruit of our hands and lips be that alone which can satisfy us, let us then be up and doing, buckle on the armour of light, and quench every fiery dart of Satan.
10. Let us level our actions and endeavours on this, and not spend and waste ourselves on that which is not bread, and will never fill us.
11. If nothing will satisfy us but righteousness and piety, we need not consult what we are to choose here.
12. If this be the prerogative of goodness, godliness, to be alone in this work, then let her have prerogative also in our hearts, and exercise full power, and authority, and dominion over our desires. (A. Farindon, B.D.)

Retributions of the lip and life
I. The retributions of the lip. Speech, to be good, must be—

1. Sincere.
2. Truthful.
3. Benevolent. How will such speech satisfy a man?
   (1) In its action upon his own mind.
   (2) In the effect he sees produced on others.
   (3) In the conscious approbation of God.
   II. The retributions of the life. The hand here stands for the whole conduct of life. It means that man should receive the reward of his works. And this is inevitable—
4. From the law of causation.
5. From the law of conscience.
6. From the law of righteousness. There is justice in the universe. (Homilist.)

Mischievous language
The language of keen irritation, reproach, invective and scorn, often inflicts wounds on the heart that are deep and hard of cure—wounds “like the piercings of a sword.” This is especially the case when the words are from the lips of a friend, or of one we love, when heated by sudden passion. Wit, too, when not chastened and controlled by an amiable disposition, often wounds deeply. Jibes, jests, irony, raillery, and sarcasm, fly about. No matter what the wounds, or where they be inflicted, if the wit be but shown. A happy hit, a clever, biting repartee, will not be suppressed for the sake of the feelings, or even the character, of a neighbour, or, as it may happen, of a friend The man of wit must have his joke, cost what it may. The point may be piercing in the extreme; but if it glitters, it is enough; to the heart it will go. Such a man is feared, hated, avoided. (R. Wardlaw.)

The fruit of the mouth
The word which issues out of the lips is the greatest power in human life. Words will change the currents of life. On the use of the tongue depend the issues of a man’s own life. Such fruits as a man’s tongue bears, a man must eat. If his words have been good, then he shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. The fool’s lips are always coming into strife, and his mouth is always calling for stripes. His lips are the snare of his soul. An old proverb says, “A fool’s tongue is always long enough to cut his own throat.”

1. The tongue is a fruitful source of quarrelling and discord. A fool cannot hide his vexation, but must immediately blurt it out with the tongue, and make mischief.
2. The tongue is the instrument of lying. It is the tongue which by false witness so often condemns the innocent.
3. Closely allied to lying is flattery, which is always a mistake.
4. Another evil use of the tongue is whispering and tale-bearing. Disclosing the secret of another is a sure way of incurring reproach and lasting infamy.
5. The tongue is sometimes employed to plot, plan, and execute mischief.
6. More pardonable vices are rashness and inopportuneness of speech. Yet these are evil enough in their way.
7. We need caution against excessive speech. There are good and beautiful uses of the tongue. It is the instrument of peace-making, of wise reproof, of the instruction of the innocent, and the championship of the distressed. (R. F. Horton, D. D.)

Proverbs 12:16
A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.
Wrath as shame
The wise man here uses a very observable word, to express wrath. He calls it shame, for it is a shame for a man to suffer his reason to, be tyrannised over by an unruly passion, which spreads deformity over his countenance, and hurries him on to expressions and actions more like those of one confined in bedlam than one who is supposed to have the use of his reason. A fool disgraces himself by giving way to the impetuous sallies of passion. He discovers his temporary madness by his pale countenance, his quivering lips, and his flashing eyes. “But a prudent man covereth shame.” When he finds his passions beginning to ferment, he does not give them full scope, but considers whether he does well to be angry, and how far it is lawful and safe for him to give way to this turbulent passion. He does not cover his wrath, that it may have time to work, and draw the powers of reason into its service, that it may break forth with more effect on another occasion—but covers it, that he may have time to suppress and destroy it, by considering its folly and wickedness, by meditating on the example and grace of Christ, and by fervent supplications for the support and assistance of the spirit of meekness. By such means as these the prudent man preserves his own honour, and covers the shame of his neighbour, who is likely to be gained by gentleness and meekness. (G. Lawson.)

Proverbs 12:18
The tongue of the wise is health.
Healthy and unhealthy speech
Some men pride themselves on the pungency of their speech. They delight in sharp answers, keen retorts, quick repartees, and boast themselves when they cut their opponents in two. There are others who are gifted in the expression of complaint, reproach, and criticism against the whole providence of life. They can say sharp and bitter things about God and man, and they can be satisfied because of the edge of their own epigram, no matter against whom or against what that edge is directed. The tongue of the wise man is slower, but healthier; the wise man weighs his words: he is anxious to be associated only with judgments that can be confirmed by experience and illustrated by wisdom. The wise man speaks healthily—that is to say, he speaks out of the abundance of his own health, and he speaks in a way that will double and strengthen the health of others. To come near him is to ascend a mountain and breathe the freshest air of heaven, or to go down by the seashore and receive messages across the great deeps, full of vigour, and truth, and strengthening influence. Wise men keep society healthy. But for their presence it would stagnate, and go from one degree of corruption to another until it became wholly pestilential. There are two speakers in the text, to the end of time there will probably be two speakers in the world—the critical speaker and the judicial speaker; the man all sharpness and the man all thankfulness. The business of Christian discipline is to tame the tongue, to chasten it, to teach it the speech of wisdom, and to instruct it as to the right time of utterance and the right time of silence. (J. Parker, D.D.)

Proverbs 12:19
The lip of truth shall be established for ever.
Truthfulness
I. The righteousness of truth (Pro_12:17). The highest and only proper use of speech is to show the right. It may be used to set forth—

1. Right views of God (Psa_11:2; Joh_17:25-26; Rom_3:21-22).
2. Right views of personal experience (Psa_66:16).
3. Right estimates of character. Testimonials should be given with great caution.
4. Right statements as to the value of articles of merchandise.
5. Right expositions of Scripture. Some “wrest” the Scriptures (2Pe_3:16); others make them void by their traditions (Mar_7:13); others handle them deceitfully (2Co_4:2); but the God-taught expositor aims at “the manifestation of the truth.”
   II. The wholesomeness of truth (Pro_12:18). Foolish speech often wounds, but in the word of wisdom is healing. Healthy doctrine produces healthy living, and thus it becomes its own advocate.
   III. The stability of truth (Pro_12:19). “Truth, like cork, will be uppermost one time or other, though an effort be made to keep it under water.” Time is on the side of truth, and so is eternity. There has been an abundant establishment of—
6. The testimony of prophets.
7. Words spoken by the opponents of error. Lies often die hard, but sooner or later they die surely.
   IV. The safety of truth. We may be afraid to be wrong, but should never be afraid to be right.
   V. The reward of truth (Pro_12:22.) (H. Thorne.)

The lip of truth
There was once a little boy named Duncan. The boys used to call him “True Duncan” because he would never tell a lie. One day he was playing with an axe in the schoolyard. The axe was used for cutting wood for the schoolroom fire in winter. While Duncan was chopping a stick, the teacher’s cat, “Old Tabby,” came and leaped on to the log of wood where Duncan was at work. He had raised the axe to cut the wood, but it fell on the cat and killed her. What to do he knew not. She was the master’s pet cat, and used to sit on a cushion at his side while he was hearing the boys’ lessons. Duncan stood looking at poor Tabby. His face grew red and the tears stood in his eyes. All the boys came running up, and every one had something to say. One of them was heard whispering to the others, “Now, boys, let us see if Duncan can’t make up a fib as well as the rest of us.” “Not he,” said Tom Brown, who was Duncan’s friend, “not he, I’ll warrant. Duncan will be as true as gold.” John Jones stepped up and said, “Come, boys, let us fling the cat into the lane, and we can tell Mr. Cole that the butcher’s dog killed her. You know that he worried her last week.” Some of them thought that would do very well. But Duncan looked quite angry; his cheek swelled and his face grew redder than before. “No, no,” said he. “Do you think I would say that? It would be a lie—a lie!” Each time he used the word his voice grew louder. Then he took up the poor thing and carried her into the master’s room. The boys followed to see what would happen. The master looked up and said, “What? is this my poor Tabby killed? Who could have done me such an injury?” All were silent for a little while. As soon as Duncan could get his voice he said, “Mr. Cole, I am very sorry I killed poor Tabby. Indeed, sir, I am very sorry, I ought to have been more careful, for I saw her rubbing herself against the log. I am more sorry than I can tell, sir.” Every one expected to see Mr. Cole get very angry, take down his cane and give Duncan a sound thrashing. But instead of that he put on a pleasant smile and said, “Duncan, you are a brave boy. I saw and heard all that passed in the yard from my window above. I am glad to see such an example of truth and honour in my school.” Duncan took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes. The boys could not keep silence any longer, and when Tom Brown cried, “Three cheers for True Duncan!” they all joined and made the schoolhouse ring with a mighty hurrah. The teacher then said, “My boys, I am glad you know what is right and that you approve it, though I am afraid some of you could not have done it. Learn from this time that nothing can make a lie necessary. Suppose Duncan had taken your evil advice and come to me with a lie, it would have been instantly detected, and instead of the honour of truth he would have had only the shame of falsehood.” (Sunday School.)

But a lying tongue is but for a moment.—
The doomed life of a lie
It is “but for a moment.” Dean Swift complains that the influence of a lie is often mischievously lasting; so often does it happen that if a lie be believed, only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no further occasion for it. But the inherent mortality of whatever is false is recognised in other proverbs than those of Solomon, e.g., the English proverb, “A lie has no legs.” “A lie, in that it is a lie, always carries within itself the germs of its own dissolution. It is sure to destroy itself at last.” Carlyle says, “There is no lie in the long run successful. The hour of all windbags does arrive; every windbag is at length ripped, and collapses.” “Lies exist only to be extinguished; they wait and cry earnestly for extinction.” “Ruin is the great sea of darkness whither all falsehoods, winding or direct, continually flow.” “Nothing,” affirms a political philosopher, of an earlier and quite another school, “can give stability and durable uniformity to error. Indolence or ignorance may keep it floating, as it were, on the surface of the mind, and sometimes hinder truth from penetrating; or force may maintain it in possession, while the mind assents to it no longer. But such opinions, like human bodies, tend to dissolution from their birth . . . Men are dragged into them, and held down in them, by chains of circumstances. Break but these chains, and the mind returns with a kind of intellectual elasticity to its proper object—truth.” (Francis Jacox, B.A.)

Skill in telling lies
The lying tongue succeeds indeed, but its success is momentary; it flashes and expires; it has a clear, straightforward story to tell, but events come, and cross-examine that story, and set it in proper distance and perspective; alliances to which the story owed its consistency are broken up, and evil men begin to divulge secrets regarding one another; piece by piece the story falls asunder, and at the end it is found that it was the fabrication of a malignant genius. Be sure you are true yourselves, and have a true purpose in view, and all discrepancies, inconsistencies, and difficulties will ultimately be smoothed down, and men will be brought to acknowledge the integrity of your heart. Be as skilful as you please in the way of telling lies, arrange everything with consummate cunning, hire all your allies, bribe your spies, and make your way clear by abundance of gold, and yet in the long run your confederates will turn against you, and they to whom you have given most money will be glad to expose your cupidity and falsehood. (J. Parker, D.D.)

Truth more enduring than falsehood
Truth wears well. Time tests it, but it right well endures the trial. If, then, I have spoken the truth, and have for the present to suffer for it, I must be content to wait. If also I believe the truth of God, and endeavour to declare it, I may meet with much opposition, but I need not fear, for ultimately the truth must prevail. What a poor thing is the temporary triumph of falsehood! “A lying lip is but for a moment!” It is a mere gourd, which comes up in a night, and perishes in a night; and the greater its development, the more manifest its decay. On the other hand, how worthy of an immortal being is the avowal and defence of that truth which can never change; the everlasting gospel, which is established in the immutable truth of an unchanging God! An old proverb says, “He that speaks truth shames the devil.” Assuredly he that speaks the truth of God will put to shame all the devils in hell, and confound all the seed of the serpent which now hiss out their falsehoods. Oh, my heart, take care that thou be in all things on the side of truth, both in small things and great; but specially on the side of Him by whom grace and truth have come among men! (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Proverbs 12:20
Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil.
A denunciation of wicked men
I. A description of their persons.

1. They are evil-doers, but more especially, the practiser, the artificer in evil; one wholly bent upon sin; the body and mind occupied in executing and acting corrupt desires.
2. Nor is every evil aimed at, but evil in a high degree, evil against others—mischief.
3. This man is subtle in his evil. He is a cunning workman, sly, subtle, and close devising and effecting his mischief. Like a witty handicraftsman, he is most silent when he is most upon his inventions. It is a sign of an extreme wicked man, to be an inventor of evil, a plotter and deviser of mischief. As a coney-catcher lives by his wits, so sin and sinners by their wiles. But whence this?
   (1) Satan at first transformed himself into an angel of light; then no marvel if his ministers do so.
   (2) They seem just, religious, peaceable, and honest men, knowing that the less they be suspected, the more successful their plots are likely to be.
   (3) Never was any mischief more mischievous than that which is veiled with good pretences of peace or religion.
   II. The condition of these persons. Their deceit returns into the heart that first hatched it, i.e., brings certain woe and unavoidable mischief on themselves, to the breaking of their own hearts. Whence note, that the greatest workers of sin and mischief are greatest workers of their own woe.
4. There is no small heaviness and unquietness in the heart while it is plotting and hammering evil.
5. Whomsoever they deceive, they cannot deceive God, who will make them the greatest deceivers of themselves.
6. How just it is, that what pleasure they conceive in inventing mischief, they should lose it by the fruit of their mischievous inventions.
7. Sin is a sure paymaster, and her wages are death.
8. The sorrow of their sin comes with much and daily addition, and pierces the man’s heart as a sword. Beware of devising mischief against the Church of God, His servants and holy religion. Consider hereunto—
   (1) The power of God, which all wicked men together are not able to resist.
   (2) The wisdom of God, who hath seven eyes, and all upon the Church for good.
   (3) The justice of God, with whom it is righteous that wicked men in devising mischief should provide their own rods.
   (4) Evil men lay all their plots on a sandy and slippery foundation, which will bring down all the house and frame on their own heads. Let not good men be disquieted at any such plots, which shall all redound upon their enemies themselves. (T. Taylor.)

Self-deceit
The word rendered “deceit” may be understood as including deceit practised on a man’s self as well as on others, and here it may have the sense of self-deceit. Eminent translators have rendered the word, in its present connection, disappointment; frustrated hope. Those who “imagine evil” dare not avow their designs. Dissimulation and craft are productive of incessant apprehension and anxiety. They necessarily engender self-dissatisfaction and tremor, and that from the very dread of detection, frustration, and consequent evil to themselves, instead of to those against whom they were plotting. (R. Wardlaw.)

Proverbs 12:21
There shall no evil happen to the just.
The security of the faithful
The things which distinguish us most try us most. Those attributes of our nature which serve to mark its superiority, serve also to evince its liability to trouble. The animal tribes, as they have no capacity for reviewing the past, so have they no power of anticipating the future. And hence they have no dread, in the strict sense, of coming evils. But we can look forward. We can busy ourselves in thought and imagination with days to come. Yet the heavier half of the cares and anxieties that we have to bear are connected with this faculty. The afflictions we fear often distress us more than the afflictions we lie under. But God, who gave us our being, knows this, and has provided against it in His Word. Does not this text meet our whole case? Amidst all disasters the good may be confident and calm. What is the significance of this assurance? It cannot be taken literally. Evil in the sense of earthly calamity, sorrow and trial is the lot of all. What, then, does the text mean? Things which are evil in themselves do not, as such, fall upon the people of God. For them the curse is turned into a blessing. A divine process of transmutation takes place in the case of every ill that befalls a child of God, and the ill becomes a good. Illustrate this—

1. From cases of personal affliction of mind, or of body, or of both.
2. Adverse circumstances.
3. Bereavements. This subject teaches the goodness of Divine providence; and it tranquillizes us under present trials. (C. M. Merry.)

No evil to the just
The word “just” was a term used anciently in connection with the chase, and meant the equal dividing of the prey procured by hunting among those that took part in the pursuit. It means to do right, to try to be harmless. Though the just man sometimes come short of the mark, his prevailing disposition and aim are to be and to do right. He is studious to do right. To such a man, it is declared, no evil shall happen. How are we to understand this?

1. Whatever evil comes to a just man cannot happen in the sense of coming by chance. There is a government of God over the affairs of men, and therefore nothing takes place by accident or chance. No evil can come to the just man that does not come designedly, or permissively, in the course of providence.
2. To a just man no evil can come that is not controlled and overruled for his good. “All things work together for good to them that love God.”
3. This is true in relation to helping others, as well as himself. Those who have suffered themselves are the better prepared to sympathise with and help their fellow-creatures that suffer.
4. No permanent evil can come to a just man. Then—
   (1) Let us thank God for pains and afflictions.
   (2) We should understand that, if we try to be just, we shall have our reward now and hereafter. There can be no failure or mistake. (H. M. Gallaher, D.D.)

Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are abomination to the Lord.
On lying
Man excels the rest of the creatures in the power of communicating thoughts one to another. The creatures are taught, by nature, almost immediately, how to supply their wants. But we are purposely formed to need and to give help in everything, through the whole of our days; and therefore some ready and extensive method of signifying mutually whatever passes within our minds was peculiarly necessary for us. Without this no person would have more knowledge of anything than he could attain of himself. The pleasure and benefits of society would be reduced to a narrow compass, and life hang upon our hands joyless and uncomfortable. Articulate speech, our more distinguishing property, is our chief medium of intercourse. As every blessing may be fatally misused, so there is hardly any bad purpose which language may not be made to serve. It can be turned from its original design of giving right information to those with whom we converse to the opposite one of leading them wrong.
I. What things are to be reputed lies and what not.

1. Since actions and gestures, as well as words, may be employed to express what we think, they may also be employed to express what we do not think, which is the essence of a lie. Some of our actions are naturally significative. But we have never consented to make our actions in general signs of our intentions, as we have our words. If persons interpret our actions they may deceive them not. Such actions as have no determinate sense appropriated to them by agreement, explicit or implied, can be no violations of sincerity; but such as have are subject to just the same rules with words; and we may be guilty of as gross falsehoods in the former as in the latter.
2. Words having acquired their significations by the mutual acquiescence of mankind may change them by the same method. Illustrate by words”humble” and “servant.” The high-strained expressions of civility which are so common, however innocent now, proceeded originally from a mean and fawning and fallacious disposition in those who began them, and tended to nurse up vanity and haughtiness in those to whom they were addressed. As for phrases, of which custom hath changed or annihilated the signification, though, after this is done, they are no longer lies, yet they were lies all the time it was doing; and every new step taken in the same road will be a new lie till everybody finds it out and learns the fashionable interpretation of it. Great care must therefore be taken to prevent our “language running into a lie.”
3. As to all figures of speech, fables, allegories, feigned histories, and parables, those for instance of our blessed Saviour, and others in Scripture, intended only to convey instruction more agreeably or efficaciously, there is evidently no room to condemn these as deceits. But the case is widely different when persons, with all the marks of seriousness, affirm what they will afterwards despise and ridicule others for believing. These are plainly designed falsehoods, and in a greater or less degree, injurious ones. This is “foolish talking, and jesting not convenient.”
4. Concerning ambiguous phrases, which in one acceptation express our meaning truly, but in another do not, it must be observed that when we are bound, by promise or otherwise, to declare what we know or believe in any case, we are bound to declare it in such terms as are likely to be well understood. And even when we are not thus bound we should speak of things, if we can safely, with plainness and simplicity. There may be reason for reservedness towards some persons, even in trifles. When silence will not conceal a thing which ought to be concealed, it must be allowable to speak upon the subject in such a manner as to leave that part in obscurity which is not fit to be revealed. When we design only to keep a man ignorant of a fact it is his own fault if he will also believe a fancy. But if we go further, and lay snares for him; if we give assurances which, in their obvious and universal acceptation, are false, but only have a latent forced construction, in which, after all, they just may be true, this is equivocation, and cannot be defended.
   II. The pleas which are urged to justify some sorts of direct lying. Some say that speech was given to mankind solely for their common benefit; nor consequently is it ever used amiss when it contributes to that end. This opinion they try to confirm by several instances of falsehoods which good persons are recorded in Scripture to have uttered knowingly. But some actions may be praised in holy writ on the whole without the least intention of approving the circumstances of insincerity, or other imperfections, with which they were accompanied. Others say that because of our mutual relation we ought to consult our mutual advantage; and where adhering to truth will not promote this, falsehood may be justly substituted. But we feel a natural reluctance in our consciences to lying and deceiving, as such, without looking forward to consequences. What are those instances in which, on balancing the two sides of the account, violation of truth is more beneficial than detrimental to mankind? But what can be said in relation to cases of peril to property or life? Is falsehood then justifiable? The only answer is that the cases are rare, and extreme, and even then doubtfully wise. Better suffer than lie. Take the case of the sick. Prevarication is sometimes even necessary. It must be owned that, in many of the above-mentioned cases there are sometimes difficulties, with which we have much more cause to pray God that we may never be tried than to be confident that we shall judge and act rightly if we are. But the arguments, were they ever so specious, for the lawfulness of fraud in seemingly harmless cases, can never prove it lawful in others of a nature quite contrary. The extreme danger of men’s proceeding in falsehood to very pernicious lengths, if once they begin, is a most unanswerable objection against its being permitted in any degree at all. (
   Abp. Secker.)

Lying
It is possible to speak against truth and yet not lie, provided we speak in good faith. It is speaking in bad faith, with conscious purpose of deceiving, that is a lie. Take the text on the broad general ground that lying is abomination to the Lord. Take the word in its honest downright form; do not let us shelter ourselves under smooth expressions—equivocation, prevarication, dissembling, simulation, untruthfulness—longer words, by which men try to take the edge from unpleasant facts—but which all in the end point to the same thing, a want of sincerity. Whatever you may do to soften off the epithet and description, there remains the text in all its decision and boldness. Nor is the verdict of man less decisive. Even while they practise it men condemn lying. Perjury is a crime branded by all governments, heathen as well as Christian. We apply the word “true” to all that is good and worthy. Is not our instinctive feeling that truth is the object most worthy of attaining? Its opposite must be proportionally odious. Consider the mischief which lying occasions to society. It is by mutual confidence, by faith in the honesty and purity of each other’s motives, that we live on together. No peace can be where there is no trust. See some of the sorts of lies which prevail nowadays.

1. White lies—lies glossed over and decorated by fashion; specious habits of talk, and conventional phrases; justified by necessity, expediency, or the like.
2. Slander. This is not peculiar to our age—witness the cases of Mephibosheth, Naboth, Jeremiah, the blessed Lord Himself, all victims of false accusation—but it is not rare in our age.
3. Lies to screen our faults. These are more natural and intelligible. To escape the consequences of a sin by hiding it seems a tangible advantage; but is it? Do we gain by cloking one fault with another? Every right-minded man would have a thousand times more pity for one who owned his fault and asked forgiveness than for one who tried to elude detection. We are disgusted with the man who has no self-respect, and no respect for us, who in using a lie deems us simple enough to be cajoled, and considers the doubling of his sin preferable to owning himself in the wrong. This is said of sins against our fellow-men: how much more forcibly it applies to sins against God.
4. Two other modes of lying frequently come before the clergyman.
   (1) In asking for relief there are those who simulate and exaggerate their poverty to move the hearts of the charitable.
   (2) In the publication of the banns of marriage, false addresses are frequently given, and that with an assurance perfectly startling. Then let us see to the truthfulness of our hearts and lips. If we are the children of God, members of Christ, temples of the Holy Ghost, we must be truthful. If you are tempted to utter words of deceit, remember how abominable such things are to the Lord, and how they bar up impenetrably the gates of heaven, which fly open at the approach of truth. (G. F. Prescott, M.A.)

The nature, malignity, and pernicious effects of falsehood and lying
Nothing in nature is so universally decried, and yet so universally practised, as falsehood. A mighty, governing lie goes round the world, and has almost banished truth out of it. The greatest annoyance and disturbance of mankind has been from one of these two things, force or fraud; and force often allies with fraud. It is the tongue that drives the world before it. It is hard to assign any one thing but lying, which God and man so unanimously join in the hatred of; and it is hard to tell whether it does a greater dishonour to God, or mischief to man.
I. The nature of a lie, and the proper essential malignity of all falsehood. A lie is an outward signification of something contrary to, or at least beside the inward sense of the mind. It is a false signification, knowingly and voluntarily used. There are said to be three different kinds of lie.

1. The pernicious lie, uttered for the hurt or disadvantage of our neighbour.
2. The officious lie, uttered for our own, or our neighbour’s advantage.
3. The ludicrous and jocose lie, uttered by way of jest, and only for mirth’s sake, in common converse. The unlawfulness of lying is grounded upon this, that a lie is properly a sort of species of injustice, and a violation of the right of that person to whom the false speech is directed.
   II. The pernicious effects of lying.
4. It was this introduced sin into the world; and by lying sin is still propagated and promoted.
5. To it is due all the misery and calamity that befalls mankind. That which brought sin into the world necessarily brings with it sorrow.
6. Lying tends utterly to dissolve society. The band that knits together and supports all compacts is truth and faithfulness. Without mutual trust there could not only be no happiness, but indeed no living in this world.
7. Deceit and falsehood most peculiarly indispose the hearts of men to the impressions of religion. The very life and soul of all religion is sincerity.
   III. The rewards or punishments that will assuredly attend, or at least follow, this base practice.
   (1) An utter loss of all credit and belief with sober and discreet persons.
   (2) The hatred of all those whom the liar either has, or would, deceive.
   (3) A final separation from God, who is truth itself. (R. South, D.D.)

The Bible warning against lying
Three reasons why we ought to mind this warning.
I. Because of what God thinks about it. There is hardly any form of wickedness against which God has spoken so often and so strongly in the Bible as He has against lying. To know what God thinks about lying should lead us to mind the warning against it.
II. Because of what men think of it. Somebody asked Aristotle what a man could gain by lying. His answer was “that no one will believe him when he speaks the truth.”
III. Because of the punishment which must follow lying after death. Whatever the effect of our lying in this life may be, it will soon be over. The consequences must follow us after death. (R. Newton, D.D.)

Schoolboy honour
There can be no question that men and women would be far better than they are if they had been better brought up. If men and women were themselves better, they would give their children a higher moral training. I feel bound to bring forward a definite charge of neglect of parental and tutorial duty against parents and teachers in general. The charge is this: Parents and teachers too often either connive at, or openly encourage, what is called, in unconscious irony, “school-boy honour.” What can be said in favour of those sentiments out of which “school-boy honour” springs?

1. There is something inexpressibly petty and mean in tale-bearing; in the habit of running to a parent or master with every little complaint of personal injury or wrong inflicted. It is good for the young to learn to bear small wrongs and pains from each other, and to learn also how to settle their own quarrels.
2. There is something mean and cowardly in reporting on the sly the offences committed by others. This is bad for the informer, who grows into conceit and priggishness. The sly informer, the whisperer, is really a traitor. He plays and consorts on equal terms with the rest, who are altogether unconscious that they have a spy among them. Any one whose sense of duty leads him to “tell” must have the moral courage to warn the offender previously, to make his charge publicly, and to be willing to bear all the consequences of his conscientious act.
3. School-boy honour may represent the noble sentiments of brotherhood and comradeship. Under existing circumstances, the caste, or class-feeling, or clanship among boys, demands some principle of mutual loyalty and defence. Boys ought, within certain limits, to stand by each other. I give all the praise it deserves to school-boy honour. But in its practical working, and in the extremes to which mutual protection is carried, it is full of evil, corrupting to the morals, and tending to obliterate the fine sense of right and wrong which is often native to the boy’s mind.
   (1) This code of honour requires or enjoins deceit and falsehood. Boys may not lie to one another, but it is a recognised principle that they may lie to their masters.
   (2) The code as generally maintained is not only not favourable to morality, but directly and falsely subversive of it. Its main use is to shelter culprits and wrong-doers, and mainly for offences distinctly and grievously immoral, such as lying and brutality, and even worse things than these. When boys are fully aware of an immoral and vicious habit prevailing amongst them, and when they know it cannot be put down by themselves, it should be a real point of honour with them first to protest against it as unworthy even of boys, then to threaten to report a repetition of the offence openly and courageously to those authorities who may know how to deal with it. There should be no sly tale-bearing. (C. Voysey.)

Proverbs 12:23
A prudent man concealeth knowledge.
Concealing knowledge
I. When it is opportune (Joh_16:12).
II. When it is above the capacity of his hearers (1Co_2:2).
III. When likely to be misapplied (Mar_15:5).
IV. When sure of rejection (Mat_7:6).
V. When calculated to injure the brethren (Lev_19:16).
VI. When to utter it would be only for self-display (Pro_27:2). (R. A. Griffin.)

Proverbs 12:24
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule.
The reward of the diligent
The natural estate of man is labour. Toil was the requirement of paradise. God’s Word recognises the universal law of work. “Toil is prayer”; and the Christian learns from the record of God’s will that honest, faithful, diligent, God-fearing and God-honouring work is itself a worship acceptable to the great All-worker. God enjoins diligence upon us by precept and by example. About us, all things perform their allotment of work, and do it promptly and without a thought of delay. God teaches men by His own ceaseless workings through ten thousand ever-busy forces, and revelation utters the same bidding to unremitting toil. For labour is the tenure of God’s gifts to man. It is thus the requirement of Christian duty that we should not be slothful in business. Promises of reward cluster around the fulfilment of this command. Diligent hands are speedily rendered expert. The diligent hand teaches and trains the wary and observing eye. God works no miracles on behalf of the drones of society. And the hand of the diligent shall bear rule, as Joseph the faithful slave-boy found, and Daniel the captive Hebrew boy. Another reward of the diligent is honour and renown. “He shall stand before kings.” Illustrate by the cases of Benjamin Franklin and William Carey. Learn that sloth and idleness are expressly forbidden; and so is that undue and overwrought exertion which marks the man greedy of gain. Riches are to be valued as means, not as an end. (
Bp. Stevens Perry.)

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule
A young man in a leather store used to feel very impatient with his employer for keeping him year after year, for three years, handling hides. But he saw the use of it in his future career, when, in an establishment of his own, he was able to tell by the touch the exact quality of the goods. It was only by the thousands of repetitions that the lesson was learned; and so it is with everything in which we acquire skill. The half-informed, half-skilled in every business outnumber the others, dozens to one. Daniel Webster once replied to a young man who asked him if there was “any room in the legal profession,” “There is always room at the top.” The better you know your business the more you are likely to rise. You can gather much information by making a wise use of your eyes and ears, and perhaps be able to surprise your employer in an emergency by stepping into the “next man’s” place and discharging his duties satisfactorily. So, learn your business, and you will find there is “room at the top.” (Home Words.)

Diligence and its reward
Mr. Chauncey M. Depew tells the story of his visit to the mechanical department of Cornell University. He found at the head of it Professor Morris, who claimed him as a superior officer, giving as a reason that he was an old-time worker on the New York Central Railway. “How did you get here?” asked Depew. “I was stoker on the New York Central. I stood on the footboard as an engineer on the Central. While a locomotive engineer I made up my mind to get an education. I studied at night, and fitted myself for Union College, running all the time with my locomotive. I procured books, and attended, as far as possible, all lectures and recitations. I kept up with my class, and on the day of graduation I left my locomotive, washed up, put on the gown and cap, delivered my thesis, and received my diplomas, put the gown and cap in the closet, put on my working shirt, got on my engine, and made my usual run that day.” “Then,” says Depew, “I knew how he became Professor Morris.” That spirit will cause a man to rise anywhere and in any calling.

Proverbs 12:25
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
The saddening and the succouring
I. The saddening in life. There is a soul-crushing sadness here.

1. Personal affliction that maketh the heart stoop.
2. Social affliction that maketh the heart stoop.
   II. The succouring in life. “A good word maketh it glad.”
3. What are good words?
   (1) True words;
   (2) kind words;
   (3) suitable words.
4. Where are good words? The gospel is that word. Words about providence, about pardon, about resurrection. Words to comfort us in all our tribulations. (Urijah R. Thomas.)

The sin of brooding
There is a necessity that we should be in heaviness through manifold temptations; but we must beware lest by giving free scope to anxious and melancholy thoughts, our hearts should sink in us like a stone, and our souls become altogether unfit to relish the comforts or perform the services of life. Sadness of the countenance makes the heart better, but despondency of heart disqualifies men for thanking and praising God, for serving their generation, and for hearing the burdens of life. Life itself becomes burdensome, and is often shortened, by excessive grief. There is nothing that claims our grief so much as sin, and yet there may be an excess of sorrow for sin which exposes men to the devil, and drives them into his arms. Are you grieved in your minds? Remember that it is sinful and dangerous to brood perpetually over your sorrows. (G. Lawson.)

A cheering word
The celebrated Dr. R. W. Dale, of Birmingham, used to be fond of relating how he was cheered once by a poor woman’s earnest words. He was feeling dejected and as if all his strength was gone, when, passing through a street in Birmingham, he met a decently dressed stranger, laden with parcels, who stopped and said, “God bless you, Dr. Dale!” Her face was unknown to him, and he answered, “Thank you. What is your name?” “Never mind my name,” was the response; “but if you only knew how you have made me feel hundreds of times, and what a happy home you have given me! God bless you!” Then she was lost in the crowd, but she had encouraged a man whose books are in every library, and whose name is dear to the universal Church. (Sunday Companion.)

Proverbs 12:26
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour.
The religious man’s advantages
The sentiments of men concerning virtue, and their own particular practice, form a very strange and striking contrast. Philosophers have differed about the origin of moral distinctions, and delivered various theories concerning virtue; but the people who judge from their feelings have no system but one. Religion gives its powerful sanction to the maxims of morality. The objections against a holy life have proceeded on maxims directly contrary to the text. The inducements to vice, which have been powerful in all ages, are the same that were presented by the tempter to our first parents—the attractions of ambition and the allurements of pleasure. The righteous man is wiser than his neighbour. There is no part of his nature in which man is so earnest to excel, and so jealous of a defect, as his understanding. And no wonder, for it is his prerogative and his glory. This enters into the foundation of character; for without intellectual abilities moral qualities cannot subsist, and a good heart will go wrong without the guidance of a good understanding. Where, then, is wisdom to be found? If you will trust the dictates of religion and reason, to be virtuous is to be wise. The testimony of all who have gone before you confirms the decision. In opposition, however, to the voice of religion, of reason, and of man-kind, there are multitudes in every age who reckon themselves more excellent than their neighbours, by trespassing against the laws which all ages have counted sacred, the younger by the pursuit of criminal gratification, the old by habits of deceit and fraud. The early period of life is frequently a season of delusion. There is no moderation nor government in vice. Guilty pleasures become the masters and tyrants of the mind; when these lords acquire dominion, they bring all the thoughts into captivity, and rule with unlimited and despotic sway. When it is seen that the righteous man is wiser and greater and happier than his neighbour, the objections against religion are removed, the ways of Providence are vindicated, and virtue is established upon an everlasting foundation. (John Logan.)

The prospects of the righteous
The word rendered “excellent” is on the margin translated “abundant.” Although it is a truth that in regard to “character,” in all its principles and their practical results, “the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour,” yet such statement is almost a truism. Taking the word as referring to possessions and prospects, as meaning that the righteous excels his neighbour, or men in general around him, in his lot as to happiness and hope—blessings in enjoyment and blessings in anticipation—it then becomes a statement of great importance. It presents an inducement to the godly to “hold fast their profession,” and an inducement to others to join their society. Even the poorest of the people of God has a lot that may well be envied by the wealthiest and the noblest of the sons of earth. (R. Wardlaw.)

The advantages of virtue to civil society
By the “righteous” is intended the religious man, one who fears God and eschews evil. By his “neighbour” is meant a man of contrary character, one who careth not for God, but pursues the interests or pleasures of the world, without any regard to His authority. The “excellency” ascribed may refer either to the personal happiness attending it, or its beneficial influence on society. A man of religion and virtue is a more useful, and consequently a more valuable member of a community than his wicked neighbour.
I. The necessity of virtue and religion to the ends of civil society. In contradiction it has been urged that vice is a thing highly beneficial to society, confers on it so many advantages, that public happiness would be imperfect without it. We may admit, in support of this paradox, that if there were no vicious men in the world, we should not want to be protected by civil government from them. We may also admit, that some advantages arise to society from the vices of men, either as they occasion good laws or awaken a due execution of them, or as the example or nature of his punishment may render a criminal of some service to the public. But these are the purely accidental consequences from vice. Its natural and proper effects are all evil, the very evils which government was designed to redress. The advantages that arise from it are owing wholly to the wisdom and virtue of those in authority. The experience of all history affirms to us that the peace, strength, and happiness of a society depend on the justice and fidelity, the temperance and charity of its members; that these virtues always render a people flourishing and secure, and the contrary vices are as constantly productive of misery and ruin. If these virtues are acknowledged necessary to social felicity, religion must be so too, because no other principle can offer an equal inducement to the practice of them, or equally restrain men from the opposite vices. Fear cannot effectually govern the actions of men, nor the fantastic principle called honour. If by honour is meant anything distinct from conscience, it is no more than a regard to the censure and esteem of the world.
II. How virtue and religion fit and dispose men for the most useful discharge of the several offices and relations of social life. Power, without goodness, is the most terrible idea our imagination can form; and the more the authority of any station in society is extended, the more it concerns public happiness that it be committed to men fearing God. Parts, knowledge, and experience, are indeed excellent ingredients in a public character, of equal use and ornament to the seat of judgment and council, but without religion and virtue, these are only abilities to do mischief. All that skill which deserves the name of wisdom, religion approves, recommends, and teaches. More true political wisdom can be learned from the Holy Scriptures, and even from this single book of Proverbs, than from a thousand such writers as Machiavel. Religion and virtue are proportionally conducive to happiness in every inferior relation of life. They equally dispose men to be good rulers and good subjects, good parents and good children, good masters and good servants, good neighbours and good friends. Wherever a religion is true and sincere, justice, meekness, and fidelity, all the virtues that can render a government secure, and a people happy, will be the fruits of it.
III. A religious motive to value and esteem persons of this excellent character, because by their piety and prayers the blessing of God is derived on the community. Righteous men ought to be esteemed a strength and defence to their country, and wicked men a reproach and weakness. The declarations of God and the histories of His providence, show that the piety of good men more effectually prevails for His blessing upon a nation than the sins of wicked men provoke His resentment. Since we all pretend a concern for the prosperity of our country, let our zeal for it appear in our endeavours to promote virtue and religion. Let us constantly distinguish the righteous by that honour and respect which is due to so excellent a character. Above all, let our care begin at home; let us each in our stations govern our lives by the rules of our holy religion, and practise those virtues ourselves whose excellence we acknowledge in others. (J. Rogers, D. D.)

The excellency of religion
Virtue and religion are excellent things in themselves, and they improve and adorn and exalt our natures. The last sentence of the text suggests this—that though righteousness and piety and religion are excellent things, so that men can hardly avoid seeing the beauty and loveliness of them, yet the deceitfulness of sin will be apt to deliver them, and find out some pretence or excuse to carry men against their best reason, and what they know is fittest to be done. The excellency of a religious life above a life of sin and wickedness, may be made out from the following considerations:
I. That God Himself has put a great many marks of honour upon righteousness and goodness. That person or that thing must be honourable which God is pleased to honour, and that must be despicable which He despises. He who fears God, and does his duty, is the servant of God and the friend of God. Good men are in an especial manner partakers of the Divine nature; their souls are honoured and blessed with the communion of God, and their bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost.
II. We have also the judgment of all mankind, not only of the good and virtuous, but of the greatest part even of wicked men.

1. Almost all nations, in all ages of the world, however they may have differed as to the measures of some virtues and vices, yet have agreed as to the main and great points of duty; which I can impute to nothing else but the natural beauty and excellence of virtue, and the deformity of vice.
2. When men will to serve any interest or appetite, they generally endeavour to conceal it, are unwilling to have it known, and think it for their honour to disguise the matter as much as they can. “Hypocrisy is a homage that vice pays to virtue.” And vice, though disguised and concealed from the world, is so ugly a thing, that few people can bear the sense of it themselves, so they find out some colour or excuse with which to deceive themselves.
3. When bad men cannot cover their shame either from the world or themselves, they set about endeavouring to blacken the rest of the world; which is another sort of homage men pay to virtue.
4. Though men will indulge their own appetites, they desire their children and relations, and those whom they love, to be virtuous and good.
   III. Religion tends to make our minds free and easy, to give us confidence towards God, and peace in our own breasts. It sets our souls at liberty from the tyranny of hurtful lusts and passions, and it fills us with joy and good hope in every condition of life. Religion, thoroughly imbibed, has a direct natural tendency to procure all these blessings for us; whereas vice and wickedness both corrupt and enslave our minds. When a man ventures to break the commands of God, he is generally plunged by it into abundance of troubles and perplexities.
   IV. Piety and virtue make everything else good, and of good use, which a man has, or that happens to him, whereas sin and wickedness tend to corrupt and spoil everything. There is no condition but what to a good man may serve to very good ends and purposes, whether a man be high or low in the world. If he be in affliction, then patience, humility, and resignation to the will of God will make him a great man in that. If God be pleased to put him in a high station, integrity, sobriety, and a public spirit will add to the greatness of his condition, and make him a public blessing.
   V. All sin is injustice, which is by everybody looked upon to be a mean, base thing. It is a common excuse for other defects, that they do nobody any harm, that they are just and honest in their dealings, and therefore they hope that God will overlook other things. Tully says, “Piety is justice toward God,” and therefore impiety and dis- obedience must be injustice. It is the basest and worst sort Of injustice, ingratitude.
   VI. The highest end that can be pretended to by any vice is only the procuring some pleasure or convenience for ourselves, in our passage through this world. This is but a poor thing if compared with eternity. It is a great advantage of the good man, that he has hope in his death. This may well support him, and make him live cheerfully in any condition in the meantime. Inferences:
5. Since religion is in itself so excellent a thing, this should encourage good men to persist in doing their duty, and not be ashamed either of the profession or the practise of religion.
6. From these considerations of the excellency of religion, all may be urged to the love and practice of it. (Richard Willis, D.D.)

The righteous and his neighbour
Every righteous man has a neighbour whom he excels. The righteous man and his neighbour are here placed side by side. The righteous is more excellent—
I. In his birth and parentage.

1. Now “sons of God”—by adoption, by birth, by privilege.
2. “Of your father the devil.” Satan nursed into strength the principles of evil, and then planted them in human nature (Gen_3:1-24.).
   II. In the visible character that he bears.
3. The name “righteous” is sufficiently indicative.
4. “The lusts of your father ye will do.”
   III. In the principle on which he acts, i.e., love. Two opposite principles—love, hatred. The principles of the righteous are better than their outward character. The pinciples of the ungodly are worse.
   IV. In the ends which he pursues.
5. The glory of God—lasting, noble.
6. The interests of self—transient, base (2Ti_3:2).
   V. In the influence which he exerts. The world is a field.
7. The righteous sow in it—to the spirit.
8. The ungodly sow in it—to the flesh.
   VI. In the pleasures which he enjoys.
9. Divine, holy, satisfying.
10. Earthly, polluting, unsatisfying (Luk_15:16).
    VII. In the destiny which awaits him.
11. The maturity of holiness—like Christ.
12. The maturity of ungodliness—like Satan.
    (1) The deserts of Christ’s obedience and atonement—the enjoyment of God for ever.
    (2) The deserts of sin—“indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish.” (Jas. Stewart.)

The infallible comparison
The term “righteous,” as used in Scripture, is not to be limited to the discharge of those duties which man owes to man. It is employed to denote a just and devout and godly person, in distinction from the unrighteous and the wicked. It embraces all we mean by being pious, religious, and good. By the term “neighbour,” is not to be understood the vicious and the vile who may live close to the dwelling of the righteous. Compared with the ordinarily praiseworthy neighbour, the devout, God-fearing, decided Christian is at advantage.

1. He is more excellent in the principles by which his conduct is governed, a man may be moral, because he values his reputation, or because it suits his taste, or his health, or advances his worldly interest, and not because God has commanded him to do justly and love mercy. The unrenewed man pursues his own private interests—the righteous will sacrifice it for a greater public good. The man of sterling piety is more worthy of our confidence than the individual who is governed by other motives than those of the fear of God and love to his brethren.
2. More excellent in his example and influence. Every man’s life will correspond to the temper of his heart, and the maxims and motives that govern him. When the whole conduct is minutely examined, every man is found what he appears to be. The grace of God improves all the principles of man’s moral nature. To the full extent of his circle, his conduct has a salutary effect on all around him. The righteous may be of retired habits, but a pattern will be taken of his life, and it will, like the leaven in the meal, be diffused wherever he is known with more or less of usefulness. His ungodly neighbour can boast of nothing more than a scanty morality, whose highest motive is self-love and self-interest.
3. More excellent in his alliances. There is a close and endearing relationship between all the subjects of the kingdom of grace. Each is united to God, and to all holy beings, by the tenderest ties of kindred affection. The righteous is entitled to whatever honour and dignity may accrue to him from his union to the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier, and to every member of the holy household.
4. More excellent inasmuch as he is the heir of a better destiny. Externally, in many points, they may resemble each other now. This may deceive for a while. When the Christian receives his crown of glory, the difference will be seen to be infinite. On the righteous the Redeemer will smile for ever; on the other He will eternally frown. This subject teaches a lesson of humility and gratitude. If we have any excellence of character, it is the gift of God. The superior excellence of the righteous over the wicked shows us the obligations they are under to make their high distinction obvious to the eye of the world. (D. A. Clark.)

The superior excellency of the religious
Never were the qualities of a parent more really derived unto their children than the image and similitude of the Divine excellences are stamped upon heaven-born souls: some beams of that eternal light are darted in upon them, and make them shine with an eminent splendour; and they are always aspiring to a nearer conformity with Him, still breathing after a further communication of His Holy Spirit, and daily finding the power thereof correcting the ruder deformities of their natures, and superinducing the beautiful delineations of God’s image upon them, that any one who observes them may perceive their relation to God, by the excellency of their deportment in the world.
I. Having regarded the righteous man’s excellency, in regard of his birth and extraction, we proceed to consider his qualities and endowments, and shall begin with those of his understanding, his knowledge, and wisdom.

1. His knowledge is conversant about the noblest objects; he contemplates that infinite Being whose perfections can never enough be admired, but still afford new matter to delight him, to ravish his affections, to raise his wonder. And, if we have a mind to the studies of nature and human science, he is best disposed for it, having his faculties cleared, and his understanding heightened by Divine contemplations. But his knowledge doth not rest in speculations, but directeth his practice, and determineth his choice. And he is the most prudent as well as the most knowing person. He knows how to secure his greatest interest, to provide for the longest life, to prefer solid treasures to gilded trifles, the soul to the body, eternity to a moment.
2. We proceed to another of his endowments, the greatness of his mind and his contempt of the world. To be taken up with trifles, and concerned in little things, is an evidence of a weak and naughty mind. And so are all wicked and irreligious persons. But the pious person hath his thoughts far above these painted vanities; his felicity is not patched up of so mean shreds; it is simple, and comprised in one chief good: his soul advanceth itself by rational passions towards the Author of its being, the fountain of goodness and pleasure: he hath none in heaven but Him; and there is none upon earth whom he desires besides Him. The knowledge of nature hath been reputed means to enlarge the soul and breed in it a contempt of earthly enjoyments. He that hath accustomed himself to consider the vastness of the universe, and the final proportion which the point we live in bears to the rest of the world, may perhaps come to think less of the possessions of some acres, or of that fame which can at most spread itself through a small corner of this earth. Whatever be in this, sure I am that the knowledge of God, and the frequent thoughts of heaven, must needs prove far more effectual to elevate and aggrandise the mind.
3. And this, by the affinity, will lead us to another endowment, wherein the excellency of the righteous man doth appear; and that is, that heroic magnanimity and courage wherewith he is inspired, and which makes him confidently achieve the most difficult actions, and resolutely undergo the hardest sufferings that he is called to. Let heathen Rome boast of a Regulus, a Decius, or some two or three more, stimulated by a desire of glory, and perhaps animated by some secret hopes of future reward, who have devoted their life to the service of their country. But alas! what is this to an infinite number, not only of men, but even of women and children, who have died for the profession of their faith, neither seeking nor expecting any praise from men? And tell me who among the heathen did willingly endure the loss of reputation? Nay, that was their idol, and they could not part with it.
4. From courage and magnanimity, we pass to that which is the genuine issue and ordinary consequent of it, the liberty and freedom of the righteous person. Liberty is a privilege so highly rated by all men that many run the greatest hazards for the very name of it but there are few that enjoy it. I shall not speak of those fetters of ceremony, and chains of state, wherewith great men are tied; which make their actions constrained, and their converse uneasy: this is more to be pitied than blamed. But wicked and irreligious persons are under a far more shameful bondage: they are slaves to their own lusts, and suffer the violence and tyranny of their irregular appetites. But the holy and religious person hath broken these fetters, cast off the yoke of sin, and become the freeman of the Lord. It is religion that restores freedom to the soul, which philosophy did pretend to; it is that which doth sway and moderate all those blind passions and impetuous affections which else would hinder a man from the possession and enjoyment of himself, and makes him master of his own thoughts, motions, and desires, that he may do with freedom what he judgeth most honest and convenient.
5. Another particular wherein the nobleness and excellency of religion doth appear is in a charitable and benign temper. The righteous is gracious, and full of compassion; he showeth favour and lendeth; and makes it his work to serve mankind as much as he is able. His charity doth not express itself in one particular instance, as that of giving alms; but is vented as many ways as the variety of occasions do call for, and his power can reach to. He assisteth the poor with his money, the ignorant with his counsel, the afflicted with his comfort, the sick with the best of his skill, all with his blessings and prayers.
6. We shall name but one instance more wherein the righteous man excelleth his neighbour; and that is, his venerable temperance and purity. He hath risen above the vaporous sphere of sensual pleasure which darkeneth and debaseth the mind, which sullies its lustre, and abates its native vigour; while profane persons, wallowing in;impure lusts, do sink themselves below the condition of men.
   II. Before we proceed further, it will be necessary to take off some prejudices and objections that arise against the nobleness and excellency of religion.
7. And the first is, that it enjoineth lowliness and humility; which men ordinarily look upon as an abject and base disposition. But if we ponder the matter we shall find that arrogancy and pride are the issues of base and silly minds, a giddiness incident to those who are raised suddenly to unaccustomed height: nor is there any vice doth more palpably defeat its own design, depriving a man of that honour and reputation which it makes him aim at. On the other hand, we shall find humility no silly and sneaking quality; but the greatest height and sublimity of the mind, and the only way to true honour.
8. Another objection against the excellency of a religious temper is, that the love of enemies, and pardon of injuries, which it includeth, is utterly inconsistent with the principles of honour. But if we have any value for the judgment of the wisest man and a great king, he will tell us that it is the honour of a man to cease from strife; and he that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. So that what is here brought as an objection against religion might with reason enough have been brought as an instance of its nobleness. Having thus illustrated and confirmed what is asserted in the text, that the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour, let us improve it in a check to that profane and atheistical spirit of drollery and scoffing at religion which hath got abroad in the world. Alas! do men consider what it is which they make the butt of their scoffs and reproaches? Have they nothing else to exercise their wit and vent their jests upon but that which is the most noble and excellent thing in the world? But let them do what they will; they but kick against the pricks. Religion hath so much native lustre and beauty, that, notwithstanding all the dirt they study to cast upon it, all the melancholy and deformed shapes they dress it in, it will attract the eyes and admiration of all sober and ingenuous persons; and while these men study to make it ridiculous, they shall but make themselves so. There are others who have not yet arrived to this height of profaneness, to laugh at all religion, but do vent their malice at those who are more conscientious and severe than themselves, under presumption that they are hypocrites and dissemblers. But besides that in this they may be guilty of a great deal of uncharitableness, it is to be suspected that they bear some secret dislike to piety itself, and hate hypocrisy more for its resemblance of that than for its own viciousness: otherwise whence comes it that they do not express the same animosity against other vices? (H. Scougal, M.A.)

The difference between the religious and irreligious man
Men without religion will sometimes ask, “Do not all men sin—even the religious? And, if so, is not the whole difference between them and ourselves that our offences are somewhat more numerous than theirs?” Now this must unquestionably be admitted. Still, whatever may be the resemblance upon this point, it is nevertheless true that men with and without religion differ in many other most important particulars.

1. The first difference between the sins of the religious and the irreligious man is, that the one does not allow himself in his sins and the other does. The real Christian never says, “I know such an action to be wrong, but yet I will do it—I know such an action to be right, but yet I will neglect to do it.” But in the other class of men we shall be often struck with the contrary line of conduct. Charge them with their neglect of God, and of their souls, and they say, perhaps, “We confess it to be wrong.” Consider the case as between man and man. We may conceive the affectionate child surprised into an act of disobedience or unkindness to the parent whom it loves; but we cannot conceive that child, if truly affectionate, setting itself deliberately and knowingly to wound that parent at the tenderest point. In the one case, an act of disobedience discovers a man in whom, though the flesh is weak, the spirit may be willing—in whom a momentary temptation has prevailed over the settled purpose and desire of his heart. In the other you have a man whose settled purpose is to do wrong. The language of a true Christian must be that of his Master: “I come to do Thy will, O God.”
2. A second distinction between a real Christian and one who is not a real Christian is this—the real Christian does not seek or find his happiness in sin. A man who is not really religious, if he wants amusement or indulgence, seeks for it, generally, either in the society of men without religion or in practices which the Word of God condemns. He sins, and it gives him no pain. On the contrary, the real Christian finds no happiness in sin. His pleasure is in prayer, in communion with God. He seeks his happiness in the fields of his duties. “O,” says he, “how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” The state and character of any person may to a great extent be judged by the nature of his pleasures. Does he seek them in trifles? he is a trifling man; does he seek them in worldly pursuits? he is a worldly man; does he seek them in vice? he is a vicious man; does he seek them in God and Christ? he is a Christian.
3. Thirdly, the habits of a real Christian are holy. Men are not to be judged by a few solitary actions of their lives. There is scarcely any life so dark as not to be lighted up by a few brighter actions—as a single star may glimmer through the most cloudy atmosphere; and there is no life so bright as not to be darkened by many spots—as many small clouds are apt to chequer even the clearest sky. But then we determine the real state of the heavens not by the single star, in the one case, or by the few clouds in the other. We ask what is the general aspect, the prevalent appearance: does night or day, does shade or sunshine, prevail? Thus also must we proceed in estimating the character of men. It is the habitual frame of the mind—it is what we may call the work-day character—it is the general, habitual, prevalent temper, conduct, conversation, in the family or the parish, in the shop or the farm, which are the only true tests of our condition. But let us bring the two classes to this standard, and we shall find that in the real Christian the habits are holy—in the insincere Christian they are unholy; that the one is habitually right and accidentally wrong, and the other habitually wrong and accidentally right. Such, then, is another highly important distinction between these classes.
4. Fourthly, every act of sin in real Christians is followed by sincere repentance. No feature is more essentially characteristic of a holy mind than a feeling of deep penitence for transgression. “My sin,” said the “man after God’s own heart,” “is ever before me.”
5. A fifth no less important feature by which the real Christian is distinguished is, that he anxiously seeks the pardon of his sins through Jesus Christ. Others too often seem to imagine their sins cancelled immediately upon their bare and cold acknowledgment of them. He, on the contrary, knows that the hatred of sin and indignation at the sinner must be deeply lodged in a mind of infinite purity. And his consolation is this—not that he can save himself, but that “he has an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
6. The sixth and last point of distinction which I shall have time to notice between the real Christian and every other character is, that he alone seeks diligently from God a power to abstain from sin in future. If others even desire the pardon of their past sins, they are careless about future advancement in holiness. They, perhaps, persist in a course of sinning and repeating, through the whole stage of their lives. Heaven is every day mocked by the language of an unmeaning sorrow. No real hatred for the sin is felt. In the Christian a different feeling prevails. A deep abhorrence of sin mingles with his regret for it. His are tears of hatred as well as grief. There is a substantial distinction between a real Christian and every other character: something more than a mere line or shadowy difference here. If we carefully observe the several points of distinction which I have noticed, we shall find that they imply in the two classes of characters, in each particular instance, a different state of heart or mind. Let us seek a new and more sanctified nature: more and more of the influences of the sacred Spirit. In the fable of old, when the artist had made the figure of a man, he could not animate it without stealing fire from heaven. That heavenly fire is offered to us. Many has it already quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. (Christian Observer.)

The way of the wicked seduceth them.
On seduction
The seduction of the lower class of females is due to the profligacy of men in a superior station in life. It is the custom to confine ourselves to generalities in the pulpit. But the reasoning which applies to all crimes acts languidly against each individual crime—it does not paint the appropriate baseness, or echo the reproaches of the heart.

1. The character of a seducer is base and dishonourable: if deceit is banished among equals; if the conduct of every man, to those of his own station in life, should be marked by veracity and good faith; why are fallacy and falsehood justified, because they are exercised by talents against ignorance, cunning against simplicity, power against weakness, opulence against poverty? No one ever lured a wretched creature to her ruin without such a complication of infamous falsehoods as would have condemned him to everlasting infamy, had they been exercised to the prejudice of any one in a higher scene of life: and what must be the depravity of that man who has no other criterion of what he shall do, Or from what he shall abstain, than impunity?
2. To the cruelty of seduction is generally added the baseness of abandoning its object, of leaving to perish in rags and hunger a miserable being bribed by promises and oaths of eternal protection and regard.
3. This crime cannot be defended under any of the ingenious systems by which men are perpetually vitiating their understandings. (Sidney Smith, M. A.)

Proverbs 12:27
The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting.
Indolence
Most hunters have the game they shot or entrapped cooked the same evening or the next day, but not so with this laggard of the text. Too lazy to rip off the hide; too lazy to kindle the fire, and put the gridiron on the coals. What are the causes of laziness, and what are its evil results?

1. Indolence often arises from the natural temperament. I do not know but that there is a constitutional tendency to this vice in every man. Some are very powerfully handicapped by this constitutional tendency.
2. Indolence is often a result of easy circumstances. Rough experience in earlier life seems to be necessary in order to make a man active and enterprising.
3. Another cause of indolence is severe discouragement. There are those around us who started life with the most sanguine expectation; but some sudden and overwhelming misfortune met them, and henceforth they have been inactive. Trouble, instead of making them more determined, has overthrown them. They have lost all self-reliance. They imagine that all men and all occurrences are against them! You cannot rouse them to action. Every great financial panic produces a large crop of such men.
4. Reverie is a cause of indolence. There are multitudes of men who expect to achieve great success in life, who are entirely unwilling to put forth any physical, moral, or intellectual effort. They have a great many eloquent theories of life. They pass their life in dreaming. Let no young man begin life with reverie. There is nothing accomplished without hard work. Do not in idleness expect something to turn up. It will turn down. Indolence and wickedness always make bad luck.
5. Bad habits are a fruitful source of indolence. Sinful indulgences shut a man’s shop, and dull his tools, and steal his profits. Dissoluteness is generally the end of industry. What are the results of indolence? A marked consequence of this vice is physical disease. The healthiness of the whole natural world depends upon activity. And indolence endangers the soul. Satan makes his chief conquests over men who either have nothing to do, or, if they have, refuse to do it. Idleness not only leads a man into associations which harm his morals, but often thrusts upon him the worst kind of scepticism. Loafers are almost always infidels, or fast getting to be such. I never knew a man given up to thorough idleness that was converted. Let me tell the idler that there is no hope for him either in this world or in the world that is to come. (T. De Witt Talmage.)

Labour as enhancing the relative value of a man’s possession
This applies to many things.
I. To material wealth.
II. To social position.
III. To civil liberty.
IV. To religious privileges. (Homilist.)

The castle of indolence
Thomson wrote a poem by this title. He locates the castle in a dreamy land, where every sense is steeped in the most luxurious though enervating delights. The lord of the castle was a powerful enchanter, who, by his arts, enticed thoughtless travellers within the gate, that he might destroy their strength and ruin their hopes by a ceaseless round of voluptuous pleasures.
The slothful man

1. The lazy man goes hunting. Some are full of the most bustling activity. An old mathematical professor was wont to define work as “steadily overcoming resistance occurring along a fixed line.” An intermittent, changing activity manifestly fails to answer the requirements of this definition.
2. The slothful man catches game when he does go hunting. Not only does he act, but he does things. But his slothfulness is made manifest in this: though he be effective, he is not efficient; for—
3. He is too lazy to cook what he does catch. The excitement of the chase is over, he is weary with dragging home his game, so the gun goes into one corner and the game into another, while the man proceeds—with a celerity which would be praiseworthy were it rightly applied—to forget all about it. He waits for the next excitement. His activity has procured no benefits to himself or any one else. There are many people who lose their labour through a disinclination to put the finishing touch to their work. Under excitement they secure certain results, which, if gathered up and made permanent, would be of immense value. But then they get weary, indifferent. They let things slide—to use an expression of the populace. All they have done gradually undoes itself. For lack of but one stone—the keystone—the arch falls. This is the application: When you commence a thing, cease not until you have gathered up the results of your labour in some form of practical and present benefit to your fellow-men. (D. C. Gilmore.)

Proverbs 12:28
In the way of righteousness is life.
Life in the way of righteousness
There are many ways which men are found to pursue in order to the attainment of happiness. One pursues the way of worldly pleasure; another is fascinated by the splendour and magnificence and show of the world; another seeks happiness in the business of life. These ways are false ways and disappointing ways. There is a way which is neither delusive nor disappointing. It is the way of holiness, the way of conformity to God’s mind and will. The righteous walk in this way. But who are the righteous? They who are interested by faith in the Redeemer’s righteousness for justification and acceptance before God. They are distinguished by the integrity of their principles and a conscientious endeavour to discharge every duty they owe their fellow-men. They are careful to avoid all known sin, and desire to live in the practice of all known duty. They are not satisfied with present attainments in religin, but seek to grow in grace as well as knowledge. They are animated by the constraining love of Jesus. They live in the exercise of communion with God in prayer and praise. And the text declares that those who walk in holy obedience to the revealed will of God, and are filled with the fruits of righteousness, have received a new nature, and are animated by a new life. The existence of the life of grace in the soul will be manifested by its corresponding effects in the walk and conversation. In the way of righteousness is the life of consolation and joy. God’s smile is on the righteous in all their goings. Great are the privileges of the righteous, which must be felt, but cannot be adequately described. The new life, kindled by the Spirit of God, shall never be extinguished. It shall survive every shock of opposition and trial, and shall triumph over the combined rage of earth and hell. “In the pathway thereof there is no death.” The righteous must die, as well as the unrighteous; there is no peculiarity of exemption in their case from the stroke of the last enemy. But to the believer in Jesus death is unspeakable gain. Then are we in the number of the righteous? (
C. Rawlings, B.A.)

The way of religion recommended as
I. A straight, plain, easy way. God’s commands (the rule we are to walk by) are all holy, just, and good. Religion has right, reason, and equity on its side.
II. As a safe, pleasant comfortable way.

1. There is not only life at the end, but there is life in the way; all true comfort and satisfaction. The favour of God, which is better than life; the Spirit, who is life.
2. There is not only life in it, but so as that in it “there is no death,” none of that sorrow of the world which works death, and is an allay to our present joy and life. There is no end to that life that is in the way of righteousness. Here there is life, but there is death too. In the way of righteousness there is life and no death—life and immortality. (Matthew Henry.).

Proverbs 12:1
instruction] or, correction, R.V. text. See Pro_1:2, note.

Proverbs 12:2
obtaineth] See Pro_3:13, note. Comp. Pro_8:35.

Proverbs 12:4
A virtuous woman] Comp. Rth_3:11, and for a full description of the character intended, ch. Pro_31:10-31.

Proverbs 12:6
to lie in wait] So R.V. marg., a lying in wait; but R.V. text, of lying in wait, comp. Pro_1:11.
them] This may mean either the righteous themselves, or those for whose blood the wicked lie in wait.

Proverbs 12:7
the wicked are overthrown] Lit. to overthrow the wicked! It is only to overthrow them, and they cease to exist; they have no stay, no power of recovery in them. Comp. Pro_10:25; Psa_37:9-10; Psa_37:35-38.

Proverbs 12:9
despised] Rather, lightly esteemed, R.V.; a person of no consequence, in the eyes of others, and perhaps (as in 1Sa_18:23, the word is used by David of himself) in his own eyes also, in contrast to him who honoureth himself.
hath a servant] Notwithstanding his lowly position he is well enough off to keep a slave. Zebedee, though only a fisherman, had hired servants (Mar_1:20).
Another rendering (with a change of Heb. vowel points), is a servant to himself, works for his own living, is adopted by the LXX. ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ δουλεύων ἑαυτῷ, and by the Vulg., pauper et subjiciens sibi. Comp. for the sentiment, Sir_10:27 :
“Better is he that laboureth and aboundeth in all things,
Than he that glorifieth himself and lacketh bread.”

Proverbs 12:10
righteous] because by such consideration he proves himself to be (Luk_1:6) “righteous, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord” (Deu_5:14; Deu_22:6-7; Deu_25:4), and because he is like the righteous God Himself (Psa_145:9; Jon_4:11).
regardeth] Lit. knoweth, Comp. Exo_23:9.

Proverbs 12:11
vain persons] We may either supply persons, with A.V. and R.V. text: or things, with R.V. marg. and LXX. μάταια, Vulg. sectatur otium, and in accordance with the usage of this Book in following the Heb. verb here employed by an accus. of a thing, Pro_11:19, Pro_15:9. In the former case the argument expanded will be: To keep bad company argues want of understanding, because it leads not to plenty but to lack of bread. In the latter case we may understand by vain things, idle, useless occupations, thus preserving the contrast to the honest labour of the former clause of the verse.
The LXX. and Vulg. have an interesting addition:
“He that takes pleasure in tarrying long at the wine
Shall leave dishonour in his own stronghold;”
as an example probably of the general principle of the proverb. Comp. Pro_21:17.

Proverbs 12:12
net] This rendering, which is retained in R.V. text, and on which the rendering prey, R.V. marg., is only a gloss (prey=net, for what it catches), gives a good and forcible antithesis to the proverb. There is perhaps an intended contrast between the restless and often fruitless activity of the hunter with his net, and the calm, stedfast fruit-bearing, as by a natural process, of the firmly-rooted tree. So St Paul contrasts the “works” of the flesh with the “fruit” of the spirit, and “the unfruitful works of darkness” with “the fruit of the light” (Gal_5:19; Gal_5:22; Eph_5:9-10, R.V.).
The abrupt change of figure from the “net” to the tree is quite in accordance with Hebrew modes of thought. In like manner in Psalms 1 the righteous is the flourishing and fruitful tree, and the wicked, not as we might have expected the barren and withered tree, but the chaff scattered by the wind as it sweeps across the bare hill-top of the summer threshing-floor.
The rendering fortress (A.V. marg., the munimentum of the Vulgate) is explained to mean, that the protection which a wicked man seeks by associating with men like himself, and so finding security in numbers, the righteous has in his own innate stability. But this is far-fetched, and the rendering disappears altogether in R.V.

Proverbs 12:13
The wicked is snared] Rather:
In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man,
R.V. text; comp. A.V. marg., and for the sentiment, Pro_18:7. This is preferable to the rendering of R.V. marg., an evil snare, because it preserves the balance of the verse: the evil man, by the wicked and deceitful words which he uses to prosecute his purposes, entangles himself in a snare: the righteous man, by his righteous dealing, though he fall into trouble, is delivered out of it and walks at liberty.
The LXX. add:
“He that hath regard to gentleness shall obtain mercy;
But he that opposeth men in the gates will trouble souls.”

Proverbs 12:14
recompence] Rather, doings, R.V., as at once more literal and clearer. Comp. Mat_7:2; Luk_6:37-38.
The point of the proverb is, that his speech and action have their consequences for a man himself, as well as for his neighbour.

Proverbs 12:15
he that hearkeneth … is wise] Rather, he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel, R.V. (εἰσακούει δὲ συμβουλίας σοφός, LXX.; qui autem sapiens est audit consilia, Vulg.), in contrast to the fool, who thinks his own way must be right.

Proverbs 12:16
presently] Lit. in the (same) day. Comp. “Will they make an end in one (lit. the) day?” Neh_4:2 [Heb. 3:34]; αὐθημερόν, LXX.

Proverbs 12:18
speaketh] Rather, speaketh rashly, R.V.; scattereth thoughtless words, as one might recklessly brandish a naked sword.
“Many a word at random spoken
May wound … a heart that’s broken.”

Proverbs 12:19
but for a moment] Lit. while I wink. Comp. Jer_49:19, where the word is rendered, suddenly.

Proverbs 12:21
evil … mischief] Rather, mischief … evil, with R.V., reversing the meaning of the two Heb. words.

Proverbs 12:23
the heart] Comp.
“The heart of fools is in their mouth;
But the mouth of wise men is their heart.” Sir_21:26.

Proverbs 12:24
the slothful] Lit. sloth. See Pro_10:4. Comp. Pro_13:1-2.
shall be under tribute] Rather, shall come, or be put, under task-work, i.e. servile or enforced labour. The phrase occurs frequently (e.g. Deu_20:11; Jdg_1:30; Jdg_1:33; Jdg_1:35), and is rendered, “be, or become tributary,” both in A.V. and R.V., though with the alternative, “be subject to task-work,” in R.V. marg. But in all those places the words, “and shall serve thee” are added, showing that it was not in money but in toil, as with the Israelites in Egypt, that the “tribute” was to be paid. Hence the phrase comes to have the meaning which it has here.

Proverbs 12:25
In spite of grammatical anomalies, the rendering of this verse in A.V. and R.V. is to be retained.

Proverbs 12:26
is more excellent than] Rather, is a guide to, R.V. Comp. “He guideth (the same word) the perfect in his way,” 2Sa_22:33, R.V.
seduceth them] Rather, causeth them to err, R.V. The antithesis between the two clauses of the verse is thus brought out more forcibly, especially if we understand by “them” the persons included in the collective word “neighbour.” See Pro_11:9, note.

Proverbs 12:27
roasteth not] i.e. will not take the trouble to dress the animal which he has caught; or, better, never catches an animal to dress.
Others, however, would render the word (which occurs nowhere else), catcheth not (R.V. marg.), or, killeth not (Maurer) his prey, οὐκ ἐπιτεύξεται, “will not (take the trouble to) catch,” LXX.
the substance &c.] Rather, the precious substance of men is to the diligent, R.V. text; or, is to be diligent, R.V. marg.; the diligent temperament is itself the treasure; κτῆμα δὲ τίμιον ἀνὴρ καθαρός, a precious possession is a man that is pure, LXX.

Proverbs 12:28
no death] The rendering to death, i.e. the pathway (sc. common and well-trodden, or, of evil men) leadeth to death, is supported by LXX. εἰς θάνατον, and Vulg. ducit ad mortem.

Proverbs 12:1-28
The following commentary covers Chapters 10 through 31.
In chapter 10 begin the details which teach those who give ear how to avoid the snares into which the simple might fall, the path to be followed in many cases, and the consequences of men’s actions: in short, that which characterises wisdom in detail, what may be prudence for man, divine discretion for the children of God; and also, the result of God’s government, whatever appearances may be for awhile. It is well to observe, that there is no question of redemption or propitiation in this book; it proposes a walk according to the wisdom of God’s government.
In the final chapter we have the character of a king according to wisdom, and that of the woman in her own house-the king who does not allow himself that which, by darkening his moral discernment through the indulgence of his lusts, would make him unfit to govern. In the woman we see the persevering and devoted industry which fills the house with riches, brings honour to its inhabitants, and removes all the cares and anxieties produced by sloth. The typical application of these two specific characters is too evident to need explanation. The example of the woman is very useful, as to the spirit of the thing, to one who labours in the assembly.
Although in this book the wisdom produced by the fear of Jehovah is only applied to this world, it is on that very account of great use to the Christian, who, in view of his heavenly privileges, might, more or less, forget the continual government of God. It is very important for the Christian to remember the fear of the Lord, and the effect of God’s presence on the details of his conduct; and I repeat that which I said at the beginning, that it is great grace which deigns to apply divine wisdom to all the details of the life of man in the midst of the confusion brought in by sin. Occupied with heavenly things, the Christian is less in the way of discovering, by his own experience, the clue to the labyrinth of evil through which he is passing. God has considered this, and He has laid down this first principle, “wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” Thus the Christian may be ignorant of evil (if a worldling were so, he would fall into it), and yet avoid it through his knowledge of good. The wisdom of God gives him the latter; the government of God provides for all the rest. Now, in the Proverbs, we have these things in principle and in detail. I have not dwelt on the figurative character of the forms of evil. They are rather principles than figures. But the violent man of the last days is continually found in the Psalms; and Babylon is the full accomplishment of the woman who takes the simple in her snares and leads them down to death; just as Christ is the perfect wisdom of God which leads to life. But these two things which manifest evil proceed from the heart of man at all times since the fall: only we have seen that there is an active development of the wiles of the evil woman, who has her own house and her own arrangements. It is not simply the principle of corruption, but an organised system, as is that of sovereign wisdom.

Proverbs 12:1-28
Proverbs 12 –Words, Deeds, and Destiny
Pro_12:1
Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.
a. Whoever loves instruction: Wisdom tells us to keep learning and to love instruction and knowledge. A humble willingness to be taught (instruction) shows a true love of knowledge.
i. “If we find that we are upset when our faults are pointed out to us, that shows we lack not only grace but understanding. We are behaving as if we were stupid…. Oh, for a teachable spirit to sit at the feet of our divine Master and learn from him.” (Bridges)
b. He who hates correction is stupid: The proud man or woman who is unwilling to receive correction reveals his or her own rejection of knowledge.
i. Hates correction: “That sapless fellow Nabal would hear nothing; there was no talking to him, no dealing with him; but as [the] horse and mule that have no understanding. [Psa_32:9].” (Trapp)
ii. Is stupid: “Discovereth himself to be a most foolish and stupid creature, because he is an enemy to himself and to his own happiness.” (Poole)
Pro_12:2
A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
a. A good man obtains favor from the Lord: Obedience to God leads to deeper relationship with Him (1Jn_1:6-7). This principle was especially true under the old covenant, with its promises of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 27-28).
i. John Trapp on verse 2, regarding Martin Luther: “And on a time praying for the recovery of a godly useful man, among other passages, he let fall this transcendent rapture of a daring faith, Fiat mea voluntas, ‘Let my will be done’; and then falls off sweetly, Mea voluntas, Domine, quia tua; ‘My will, Lord, because thy will!’”
b. A man of wicked intentions He will condemn: God sees the heart and sees wicked intentions before they result in action, and even if they never result in action.
Pro_12:3
A man is not established by wickedness,
But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
a. A man is not established by wickedness: Many men seek to advance and establish themselves through treating others badly. Lying, cheating, and deception are common when someone seeks to advance or establish himself. This is never God’s way and can never enjoy His blessing.
i. “Evil is always variable: it has no fixed principle, except the root that is in the human heart; and even that is ever assuming new forms. Nothing is permanent but goodness; and that is unchangeable, because it comes from GOD.” (Clarke)
b. The root of the righteous cannot be moved: God establishes His righteous ones in a firm, permanent way. Their root goes down deep and holds strong.
i. Cannot be moved: This idea is repeated many times in the Scriptures. “‘God is my rock, I shall not be greatly moved.’ [Psa_62:2] Nay, ‘I shall not be moved at all.’ [Pro_12:3] ‘The gates of hell cannot do it.’ [Mat_16:18] ‘None can pluck them out of God’s hands,’ [Joh_10:28] for he ‘hath laid help upon one that is mighty.’ [Psa_89:19]” (Trapp)
Pro_12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
a. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband: A man may achieve success in many areas of life, but unless there is happiness in the home, all other achievements are empty. To have an excellent wife and all the home happiness that she brings is a true crown of success.
i. “The modern sense of virtuous (King James Version, Revised Version) [excellent] does no justice to the Hebrew term’s root idea of strength and worth…. The modern phrase, ‘she has a lot in her’, expresses something of the meaning.” (Kidner)
b. She who causes shame is like rottenness: A wife that brings shame to the husband and the family seems to take away life and happiness instead of bringing it.
i. “The ignoble wife invisibly saps his strength and vitality and deconstructs him from within.” (Waltke)
ii. “A ‘crown’ is a symbol of honor and renown; but the negative side, using the figure of ‘decay in his bones,’ is that the disgrace will eat away her husband’s strength and destroy his happiness.” (Ross)
Pro_12:5
The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
a. The thoughts of the righteous are right: The righteous man or woman is not only right in their actions, but even in their thoughts. They know something of what it means to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom_12:1-2).
b. The counsels of the wicked are deceitful: As for the wicked, it is more than their actions that are deceitful; their counsels (thinking, thoughts) are also full of deception and error.
i. The counsels of the wicked: “Not their rash thoughts only, but also their deliberate ones are how to circumvent others, or to cloak their own wickedness.” (Trapp)
Pro_12:6
The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
a. Lie in wait for blood: The wicked plot violence and are ready to ambush others for their own unrighteous gain.
i. “The vivid picture of ‘lying in wait for blood’ conveys that the wicked make a trap by their false accusations.” (Ross)
b. The mouth of the upright: The upright man or woman will find their rescue in the good and wise words that they speak.
Pro_12:7
The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.
a. The wicked are overthrown: Having no root in righteousness, the wicked cannot and will not stand. They will one day be overthrown and simply perish.
b. The house of the righteous will stand: God will preserve His own righteous men and women. They and their house will endure that which would overthrow the house of the wicked.
Pro_12:8
A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
a. Will be commended according to his wisdom: Wise men and women will be recognized and honored for their wisdom. The more wisdom, the greater the commendation. This is often true in this world, but always true in the world to come.
b. Will be despised: The one with a crooked or twisted heart will not receive praise, but instead will be despised. This present age often shows this to be true, and the coming age will certainly show it so.
Pro_12:9
Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
a. Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant: To receive an insult or be slighted is never pleasant, but wisdom sees that if one has enough in this world to have a servant, they shouldn’t be so proud as to despair over an insult.
i. Has a servant: “Hath but one servant. Or rather, is servant to himself; hath none to wait upon him or work for him but himself, that getteth bread by his own labours.” (Poole)
b. Than he who honors himself but lacks bread: The proud man who promotes his own honor can’t eat his self-exaltation. Honoring self isn’t the way to either prosperity or happiness.
i. “Nothing is so despicable as to be proud when there is nothing to be proud about.” (Bridges)
ii. Kidner suggested an alternative translation: “But the Revised Standard Version, following the Septuagint, [and the] Syriac, reads the same Hebrew consonants to mean: Better is a man of humble standing who works for himself than one who plays the great man but lacks bread. This is stronger, and gives more content to the word ‘better’.”
Pro_12:10
A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
a. A righteous man regards the life of his animal: God cares for the animals (Mat_10:29, Psa_104:27). The righteous or godly man will also show care and compassion to his animal. There is a true sense in which the animal is his, and God gives him authority over the animal; but he is to exercise that authority with care and compassion.
i. “Verse 10 teaches that a good man cares for those who provide for him, even if they are only animals. The wicked only exploit.” (Garrett)
ii. “I once in my travels met with the Hebrew of this clause on the sign board of a public inn: yodea tsaddik nephesh behemto. ‘A righteous man considereth the life of his beast;’ which, being very appropriate, reminded me that I should feed my horse.” (Clarke)
b. The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel: Even the supposed mercies of the wicked have their own cruel self-interest in mind. The righteous man is kind even to his animals; the wicked man can be cruel even in his kindness.
i. “The wicked, influenced by Satan, can show no other disposition than what is in their master. If they appear at any time merciful, it is a cloak which they use to cover purposes of cruelty.” (Clarke)
Pro_12:11
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.
a. He who tills his land: The one who does the hard work of farming will be satisfied with bread. Under God’s blessing, they will enjoy the result of their labor.
b. He who follows frivolity: The one who lives for the vain and superficial things of life lacks something worse than bread; he is devoid of understanding.
i. “The proud person is Satan’s throne, and the idle man his pillow. He sits in the former and sleeps quietly on the latter.” (Swinnock, cited in Bridges)
Pro_12:12
The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
a. The wicked covet the catch of evil men: It is in the nature of the wicked to covet what others have, even if it is the catch of evil men. In this they sin in the covetousness and the longing for what has been gained by evil men.
b. The root of the righteous yields fruit: God’s righteous men and women don’t need to covet the catch of evil men, because they are like fruit-bearing trees. Fruit comes from their very root, from who they are.
Pro_12:13
The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will come through trouble.
a. The wicked is ensnared: What a wicked man says (the transgression of his lips) will eventually get him into trouble. It will become a snare he is trapped in.
i. “A man who deals in lies and false oaths will sooner or later be found out to his own ruin. There is another proverb as true as this: A liar had need of a good memory; for as the truth is not in him, he says and unsays, and often contradicts himself.” (Clarke)
b. The righteous will come through trouble: The righteous man or woman will certainly experience trouble but will come through it. As Jesus said, in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (Joh_16:33).
Pro_12:14
A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.
a. A man will be satisfied with good: A righteous man finds blessing comes to his life by what he says (the fruit of his mouth). His good, kind, and encouraging words will bring life to himself and others.
b. The recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him: A man will receive what he has worked for, whether it be for good or evil. God’s judgments are true and fitting.
Pro_12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.
a. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: The fool almost always thinks they are on the right path. It is difficult for them to think carefully and accurately about the path of their life.
b. He who heeds counsel is wise: The wise man or woman understands the value of counsel and does not look only to what is right in his own eyes. The wise person understands that it is helpful to get another set of “eyes” on one’s way.
Pro_12:16
A fool’s wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.
a. A fool’s wrath is known at once: The fool does not have the self-control to wait and let the immediate anger pass before making a response. The fool does most things out of impulse without thought.
b. A prudent man covers shame: The wise and prudent man knows that there are many times when the right thing to do is to cover shame. They thoughtfully respond to situations instead of making an immediate, impulsive response.
i. “It is not so much that the wise man represses anger or feelings but that he is more shrewd in dealing with it.” (Ross)
Pro_12:17
He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
a. He who speaks truth declares righteousness: The words of the wise are filled with truth and therefore reflect God’s righteousness.
b. But a false witness, deceit: The false witness doesn’t speak the truth, and promotes deceit instead of righteousness.
Pro_12:18
There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
a. There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword: Some people have the terrible ability to speak in a manner that stabs and slices others. Their words are like the slashing and piercings of a sword, bringing hurt instead of healing.
i. “How keenly have the servants of God suffered from this sword! Many will speak daggers without compunction who would be afraid to use them.” (Bridges)
b. The tongue of the wise promotes health: Wise men and women are able to bring health and healing by the words they speak.
Pro_12:19
The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
a. The truthful lip shall be established forever: God looks after those who love the truth and speak the truth. Under His blessing, they will be established forever.
b. The lying tongue is but for a moment: It often seems that the lying tonguewins the day and is stronger than the truthful lip. The judgments of the God of truth will show how temporary the success of the lying tongue is.
i. But for a moment: “The lying tongue may continue to utter its falsehood for long years by the calendars of men, but when you place those years by the side of the ages of God, they are as a moment, as the winking of the eye, as nothing.” (Morgan)
ii. “Truth stands for ever; because its foundation is indestructible: but falsehood may soon be detected; and, though it gain credit for a while, it had that credit because it was supposed to be truth.” (Clarke)
iii. “It is truth which abides. A lie must perish. In a world still largely mastered by lies, it is difficult at times to believe this. Yet to review the history of the race is to have evidence of it. Lies are always perishing.” (Morgan)
Pro_12:20
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
a. Deceit is in the heart: Those who devise evil and practice it have deceit in their heart before it is ever evident in their actions. There is something corrupt in their core that finds expression outwardly.
b. Counselors of peace have joy: There is a happiness and contentment (joy) that comes to those who speak words of peace. This shalom is within the counselors of peace, and so they are able to give it to others.
i. “Significantly, Proverbs always represents counselors as in a group (Pro_11:14; Pro_15:22; Pro_24:6).” (Waltke)
Pro_12:21
No grave trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
a. No grave trouble will overtake the righteous: God’s righteous men and women will certainly experience trouble. Yet God promised to manage the degree of trouble, the duration of trouble, and the depth of the trouble. Especially seen in the light of eternity, no grave trouble will overtake the righteous.
b. The wicked shall be filled with evil: In contrast, the wicked will receive the result of their wickedness. They will not be rescued from their trouble; because they pursued evil, they will be filled with evil.
Pro_12:22
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
a. Lying lips are an abomination: The God of truth loves the truth and regards the lips that spread lies as offensive, an abomination.
b. Those who deal truthfully are His delight: The same God who regards lies as an abomination takes delight in those who value and tell the truth. Wisdom’s lesson is plain: stop lying and start telling the truth.
Pro_12:23
A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.
a. A prudent man conceals knowledge: It is a mark of wisdom and prudence to not reveal all that we know, especially if it may harm or disgrace others.
i. “Someone who is careful in what he says will be equally careful about whom he confides in.” (Garrett)
b. The heart of fools proclaims foolishness: The wise man or woman knows restraint, but the fool does not. It is in the nature of fools to proclaim their foolishness. What is in the heart will eventually be revealed.
i. “Fools, however, proclaim their folly everywhere. They are dogmatic in arguments when wiser men are cautious. They teach when they should be learning.” (Bridges)
Pro_12:24
The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
a. The hand of the diligent will rule: This is both according to the blessing of God (who rewards the diligent) and the nature of the world and society. Hard working people achieve and come to places of leadership.
i. “So, Christian, be diligent. Spend and be spent in Christ’s service. Your privileges will be enlarged. Your God will be honored. Your crown will be secure.” (Bridges)
b. The lazy man will be put to forced labor: Because he is unfit to rule over others or even himself, the lazy man will be ruled over by others.
i. “Diligence at work determines success and advancement. To put it bluntly, the diligent rise to the top and the lazy sink to the bottom.” (Ross)
ii. The lazy man: “Hebrew, the deceitful. So he calls the slothful, because deceit and idleness are commonly companions, and such men seek to gain by fraud what they either cannot or will not get by honest labour.” (Poole)
Pro_12:25
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.
a. Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression: Solomon considered an inward cause of depression. It may come from fear and anxiety within a man or woman’s heart. This is why God so often tells us to be anxious for nothing (Php_4:6) and pray about everything.
b. But a good word makes it glad: An anxious heart can be helped by a simple good word. Encouragement costs little from the one who gives it, but can do enormous good for the one who receives it.
i. “The ‘kind word’ probably includes encouragement, kindness, and insight—saying that which the person needs to gain the proper perspective and renew hope and confidence.” (Ross)
ii. Think of the many times Jesus spoke a simple good word and made others glad:

• Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you (Mat_9:2).
• Your sins are forgiven (Luk_7:48).
• Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well (Luk_8:48).
• Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more (Joh_8:11).
  iii. Our simple words of encouragement can encourage and guide beyond all our imagining. “A single good or favourable word will remove despondency.” (Clarke)
  Pro_12:26
  The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
  For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
  a. The righteous should choose his friends carefully: This is good advice for both the righteous and those who have the wisdom to seek after righteousness. It has been rightly said, show me your friends and I will show you your future.
  b. For the way of the wicked leads them astray: Bad friends can have a significant impact for evil and many people have been led astray towards the way of the wicked because of unwise and undiscerning friendships. The power of friendship can also work for good, and good friends can help one on the way of wisdom.
  Pro_12:27
  The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
  But diligence is man’s precious possession.
  a. The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting: Using a somewhat humorous illustration, Solomon showed that the lazy man does not finish the job. He went to all the trouble of hunting and capturing the prey, but will never enjoy the fruit of his work because he is too lazy to do it.
  i. “Just as one who might hunt but never cook what he finds, so the lazy person never completes a project.” (Ross)
  b. Diligence is man’s precious possession: There are many precious things a man or woman can have, but diligence is near the top of the list. Many great things are accomplished with little talent but great diligence.
  Pro_12:28
  In the way of righteousness is life,
  And in its pathway there is no death.
  a. In the way of righteousness is life: It is a common belief that the way of righteousness is boring or unpleasant. This is a deception of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The truth is that in the way of righteousness is life.
  b. In its pathway there is no death: The life righteousness brings is not only for the present but also for eternity. Those who walk in the way of righteousness will receive and know eternal life, beginning now into eternity.
  i. “The practice of justice and godliness, though it expose a man to some dangers and inconveniences in the world, yet it will certainly lead him to life and happiness, whereas the end of all wicked courses is death and destruction.” (Poole)

Proverbs 12:1-2
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish. A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
Is it not Christ here spoken of, who in our nature fulfilled all righteousness, and for which he obtained favour for himself and people? See the Commentary on Ps 1 and Ps 15 in confirmation.

Proverbs 12:3-9
A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit. The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand. A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.
The man here said to be despised, but who hath the servant of Jehovah for his portion, is preferable to the self-righteous who is destitute of the bread of life. Isa_42:1; Mat_20:27-28.

Proverbs 12:10-18
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame. He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
David gives one of the best comments upon the words, that are like the piercings of the sword. Psa_141:5. And the apostle shews wherefore it is so. Heb_4:12-13.

Proverbs 12:19-25
The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
What but Jesus, the uncreated word, can give comfort to an heart born down under the pressure of sin? Thy love (saith the church) is better than wine; Son_1:2. Yes! for though wine may raise the drooping spirits as a momentary cordial, yet Jesus’s love raiseth the dead. Eph_2:1

Proverbs 12:26-28
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them. The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
All these are expressive of one and the same thing. The margin of the Bible renders it, The righteous is more abundant than his neighbour. Unto everyone that hath (saith our Lord) shall be given and he shall have abundance. Mat_25:29; intimating that grace is an increasing gift from the Lord. So that while the sinner is waxing worse and worse, he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. Job_17:9

Proverbs 12:28
REFLECTIONS
How blessed is every portion of the divine word, when read with an eye to Christ. Wherever Christ is seen, and known, and enjoyed; there the word becomes life and spirit to the heart. I found thy words and did eat them, (saith one of the prophets) and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart. And what rendered God’s word so sweet was, that Christ filled every part of it. These were the green pastures in which God caused his servant to lie down, when he fed him beside the still waters. When Christ is seen in them, and the Holy Ghost gives the soul to taste Christ in them; then as the church said, so all the people find; it is blessed to sit down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit is sweet to the taste. Reader! do you find it to be so? Have you found Christ in this chapter? Depend upon it, the grace of God, and the word of God, which bringeth salvation, brings it from this source: and it then flows in upon the soul, in rich, full, free, and blessed streams of Christ as the salvation of God for poor sinners. Oh! for grace so to find, so to enjoy, so to relish, and so to live upon Jehovah’s precious gift to men. In this way of Jesus and his righteousness is life, and in the very path-way thereof, the private, as well as the public ordinances of grace, there is no death.