Proverbs 11

This verse is about doing business as it happens in the marketplace and in the store, that is, in everyday life. God wants all business to be done honestly. If it is not, it is “an abomination” to Him; if it is, it is “His delight” Here we see God’s personal response to how trade is done. The handling of “a false balance” involves shortchanging one of the members of His people. God here stands up for the wronged one. In His “weighing” of the seller’s behavior, He employs an absolutely honest measure.

There is nothing in daily life that He is outside of. The lives of His people in their dealings with one another should reflect His attributes. Everything should be done in accordance with His will, that is, in accordance with Who He is as light and love. This also applies to commerce.

Because commerce is about profit, about money, especially there the dangers of being dishonest are great. Someone can be driven by greed for money just like that. Charging a little more than the product is worth, delivering a little less product than was paid for, makes the profit greater. God knows His people and therefore wants them to use “just balances, a just ephah and a just bath” (Eze 45:10).

Throughout Scripture, dishonesty in trade is condemned (Lev 19:35-36; Deu 25:13-16; Amos 8:5). God not only forbids it, but it is also an abomination to Him. God accepts one’s dealings only if they are honest. He pays attention to whether we give product for the money we charge for that product. Dishonesty runs rampant when God is not taken into account. A false balance is literally a ‘weight of deceit’. One who uses a false balance lacks sincerity of heart (verse 20).

Being honest is linked by God in the law to the redemption of His people from Egypt (Lev 19:35-36). Through the redemption, He made them His own people. Therefore, they must be honest as He is. Likewise, by virtue of our redemption from the world, we too, who belong to the church of God, should be honest in our dealings. Any injustice, any dishonesty, must be avoided by us (1Cor 6:8). This applies not only to material matters, but also when we have to deal with disputes or sin. Do we then apply an honest standard, or do we let family or friendship ties influence our consideration?

“Pride”, or arrogance, is literally “boiling over”, or overstepping boundaries and the hallmark of rebellion (verse 2). Proud people puff themselves up to the level of a deity. In the wake of their puffiness follows “dishonor”, a word meaning “to be made light”. The proud, puffed-up person is like a balloon that deflates until only a rag remains.

An apt illustration of this is Herod Agrippa who allowed himself to be hailed as God and immediately afterward was eaten by worms and died (Acts 12:21-23). He was a bloated god who shriveled up into a rag. The Pharisees are also puffed up. They think big of themselves in their relationship with God and look down contemptuously on others (Lk 18:9-12; Mt 6:5). The Lord pronounces the “woe to you” on them (Mt 23:13-32). Another example of hubris is Babylon the great, which is the roman-catholic church, which will also be judged for it (Rev 18:7-8). All that remains of it is “the smoke of its fire” (Rev 18:18).

Opposite of pride is humility or humbleness. “With the humble is wisdom”, as evidenced by the place they occupy before God and men. They moderate nothing; they are not puffed up. With them is the fear of God and that is their wisdom. They will be exalted in God’s time (Lk 14:11; 1Pet 5:6).

Those who are humble are also upright (verse 3). The consequence or result of inner “integrity” is that it “will guide” the upright in the way they go and in the contacts they have. There is freedom and life in their going, both for themselves and for those they meet. Here we see the blessed influence that integrity has on the upright. Integrity is a mind of heart, expressed in acting honestly and faithfully.

Opposed to the upright are “the treacherous”. With them there is no integrity, but its opposite, “crookedness”. This crookedness is evident in the crooked ways they go and the crooked doctrine they preach. They themselves suffer the effect of this. By their crookedness they destroy themselves. Here we see the devastating effect that crookedness has on the treacherous themselves. He who seeks to damage others damages himself.

Even though someone possesses all the gold and silver of the world, it is of no significance “in the day of wrath”, which is the day of the wrath of God on sin (verse 4; Zep 1:18; Eze 7:19; Mk 8:37-38). “The day of wrath” can be both the day of death and future judgment. In this life, possessions can be used to bribe a judge and buy off punishment. But that is not how it works with God. All that matters on that day is whether a person has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (1Pet 1:18-19). Those who have been redeemed by it have the righteousness of God through faith in Christ. Only that “righteousness delivers from death”.

Righteousness not only saves from death, but also has great practical value for life. Righteousness makes the way of the blameless smooth (verse 5). The blameless one is incorruptible, unimpeachable, always honest. This is evident in his righteousness, in doing what is right. As a result, his way is also smooth. There is nothing twisted or ambiguous in it. He goes a safe and secure way through life. The way Joseph went in the midst of his brothers and in Egypt is an example of this. It is perfectly true of the Lord Jesus, the perfectly blameless, and it is also true of every one who follows Him in blamelessness.

What characterizes the way of the blameless is totally lacking in the wicked. With him we see the opposite. His wickedness does not give him any stability in life, but rather causes his fall.

In verse 6 there is again mention of “the righteousness of the upright” In verse 5 it is singular, “the blameless” one, now it is plural, “the upright” ones. Now it is about deliverance from dangerous, life-threatening situations. The smooth way of verse 5 is a way with dangers. The same righteousness that makes the way smooth also helps overcome difficulties on that way. For this, the upright seek their help from Him Who has given righteousness.

“The treacherous” lack righteousness and therefore help in dangers. They do not even see those dangers, but are led by their own “greed”. They are “caught” by their greed, which causes them to be caught in it as in a prison. Their greed leads them to commit sins, which surround them like a net from which they cannot free themselves. Through that net they are dragged to judgment and ultimately to eternal death.

As for “a wicked man”, the moment he dies his “expectation will perish” (verse 7; Psa 49:16-20). This verse speaks of a great tragedy associated with the expectation that the wicked man believes he has. Any hope of longevity or success will end in disillusionment because that expectation is anchored in reliance on earthly possessions.

He may have had “the hope of strong men” that he would live forever in prosperity, with rock-solid confidence in carrying out his plans, but it all perishes like a vapor when he dies. The Lord Jesus tells of a rich man who dies without God. This man had to leave all his wealth at his death and in the afterlife he did not even have a drop of water to cool his tongue in even the slightest way (Lk 16:19-31).

What grace that the believer may have a certain hope, a hope that when he dies does not perish, but rather is fulfilled. The believer’s hope is a certainty; it is a hope that does not fail (Heb 11:1; Rom 5:5). Therefore, he hopes “with perseverance” (Rom 8:24-25).

“The righteous is” delivered by God “from trouble” (verse 8). The righteous can come into trouble. We can think of oppressive, confining situations that limit his freedom and cause him anxiety. Wicked people can make life very troublesome for him. But God ensures that he does not perish and will deliver him from it.

What afflicts “the wicked” is opposite, and in a remarkable way. The wicked not only receives a deserved punishment, but he is given the place into which he himself first brought the righteous. The roles are reversed. A clear example of this is Haman being hanged in Mordecai’s place (Est 7:10; 9:1). With the men thrown into the lion’s den in Daniel’s place, we see the same thing (Dan 6:24-25). This reversal of roles will also take place when the Lord Jesus appears. The believers will then be delivered from tribulation, and the wicked will come into tribulation (2Thes 1:6-7).

“The godless man” is an insincere person. He pretends to be a helpful neighbor, but is an enemy. He is out to “destroy his neighbor” with his mouth, which emphasizes how intensely mean he is. He creates an expectation in his neighbor that he wants to do something for him, that he is seeking good for him. Instead of living up to that expectation, he is out for his destruction. He speaks all kinds of evil about his neighbor in order to give him a bad name. This is called “character murder”. By doing so, he makes his neighbor’s life a torment.

But “the righteous” will not fall prey to his pernicious activity. For they possess “knowledge”. By their knowledge they see through the godless. They see the real intention behind his words; they unmask him and resist him. The mouth of the godless is stopped and the righteous are delivered. The faithful Christian knows by holding fast “the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching” how “to refute the opponents”, by which he “silences them” (Tit 1:9-11).

In verses 10-11 it is not about persons, but about “a city”, a community of life. A community of life appreciates it goes well with the righteous, i.e. when they prosper (verse 10). The righteous owe their prosperity, their state of prosperity, to their honest dealings, and the city benefits. A city, that is, its citizens, even rejoice in exuberant joy over this (cf. Est 8:15).

There is also joyful shouting when the wicked perish (2Kgs 11:20). Likewise, there will be rejoicing in heaven when wicked Babylon is destroyed (Rev 18:20-21; 19:1-2). In the first case, there is joy over the good influence of the righteous. In the second case, there is rejoicing over the elimination of the pernicious influence of the wicked.

The good influence of the righteous and the bad influence of the wicked on the life of a city are emphasized in verse 11. “The upright” pronounce blessing on the city and wish it prosperity. It does not just stop at wishing blessing, but the upright also effect blessing. Thus the city “is exalted”. It acquires a good name; it is pleasant to live and be there. The city becomes attractive.

In contrast to this is the ‘advertising’ that the wicked make for it. They tear down the city to the ground with their words. They do this by speaking negatively about the city, but also by their general language. Out of their mouths comes only curse and filth. Even with neat language, as many politicians usually use, their words conceal falsity and follow a hidden agenda. They present themselves as protectors, but their practice will show that they tear down the city.

We can apply this to the local church of God as a city. If we are upright, we will say good things about the church as a local community and want to be a blessing to it. All who are part of the local church will rejoice in it. People who have no connection with it because they live outside of God will not allow a local church to exist at all. They will spread slander about it and do everything to make it impossible for them to live and meet together. Such people can also be found in the church and do their destructive work by spreading false teachings.

He who despises his neighbor proves that he lacks sense, literally, that he is “without heart” (verse 12). Such a person completely lacks self-knowledge. He also expresses his contempt. This is evident in the second line of verse. Someone who has an understanding of who he himself is will not express contempt for his neighbor, but “keeps silent”. He realizes that his neighbor is no less than himself and that he himself is like his neighbor. The standard for the Christian is even higher: he will regard the other “with humility of mind as more important than himself” (Phil 2:3; Eph 4:25).

A person “who goes about as a talebearer” is evil and not to be trusted (verse 13; cf. 1Tim 5:13). If something is entrusted to him in secret, he will gladly make it public. Opposed to the talebearer is the person who is “trustworthy”. If something is said to him in confidence, he will conceal that matter and not make it public. He does not abuse the trust that has been given to him and therefore will not harm and shame the one who has confided in him.

“Guidance” is essential to the stability of a nation (verse 14). Guidance can be compared to steering a ship. That ship here is the people, the nation. The ancient expression ‘the ship of state’ indicates that. The comparison is made because even a ship depends for its safety on the leadership of a captain who must be knowledgeable in the matter. Without people at the helm of ‘the ship of state’ who are competent to guide the people, a ship sinks, that is, “the people fall”. But “in abundance of counselors”, by many men who are able to guide in all kinds of fields, “victory” comes out of the distress and the people are saved from destruction.

This also applies to the people of God, of which the local church is a representation. Consultation under prayer and using God’s Word is necessary to be a church where the Lord Jesus can be in the midst. When discussing in Jerusalem the contentious question of whether the nations should keep the law, a saving answer was arrived at through the contributions of several wise counselors (Acts 15:1-29).

A financially sound policy requires not making opaque financial commitments. One such opaque obligation is being “guarantor for a stranger” (verse 15). Being guarantor or surety is an extremely foolish thing to do (cf. Pro 6:1-6), especially if it is done for a stranger. Solomon is very clear in his warning here: whoever is guarantor “will surely suffer for it”. He who is guarantor guarantees the other that he will pay his debt if the other defaults, while he is without any guarantee that the other will repay him. This can lead to his bankruptcy and beggary.

The contradiction in the second line of verse underscores how dangerous it is to be guarantor. It is about nothing less than “secure”, carefree, living. This is the perspective of him “who hates being a guarantor” or “who hates to strike hands” as it is literally said. To strike hands is to confirm an agreement, which is what we do today, among other things, by signing. Never sign or give any kind of endorsement until you fully know what you are committing yourself to with your signature or endorsement.

“A gracious woman” is a charming, endearing woman. Although the woman is “the weaker vessel” (1Pet 3:7), she still possesses the strength to “attain honor”. She does so in the same way as “ruthless men attain riches”. Her strength does manifest itself in a very different way than ruthless people. Her strength is not physical, but spiritual in nature. She is a woman of virtue, which is spiritual courage or strength, a woman who trusts in God. An example of such a person is Ruth (Rth 2:11).

She is “gracious” because she attains imperishable “honor”. That honor endures even when outward beauty diminishes. She knows its value. That she “attains” it means that there are forces at work that want to hinder her to attain that honor. In the New Testament, the woman’s honor is linked to her long hair which is a symbol of her submission toward the man (1Cor 11:15). She attains it and holds to it despite all the ruthlessness of emancipation.

Ruthless men attain transient “riches”. To secure their riches, they use physical violence against their neighbor. They have attained their riches by force and will hold on to it by force. If a neighbor knocks on their door to retrieve the property looted from them, they will forcibly drive them away.

One who is “merciful” to other people will experience the beneficial consequence “himself”, personally (verse 17). A “merciful man” has love for his neighbor, for those who are related to him or with whom he comes into contact. Such a person is a follower of God, Who is merciful and demonstrates His mercy to people (Tit 3:4). Rahab showed mercy to the spies and thereby did good to her own soul and also to the souls of those belonging to her father’s house (Jos 2:12,14).

Similarly, this works for “the cruel man”, but in reverse. One who is without compassion works his own misfortune. Such a person is a cruel one in whom all love for his neighbor is lacking, both in his thoughts and actions. He plunges himself into misfortune. This is what Ahab and Jezebel experienced (1Kgs 22:37-38; 2Kgs 9:36-37).

“The wicked” is engaged in a work that is “deceptive”, that is, in work that produces nothing, that is without results (verse 18). “He who sows righteousness” (cf. Jam 3:18) fares differently. Such a person leads others to do righteousness in their life, which is a benefit to yet others. What is sown will bear fruit (1Cor 9:11; 2Cor 9:6). The resulting harvest is here called “true reward”.

When righteousness is sown (verse 18), it is “to life” (verse 19). By life here is meant life in its deepest and richest form, that is, life in communion with God, eternal life. Doing righteousness and life belong together. Opposed to this is “he who pursues evil”, the pursuit of evil with the effort of all one’s powers in order to do it. This always and inevitably leads to “death”. Just as righteousness and life belong together, so do evil and death, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23).

“The perverse in heart” (verse 20) are those who have a crooked, twisted mind. Their whole spiritual life is affected by evil and permeated with it. They are “an abomination to the LORD” because they devise devious things in their heart and have no regard for God’s will in any way. But “the blameless in [their] walk”, that is, those who are inwardly focused on Him and therefore go His way, “are His delight”.

As in verse 1, it is about what is “an abomination to the LORD” and in contrast, what is “His delight”. In verse 1 it is about honest or dishonest business, the practice of life. Here it is about the mind of the heart, whether it is wrong or upright. It is not just about outward behavior, but more importantly about the motives behind it. God watches our ways and also sees what is in our heart (1Sam 16:7). We can be honest, but in doing so we can only have our own interests in mind. Then we are not His delight.

“Assuredly”, there will be a day of retribution, you can be sure of that, there can be “hand to hand” on that, as something is confirmed with striking hands (verse 21). Each one will be placed before the judgment seat of God and will have to answer for his deeds there (Rom 14:10b-12; 2Cor 5:10). Then the evildoer will not be able to declare himself ‘innocent’ and go “unpunished” The Judge sees through him completely. But “the descendants of the righteous”, which is all who belong to the generation of the righteous, will escape judgment (cf. Jn 5:24).

An outwardly “beautiful woman who lacks discretion” is similar to a beautiful “ring of gold” put in “a swine’s snout”. The Israelite women had a nose ring as an ornament, among other things (Gen 24:22,30,47; Isa 3:21). It is nonsensical to think that wearing a nose ring would make an animal that is constantly filthy beautiful. It corresponds to our (Dutch) proverb: it is a flag on a mud.

The comparison is that a beautiful ornament is attached to an unworthy body. A swine does not know the value of it. You can want to adorn that animal with jewelry and thus try to make it attractive, but the animal continues to stink and finds pleasure in living in the mud and stench. The ring loses its beauty because of it. Jezebel was such a woman. Between her behavior and her dolled-up appearance, there was no correspondence. Her outward beautification paled in the light of her depraved interior (2Kgs 9:30). We can also apply this to the beautiful appearance of the roman-catholic church which, however, is full of corruption inside (Rev 17:4-6).

The true adornment of a woman is within, in her heart, in her mind (1Pet 3:3-4). Of Abigail it is noted first that she was “intelligent” and then that she was “beautiful in appearance” (1Sam 25:3). A woman is attractive when she exhibits the mind and characteristics of Christ. The bride, the wife of the Lamb, will possess those characteristics in full glory (Rev 21:9-10).

The character of “righteous” and “wicked” is evident not only in what they do, but also in what they desire and expect (verse 23). “Righteous” have no desire other than “only good”. They are in connection with God and therefore have a desire for good material and spiritual things in order to do good with it themselves.

“The expectation of the wicked” will bring them nothing but “wrath”. They have no connection with God and expect to gain as much benefit as possible from their wicked life. But their expectation will end up in nothing but God’s “wrath” on them, because all their desires provoke God’s wrath.

In the government of God, it is so arranged that first there must be distribution, giving, sowing, and then comes the profit, the yield, the benefit (verse 24). God also wants that distribution should be generous or abundant and not sparse. When that happens, a person will experience that the yield is far more abundant than what has been distributed, given away or sown (Lk 6:38a; 2Cor 9:6-9; Psa 112:9). We can also distribute time and attention mildly.

The opposite is also true. There are those “who withhold what is justly due”. They believe they become rich as a result. But besides wronging others, they also cheat themselves. All their dishonestly obtained gain will lead to their want, for God will settle the account with them. In the end, they will be left empty-handed and with a list of debts that cannot be settled.

Not giving someone what is due is also a form of withholding more than is rightfully due. Nabal had that attitude toward David (1Sam 25:10-11,38). The chief tax collector Zacchaeus realized the sinfulness of this behavior in time and repented of this sin (Lk 19:8).

Verse 25 connects with verse 24. “The generous man” is one who by word and deed spreads blessing around him, shows benefits and seeks the happiness of others. He who does this will himself receive blessing from it. One will benefit him, he himself will be prosperous. Whoever refreshes someone else (spiritually) will also be refreshed thereby himself. We see this with the Lord Jesus in His conversation with the Samaritan woman. The spiritual food He gave the woman also refreshed Him Himself (Jn 4:31-34; Mt 10:42; Jer 31:25).

He who does not distribute blessing (verse 25), but on the contrary selfishly keeps everything for himself, and that in a time of scarcity, is cursed by the people (verse 26). God wants us to distribute to others of the blessing He has given us. This applies to both material and spiritual blessing. If we make available of the blessing we have received and offer it for sale, blessing will rest on our head. In selling, we need not think only of money or a means of exchange. Selling means that the other person must make an effort to come into possession of what is offered for sale (cf. Pro 23:23).

One who appreciates good will seek it diligently , that is, he will strive to come into possession of it (verse 27). Such a person is seeking “favor”, where we may think especially of the favor of God. He who “seeks evil” does so because he believes he will gain by it. He will not see what he is pursuing as evil. No one pursues evil for himself. It is about evil things in the sight of God. What he pursues, however, he will not get, but it will “come to him”. That refers to a cause from without. It means that he will finally be afflicted by the evil of God’s judgment.

Wanting to get rich and abusing wealth are to be condemned. There is another evil associated with riches and that is trusting in riches (verse 28). “Who trusts in his riches” will be shamed with it. He will find that to his shame when he “falls”. Riches do not provide a firm foundation for life. To fall means that his life will end in a mess. The cause is that he does not give God a place in his life (Lk 12:16-21).

For “the righteous” the opposite is true. They trust in God and “flourish like the [green] leaf”. Their life is rooted in Him and characterized by prosperity and fruitfulness (cf. Psa 92:12-15; Jer 17:7-8). The life of those who trust in riches is like a fallen and withered leaf, while that of the righteous is like a greening leaf full of vitality that continues to grow.

One who in his greed thinks only of himself plunges his house into troubles (verse 29). There is no interest at all in fellow householders, whom he regards only as a nuisance in the pursuit of evil. What remains of his efforts is only wind, nothing he can grasp. From the way he has managed his home, it is clear that he is a fool. The second line of verse assumes that he has lost everything and has incurred so much debt that he must rent himself out as a “servant to the wise-hearted”.

What the righteous brings forth (verse 30) contrasts with the fool of verse 29. His life as a righteous man shows that he has life. He does not have that life in himself. What comes out of him, what becomes visible of the life that is in him, comes forth from the true Tree of life, the Lord Jesus. Therefore, the life of the righteous person resembles the life of Him, the perfectly Righteous One.

This similarity is also reflected in the relationship to other people. One who brings forth a tree of life as fruit is seeking to bring others into connection with the true Tree of life. The primary concern is about attracting and winning others over to wisdom. Whoever does that, whoever wins souls in this way, is wise.

We can also apply it to the gospel. We can become fishers of men and catch them (Mt 4:19) by winning them over to Christ, that they may go after Him. Paul is a special example of such a wise man (cf. 1Cor 9:20-22; 10:33). His entire ministry is a source of life and spiritual food for generations to come.

“The righteous” has as much to do with the government of God as “the wicked and the sinner” (verse 31). God in His righteousness must deal with every sin regardless of who commits that sin. A righteous person who sins must suffer and bear the consequences. Moses is an example of this. Because he sinned, he was not allowed to bring the people into the promised land. David’s life also shows the truth of what is written here. This retribution happens on earth. One comfort in this is that the righteous may know that Christ helps him bear the consequences of his sins because He bore the judgment of his sins on the cross.

“The wicked and the sinner” equally faces and will have to bear the consequences of his sins on earth. But there is a “how much more” for him – this is the first of the four “how much more” sayings (Pro 11:31; 15:11; 19:7; 21:27). He will have to bear the burden alone because he lives without Christ and, if he does not repent, dies without Him. It seems that Peter quotes this word in his first letter when he writes: “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?” (1Pet 4:18).